Some Rewards for You! (Part 1)
over 7 years ago – Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 10:00:14 AM

Hello Snippets fans!

Thanks for filling out your BackerKit surveys so quickly! I've heard back from most of you, so let's start getting you the Substring web game and Substring Pro rewards!

Information on how to access these will be sent out this week through BackerKit to the email address you provided in the survey. If you haven't filled out your BackerKit survey yet, have no fear! As soon as you do, you'll find this same access information on the last page.

As always, if you have any trouble, you can email me at [email protected].

The Substring Web Game

Substring is an online game I made over 10 years ago when I was a fledgling programmer. It may not be the best (or prettiest) thing in the world, but the concepts underlying this simple game have evolved over the years into what Snippets is today.

Race against the clock to find a word that has the displayed "substring" in it. If you find the word, you earn some points, the clock resets, and you get a new substring. This continues indefinitely until you get stuck and time runs out. Unlike Snippets, though, only dictionary words are allowed here, making it significantly more challenging.

Anyone who pledged at a tier of $1 or higher will get access to this game.

Substring Pro

Substring Pro is the most recent version of Substring, having evolved from the above web game to a very similar iPhone 3 game, then finally to this completely reimagined level-based puzzler for iPhone 5 and up. With thousands of downloads, its been mentioned in the New York Times and on Z100's morning show.

Given a "substring" like STR, use your epic vocab and word-smithing prowess to find words containing it, like STRING, ABSTRACT, or CONSTRUCT. The rules change from level to level, though, switching between fast-paced bonus rounds and challenging crossword-like clues, so stay on your toes! 

A free version of this app (simply called Substring) is also available, but many of the level packs cost $0.99 to unlock. In Substring Pro, all level packs are automatically unlocked.

Anyone who pledged at the $5 tier will get a promo code to download Substring Pro for free. 

Upcoming Events

 

Snippets is still on track to be manufactured and shipped out by February 2017, but if you can't wait that long, join us at Playcrafting's Demo & Play night next Wednesday, November 30th from 6 - 9pm at Microsoft's Times Square offices in NYC. I'll be demoing Snippets and we'll even have some time to play. Tickets are free. Come say hello!

- Shaun 

 

Let's Start Getting You Some Rewards!
over 7 years ago – Tue, Nov 15, 2016 at 07:14:18 AM

  

Hello Snippets fans!

Things are moving full speed ahead! Since Snippets got funded (thank you again!), I've been working hard to polish up the graphic design and game components in order to get the game ready for manufacturing. Making stuff is a really fascinating process, so there will be plenty more on this to come!

In the meantime: I'll be sending out surveys this week through a service called BackerKit in order to collect information from you on how to get you your rewards, including the game itself. Please keep an eye out for it; I'll need your responses by December 1st in order to get you your loot as soon as possible!

Depending on which reward(s) you got, the survey will ask you for things like your email and/or shipping address. For our Snippets Hero backers, it'll also ask you for the name you'd like printed in the instructions booklet as a special thank you!

If you happen to be interested, BackerKit will also let you switch your reward tier or preorder more games or buttons.

If you have any trouble completing your survey, or would like to provide me your information directly rather than use BackerKit, you can always email me at [email protected].

Thanks all!

- Shaun

 

Snippets Has Been Funded!
over 7 years ago – Fri, Nov 04, 2016 at 04:22:59 PM

Hello Snippets fans!

We did it! In just 30 days, together we've pledged over $25,000 to help bring Snippets, the fast-paced anything-goes word game, to life. Since we reached our all-or-nothing crowdfunding goal, that means we'll finally have the resources needed to manufacture and ship the game you've all been waiting for.

I've said it before, but I can't say it enough: thank you, thank you, thank you to all you backers who believe in Snippets, The Master Theorem Games, and me. 

So what happens next?

Many of you selected one or more rewards for your contribution (most notably the Snippets game itself!), and I'll be working hard over the next few months to deliver those to you as soon as possible. 

In order to do that, I'll first need some information from you, such as your email and shipping address, so I'll be sending out some quick surveys soon. Keep an eye out for 'em. If you happened to have contributed to Snippets without selecting a reward, this will also be your opportunity to change your mind and tell me if you'd like to receive a game or two in exchange for your generous donation!

Once the surveys are in, some of the smaller rewards such as the Substring web game, the Substring iPhone game, the Snippets Print-n-Play PDF, and the Snippets buttons, will be sent out pretty quickly.

The Snippets game itself will come a little later since the manufacturing process can take 10 - 12 weeks.

As listed on Kickstarter, here's roughly when I expect to be able to send out each reward:

• Substring web game - Nov 2016
• Substring iPhone game - Nov 2016
• Snippets Print-n-Play PDF - Dec 2016
• Snippets buttons - Dec 2016
• Snippets itself! - Feb 2017

Come along for the ride!

By contributing to the Snippets Kickstarter, you don't just simply get a reward; you get to join me on an epic journey of bringing a creative project to life. As I make progress towards manufacturing the game, I'll keep you in the loop all along the way, and if you ever have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].

Thanks again!

- Shaun   

Under 72 Hours and $3k To Go!
over 7 years ago – Tue, Nov 01, 2016 at 05:57:52 AM

 

Hello Snippets fans!

With just under 72 hours left in the campaign, we're so close! Thanks to all of you incredible backers, we've already raised over $22,000 of the total $25,000 needed to make Snippets a reality. That's an amazing feat in and of itself, and I'm extremely grateful for the amount of support that underlies all those pledges. 

As you may know about crowdfunding on Kickstarter, though, if we don't reach the full $25,000 when the campaign ends at 7:31am this Friday, we get nothing! That means you don't get charged, but we also can't manufacture and ship you your game. So, my wonderful backers, please help spread the word! Share the Snippets page with anyone you think might like it, and let's finish strong! 

"You have to make this game!" 

This weekend Snippets made it all the way to Atlantic City for Gameacon 2016. It was a huge blast meeting all of the game-loving attendees, having played what must have been 100's of rounds of Snippets with them. Everyone seemed to love the game, with many coming back 2 or 3 times just to play again.

Kids, parents, and teachers were especially excited about Snippets. 

One 10-year old girl was a natural-born Snippets prodigy who legit beat us in more than a few rounds. When she heard that we can't make the game if we can't raise another $3k this week, she turned to her father and said: 

"But I love this game! Daddy, can you just give them the $3,000?" 

Her father then promptly gave us an annoyed, yet (somewhat) approving glare. 

A group of 11-year old boys were also regulars at our booth, and after some healthy competition amongst themselves, asked how they could get the game. When we said we hadn't manufactured it yet and still need our Kickstarter to succeed, one of them said:

"No! You have to make this game! I'll tell all my friends about your Kickstarter!"

Let's Make Snippets!

With just under 72 hours and $3k to go, let's make sure we can manufacture and ship you the game you've been waiting for! As usual, here are some things you can do to help:

- Share the Kickstarter campaign or the Snippets homepage with your own friends! Remember to tell them to act fast! The Kickstarter ends at 7:31am this Friday, so unless they're real early birds, any contributions would need to be made by Thursday night!

- Follow @snippetsgame on Instagram and remember that in Snippets and life, #anythinggoes!

 - Shaun

Come Play Snippets With Us!
over 7 years ago – Sat, Oct 22, 2016 at 04:46:52 PM

Hello Snippets fans!

Once again, thanks to your generosity, we've made some great progress this week! We're now over 75% of the way funded with just under 2 weeks left to go. 

As one might expect with a crowdfunding campaign, many of our backers are family, friends, colleagues, those who used to be in a secret puzzling society with us*, you know, the usual. As before, I can't say enough how grateful I am for your pledges and continued support of Snippets, The Master Theorem Games, and me. 

But this week also marked a huge increase in the number of backers that I seem to have no connection to whatsoever. So to all of you who are just happening upon Snippets and contributing to the campaign, thank you for your excitement about the game I've created and your trust in me to deliver it to you! 

As always, please be sure to keep sharing the Kickstarter campaign with anyone else you think may enjoy it!

* Discover the origins of The Master Theorem Games and try your hand at solving some puzzles

Join Us at These Upcoming Events!

Can't wait to get your copy of Snippets? Join us at The Uncommons, Manhattan's only board game cafe, this coming Wednesday at 7pm to play the pre-release version of Snippets! Come test drive the game and get a beautiful, limited edition Snippets button each time you win a round. It's $5 at the door to get into The Uncommons. Check out our Facebook event for more details.

  

Happen to be in or near Atlantic City? Snippets will be exhibiting at the Gameacon conference in the Tropicana Casino this coming weekend, October 29th and 30th. Come say Hi, learn more about Snippets, and get some beautiful Snippets buttons! General admission is $35. See our Facebook event for more details.

Let's Finish Strong!

With only 25% and 12 days left, we're so close, but we still need your help. Here are some things you can do to help spread the word:

- Share the Kickstarter campaign or the Snippets homepage with your own friends!

- Follow @snippetsgame on Instagram and remember that in Snippets and life, #anythinggoes!

- Shaun