Use drugs and therapy to treat your psyche in this beautifully illustrated card game for 2-8 players.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Letterpress That Deck Into My Mystery Box
over 5 years ago
– Mon, Jul 30, 2018 at 11:53:18 PM
Hello, my numbskulls! (trying to make this nickname for Side Effects fans catch on—skull because of our skull motif and numb because it’s the only emotion we can actually feel anymore).
Let’s get right down to biznarts!
The Megalomaniacal Letterpress
We’re basking in the craftsmanship of this gorgeous letterpress—coming soon to all Megalomania backers.
And guess what? We have extras. So, perhaps one of these bad boys will find their way into your mystery box. Oh, and speaking of which…
Kenny Rogers Was Right!
For all those who ordered a Gambling Addict’s Mystery Box from our preorder sale, prepare to be either severely surprised or surprisingly disappointed. As stated in the description, this is a gamble! It may be awesome; it may be worthless—and it’s all determined randomly. Only 81 takers so far, but there are still some mystery boxes available. C’mon, live a little!
Every backer who pledged $20 or more will receive the Kickstarter edition of Side Effects, which includes all the stretch goals listed on our campaign page. But what you might not know is that we’ve designed this to be a collector’s item.
A full Side Effects deck can fit into either of the two chambers inside the box. Which makes it perfect for expansion packs, multiple decks, and/or drug smuggling!
Side Effects is a modular card game, meaning cards can be added or subtracted to fine-tune game play. Expansion packs will be designed to integrate into the original deck, or they can be played on their own. But only the Kickstarter edition of the box will have the extra room necessary to fit more cards.
Wayz 2 Playz
Now that many people have gotten the chance to play Side Effects, either via a review copy, meeting us at a game convention, or by printing out the PnP, we’ve noticed people enjoy playing the game in different ways. We’d like to share with you a few of our favorite alternative ways to play the game:
1) Play until there’s one person left: usually during particularly tense games, once a person wins, the rest of the table can’t help but continue! Let the winner take a break and watch as the rest of the numbskulls (is it working??) fight for second, third, or fourth place.
2) Throw away the Therapy cards: Therapy cards are very powerful (which is why there are only 5 of them in the whole deck), but if you want a REAL challenge, toss away the Therapy and Anorexia cards and see what happens!
3) Side Effects 21: One of the most ingenious versions of Side Effects comes from our friend Dan, a skilled poker player who almost won $150 in a Side Effects tournament!
Dan next to a hat model
When he originally pitched us on this version of the game, we promptly told him to go suck a lemon. But then, after the lemon-sucking contest, we thought, “Hey, this isn’t a bad idea!”
Here’s how it works:
It can only be done with three or more players.
Play a normal game of Side Effects and whoever wins first gets 7 points. The remaining players continue until there’s another winner—that person gets 5 points. The third-place winner gets 3 points. After that, reshuffle and deal a new game. Continue until one person gets 21 or more points.
It’s that simple!
Love, Love, Love!
We just gotta say that your support for us over these past months has been incredible. But we wanted to especially call out the awesome commenting on Update 26. Thank you doesn’t cut it. We are so grateful to all of you who have been patient and kind and followed along during this wild journey. If we could telekinetically give all of you orgasms of appreciation right now, we would.
No shipping news yet! The games are on the freighter gliding across the Pacific. Keep checking these Kickstarter updates for news.
Jen Con
When we first heard of Gen Con, we thought it was a convention for clones of Pillboxer Jen Igartua. It turns out, that's exactly what it is! Jade will be at the God Hates Games booth (#365) August 3 and 4. Stop by and say hello, or just gently weep!
Would the real Jen please stand up?
On Delays
almost 6 years ago
– Wed, Jul 11, 2018 at 01:11:48 AM
Last week, we received a shipping schedule from Quartermasters that was different from what we were told originally. We inquired both with them and with Panda and this was the answer Panda provided us with (copy-pasted from their email)…
When the games are ready to be shipped OTX booked space for the container on an ocean lane headed for the correct US port. Sometimes boats can be full that are headed there and sometimes there aren't any lanes to that port at the moment and it takes a week or so to find the booking.
When we had signed off on the MPC (master production copy), our understanding was that the games would be shipped immediately, but Panda stated that...
When the MPC is sent all the remaining games are still drying. Depending on the project this can take some time, but after that we need a week to assemble, pack, carton, and palletize the games. After that we alert OTX the games are ready to be shipped. These few weeks are standard process and I apologize this wasn’t understood thoroughly on our call. We moved this project as fast as possible because when this project was signed the timeline was very far behind.
I understand the frustration and know a first project can have a big learning curve. I would just let the KS crowds know and rest assured the games are on boats and are being shipped for delivery.
Unfortunately, this issue has set us back a little over a month. We’re very upset about it, but from our communications with our partners it seems this was a combination of misunderstanding and cargo ship congestion.
Panda went on to explain that...
As of today I got confirmation all the games have left the factory and are in transit. OTX will be able to update you with more real time shipping information as they are the freight forwarder, but the lanes are booked and the shipping has commenced.
Email from Quartermasters confirming the schedule.
So, first of all, we are so sorry that you have to wait longer. We seriously lost sleep over this. Please understand that we don’t have control over the delivery at this point, but the good news is that we have a verified timeframe from Quartermasters in writing. Games are due to arrive at their fulfillment center in Florida on August 24 (and in the UK on August 9), where they will go through customs and finally get sent out to backers.
From now on, all shipping updates will be relayed verbatim from our partners. As soon as we get news, you’ll get news.
DELAYS IN THE PAST
There’s been some commenting about the delays in the past, and some of the comments even suggested that we haven’t been transparent enough. Our tone has always been irreverent and sardonic, and perhaps that’s contributed to this misconception, or, at least, a general feeling that we’re being lax about this project. But nothing could be further from the truth. We made mistakes, yes, but we’ve always tried our best to do what we thought was right at the time.
Because Kickstarter projects tend to take a while to fulfill, we didn’t think the delays would cause too much distress, but for many they have, and we’re extremely sorry about that.
WHAT HAPPENED
We’ve seen in the comments some comparisons to other, similar games, claiming that these other companies didn’t have delays like ours. To that we can only say, “they win, we lose.” We faced several obstacles throughout this process, and, in the interest of full transparency, here are a couple that contributed to the delays:
Change of manufacturer: A manufacturer we had been working with long before the campaign started suddenly told us that their gold-edged cards stick together. They told us this days after our campaign ended! Not wanting you to have a bad experience, we had to rush to find someone else who would fit our price points and deliver ALL of our stretch goals. We went with Panda (and we're really glad we did), but it set us back significantly and our new timeline ran right into Chinese New Year. We also spent a lot of time tinkering with the box design, based on recommendations and production templates from Panda, as well as adding interesting features and a hidden game within the game (to be explained in a future update). Panda then had to send us production copies—which shipped from China—that we had to critique, QC, and approve. So this one setback cost us a ton of time.
Change of shipping partner: Our original shipping partner suddenly and without warning went out of business. We had already worked out all of the details with them and came to a reasonable price when this happened. So, again, we had to scour for a new partner who would cater to our budget and requirements.
The process has been like this throughout—things run smoothly until we hit an unexpected bump. That bump costs us a few weeks. Many bumps cost us months. And now here we are, five months off course. It’s humiliating, frustrating, and we’re very sorry about it.
General naivety and ignorance: This is our first game, and with that comes a steep learning curve. There's planning we could have done differently, there are questions we should have asked ahead of time, and there were assumptions made. But your engagement and exuberance for this project is what fuels us. We just hope we can count on your patience and support during this final homestretch.
ANY FURTHER DELAYS?
Our shipping partner told us that “The vessel timelines can generally only vary slightly.“ However, there’s always a possibility that our packages can be subject to random searches by customs.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS
We’re happy to address any questions or concerns you might have. Please, email us at [email protected]
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
For anyone who needs to change their shipping address based on this new timeline, please click here…
https://sideeffects.backerkit.com/
...to recover your survey. You’ll get an email with a link to your account in Backerkit and you can change your address there manually. If you hit any snags, email us at [email protected]
COMMENTS
You have every right to speak your mind, but we hope you realize that being mean in the comment section will only hurt our feelings. We literally can’t do anything to make the games ship faster (we reached out to Quartermasters to see if this were possible). If you feel you absolutely have to write something nasty in the comment section, we get it—it’s very frustrating to have something you want get delayed this much. But we understand that we messed up and we’ve learned from this experience and there’s nothing left to do—for any of us—but wait.
You Can't Spell Production Without Pro... and also Duction
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, Jun 08, 2018 at 12:25:25 AM
Hello hello!
Whether you downloaded the PnP or just want a head start getting your game on, we’ve put together a Side Effects strategy video! Learn advanced tactics with silly names! See Kat get handsy with a mannequin!
We really use these strategies and they work wonders.
And now here’s something we think you’ll REALLY like…
Proof, there it is!!!
Yup, your games are in production. Panda has been amazing to work with and we couldn’t be happier.
Why do freshly printed cards always smell like carrots?
Summer is Coming
Everything now depends on forces beyond our control, but the estimate that we were given is late July. And seriously folks, if we could get you your game tomorrow, we would. It’s in the lovely, capable hands of our manufacturer, Panda, and our shipping partner, Quartermaster.
What we love about Panda is that they really take the time to make sure the game is done right. Just the other day, we were notified that the card-edge gilding took a little bit longer than expected because they wanted to make sure it came out perfectly. Everything is still on track, but they chose not to rush this precarious part of the manufacturing process in favor of getting it just right. We just hope you’ll appreciate the care we’re putting into this—and, with the knowledge we’ve gained, and the partners we’ve made, the next game will definitely go much smoother.
For the person who has everything…
Megalomaniac backers will get a luxurious, letterpress print in addition to their travel pouch and wooden box and two copies of the game. Our venerable artist Benjamin “The Electric Moose” Bronstein has outdone himself again…
Not to beat a dead survey…
There are still 100 backers who have NOT filled out their surveys. You’re running out of time!!! Go here to recover and fill out your survey now https://sideeffects.backerkit.com/
Production, Prints, & Payment Processing for Add-Ons
almost 6 years ago
– Tue, May 08, 2018 at 11:55:52 PM
First: We’re well into production! Cards are being printed (and gilded!) as you read. The visuals aren’t too exciting yet, but as soon as we have something that can beat the gif below, we’ll share.
Smells crayon-y
Prints for Megalomania Pledges
For those who scooped the top-tier pledge, your custom print is becoming more than just a twinkle in @pillboxBen's eye...here's a sneak peek of the groundwork:
Everybody's gotta room in their house like this, right?
Charging Onward
Basic Kickstarter orders are already charged and finalized. However, if you added anything to your order during the BackerKit Survey (a donation to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a gambling addict’s mysterious box, etc.), those charges will go through on Wednesday, May 9.
(C)ATM?
That’s all the news for now. Are you getting into the print and play? Send us pics! We’re here, at [email protected], and @pillboxgames on insta and twitter. We love seeing action photos, especially right before moments of madness-related carnage.
Preorder Extension & Please Fill Out Your Surveys!
about 6 years ago
– Sun, Apr 15, 2018 at 01:19:39 AM
Sale ExtenZe
Good news, everyone! We’re extending the preorder sales until Tuesday, April 17. But we need to get a total quantity count to Panda Manufacturing by mid next week, so we can’t accept any other orders after that. Which brings me to this…
160 U.F.O.s
As of right now, 160 people have not filled out their surveys—that’s right, 160 UnFilled-Out!
If you backed our game on Kickstarter, you should have received numerous emails from Backerkit asking you to confirm your order and enter in your shipping address. Because if we don’t have your address, we can’t mail you the game!
The logic checks out!
And to all of you who filled out your surveys already…
And then???
By the end of next week, we will have confirmed final quantities, all game assets, and given the go-ahead to Panda to start manufacturing. After they make the games, huge boxes of them will be freighted to our shipping partner where they will be received and then shipped out to everyone!
Your extra stuff, like the wooden boxes, pouches, artwork, and mystery boxes, will be sent by us—so expect them to arrive separately.
But everything is moving along very smoothly and we don’t expect any additional delays!
OK, do you need anything from us?
YES! Please tell everyone you know about the preorder. Additional printings of the game are costly and we’re not sure when the next one will be. So, if someone is interested, now is the time to buy. Here’s the link: https://sideeffects.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
