Tend

Good News: Tend is in Mass Production! 🚀
11 months ago – Fri, May 30, 2025 at 01:17:57 PM

We’ve got a quick but exciting update for you: mass production has begun! 🎉

Last week, we approved the final samples for the scratch-off cards, metal coins, and custom dice, and Panda has been moving quickly on their end to begin production.

We’re thrilled with how everything is coming together and can’t wait for you to see it in person. We'll be sure to include some nice pictures of the components in next month's update and appreciate your patience in the meantime 🏖️

Thanks again for your continued support as we bring this project to life. More updates coming soon as production ramps up!

IV Studio at UKGE 2025 🇬🇧

Dane and Austin are repping us at UKGE this year! As a small team, we only get to make it to the other side of the world every so often, so if you’ll be at the show and spot them, don’t hesitate to say hello. They’d be absolutely thrilled to meet you!

They'll also have a Realm of Reckoning prototype if you're interested in a close up preview 😉

Alrighty, have a wonderful weekend y'all! 😊

PPC Arrival and Adjusting Our Delivery Timeline ⏰
12 months ago – Thu, May 01, 2025 at 03:25:59 PM

Hey, it's time for our regularly scheduled monthly production update for Tend!

Before we dive into this update, if you haven't already, we highly recommend checking out our recent update regarding tariffs which introduces our new Terrific Tariff Trade.

Now, let's talk about the Tend delivery timeline. 

Timeline Adjustments 

We've had to make an adjustment, and we're now looking at a September timeframe for delivery to backers, instead of our initial target of July.

Our original delivery schedule of 8 months was quite aggressive, specifically aimed to get Tend in time for GenCon. However, this ambitious goal relied on every stage of the production process proceeding flawlessly. And unfortunately, as is often the case with manufacturing complex custom components, we've encountered some unexpected setbacks. These challenges have meant that mass production hasn't started yet, and as a result, our timeline for Tend has been extended to something more aligned with our usual delivery timeline (10 months).

The good news is that we recently received a Pre-Production Copy (PPC) of Tend. While this initial sample included primarily paper components (our manufacturing partners at Panda are still finalizing some samples), it's still exciting to see the overall layout and feel of the game come to life. 

We anticipate receiving the remaining component samples (scratch off cards, dice, colored pencils, and markers) in the coming weeks, which will allow us to make final approvals before Panda begins gearing up for mass production.

We understand that this delay might be disappointing, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding and continued support. We remain fully committed to delivering Tend to you as soon as possible without compromising on the quality you expect. We'll continue to provide regular updates on our progress, including when mass production begins and as we hit other key milestones. 

For now, let's appreciate the beautiful and stunning Super Deluxe Tend game:

While the delivery timeline has shifted, our team has been busy behind the scenes. We recently announced a new game releasing as a part of our Terrific Tariff Trade: Graft!

Set within the Tend universe, Graft is a light card drafting and set collection game for 3-5 players where you'll collect cargo runs to ship back to Zenith for points. With a touch of push-your-luck and engaging table talk, we think it is a fun and accessible introduction to the world of Tend. 

Here's a Graft gameplay video if you're curious about how it plays!

Find out more about Graft on our Terrific Tariff Trade website.

Thank you again for being a part of the Tend journey. Your enthusiasm keeps us going, and we're excited to bring both Tend and Graft to your tables!

Our Response to Tariffs ☕️
12 months ago – Thu, Apr 24, 2025 at 02:37:55 PM

Hey, pioneers! 🐓

We know you’ve been waiting for a tariff update, and we truly appreciate your patience. Over the past three weeks, we’ve been hard at work crafting our response and now, the time has come to share our full plan with you.

While the new tariffs could potentially affect Tend down the line, we believe it's unlikely, especially given the expected delivery timeline for this project. We are hopeful the tariffs will stabilize within the next few months and we'll be able to plan ahead for your games to be delivered on the original timeline.

Here are a few key points we want to highlight from our tariff plan:

• We do not plan to require crowdfunding backers to contribute more money to specifically cover tariffs.
• It’s our expectation that some amount of tariffs will stay in place and we will pay them on behalf of backers.
• Instead of charging backers additional money for tariffs, to generate some cashflow to be in the best position possible to pay potential tariffs, we're opening pre-orders on some products we were planning to launch direct-to-market later this year. Pre-ordering these games is voluntary and the best way you can support us at this time. We get help. You get games. Win-win.
• One of the new products available for pre-order is a small card drafting/set collection game set in the Tend universe called Graft!

Of course our tariff response encompasses much more, and you can catch all the tariff tea in our latest (first) blog post:

The IV Studio Response to Tariffs ☕️

As mentioned above, part of our response to tariffs is unveiling a lineup of new games in an effort called the Terrific Tariff Trade. With the current situation, we knew this was the right moment for their debut to help us navigate future tariffs while bringing even more fun to your table.

You’ll find all the details in our blog post and on the linked website. 

This update will not replace our regular monthly production update. That update will still be sent out next week. 

We'll see you next week! 🙂

Please sir, I want some more (samples) 🥣
about 1 year ago – Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 04:31:16 PM

Greetings Pioneers! Zenith brings you many blessings for the new season 💚

We're ready for warm April showers so the spring flowers can finally start blooming on Earth 🌸 Anyways, here's your monthly production update and a boop for good measure 🐕

So, the dice saga continues 🎲

Surprisingly, the tiniest dice are proving to be the most difficult ones to manufacture. Who woulda thought. 

The final dice molds were completed earlier this month and new pantone colors for the ink were approved, so dice production is now underway!

Recently, we also received a sample of the colored pencils, though they didn't match our colors as well as we hoped. We'll be working with the manufacturer to get another sample of the colored pencils in for next month. 

Hopefully we will be able to show you more pictures in our next update since we're just waiting on more physical samples to arrive. 

Until next month's update, take care and enjoy the weather! 

Tending to the Chickens in Preparation for Spring 🌷
about 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 28, 2025 at 04:16:38 PM

Hi! We hope you're having a good day 🌞

As the weather warms up, we've been feeling spry as a spring chicken 🐓 (That's a saying, right?) 

Speaking of things that need tending, here’s the latest on our production updates. 

Translated files have been uploaded, yippee 👌

And we are currently working with the manufacturer to resample some of the dice which were struggling to get clean ink wipes. Ink is used to accent the recesses on the dice and should cleanly wipe off after application, but it seems the ink was sticking onto the dice instead. 

We're hopeful this next batch of dice will come out nice and clean-- no more smudges please 🙏

Besides that, all is well and we hope you can enjoy the warmer weather when possible. Until next month, stay clucking awesome 👏

OH ALSO

On March 18th, Scales of Fate will be coming to a Kickstarter page near you. It's a snappy, two-player strategic deduction game based in our beloved Veiled Fate universe.

Follow the project to be notified so you can qualify for the 48 hour reward 😉 And if you want to watch some content about Scales of Fate, we have plenty on our Youtube channel!