Backerkit + Apologies
over 8 years ago – Mon, Dec 21, 2015 at 10:58:05 PM

Hello fellow thieves!

First off, we want to thank everyone again. We are truly overwhelmed with how successful this Kickstarter campaign was. The two of us have a dream, and you're making it possible. So again, from both of us, thank you.

Apologies

Jacob here, and we have some news to share, and some apologies (sadly) to issue. I wanted to personally address you all, as Jake and I have recognized our faults and have taken some steps in our personal lives to fix it. The cold hard truth: We are behind. We are behind on getting our surveys out to you, and we are behind on production files. What it came down to was time management. Master Thief began as a side-project, a labor of love, but I was still trying to maintain my daily 9-5 job while pursuing Sparr Games as a start-up. This was my personal undoing. Because of my split attention, I was unable to give Sparr Games the time necessary to make Master Thief what it deserves to be.

What are we doing to fix this?

Glad you asked. Because this is the important part. I (still Jacob) have decided to leave my day job as a graphic designer, and make Sparr my full-time commitment. It's is a scary road to venture down, but Jake and I have the utmost faith in ourselves as well as our game. So rest-assured, no more delays. 

Whats the timeline like now?

We will know more accurate timelines soon, but as of right now it looks like we are pushed back to shipping our rewards in March. Already, Backerkit has sent us the go-ahead, so that, at least is done. Right now, we are focusing on polishing the artwork and adjusting the art files. We truly are hard at work perfecting Master Thief, and while we can't wait to get it to you, we wanted to make sure we were doing everything we could to make it just right. Still, since Jacob made the move to full-time Sparr Mode, things are moving swiftly. We apologize again, but as we've said many times, quality is our number one priority. We don't want to settle on anything to speed up the process, we want to create something truly special. That being said, we are anxious to finish so that we can have a copy ourselves!

Backerkit

Lastly, please take a look at the following info coming from us through Backerkit! Reward surveys are coming within the next few days so we can collect information regarding shipping and the essential "who gets what".

We will give you a heads-up before we send the survey so that you can watch for it. You will not need to create a BackerKit account to answer your survey. The invitation email will contain a link to your personal survey. It is important to submit your responses as quickly as you can since we need this information to process your rewards.

If you need to change your survey responses, add or remove add-ons, or update your shipping information, you can click on the link in your survey email again or request your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page. (This page will only start working after we send the surveys out.)

BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organization, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process your pledge reward shipments.

If you used Facebook to log into your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey link will be sent to the email you used for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you'd prefer to use, please message us.

Thank you all again for your patience and understanding. We will be more forthcoming and updates will be released more frequently in the future. 

As always,

Happy Heisting,

Jacob & Jake

We Did It!
over 8 years ago – Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 01:32:53 PM

Congratulations Thieves!

We all did this. 1110 backers and Sparr Games brought Master Thief to life! High Fives all around. We are ecstatic. You have all helped craft a unique and interesting social game and we sincerely couldn't be happier. Thank you for all your support and advice. We have learned so much and can't wait to apply it to our next campaign. 

But this one isn't over yet.

We will routinely update as we move forward into production. We are very excited to move into this phase as we feel more confident with this realm of creation. So here we go. Keep your eyes peeled for updates as we begin the next step!

Sadly we did not meet the $50,000 stretch goal and do not intend on pursuing it. Instead we will focus all our attention and effort on perfecting the look of the game as it is currently. We cannot wait until you receive the games and we hope you appreciate all the love, time, money and effort we've put into it. We really can't wait to hear what you think.

So with that, as always,

Happy Heisting,

Jacob & Jake

Sneak a Peek: Cursed items and Kickstarter Exclusives!
over 8 years ago – Tue, Oct 20, 2015 at 10:21:04 AM

Welcome to expert mode, thieves!

We are in the final hours of our campaign, and before we get any further, we want to share with you a sneak peek into the two expansions currently available!

There are some things that just shouldn’t be stolen. How many have fallen prey to the curses of King Tut and The Hope Diamond? Though not for the faint of heart, these cursed items are worth more on the black market. But to some it might just not be worth the risk! Stash an item to temporarily nullify it, or snoop someone’s stash to reveal their curse. Beware the silent alarm which cannot be averted and the bloodhound sniffing out your stashes. This expansion is only for the bravest thieves who want danger around every corner!

Fight against time itself with the Mayan Calendar, and know there is nowhere to hide in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee. There is a cursed item for every category! These are: Mayan Calendar, Bone Hoodoo Necklace, Hope Diamond, Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Mask of Tutankhamun, and Medusa Bust. You’ll never see it coming with the Silent Alarm and Bloodhound. Take it all in with the new calling card: The Mystic. And make it even harder for your opponents with the new action cards!

And of course, what you've been waiting for...

Kickstarter Exclusive Expansion

Imagine a museum exhibition featuring the most influential historic and modern innovations. Two new categories from some of the most influential tinkerers of our time. Is there a rational explanation for a curse? Is there a science to coincidence? Find out for yourself when they come to The Museum.

Manipulate the seemingly supernatural effects of the charms with the Tesla Coil, or light up all the curses with the Light Bulb. Use science to question everything and even alter how you win the game. The first new category is the Historic Invention and includes Tesla Coil, Telephone, Compass, Abacus, Printing press, and Lightbulb. The second category is the Modern Innovations and we’re gonna keep this one a secret!

Skim some off the top with 2 new calling cards. Fight your way to freedom with 2 new security cards. And crush your opponents with 8 brand new Action cards!

Happy Heisting,

Jacob & Jake

The Heist Is Upon Us!
over 8 years ago – Sun, Oct 18, 2015 at 07:55:27 AM

Hey there fellow thieves!

Here we go: less than 72 hours. This is the part where things get interesting. We are sneaking up on our second stretch goal! We are in the stages of the final push to bring Master Thief to life. In these last few days, we would appreciate anyone sharing the page with friends, more now than ever. We still have our eye on that third stretch goal, and really want to make that happen as well!

Swift Announcements

Firstly, we have seen several requests to see a copy of the rules. We have decided to do just this. You can find and download the PDF of the rules HERE

Next, Master Thief has recently been featured in local media as well as a couple podcasts, notably:

Sweet Kicks with Bricks


Dice Tower News
Toledo City Paper

Master Thief Teaser Trailer
Perhaps most fun of all, our good friend and super fan, Nikki Rodriguez just wrapped up a film project at Ohio University. This was a short project that she and her friends dedicated to Master Thief! We were thrilled when we saw this, and are super stoked to see fellow creatives and their take on our game!

Things We Would Steal

As always, we are excited to share with you some of the other awesome Kickstarter campaigns we like and are currently backing as well.

Coto Cube

Solid carbon fiber dice / cubes with glowing inserts. Traditional shape - unique look.

Road to Infamy

 A fast-paced board game where gang leaders compete to run the most infamous crime operation in Chicago.

Check these out, and let us know what you think of their campaigns as well!
Thank again to everyone, we are almost there! And as always, 

Happy Heisting,
Jacob & Jake

Gameplay Video & Stretch Goals Added!
over 8 years ago – Mon, Oct 12, 2015 at 01:12:12 AM

Hello Thieves!

Gameplay Video

We are very excited to unveil our new video. We’ve already uploaded it to the campaign so if you’re interested in a more in depth explanation of how to play the game go check it out! Of course we anticipate there may still be a few questions, so if you have any you can message us here or email us at mailto:[email protected].

Stretch Goals

We are also happy to bring to you our stretch goals! 

Stretch Goal #1 | $30,000 | The Thieflet

Stretch Goal #2 | $40,000 | Additional Cards

Stretch Goal #3 | $50,000 | Hand-painted Museum Cards

For more information on each of these, visit the stretch goals section of the campaign page.

Things We Would Steal

We're all on this crazy rollercoaster called Kickstarter together, and we want to share with you some of the awesome projects we currently can't wait to get our hands on!

Decadolo is a super cool strategy game with a sleek design and smart game mechanics. We are very impressed with their look and inventive concept. The illustrations are clean, fun, and lets face it, adorable.

Pixel Noir is killer. It’s a JRPG Noir. That phrase right there sells it for us. It’s very sleek and interesting. We love the tongue in cheek approach to the gumshoe detective genre. And are so excited to get our hands on a game!

Spaceteam is a chaotic and cooperative card game. We are in love with their vector illustrations, and thier attention to detail throughout their Kickstarter page. They have style, and they know it. It looks like they are having a ton of fun with this game, and we want to as well. They have blown away their funding goal, as I'm sure we could all expect, and we cannot wait to play. Good job Spaceteam, now, don't mind us while we quietly strip parts from your ship and sell them on the Black Market.

What's Next?

A sincere thank you to all of our backers. We are increasingly greatful, and cannot wait to see what you think about the stretch goals. Any help you can provide is so important to us. Sharing our campaign and spreading the word can help boost us to break each stretch goal we have lined up! Thank you again, and as always...

Happy Heisting
Jacob & Jake