I was wrong. So very, very wrong.
You see, after the campaign for Ghostel had ended, we at Tinkerbot Games had a sit-down and decided on what we should do next as a company.
Bevan felt like we should expand Ghostel, offer new and exciting ways for players to enjoy the game, and add more richness to the Ghostel world.
I (Gino) disagreed. I felt like it was too early for an expansion, so I pushed for us to do a new game next, and maybe bring an expansion to Ghostel later, once we had more sales so that there were more copies of Ghostel out there that could be expanded.
So we (Bevan) got to work on the next game (secret codename: Project Siphon), but then a funny thing happened.
After the Kickstarter for Ghostel had ended, we kept selling copies of Ghostel. In fact, we were getting more and more orders from distributors all around the world. Quickly we ran out of copies of Ghostel and ordered a new print run from our excellent manufacturers Wingo.
Then another funny thing happened. At the UK’s biggest board game convention (UK Games Expo) lots of people came to our stand, and said the same thing: “Oh hey guys, I’m a backer, love Ghostel, when’s the expansion coming?”
After a whole weekend and being asked the same thing, we packed up our stand and had a team debrief. Without saying a word I knew exactly what was on Bevan’s smug-faced mind.
Gino: I know. I know.
Bevan: What’s that?
Gino: ….we should… do the expansion now…
Bevan: 😀
Luckily for all of the fans of Ghostel, the next game is still in development which leaves us with room to get on with the expansion for Ghostel and it’s time to make that announcement!
In October, we will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund multiple expansions for Ghostel.
Yes, that’s right. Not one expansion, but several!
Here are the details:
Expansions
Expansion 1: Trick or Treat – 8 extra guest cards to add to the deck, these guests are trick or treaters staying at the hotel on Halloween. When successfully scared out of the hotel, Ghosts will earn points and also steal the sweets from the trick or treaters. These Candy tokens can be used to buy new special powers. Each of the Trick or Treaters will be in Halloween costumes of course! You can see an example of what the trick of treater cards will look like below.
Expansion 2: Family Values – 12 extra guest cards to add to the deck, these guests are family members all staying at the hotel at once. Multiple cards are grouped into families, players will get bonuses for successfully scaring away multiple guests from the same family (set collecting).
Expansion 3: The Basement – An extra piece of board to add to the bottom of the hotel with 3 extra rooms, expanding the hotel to 12 rooms instead of 9. This allows more room when playing with extra guests and extra ghosts/players (see below)
Expansion 4 & 5: Extra Ghosts – Backers will have the ability to add 1 or 2 new ghosts to their copy of Ghostel, bringing the player count up from a maximum of players to a maximum of 6 players! Colour options will vary and will include matching dice. Colours can be chosen by the backers.
So, let’s answer some questions:
How will the Kickstarter work?
We understand that not everyone will want each of these expansions. Some people will want extra guests, but don’t need extra players. Some might want more ghosts, but not want to expand the hotel.
So for this reason, we’re going to be running the Kickstarter campaign like a Pic’n’Mix. You’ll be able to pledge for whichever expansions you want..
Prices?
Still being confirmed. What we can say is that we are doing our best to keep the costs as low as possible and will be offering discounts on multiple expansions ordered at once because we can save on shipping.
Wait, there’s going to be at least 20 new guests, can I be one of the characters on the guest cards?!
Absolutely. We’re working with the excellent original artist for Ghostel, Tyler Johnson, to produce all the new artwork for these expansions. There will be a limited number of cards available to have guests on them so you will have to be quick. HOWEVER, we will be giving advanced notice to people interested in bagging one of those guest cards. To get notified early sign up for our newsletter and select Ghostel Updates. You’ll be given advanced notice of when the Kickstarter is going live, so you’ll have a chance to get one of those cards early.
I’m excited, can I get an early preview?
Yes! We’re looking for playtesters to give us feedback on the expansions. If you want to try the expansions ahead of the Kickstarter then click this link and let us know what you’re interested in trying out: I want to playtest the expansions!
I want to join a Facebook group. Is there a Facebook group?
Funny you should ask! We shamelessly stole Jamie Stegmaier’s idea of creating a dedicated facebook group for Ghostel so that all of the players and fans can have one place to ask questions, discuss strategies and share pictures of Ghostel (loving all the photos of interesting places you’re playing it!)
You can join the group here: Ghostel Facebook Group
We will continue to post updates about the expansions in the group, as well as share information about the Kickstarter campaign when it’s ready.
Important Links
- Sign up for our newsletter to get updates about the Kickstarter Campaign
- Join the Ghostel Facebook Group
- Let us know that you want to playtest the expansions
I’ve got more questions
The best place for questions is the new Facebook Group. (so everyone can see the answers). But if you’re not on Facebook then drop your question in the comments under this post.
Phew, that was a lot of info.
Yes it was. Well done for getting to the end. Have a cuppa.