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Band or Album – The Social Game You're Playing Even Now

Created by Jeff Tidball

The multiplayer social game that you play on Twitter, at the bar, in the car, and everywhere else you say things.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

"Imaginary Dialogues in Kickstartopia" = Album
over 8 years ago – Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 04:54:43 PM

People ask me, "Jeff, have all of the stretch goals so far been unlocked?"

And I tell them, "Yes, this afternoon, the stretch goal to give every single backer a PDF copy of Ten Meditations on #EarwormNinja fell beneath the might and fortitude of our Band or Album–loving backers."

People wonder, "Jeff, were any more executives appointed today?"

And I inform them, "Yes indeed, this afternoon our executive board was expanded to include the Vice President of Strategic Power Chord Deployment."

They mention, "Owning, as some of us do, actual guitars — both electric and acoustic — we are interested in guitar picks. Also, it will not do for a campaign to be in its final 48 hours without any active stretch goals."

And so, after performing a bit of research, I tell them, "If our campaign reaches $4,500," then every Band Leader, Rock star, and Executive backer will receive a four-color, two-sided, Band or Album guitar pick for free."

They respond by throwing the horns.

A gentleman in the back wonders if it will be possible to purchase these guitar picks in greater volume, as post-campaign add-ons. He explains that it's pretty badass when he sees, like, fifty guitar picks taped to the back of a mic stand when he goes to a concert.

I wonder if he intends to go around taping Band or Album guitar picks to things.

I say, "Yes."

He smiles.

"Also," I say — he looks up — "it will be possible to purchase extra Band or Album coins as post-campaign add-ons. You'll even be able to buy the premium coins we unlock during the campaign, although those are going to cost something like ten or twenty bucks each, so really, if you're looking to score that sweet loot, your best bet is to become an Executive backer now."

He reaches for his smartphone's Kickstarter app.

"I'm not sure if I remembered to mention," I cut in, "that Executives get free shipping anywhere in the world, and custom-crafted — can I say artisanal? I can, that wouldn't be wrong — artisanal executive titles."

He nods his head, understanding, seeing it all so clearly.

It occurs to me that $4,500 is probably going to happen, like, tomorrow morning, so as the crowd's dispersing, I spend a couple seconds calculating in Excel to ensure I won't go broke. "If we reach $5,000," I shout, "we'll unlock the Double Platinum premium finish — the super-shiny one that no one would blame you if you framed and hung on your wall."

"Sweet!" shouts somebody. Everybody cheers.

"Rock on," I say.

These are things that people ask me, as we head into the final two days.

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Less than two days left, rockers. Spread the word, would you?

I'd hate for your friends to be aggravated with you because they missed out.

20 Buck = Band
over 8 years ago – Fri, Nov 20, 2015 at 09:24:54 PM

First things first: As I promised in yesterday's update, here are the fourth and fifth possible finishes for Band or Album coins, which we might or might not unlock as we catapult ourselves toward the home stretch.

"Antique Bronze" Finish
"Antique Bronze" Finish
"Black Nickel" Finish
"Black Nickel" Finish

We're twenty measly dollars from hitting $3,000 and going Platinum, which unlocks the first stretch goal premium finish, the antique silver coin that we've agreed to call platinum. Let's recruit some friends and hit that milestone tonight, alright?

After platinum, I'm going to call that Black Nickel finish our next stretch goal. We'll unlock the Black Nickel premium finish at the heavy metal funding level of $3,666, for obvious reasons. The Black Nickel coin's Official Social Media Glyph will be the too-much-rock-for-one-hand ASCII Double-Handed Goat: \mm/

What else? At $4,000, I'll sharpen my pencil and get to work on the first ten Meditations on #EarwormNinja, which will — if we unlock it — be transmitted to all backers in PDF format.

What else? Stay tuned, rockers. Stay tuned…

—J.

50 All-Time Greatest Wedding Hits = Album
over 8 years ago – Fri, Nov 20, 2015 at 11:40:35 AM

You attend a wedding, you go to a reception afterwards. There are little cards that tell you where to sit. On your placemat there's a little white fabric thing filled with candy kisses, with the married couple's names on them. Awww.

I think chocolate's fine, but I love games, so I have this fantasy: Instead of candy kisses, your placemat has a Band or Album coin on it, and underneath that are the rules for how to play a fun social game with the people at your table, because you don't know some of them, and a fun social game would be a great way to break the ice. 

Also, the newly married couple love games, just like you do, and so of course they'd want to give you a game for about the same cost as a white baggie with their names on it and some chocolate. And then, instead of eating some chocolate and throwing out a baggie, you'll keep the coin and remember your married friends every time you play Band or Album for the rest of your life.

You have no idea, backers, how much I would love to know that that happened, somewhere, at someone's wedding.

If we get an Executive backer who drops me a message to let me know that they're planning to give away Band or Album at their wedding, not only will that person and his or her partner both be named Senior Co-Vice Presidents of the Eternal Love That Only Music Can Bring, but also, I'll unilaterally unlock the antique copper premium finish at that very instant.

 You probably know someone who's getting married next summer. Spread the word?

What FedEx Hath Brought = Album
over 8 years ago – Sun, Nov 15, 2015 at 03:57:21 PM

Our first production samples arrived on Friday, backers! The image above is the base-level "antique bronze" finish.

I received an additional four finishes, two of which I'm going to show you right now:

"Platinum" Finish
"Platinum" Finish
"Antique Silver" Finish
"Antique Silver" Finish

As you know, our first stretch goal's for platinum coins. And sure enough, one of these is called "Platinum," and the other's called "Antique Silver." That said, I like the latter's antique effect better than the former's shiny effect. My guess is that most of you will, too. So my plan is to declare that Silver is the New Platinum ("Silver is the New Platinum" = Album). We'll agree to keep calling our $3,000 threshold the Platinum Stretch Goal, naturally, and those of you who're backing at the right level to receive one will still tell your friends that you went platinum, baby.

I'll show you the other finishes tomorrow — teaser: one is the totally metal "Black Nickel" finish! — and lay out some more stretch goals and funding thresholds.

Cheers, backers!

Over the Top! = Album
over 8 years ago – Tue, Nov 03, 2015 at 12:59:36 AM

Yesterday it occurred to me that what Executive-level Band or Album backers really ought to have are customized, individualized executive titles. As of late yesterday afternoon, your Band or Album Board of Directors included (in their order of backing):

  • Vice President of Existential Goat-Throwing
  • Managing Partner for Three-Chord Matters
  • Chief Heavy Metal Operations Officer
  • Executive Director of Blazing Riffs and Fiery Encores

As bedtime approached and we were this close to funding, I issued a challenge via Twitter: "If a new Executive-level backer pushes us over, their title will be Senior Vice President of Makin' It Happen." And it happened! Ladies and gentlemen, Band or Album is funded!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to each and every backer, and especially to everyone who spread the word and shared the news.

Can I also say, I'm particularly delighted that this campaign works out so that the $1 Groupie backer level is a real thing, that we can afford to provide the (yes, modest) rules of play — and all of the fun that is Band or Album — to everyone who pitches in.

Now we're focused on going platinum. At $3,000 we'll unlock platinum-finished coins. They're baked into the Rock Star and Executive levels. After that? Who knows. (Have an opinion? Drop it in the comments.)

Thanks again, everyone!

—J.

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I only mention it because sometimes there's a man — I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? — but sometimes, there's a man.… Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place.

—The Big Lebowski