SHS Grads Launch Kickstarter Campaign to Fund Interplanetary Conquest Board Game
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Game Designers Greg Dietz and Josh Pollack SHS Grads, science fiction fans and fast friends since their days in elementary school at Fox Meadow, Greg Dietz and Josh Pollack just launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of their new game, Syndicate, an interplanetary conquest board game.
Dietz and Pollack have ambitious plans for this highly interactive game that can be played by one to five players. Rather than sell the game to an established publisher, the two hope to produce and sell the game themselves and maintain the rights to the license. In order to learn more about the development process and how they will move forward we asked them to respond to some questions and here is what they shared:
Please describe the game:
SYNDICATE is an interplanetary conquest thematic, 4x (expand, explore, exploit, exterminate) board game for 1 to 5 players. You control a young, enterprising criminal syndicate on the outer fringe of Arcturus, trying to stay under the radar of the Sovereign while competing with other criminal syndicates for money, power, loyal crew and advanced technology. Complete missions, set up criminal operations, and take down anyone that stands in your path to building the most formidable interplanetary criminal empire in the system.
How did you and Josh come up with the idea for the board game?
Both of us are avid board game players and big science fiction fans. Naturally, a science fiction themed game is the direction we wanted to go. Deeper than that the idea of SYNDICATE came in the many steps and iterative process of board game design. We started with sticky notes on the wall and table along with some poker chips and then through hundreds of tests and scores of game models the game mechanics formed. Simultaneously, we exercised another passion Josh and I share, which is writing science fiction. As we built the game mechanics we wove in an immense universe of world building, which adds to the thematic element and player immersion of the game.
Why did you decide on a tabletop game rather than a digital one?
The creative process.
Board games, RPGs and other types of tabletop games form something many call the magic circle. Players are transported into a collective story in which they are the lead characters and writers. It differs from video games in many ways, but we like to call out two in particular. One, a deeper emotional connection between players around the table as opposed to across distant screens. Two, rules in board games are not as fixed as a video game written in code. How many of us have different house rules for Monopoly? The ability for players as a collective to become more of the writers of their own story and game also leads to a greater emotional connection and the effect of the magic circle.
This emotional connection is a major reason why over the last decade we have seen a renaissance in the table top industry, and large market growth, as society becomes more increasingly connected but emotionally distanced in an increasingly digital world.
Board games have been a pillar of our friendship, and we have made it our mission to give back to the community and create that emotional connection between friends, family and even strangers.
Did you explore the option of developing the game for a traditional board game company rather than producing it on your own? If so, why did you decide to go this route?
Along our two year journey we have met many other board game designers. Many of them design games with the intention of licensing or selling them to an established publisher. We are taking on the challenge of self publication for many reasons. We are confident we have the creative skills, business skills and entrepreneurial drive to travel the hard path we have chosen. It will be incredibly fulfilling to see our game go from idea to a game store shelf. Another simple reason is that we want to preserve the rights and IP of the game. We don't intend to stop with one game. We have created an expansive universe of lore that can be explored with more games, and perhaps we will expand out of games as well. Star Wars started somewhere, right?
Tell us about yourselves: What are your backgrounds - what did you do before you decided to launch the game?
The two of us have been fast friends since childhood. We both grew up in Fox Meadow. We started a high school band and recording studio together. And we always knew we would form a company together.
Greg Dietz (29) is a Lafayette College and Columbia University graduate with degrees in geology and masters in sustainability management. From geology he moved into a marketing and sustainability role at the software tech giant SAP where he continues.
Josh Pollack, (also 29) completed his undergraduate in economics at Tulane and recently finished his MBA at Columbia University. Josh has led a successful career in investment banking and private equity first at Lazard and then at Rhône Group, respectively, where he continues.
You launched your first Kickstarter campaign in June. Why did you decide to relaunch it now?
For first time game designers and first time Kickstarter creators, our first Kickstarter launch on June 23 went quite well. Of the $55,000 funding goal we raised just over $30,000 in under two weeks of the 30-day campaign. So why relaunch? We made the difficult decision to end our first campaign early and do a quick turnaround for a relaunch on August 18 because there was a lot of amazing feedback from the Kickstarter community. The best way to incorporate that feedback and offer an even better game reward and campaign was to create a new one. Relaunching like this is not uncommon. We are confident that the REDUX will make an even bigger splash.
How much do you need to raise to produce the game?
There are many components that go into pricing the game and establishing a funding goal. We have settled on a price of $55 for a core package that includes a copy of SYNDICATE: An Interplanetary Conquest Board Game, a single player campaign expansion, and any unlocked stretch goals which are special upgrades, such as a lore book and high quality components, backers get if the campaign reaches above funding goal targets. We have concluded that $35,000 is the minimum funding goal we need to get the game on its way to gamers around the world.
How has the pandemic affected your plans?
As with all companies in this time, the pandemic raises uncertainty in the market and the supply chain. At the outset of the crisis, several manufacturing negotiations were stalled which forced us to delay the launch. It is tough to measure, but the economic effects of the virus are surely impacting board gamers' wallets and willingness to pay as well. That said board games are collectively still raising millions of dollars. From 2018 to 2019 funding dollars for tabletop games grew 6.8% to $176 million, which is a continuation of a steady growth it has had for many years. It will be interesting to see what the 2020 numbers show.
Contribute to the Kickstarter campaign to help fund the production of Syndicate and receive your own copy.
A Rainbow of Color on Chalk Night
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At Scarsdale’s first "Chalk the Dale"’ on Friday July 31, parents and children gathered on Spencer Place, Boniface Circle, or Harwood Court, to enjoy an evening of chalking along with boxed dinners and snacks from Scarsdale eateries. The event, produced by sophomores Anna Feldstein and Katie Han, offered Scarsdale residents a great opportunity to spend time outside to safely participate in a fun activity while munching away on delicious food. With each family spread out in accordance with social distance rules, parents and kids worked on their hands and knees to create beautiful drawings on the street. An explosion of creativity filled the village, with an array of drawings including colorful depictions of rainbows, flowers, and animals. Laughter was heard all around, and smiling eyes were seen everywhere, though smiles were hidden behind masks.
SFCS Holds Virtual Book Talk for It’s OK That You’re Not OK, in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Everything is not okay, and according to author Meghan Divine, it’s important to acknowledge upheavals, losses and grief.
On July 9, 2020, Judi Townsend, James Genovaand Lauren Pomerantz from the Scarsdale Safe Coalition and Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service held a discussion via Zoom about Meghan Divine’s book "It’s OK That You’re Not OK." Eighteen people, including the hosts, were present at the meeting. The general tenor was relaxed yet somber, as people let their guards down and openly revealed the struggles they are facing due to the pandemic. The conversation revolved around coping with loss, specifically ambiguous losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although reading the book was not required for attending the discussion, many participants applied their knowledge from it when sharing their thoughts.
The discussion was split into three sections. The first involved recognizing the difference between the grief experienced from the loss of a loved one, and that from the ambiguous losses of the pandemic. Participants compiled a list of pandemic-related ambiguous losses, which included loss of structure and routine, missing out on important events, and the loss of a sense of safety. The professionals from SFCS stressed that people are not used to dealing with ambiguous losses like these. One of the participants, who will remain anonymous, noted that she constantly reminds her kids “I have never done a pandemic before. I might mess up a couple of times.”
The group realized that this is the first moment within their lifetimes that everyone is experiencing together, unlike past historical events such as 9/11, which affected people to different extents. The participants felt that everyone should acknowledge that these are tough times and it’s okay that every day isn’t going to be enjoyable and smooth. They agreed that people are now open to the idea of acknowledging the negative aspects of their daily life, and conversations feel more heartfelt and honest than ever before.
The group also discussed the silver linings of the pandemic, such as having time to focus on a new hobby, or having virtual get-togethers that may not have been possible in-person. Although Meghan Drive writes that there are no such things as silver linings, arguing that they invalidate someone’s suffering, the participants felt otherwise.
The next segment of the discussion focused on the way our culture deals with grief, viewing it in a critical manner. Many participants described the helpless feeling of watching their friends and loved ones grieve and being unable to fully help them or understand their pain. They felt they were never taught how to handle difficult situations, and how to properly help their close friends and family when they are grieving. Since grieving itself is often stigmatized, and mourners are expected to remain composed, they end up recovering from the distress of grief, but not the grief itself. In terms of the pandemic, participants agreed that it is harder to deal with the grief of the pandemic when the community is divided. When there is controversy, this time feels much more dire.
The end of the conversation connected back to the book. The professionals moderating the discussion posed the following question: “Does the book give permission to grieve loss and come out from it as a different person?” The participants agreed it is often difficult to get full closure from a loss, and due to the uncertainty of the current times, people are experiencing anxiety from the possibility of future losses.
The discussion lasted a full hour, and the professionals from the Scarsdale Safe Coalition and Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service successfully moderated an engaging conversation. Participants surely left with more insight on the pandemic than they had before they attended. They felt that Meghan Divine’s It’s OK That You’re Not OK feels more relavent right now, and that the discussion was an important reminder that it’s normal to feel anxious and frustrated during these uncertain times. The group consensus was that it is important to accept other’s concerns and apprehensions in order to be united as a community.
Chalk the 'Dale on Friday July 31
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Two high school sophomores have arranged a fun event to bring kids and adults of all ages to the Village on Friday evening July 31 from 6:30- 8 pm to decorate Scarsdale with chalk.
Anna Feldstein and Katie Han received permission from the Village to hold “Chalk the 'Dale, to bring the community together during the upcoming Sidewalk Sale.
Chalk the 'Dale will be open to any Scarsdale resident, coming either alone or in a group. At any point during the allotted time, each person or group will find a place to create chalk art on Spencer Place, Boniface Circle, or Harwood Court. These streets will have already been closed to vehicular traffic for the weeklong sidewalk sale. Social distancing will be enforced throughout the whole event; everyone must wear a mask and stay at least six feet apart.
Before people find a place to chalk, they will be required to check in, receive their free chalk and be encouraged to make a donation to the Scarsdale Business Alliance.
In addition to chalking, the students encourage residents to support local
restaurants. In partnership with the SBA, Scarsdale eateries will provide boxed dinners and snacks. Chalking and food should create a festive environment and bring families together.
Everyone is welcome but there are a limited number of spots available, so please sign up to chalk today at https://www.livethedale.org/ and email any questions to: livethedale@gmail.com.
District Examines Restart Scenarios for the Re-Opening of Scarsdale Schools in September
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Curious about what will happen at the Scarsdale Schools in September? Will schools open with business as usual? Or will kids go to school part-time, or will eLearning become the norm?
At the Scarsdale Board of Education meeting on June 22 the administration outlined their approach to planning for the re-opening of school in whatever form it takes.
Eric Rauschenbach, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services, is leading the charge and has organized over 100 administrators, teachers and parents into a 26 member steering committee and ten subcommittees to analyze how school could run given four possible scenarios.
Dr. Hagerman explained, “All of this is predicated on the guidance from the State Department of Education or the Governor. School opening is Phase 4 in the state restart plan.” All schools will be required to submit Reopening Plans for approval by the state. They will be due sometime in July. Scarsdale will need to adapt to any guidance quickly but exercise local control to ensure student/staff safety and appropriate education. The NYS Regents have developed task forces that have begun to meet to come up with guidelines. Rauschenbach expects guidelines from the state by mid-July.
Rauschenbach explained that the situation is not ideal, and opened the discussion by setting expectations. The work is being done with the understanding that:
-No one will be happy
-It will not be business as usual
-Change will be constant
-Actual decisions cannot be made until the state guidance is received.
Last, the goal is to mitigate the risk of the virus, not eliminate risk altogether.
With these goals in mind, the district has launched a new initiative called, “Scarsdale Restart,” to explore all options for learning, and consider everything else including health, transportation, food, personnel and more that will be impacted by whatever route is ultimately chosen.
The committees are using design thinking to go through iterations of what reopening might look like, and develop a shared vision from the teachers, community and the students
The vision statement for the initiative is as follows:
“The Scarsdale Schools Restart efforts commit to providing an educational environment that is physically and emotionally safe; to establishing and nurturing connections within the full school community; and to fostering meaningful learning opportunities for each student regardless of the structure of schooling which takes place in the future.”
To achieve their goals the district has set up a steering committee and task forces to research and provide recommendations on the following:
Communications
Facilities
Food Service
Human resources
Medical/Nursing
Mental Health
Transportation
Technology
Each of these task forces includes parents, faculty, staff, administrators and central office staff. Almost 100 people are involved. The PT Council assigned representatives who were elected to the PTA’s to serve on these committees.
According to the website, “The Steering Committee will task each of the groups to work through specific challenges and develop specific plans for implementing the health and safety restrictions, while also maximizing the ability to provide a school experience as close to normal as possible. Our groups will meet regularly throughout the summer to assure we are ready to open in September.”
A timeline has been set for June, July and August leading up to the opening of schools in September. One of the tasks for June was to develop a web presence for community information by the end of June. That task has been completed and you can view the “Scarsdale Restart” website here.
The task forces will examine their defined area in light of the following four possible scenarios:
Scenario 1: Live instruction for all students:
This assumes full capacity with everyone in the building, but restrictions on large group activities. Groups will be no larger than a class. Groupings will be as static as possible and social distancing will be enforced during the school day. Questions: How does this impact busing if we can only use every other seat in every other row? We may need to spread out arrivals and departures.
Scenario 2: Hybrid Instruction (Social Distancing Paradigm)
In this scenario, the school would reopen with only 50% of the school population in the building at a time to reduce class density. When not in school, the other 50% will participate in virtual learning. The major factors to consider for this scenario are scheduling, synchronous vs. asynchronous learning, and teacher workload as teachers cannot be in two places at the same time. What technology will be required? What are the implications for childcare for Scarsdale families as well as teachers?
Scenario 3: Hybrid Instruction (Extreme Social Distancing)
This is similar to Scenario 2 but allows for groups no larger than 10 students to be at school together. Questions: How do we manage these groups? Scheduling, teacher workload and busing will be challenging.
Scenario 4: Schools Closed: Students participate in eLearning
This scenario allows for limited or no opportunity for in person learning. This is the most restrictive model, but the one with which the district has the most experience as eLearning was implemented from March to June, 2020. For this scenario, the district needs to consider parents’ roles and opportunities for teachers to plan and work together.
The district’s website provides a complete list of the assigned members of each of the committees here.
Take a look at the site to learn more about planning for the restart of schools in September.
During the public comments portion of the meeting, several parents called in to comment on the restart plan. Marshall Kitain of 11 Butler Road had a lot to say. He said:
I’d like to talk about the restart information. The shared vision statement is on target in terms of the right goals. But the scenarios presented do not fulfill that vision and I am concerned that we are not creatively thinking about how to solve the problem of student density. If we fail to get creative than we are resigned to pick only between sub par options.”
I approach you tonight as the parent of an elementary school learner and the hybrid and full eLearning scenarios here do not and cannot fulfill objectives around nurturing connections or fostering meaningful learning opportunities. I can go through an enormous list of the problems and heartaches around Zoom school, but at its core, eLearning is a very poor substitute that leaves kids uninspired and demotivated. And even as I say those words I cannot begin to convey the sadness that I see in my daughter when she desperately wants to participate, but no, she is not called on because she shared something last week…. Last week. This is not the fault of individual teachers but it is heartbreaking to see at the youngest levels, heartbreaking to see your student become disinterested and unenthusiastic.
And speaking to the adults and the people in positions of authority, I recognize that you are being earnest, you are being thoughtful, you are preparing a detailed agenda, but it is not bold, it is not innovative. This is not a problem that can be solved with better training or a better curriculum. In our hearts we should know that there is no replacement for the magic of a real classroom for young students, and I think our students deserve that. So if we start from the place that our students deserve more than an online education I think we can find the strength to reject easy answers and focus on what matters. How do we get our kids back to school safely?
I would like to see this board address the community to tackle the real problem. How do we safely re-open schools on a real time basis? If physical capacity is the problem, let’s talk about that problem. How do we add outdoor classrooms? Let’s talk about tents. If that doesn’t work, let’s talk about restructuring the school day so that kids spend half a day inside the classroom and half a day in small groups somewhere else on the campus. Let’s talk about how we utilize aids in a different way to reduce density, to utilize specials differently.
All of these are infinitely better than solutions that alternate between online school and real school. I recognize that there are some students and teachers that are high risk, and that they may need distance learning as an option for a period of time. There should be an option to pair those students with these teachers for an online option.
As a society, this is not just a healthcare crisis. It is the biggest educational crisis in decades. As a parent and a taxpayer, I urge you to focus on what matters and not accept answers that fail your own vision statement. We do not need things like stadium lights. We need kids in school.
Also, we are talking about an issue that is enormously profound for all of our stakeholders and I challenge the idea that you have received sufficient parent and student engagement. Even right now you and I are not having a dialogue. I have been on the phone for almost 2.5 hours to make my point tonight and I am not going to get a response any time soon. I have to wait until item 16 on the agenda and even then I waited be recognized to respond. That’s unfair.
This process is an insult to the parents in the community who are beyond stretched right now and don’t have the time to devote to this like I do right now. So I urge you to hold a listening session as soon as possible and to not cherry pick voices and aggressively seek other voices. Without that, I fear this entire discussion is missing the forest for the trees. ELearning for young students was not a success. It may have been necessary and it may have been better than what other districts did. We can do better than online learning for young learners. I urge you to think creatively about how we can use all of our campuses, all of our resources to reduce density and get young kids back into the classroom.”
Claudine Gecel from Kent Road said, “Our family is involved in the healthcare part of this problem. Solutions have changed and will continue to change. People are complaining about Zoom learning. The opportunity for everyone to go back to school is better now than it was in March. It is way better. Most of the infectious disease doctors have better protocols. They are doing a dosing study for the inflammatory condition that affects children. We have a good hospital nearby. They triage the children well and they can immediately be transferred if they need better treatment. The point is that Zoom learning for most children is not regular school. I think there is a groundswell for regular school. If the school could step up and hire professional cleaners given the pandemic and we had the right masks, you could open the schools. We could be there. I don’t think people should be so negative. The healthcare is better and we could become cleaner."
Ada Carlucci of 258 Fox Meadow Road expressed concerns about the composition of the steering committee. She asked if medical professionals or infectious disease experts were on the committee. She said, there is concern about disinfection of the schools. How will the school deal with a second wave? She added, “We are wondering about the availability of PPE for children, which needs to be sized to fit. “
Mayra Kirkendall Rodriguez thanked the district for planning and thanked retiring Board members Scott Silberfein and Chris Morin for listening. She inquired which parents were selected to serve on these task forces and how they were chosen. She asked if parents from dual working families, single parents and those with children with special needs were chosen. She asked if they had a good level of cognizant diversity. She also asked who participated in the focus groups and if the results were published. She said many had challenges with eLearning. She asked about the potential joys of eLearning. She asked about their plans for improving math at the elementary school level and said there was not enough at that level. She asked if eLearning could be used to supplement the math and foreign language programs. At SMS she asked why students were limited to only romance languages and asked if they could take Mandarin, Arabic or Hebrew.
