🚂 Mini Express 🗺️ Map Pack Expansion 1 & 2
Created by Moaideas Game Design
4 New Maps & Deluxe Upgrades for the cube rail board game Mini Express. Get the Base Game and Expansions at the same time!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Sneak Peek at Expansion Maps
over 2 years ago
– Wed, Jul 27, 2022 at 02:51:49 PM
Hello Gamers!
We are now less than 36 hours away from the end of the campaign, and we are halfway to our next stretch goal at $70k. All aboard for UV-printed tokens! I am confident we can hit this goal today, and I feel optimistic that we will cross the $80k mark before the campaign is over.
Here is a WIP preview at the Japan map illustration, which will be included in the Map Pack 2 expansion. This just came in a few days ago, it’s about 80% done, and still lacking some shadows & details on the edges. Click the image above to open a largerimage of the map. It's drawn with a pretty high resolution, and if you are interested you can zoom in on the details.
While we are at it, I think I will also share the UK map and TW map with you. They are currently at a higher level of completion compared to the prototypes printed for the livestreams, and the Japan & Spain maps are also being drawn to the same level of detail. Click the image below to check them out!Â
Just like in the base game, we will also be adding some animals and other points of interest on the map boards, so keep an eye out for them when you receive your games!
Thank you for your support of the Map Pack expansion campaign. We greatly appreciate your backing, and remain grateful for it! Please help us share the word with your friends and fellow gamers! The last few days will be critical, so let’s see how much further we can push this campaign. Full steam ahead!
Best Regards,
David Liu Producer @ Moaideas Game Design
Ferry Boats & New Stretch Goals!
over 2 years ago
– Wed, Jul 27, 2022 at 01:52:02 AM
Hello Gamers!
We have now entered the final week of the campaign, and I have 2 announcements to make today. First is the unlocking of new wooden components. Second, we have new stretch goals to reach in the final push of the campaign, so read on to learn more about them.
This unlock is a set of Wooden Ferry boat tokens, which you can use to mark completed ferry connections on the UK map or Japan map. The cost of building on ferry hexes is 2, and will also increase the system length by 2. Thus, these ferries were designed to be larger so that they could carry 2 train meeples. The previously unlocked Tunnels & Bridges are also large enough to accommodate 2 train meeples on them.
Final Stretch Goals
Today I am announcing 3 new funding based stretch goals. These upgrades will allow us to have designs for the wooden components of this campaign. The first stretch goal is at $60,000 USD, which will be stickers for all components in addition to ones that already have them(stations,bonus).
The second goal at $70K will be an upgrade over the stickers, to print the designs directly on the tokens. Earlier in the campaign, I have explained that we had issues with silk-screen printing in the past, so this time it would likely be done by UV-printing.
If the campaign reaches $80K, the next goal will be to upgrade all the wooden tokens with engraving. This will be done by laser engraving the painted tokens, which will show the wood below and create very clear contrasts of the design. An example is shown from our Jiangnan campaign below, and it looks really awesome in person.
Engraved wooden resources from Jiangnan
The original plan was to unveil extra stickers until the end of the campaign, but after some discussion, I decided that wouldn't be interesting enough. Just unlocking stickers every day feels bland now, and it doesn't sound like we are pushing for the "Best Expansion Possible".
But after some exciting discussions on Friday's update (Special thanks to Raphael and everyone that commented) cleared my mind and helped me settle on the current plan. I think this is a very good solution that can help us make the Map Packs expansion the best it could possibly be!
We only have a few days left in the campaign, and I want to thank you again for joining us. We will need all the support we can get, so please help us spread the word about this campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and discussion forums to your friends, family and fellow gamers!
Best Regards,
David Liu Producer @ Moaideas Game Design
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Here is a list of the contents we have unlocked so far:
Click on each item above to learn more about them!
Token Stickers Unlocked!
over 2 years ago
– Tue, Jul 26, 2022 at 11:17:37 AM
Hello Gamers!
We have made excellent progress yesterday, and I would like to take a moment to recognize everyone that has contributed to this cause.  We were able to reach $60,000 USD today and unlock a stretch goal — Token Design Stickers. Thank you all!
This will be a set of Transparent Matte Stickers for all wooden tokens that we have unlocked for the Map Packs during this campaign. Previously this was provided on the Station token & Bonus markers, but now every wooden token will have stickers!Â
Sticker Sample
Recently we found a supplier that can make transparent stickers with a matte finish that looks great when applied on wood. As shown above, it does not glare, has a very sharp and clear image, and we have better control over the colors, so I've decided to make this as a stretch goal upgrade for this Kickstarter!Â
But we won't stop here on upgrading the components for the Map Packs! Our next stretch goal is at $70k, at this funding level we will be able to replace the above stickers with direct printing on the wooden components! This will likely be accomplished with UV-Printing, which is quite resilient and long lasting.
Please help us reach this goal by telling your friends, family members, or fellow gamers about this project! Perhaps you may want to consider grabbing some upgrades to go with your copy of Mini Express? We only have 2 days left in this campaign, so let's make them count. Thank you again for your support!
Best Regards,
David Liu Producer @ Moaideas Game Design
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Here is a list of the contents we have unlocked so far:
Click on each item above to learn more about them!
Unique Signal Tiles
over 2 years ago
– Sat, Jul 23, 2022 at 12:33:08 PM
Hello Gamers!
We are steadily moving forward with our campaign, and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the process. We have less than a week left on Kickstarter before the campaign ends, and I still have a couple of unlocks for you in store, so I hope you keep coming back for more.
Today, we are unlocking Unique Signal Tiles to be provided to all editions of Map Pack 1. Now the Hustle and Bustle mini-expansion has five distinct designs for its signal lights tiles! They are inspired by real-world railway signals from around the world, can you identify any of them? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments section below!
It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m grateful for all of your support. I won’t be posting any updates this weekend, as I’ll be gearing up for the last stretch of the campaign. For the last few days, I think we shall switch back to traditional monetary stretch goals. But should I make it one big goal for engraving all tokens at once, or should I split it into 4-5 batches so we can keep the excitement going?
Best Regards,
David Liu Producer @ Moaideas Game Design
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Here is a list of the contents we have unlocked so far:
Click on each item above to learn more about them. We have more to show you in upcoming updates, so stay tuned!
New ALL-IN Pledge Levels & Unique Station Tokens
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Jul 22, 2022 at 01:55:29 AM
Hello Gamers!
Following yesterday's new add-on, some backers were confused by the number of add-ons available for selection. At first, I wanted to keep the number of pledge levels down, and let you pick and choose add-ons a-la-carte.
But now it’s getting confusing with so many add-ons, so I've created 4 new ALL IN pledge levels that correspond to the current ones. This way, you can just switch to that pledge level, and you don't need to worry about choosing the correct combination of add-ons.
New ALL IN pledge levels
If you do switch to one of the new ALL IN levels, remember to remove your current add-ons from your pledge to avoid duplicates. Sorry for the confusion, and feel free to contact me if you still have questions about your pledge.
Unique Station Tokens
Today I am unlocking Unique Station Tokens. Four awesome looking station designs are used for the Wooden Starting Stations of the four companies. These wooden tokens are exclusive to the Map Pack collector’s box set and train meeples are used in the retail version.
I am a bit undecided about using stickers or silk screen printing for this upgrade. I'm leaning towards stickers as explained in a previous update, but the larger size of the stations makes it slightly easier to print directly on the wooden tokens. Or we should just go for engravings? Please let me know in the comments below what you think about this. Thank you!
I will be back tomorrow with another unlock, and I hope you guys are as excited as I am. See you again soon!
Best Regards,
David Liu Producer @ Moaideas Game Design
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Here is a list of the contents we have unlocked so far:
