The Monolith

The Pledge Manager Cometh!
28 days ago – Fri, Oct 09, 2026 at 08:17:21 AM

The pledge manager for The Monolith is ready to go! We ran a smoke test where we sent out invites to the PM to a small group of random backers to see how it goes. So far, we've heard of no issues, and a handful of you have now finalized your pledges and paid for shipping. Huzzah!

This means we are now ready to send it out to everyone, which we shall do in the next 24 hours. Check the email associated with your Kickstarter account, including your spam folder. The emails will be coming from BackerKit, whose platform we use to run our pledge manager. Also remember that if your Kickstarter account uses an Apple ID, you will likely not receive the email as Kickstarter scrambles those emails so third parties cannot exploit them. After we have sent out the invites, we will audit for backers using Apple ID and will message them privately on Kickstarter.

If you're a first time backer and are unfamiliar with the concept of the pledge manager, it's a platform where you give us your address, select more add-ons if such is your wish, then pay for those additions plus your total shipping. It's an important step in the crowdfunding process, since at this point we do not have your shipping address. This finalizes your pledge with us and lets us know which distributor we should ship your pledge to.

We mentioned in the last update we would let you know if the timeframe for the expected fulfillment period has changed. At this time, we are still on track for November, though finalized dates have not emerged. We will keep you informed!

Thanks everyone, and keep an eye out for those emails!

Production and Pledge Manager Updates
about 1 month ago – Sun, Sep 27, 2026 at 04:59:32 PM

Hello, wretched pawns of the Monolith!

We've been busy little drones since the campaign ended, and we thought now was a fantastic time to check in.

Production!

Production is coming along nicely. The primary game, The Monolith, is of course fully produced, but the other components are with our printer. Here's a picture they sent us so we could offer approvals.

The token upgrades come in little plastic baggies, which is why the picture only shows the cardboard pieces that seal the bags and name the product.

We've approved the blood tokens and their packaging, and our rep at the printer is checking on an estimate for completion. The metal tokens were slightly behind the glass pieces as we found an error, made a correction, and are now waiting on an estimate.

The shaman miniature and the plastic tray it is packed in were already approved, allowing production to begin on them. Like the others, we're waiting on an estimated completion date.

Finally, the Bot Pack's pre production copy is the most recent. If you recall, that was the last piece for us to wrap work on, so here it is presented to us for approval. At this point we've already approved the files, so this is just to make sure everything looks right, and it surely does.

So how does the November estimate look? So far, it's too soon to say with surety, but the November estimate still looks good. There is a chance we could get pushed to December, but our printer is fantastic, so we'll see how it goes. And of course we will let you know as soon as the date solidifies more.

Pledge Manager!

The pledge manager is where you will give us your address, select more add-ons if you wish, then pay for those additions plus your shipping.

We will be sending out links to the pledge manager in the near future. Don't worry - we'll let you know here when that happens. The email for the pledge manager will come from BackerKit. If you chose to pay over time, don't worry, you'll still receive an email from us, just so we know where you are located. This tells us what regional distributor to send your pledges to, so we can still quickly get your pledge to you.

One important note: If you use your Apple ID for Kickstarter, you will not receive this email. This is because Kickstarter scrambles those to protect your privacy from third parties. What we see, instead of your actual email, is something like this: [email protected]

 If you don't see an email from us when the pledge manager is announced, don't worry, we'll take care of you!

That's it for now. We'll share more as the details arrive. Thank you again for backing our project and making this game possible. We appreciate you!

The staff at Plaid Hat Games

Giving Thanks and Talking Next Steps
about 2 months ago – Thu, Sep 17, 2026 at 08:05:59 AM

The sun sets and the Monolith glowers down upon the blasted land, pleased, for now, with its meal.

Backers, you have done it! The project is fully funded, and this thing is HAPPENING! Plaid Hat Games greatly appreciates both your faith in us and your excitement for this game. We can't wait for you to get your hands on this for the first time and see how great everything looks. We can't wait for you to play your first game and discover how easy The Monolith is to learn, while still hitting you full in the face with exciting, strategic possibilities.

So what's next?

We have a pledge manager to set up, and we will likely get that out as soon as we can so we can begin working on shipping logistics. Your invite to the pledge manager will arrive in your email, so be sure to keep an eye on whichever email your Kickstarter account is linked to. Backers who chose to pay in multiple installments will need to complete their installments before gaining access to the pledge manager. Worried you missed your invite? We will send an update when the pledge manager goes live, so if you don't see an update about it, it just hasn't happened yet.

If you're new to Kickstarter, the pledge manager is where you give us your shipping address then arrange to pay your shipping costs. You can also add more stuff to your pledge at that time, if such is your desire.

Production on the expansions and upgrades is in progress. We will continue to show off these newer elements as they arrive at the office. We know you're especially eager to see the Bot Pack, and get a better idea of how it functions. We'll work on that.

We are contracting to have a "how to play" video produced. It's too soon to give details, but if you prefer learning via video, we'll have you covered!

Expect updates from us! If we learn something new or receive new Monolith items or content from a partner, we will share it. If we get news from a partner, for better or worse, we will share that as well. We want to be as transparent as possible so you know what to expect, but feel free to ask questions.

That's it for now! We have a very busy few months ahead of us and we couldn't be happier about it! Thank you, everyone. Your support means everything to us, especially those of you who have followed us through our previous campaigns. You people really are the absolute best. We'll talk soon!

Plaid Hat Games

Two New Designer Diaries and Rob's Tabletop World Looks at the Game!
about 2 months ago – Mon, Sep 07, 2026 at 11:29:01 AM

Hello backers!

We have two new designer diaries entries from Phil Gross. The first is Divine Death, all about the evolution of divination cards. The second is Maps, detailing how the board for The Monolith came to be. Both are fascinating reads, so go check them out!

We sent a copy of the The Monolith to Rob Oren over at Rob's Tabletop World. We dare you to watch and not find his enthusiasm infectious.

New Designer Diary and Small Updates
2 months ago – Mon, Aug 31, 2026 at 05:21:49 AM

Greetings, backers! We have a small update with a couple random items worth noting.

New Design Diary

Phil Gross, intrepid designer of The Monolith, has just dropped a new designer diary all about how the shamans evolved into their final form. Check it out here on BGG:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3760422/design-diary-4-the-unholy-shamans

November Fulfillment

We get asked a lot if November is actually possible. Yes! The main game is already on its way to us, we have the original art for the game (of course), and the add-ons are all relatively small and will be quickly produced.

Things can happen of course, a cargo boat can be forced to change course due to storms or international tension, products can get held up in customs inspections - you never really know. But as far as the things we can actually control go, we are very much on track for November fulfillment, but if anything should change that we'll let you know right away.

Language

Another frequently asked question is will we be publishing The Monolith in other languages? The official answer is we have no plans at this time. Plaid Hat Games is sometimes approached by publishers in other countries who ask to publish a specific game in a different language. We love doing this as it allows our games to see a wider audience, but this tends to happen after a game is released, and so at this time we don't have any plans.

That's it for now! Thanks very much to everyone who has helped bring this project to fruition. We couldn't be doing this without you!