Clandestine Preorders

Production Update & Rulebook Link
17 days ago – Wed, May 20, 2026 at 08:25:36 AM

Hello Clandestine Fans! This is a short update, but I will target getting a more thorough (and precise) update to you in early June.  This time we'll focus on two things: a Production Update and the Final Rulebook.

Production Update

Last week I received the MPC (mass production copy) of Clandestine and all of the Add-ons.  The great news is that all of the Add-ons look perfect and have been approved.  The MPC of Clandestine looked excellent, however, there were a couple of items that needed to be fixed.  The three items I identified that required fixing all had to do with some of the cuts (punchboard, etc.) that came out differently from the PPC (pre-production copy) I had received several weeks before.  

• Minor, but an easy fix: Some tokens were coming out in slightly different shapes on one punchboard versus another.
• Moderate, but an easy fix: One of the strength dials (which we reduced the size of slightly to better fit in the tray/box) is off-center when attached to the player tableau preventing it from fully rotating through all 360 degrees - definitely something that needed fixing.
• Significant: The "puzzle pieces" between the society paths and the connectors that make up the main board no longer "bite" - holding each other together.  With the mass production die, the two pieces were ever so slightly different such that they easily slide in and out of each other.  This would mean that when playing, the board would be more likely to inadvertently separate or come apart.  This definitely needed to be fixed.  

The production team is looking at all of the items above and I expect both a resolution and time-to-fix from them shortly.  As soon as we find an agreeable resolution, we'll move forward with finalizing mass production (Everything is printed, but not yet cut so these issues shouldn't require significant rework).  I'll then have a much clearer date as to when the games should be making their way onto ships to begin their journey to your fulfillment hubs.  While I originally anticipated games making their way onto ships this week, it will likely be another 1-2 weeks before they're leaving the factory with the fixes above in place.

Final Rulebook Link

With production nearly complete, that means the rulebook has been finalized.  For those that want to become familiar with the rules before receiving their copy, here is a link to the digital version of the Final Rulebook.  While the rulebook has about the same number of pages as my previous game - Legacies - you'll notice that the font is larger, examples and images are more prevalent throughout, and there's even a bit of extra backstory on each society, plus a robust index.  Clandestine will be a much more approachable game to learn while still containing plenty of strategic depth for your gameplay.

Special thanks to Brendan Riley who performed an extremely thorough rulebook review as we were finalizing the digital materials.  I was just past the point where I could formally credit Brendan on the rulebook so I want to be sure to give him a shout-out here.  Brendan's keen eye and attention to detail are second-to-none!  

As mentioned up front, that's it for this update.  As soon as I know more details about the ships your games are being loaded on, I'll share those details and timelines.  In one of the next updates I'll also share pictures of the custom trays and the slick way you can pack everything back into the box when you're ready to return Clandestine to your shelf.

In the meantime, keep enjoying your spring and I'll be in touch very soon!

--Jason 

Pre-Production Photos & Addresses Locking
about 2 months ago – Thu, Apr 09, 2026 at 07:03:23 AM

Hello Friends!

There are two VERY important things I want to share in this update: 

    1.) Production of Clandestine is fully underway.

    2.) Addresses are locking in BackerKit on Monday, April 13th 

Let's start with the administrative item (#2).  If you need to make any changes to your address in the Pledge Manager, please do so before Monday, April 13th!  We need to make sure to send the right number of copies of Clandestine to the right fulfillment hubs to get your games to you.  If you're not sure how to find or update your survey, you can head to this link.  If you're uncertain of your address for delivery of your game this summer, please reach out to me through Kickstarter messaging and I'll help make sure your game makes its way to the right address for you.

Now, on to the exciting part of this update - Clandestine is fully in production.  We've approved all game components from the pre-production copy (after some minor modifications) and Panda is actively producing all of the games plus the wonderful add-ons for those who backed at the Enchanted, Fully-Ascended, and Transcendent levels.  

I've included some photos below so you can see how things are coming together.  

The box has a great presence on the table (and I love the final touches we put on the cover and sides).  The UV print of the Clandestine logo is tough to see in this photo, but it really pops on the shelf!

Enchanted-level backers and above get a full set of acrylic resources (Energy, Intrigue, & Chaos) as well as metal coins.  We love how these have turned out.  Note: the 1 Gold coins are going to be a bit darker and have a wash (different from what you see in the picture here) so they won't look as similar to the 5 Gold coins.

Enchanted-level backers and above ALSO get acrylic ascension tiles.  (Note: the Level II-IV tiles will have white printing instead of black printing so they have better contrast with the grey background...)

The Fully Ascended and Transcendent backers also receive card sleeves (several varieties shown above) and the winner's cowl, which will certainly stand out when wearing it at your gaming table.

Here is a solo game setup (Blue Army vs. the Most Holy) with all of the upgraded components including the neoprene player mat (a set of 5 neoprene player mats is included with the Fully Ascended and Transcendent pledges).

That's it for this update.  What do you think? Which components are you most excited to see on your table?

In the next update or two, I expect to be able to tell you that production is nearly complete and - shortly after that - will share details about the games as they cross the oceans to the various fulfillment centers.  As fulfillment draws near, I'll also share some pictures of the fantastic custom trays inside your deluxe copy of Clandestine and how to load them.  

In the meantime, have a lovely spring and keep getting great games to the table!

--Jason

Production Update and Conjunction Reveal
3 months ago – Wed, Mar 11, 2026 at 07:07:32 AM

As the days grow longer and the shadows retreat, it feels like the perfect time to shed a bit more light on Clandestine's progress.  I'll share how production is progressing as well as reveal some of the Conjunction cards to you.  Let's dive right in.

Production Update

Last month I provided a more detailed timeline for the next few months and Panda completed samples of the wooden components, custom trays, neoprene mats, and winner's cowl.  I've reviewed all of those samples and provided feedback (no major adjustments needed, just a couple of tweaks to make things a bit better).  The trays look fantastic, but I'm waiting to reveal pictures of those to you until I have the full PPC (pre-production copy) so you can see how it all fits together.

This month I should receive the remaining samples and the complete PPC.  When I have that, I'll share plenty of photos to show how things are coming together and what will be making its way to your table in just a few short months.  Here's the remaining timeline for production & fulfillment.

• March: Remaining game component and add-on samples should make their way to me  
• April: Mass Production begins
• May: Mass Production copy reviewed / approved by me
• June: Games make their way to fulfillment centers via ship
• July: Fulfillment of Clandestine begins!

As I get more information about ships in the May/June timeframe, I'll be sure to share the details of those with you.

Conjunction Cards

After my last update, a backer, Matt, requested more details about the Conjunction cards. (Thank you, Matt!)  The Conjunction cards might have been my favorite aspect to design in Clandestine!  They're acquired when each society ascends to Level II and provide you with two things:

• A path to additional intrigue, providing access to your Conjunction secret (your society's most powerful secret) 
• A substantial benefit which falls into one of three types: A unique alchemy trade, a large one-time boon, or a powerful "mini-game" for the duration of the game.

In this update, I'm going to share two examples of each type.  There are ultimately 24 Conjunction cards providing plenty of variability in your plays of Clandestine.  3-6 Conjunctions are dealt out at the start of the game (one more than the player count) and the earlier you ascend to Level II, the better selection of Conjunctions you have available to you.

Let's take a look at samples of each Conjunction type.

Unique Alchemy Conjunctions

All players have the same trades available on their Tableau (albeit with different conversion rates).  By choosing an Alchemy Conjunction when you reach Level II, you now have access to a conversion unique to YOU which you can use each turn (or more often if you have Deep Alchemy tokens).  

With the Sacrifice, you can use an alchemy token to either:

• Move one of the Universal Followers from your Society Chambers to this card (temporarily weakening the strength in your chamber), adding one of three possible benefits to this card OR 
• Move three Universal Followers from this card to one of your chambers (simultaneously gaining all of the tokens from this card).

Used effectively, this Conjunction can both increase your coffers while also serving as a delayed "regroup" redistributing those temporarily "sacrificed" followers to another space a few turns later.

Got a desire to channel King Midas? Then the Golden Touch Conjunction is for you!  This Alchemy trade has no cost on the left - rather, you choose a row of relics in the Relic Map and return them all to the bottom of the deck. (If both a bright and dark relic went back to the deck, you then get two Gold.)   

After that, you get to replenish the map (as you would after completing the Discover action, sliding relics down if there are open spots and then refilling from the deck all of the remaining spots).  After that, you can then BUY a relic (spending gold instead of strength) to get any single relic on the map.  This conjunction both helps to cycle through the available relics while giving you an alternative path to acquire relics (beyond the Discover action) by spending Gold. 

Large One-Time Boon Conjunctions

The Heirlooms Conjunction (yes, named with a nod to Legacies), allows you to buff your relic hand with the next three Dark Relics from the deck.  Dark Relics can either help you ascend faster or can provide end game scoring when assigned to your chambers.  Acquiring three of them all at once can help you focus your gameplay as you begin Level II, rather than simply feel more powerful (but depleted) which can happen each time you Ascend since you're typically giving up so much from your hand to get to the next Level.

One of the most powerful aspects of deck builder games involves "thinning" your deck - generally by trashing your starting cards, thus getting more powerful cards into your hand faster.  The Shed Skin Conjunction serves a similar purpose in Clandestine - getting rid of your useful (but generally weak) level I cards so each time you draw a Secret going forward, you know it will be powerful.  If choosing this Conjunction, be sure you've taken enough advantage of your Society's Level I secrets before doing so, otherwise you risk actually hampering yourself.  

Powerful "Mini-Game" Conjunctions

The Object of Desire provides an opportunity for you to acquire a relic from the Relic Map every other turn.  You lose access to your 4th Leader (the one you can unlock once you're at Level II) when choosing this conjunction, but knowing you can reserve and then acquire relics reliably helps you quickly get over the "loss" of that potential Leader.  

The Path of the Sword places you on a quest for Sword relics.  Each turn, you move the Universal Follower you've placed on the card (for tracking purposes) and - if it lands on a spot with the corresponding Sword relic type matching its position on the Relic Map - you get to collect that relic!  You'll notice the Conjunction pattern at the top of the card leans heavily into Swords reinforcing the value they have to you for the duration of the game.  

Wrap-Up

That's it for this update.  The next time I reach out, I'll share pictures of the pre-production copy, showing you all what you can expect when Clandestine makes its way to your tables this summer!  In the meantime, be sure to welcome spring, get outside and enjoy the weather, and of course - keep getting great games to your table!

Until next time...

Jason

Timeline + Secrets of the Garden Club
4 months ago – Mon, Feb 02, 2026 at 07:16:03 AM

As promised in this update I will share the final society's secrets - the Garden Club (appropriate for the middle of winter, right?).  More IMPORTANTLY, though, I have some updated dates from my manufacturer - Panda - after the initial back and forth reviews of Clandestine's design files.  Let's begin with the timeline.

Timeline

• February: Panda creating samples of game and add-on components
• March: Game component and add-on samples should make their way to me (just after Chinese new year).  
• April: Mass Production begins
• May: Mass Production copy reviewed / approved by me
• June: Games make their way to fulfillment centers via boat
• July: Fulfillment of Clandestine begins!

Based on those dates, I'll likely be locking addresses in the May/June timeframe, but will be sure to give you plenty of notice before I do.  I'm excited to finally have these more concrete dates to be able to share with you!

Now - onto the last society's secrets: The Garden Club...

Garden Club

The Garden Club is one of the most straightforward societies to play.  With their passion for money (and making lots of it), they'll provide the player with many opportunities to invest gold around the world of Clandestine - gaining returns on their investments every time those locations are used (by any player).  You can easily spot when the Garden Club is in the game as you see Gold tokens sprinkled around the city and the relic map. By placing early investments, the Garden Club can focus less on fundraising and more on other actions as gold will trickle in to their coffers at a fairly steady pace. Those that love to rake in the gold are likely to select the Garden Club as one of their go-to societies.  Let's dive into the secrets of the Garden Club.

Level I Secrets (12)

All of the Garden Club's Level I secrets involve a keyword unique to the Garden Club: Invest.  These secrets allow the Garden Club to place 1 Gold from their personal supply to a location in the game.  Five Sowing Seeds cards let them invest a gold on a public space.  Three Cross-Pollination cards allow them to invest on one of the four Relic Routes.  The four Sheltered Rosette cards let them invest a gold on one of their own Society Chambers.  That gold will remain in play for the rest of the game.  When ANY player takes an action on a space with gold on it, the Garden Club gets to collect that much gold from the bank.  For investments on Relic Routes, anytime a player acquires a relic from one of the two (or three - if expanded by the Mariner's Union) spaces on the route, the Garden Club similarly collects gold equal to the investment from the bank.

Astute readers of these updates will notice something interesting about the Garden Club's secrets.  While all players earn intrigue points for the secrets in their hand at the end of the game.  The Garden Club has a chance to earn bonus intrigue points for secrets in hand if they meet the requirement on the red banner.  It's further encouragement for the Garden Club to lean into their investments and diversify as much as possible.  

Level II Secrets (9)

The Garden Club's Level II secrets provide opportunities for larger investments (on Public Spaces, Relic Routes, or Society Chambers - depending on the Secret).  Like all other societies they have two secrets that allow them to acquire a Deep Alchemy token to repeat trades.  Finally, they have a Status Symbols card which provides gold for each Relic they've assigned to their society when they play it.

Level III Secrets (6)

At Level III, the Gold harvesting ramps up for the Garden Club - literally - with their "Harvest" secrets gaining 3x the gold they have invested on either public spaces, society chambers, or relic routes.  Their Prosperity Symbols secret garners them one gold for EVERY assigned relic in play (their own and their opponents') which could easily be 20+ gold late game in large player count games.

The Garden Club's investments can pay off in other ways with Mature Markets giving them 2 energy for every gold invested in public spaces and the Titan of Industry card giving them 2 intrigue for every gold invested in their own society chambers.

Level IV Secrets (3)

At Level IV, the Garden Club's secrets provide intrigue for the investments the player has made throughout the game allowing them to rapidly rack up points.

Conjunction Secret (1)

Finally, the Conjunction Secret for the Garden Club - when played - rewards their investments everywhere with an extra 5 intrigue payout if they've invested at least once in a public space, a society chamber, and a relic route.  Even if the Garden Club acquires their Conjunction Secret, but keeps it in their hand, it can be worth 7 Intrigue instead of 2 at game end as long as they've invested in at least 5 different locations throughout the game.

The expression "you've gotta' spend money to make money" certainly holds true for the Garden Club.  The more gold they're able to scatter around the board, the more rewards they'll be able to reap throughout the game and at game end.  

Does the Garden Club speak to you? Are you ready to cash in on every player's actions in your plays of Clandestine? Then the Garden Club is the society for you.

You've now seen details on all five society's secrets.  Which ones are you most excited to wield?

That's it for this update.  I'll continue to share details about the production progress through regular updates.  If there's more you'd like me to include or highlight in those updates, please let me know in the comments. I want to be sure these updates are useful and exciting for you.  You've been waiting patiently to get Clandestine in your hands and that day will be here before you know it.  In the meantime, I'll keep the information flowing with hints of intrigue throughout these updates.  

Take care and have a fantastic February.

--Jason 

The Twilight (Masks) of 2025
6 months ago – Tue, Dec 23, 2025 at 08:20:07 AM

Hello Friends--

As the days get about as short as they can be up here in the northern hemisphere, it's clear we're entering the twilight of 2025.  What better time to highlight the secrets of the Twilight Masks? (originally the "Weeping Masks" if you were watching closely during the campaign....)

For those just interested in the status of Clandestine production, Panda performed an initial review of the deluxe items and we've already made the requested modifications and put them back in their hands.  We expect the main paper/cardboard components to be reviewed and approved by their team over the next few weeks.  I still anticipate production being complete and games making their way across the water this coming spring.

Now - onto the secrets of the Twilight Masks...

The Twilight Masks were the most frequently chosen society in playtests when players were given the brief spiel on each.  Apparently "if you love causing chaos..." resonates with many gamers and - if that's you - the Twilight Masks will likely be your choice for your first playthrough of Clandestine.  The Twilight Masks are a high risk/reward choice as you are incentivized to amass Chaos throughout the game (which leads to potential alchemy limitations during the game and negative points at game end).  If, however, you manage to purge that Chaos - your society actually keeps those purged Chaos tokens in your play area as you'll earn 3 intrigue points at game end for every 2 Chaos you cleared.  Are your nerves steady enough to deal with the highs and lows of the Twilight Masks?

Level I Secrets (12)

Six of the Twilight Masks' initial secrets provide an opportunity to add a Chaos token to a public space - making that location 1 strength stronger for you (and 1 strength weaker for opponents) - with the Chaos token going to the Chaos track of any player triggering it.  Two of the Twilight Masks' initial secrets allow you to place a Chaos token on a relic (making it easier for you to acquire and harder for opponents).  Finally, four of the initial secrets allow you to both place a Chaos token on one of your society chambers (strengthening it) while also placing an alchemy token on one of your opponents' alchemy trades - preventing them from using that alchemy section until they purge the chaos from it.

Note: There is a relic - the Fragrant Pyramid - that specifically allows players to ignore any Chaos on their alchemy sections which - when assigned to one of their society chambers - allows them to have no fear of the Twilight Masks' Jackal Face secrets, while also allowing them to continue to use alchemy even if they have accumulated Chaos into their "no alchemy" section of their Chaos track.  If the Twilight Masks are in your game, keep an eye out for one of the Fragrant Pyramid relics to mitigate their ability to thwart your alchemical plans.

Level II Secrets (9)

When the Twilight Masks add their Level II secrets into their deck, their ability to sow Chaos expands significantly.  Most of their Level II secrets allow them to place two or more Chaos tokens in play while two of their secrets give them access to Deep Alchemy tokens.

Level III Secrets (6)

The Level III secrets allow the Twilight Masks to both start cashing in on Chaos while also doubling down on it.  Three secrets provide Energy or Gold based on the amount of Chaos purged by the Masks (and that on their Society Chambers).  

If you haven't yet leaned into Chaos (or really want to lean in further), the Show of Force secrets let you take a regroup action (up to 4 strength) and gain Chaos equal to the strength of the regroup.  This can be a great way to reposition your leaders and followers within your society for big actions (while also collecting Chaos to - hopefully - purge for intrigue points at game end).  

Level IV Secrets (3)

The Level IV secrets for the Twilight Masks provide a great chance to gain Intrigue based on locations where you've amassed Chaos throughout the game.  Whether in your scoring area, on public or opponent areas, or even on your own Chaos track, these cards give the Twilight Masks a significant opportunity to collect Intrigue tokens. Well-timed use of these secrets can truly tip the scales in your favor.

Conjunction Secret (1)

The Twilight Masks' most powerful secret - unlocked by assigning relics around their society to match the pattern provided by their Conjunction - provides Intrigue points for EVERY Chaos token in play.  If you're timid about the "risk/reward" playstyle needed for the Twilight Masks, their Conjunction secret should help reinforce that leaning into the Chaos is certainly the way to go if you want to find yourself the most intriguing.  

What do you think? Are you like so many of Clandestine's playtesters... all too eager to cause Chaos for your fellow players? Can you master the tightrope walking from "tons of Chaos" to "purging Chaos" necessary to emerge victorious? 

Stay tuned for continued updates as our production progress moves from file review to actual material and print reviews.  In one of our next updates, we'll take you through the final society's set of secrets - the Garden Club.  In the meantime, enjoy the last few days of 2025 and may your 2026 get off to a fantastic start!

Talk to you soon...

--Jason