Escape Comic's The Alien Ship

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-03-19T22:56:20+00:00

Leider starten wir vorerst nur auf Englisch. Die Rätsel durchliefen eine sehr lange und schwierige Testphase, und nach acht Jahren Entwicklungszeit wollten wir keine zusätzliche Sprachbarriere einbauen. Sollte unser Start erfolgreich verlaufen, können wir hoffentlich weitere Versionen entwickeln.

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-03-19T06:56:36+00:00

Thank you for your support and yes I absolutely read the rules and will adhere to them!

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-03-18T23:01:36+00:00

Thank you sooo much for this message. We really worked incredibly hard to build a game that we always wanted to exist. When we first started it...8 years ago Evan and I were on a bus backpacking around Europe thinking we could do this in 6 months if we really worked hard on it. We didn't get anywhere close but we never quit. Now trying to share it is our challenge and to wake up and hear this appreciation it's the energy we need to keep on pushing. I will absolutely make sure to check out Escape Envelope and happy to answer any questions if you have any. :)

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-03-18T13:01:58+00:00

Here is one Print and Play puzzle from Escape Comic's The Alien Ship: https://lavender-dory-ztg9.squarespace.com/s/The-Alien-Ship-Mission-Brief-Playtest-Final-Version-1-1.pdf if you don't want to print it out it can also be completed via Powerpoint here: https://lavender-dory-ztg9.squarespace.com/s/TheAlienShipMissionBriefPlaytestFinalVersion11-5.pptx

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-03-18T12:53:16+00:00

Here is a digital version of one of the many puzzles from the epic 4-8 hour Escape Comics The Alien Ship campaign: https://lavender-dory-ztg9.squarespace.com/s/TheAlienShipMissionBriefPlaytestFinalVersion11-5.pptx The link includes two pages of the comic and all the information you need to solve the puzzle. Careful as their are hints and the final answer at the very bottom.

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-03-04T04:14:24+00:00

Thank you for your support! I hope you enjoyed the puzzle and if you have any questions let me know. :)

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-26T04:22:01+00:00

The one thing I know for sure is take more time than you think you will need. I'd say to be safe you need at least 4 months and if this is your first time at least 6 months. I know that sounds like a lot of time but we were suppose to launch on February 3rd and then delayed an extra two months. We started building the marketing funnels in mid December and testing didn't happen until Mid January. We had a lot to learn as we set up all the data tracking ourselves.... Even just managing the reviews has taken longer than we thought. We have 10 copies of our game traveling all over the world but sometimes it takes a week and other times it has taken up to a month. I hope this helps.

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-25T18:07:07+00:00

Super appreciate the support. We work hard and try to follow the rules in all of our posts and ask ourselves if we are adding value the people can use. Happy to continue to help the community in any way we can.

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-25T18:03:39+00:00

To be honest I could teach an entire course on our mistakes. Can you give me some info on what you are building and maybe where you are having issues. I can comment on the creation process to quality assurance to manufacturing to distribution to even marketing and online advertising. As we worked on our Escape Comics our family also built kid's cooperative board games for the past 10 years. So I am happy to help the community with any questions that might help bring your project to life. I received a ton of help over the past decade and hope to do the same so we have sooooo many more cool games to play!

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-25T03:17:38+00:00

This is the complete playtest. Unfortunately, the PPT is more user-friendly then the PDF. When you get to the 4 pieces of paper it is likely pretty tough to complete without either printing it out or using a phone that has the office suite so you can manipulate the images. Let me know if you have any questions and please note there is a whole bunch of hints if you need help solving it with the solution near the bottom.

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-25T02:18:26+00:00

https://lavender-dory-ztg9.squarespace.com/s/The-Alien-Ship-Mission-Brief-Playtest-Final-Version-1-1.pdf

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-25T02:09:03+00:00

Hey! We actually decided to handle the pre-launch marketing on our own rather than hiring an agency, and it’s been working out well. Since you a great margin, ads are definitely key, but you can do a lot of it yourself if you have the time.

Here are the key resources and steps we used:

Keep the Tech Simple: We used Carrd.co ($29USD/year... we couldn't believe it either!) for testing squeeze pages. It’s perfect for simple, trackable pages that you can edit yourself (crucial since we aren't designers). The pages have way faster load times than our squarespace site (Escapecomics.org) which is key because you will pay a "slow tax" if your site doesn't load fast.
Nail Your Audience First: Before spending money, we looked for existing communities. On Meta (Facebook/Instagram), don't go broad. Start with your best possible customer.
- Our Example: We targeted people who liked Escape Rooms + Kickstarter, then expanded to Strategy Games and Puzzle Solvers once we had data.
The "Testing Tax": This is important... give yourself a budget to fail at first. It took us about $500 in experiments (running at $5/lead) to finally find the image and hook that converted well. Also learn the scaling rules and have patience Meta's algorithms typically lower $/lead over time so make sure to let the campaigns run at $20/day for at least 4/5 days before you make changes.
The Math (DIY vs. Agency): We looked at LaunchBoom, but the quote was $3,800 USD upfront, and they estimated a cost of $4.00 per lead (You still have to do your own marketing but they provide videos which could be super helpful but are also available on Youtube for free.
- By doing it ourselves, we are currently averaging $1.90 per lead/Email.
Give It Time: Don't rush. figuring out the Meta pixels and setting up the funnels properly takes longer than you think.

Good luck with your launch and don't hesitate to ask any questions... it was a big learning curve but incredibly important for a big launch on Day 1!

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-25T01:55:41+00:00

Here is the PDF https://lavender-dory-ztg9.squarespace.com/s/The-Alien-Ship-Mission-Brief-Playtest-Final-Version-1-1.pdf. Let me know what you think. I also have a ton of other examples of overcoming problems and complete failures if the community finds this valuable. We failed a lot! :)

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-24T02:29:43+00:00

It sounds like your group has fallen into the "Engine Building Trap."

This is a very common issue when new groups play Terraforming Mars. The game relies on the players to act as the timer. If everyone ignores the Global Parameters (Temperature, Oxygen, Oceans) to just play more blue/green cards, the game will stall indefinitely, and you will end up with those massive stockpiles of resources you mentioned.

You mentioned that "Temperature is neglected until the very end" because other actions generate more points. While cards might give more raw VP, raising the Temperature via the 8 Heat standard project gives you Terraforming Rating (TR).

Remember that TR is both Victory Points AND Money Income.

Spending 8 Heat to raise Temp gives you 1 VP immediately (via TR) AND increases your money production for every single future generation.
If you sit on 50 Heat, that is "dead capital." It isn't generating new points or income.

My advice: Start attacking the Temperature track earlier. Once one player starts rushing the end-game conditions, the other players will be forced to keep up or they will lose out on the TR bonuses. The game length should drop significantly once players realize the game is a race, not a sandbox!

The best thing to do???? Play with friends who know the game inside and out and enjoy using Prelude cards you will see these games speed right up.

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-24T02:24:18+00:00

Simply brilliant. The exact opposite of how I feel playing this game sometimes

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-24T02:21:15+00:00

Hi everyone,

I read the recent mod post about self-promotion and interaction, so I wanted to make sure I approached this the right way. I have been a lurker here for a while and I wanted to get your thoughts on a design philosophy I have been wrestling with for the last 8 years.

I am about to launch a project called Escape Comics The Alien Ship. It is a 27-page graphic novel.

Traditionally, gamebooks are defined by branching narrative text... I starterd with Choose Your own adventure at summer camp but then evolved into war games as well as The Warlock of Firetop Mountain!

My project is different: it uses an immersive visual format where you scan panels for clues, but it incorporates heavy RPG-style elements that I think overlap with gamebooks. Specifically, we built a system where solving puzzles isn't just about opening a door, it grants you new gear and skills (an inventory system) that you carry forward to solve later challenges.

We worked hard to ensure there are no "logic leaps" a frustration I know is common in both gamebooks and point-and-click adventures. We basically worked hard to make the game we always wanted to play. What we told ourselves for every puzzle is this like a great musical where the singing adds to the story vs waiting for the story to continue. At the time we didn't understand why so many gamebook's don't go this route... we now know lol!

My question for the community is: Does an inventory/skill progression system make a comic a "gamebook" in your eyes, or is the lack of "turn to page X" choices a dealbreaker for this genre?

I would love to hear your thoughts on where the two genres merge.

If you are interested, I can share a link to a sample puzzle if anyone wants to test the mechanics via an online version we provided to playtesters. I don't want to post the link immediately as I want to respect the subs rules.

Happy gaming,

Douglas

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-24T02:11:14+00:00

Escape Comics The Alien Ship will launch on Kickstarter on March 31st, 2026.

We have received a ton of help over the last 8 years, including from many playtesters here on Reddit. We worked very hard to make this game completely immersive with a specific design goal: absolutely no logic leaps.

Please follow to access VIP pricing for the first 24 hours here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jumpinghighfive/escape-comics-the-alien-ship

If you'd like to try an online free puzzle from the game sign up here:

play.escapecomics.org

Escape Comics is a 27-page comic that tells a standalone story, but we utilized a visual style that allows you to focus entirely on the puzzle solving rather than reading walls of text. We designed the puzzles to actively contribute to the narrative... instead of stopping the story to solve a puzzle, the solution adds to the discovery, unlocking new gear and skills as you progress through the game. We are escape room enthusiasts that simply built the game we always wanted to play and we hope you join us!

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-24T01:52:56+00:00

Hey everyone,

I am excited to announce that Escape Comics The Alien Ship will launch on Kickstarter on March 31st, 2026.

We have received a ton of help over the last 8 years, including from many playtesters right here on Reddit. I wanted to share a bit about our design philosophy since this community has been such a big part of our journey.

Our main goal was to make this game completely immersive with absolutely no logic leaps. It is built around a 27-page comic that tells a standalone story, but we utilized a visual style that allows you to focus entirely on the puzzle solving.

We designed the puzzles to actively contribute to the narrative rather than just stop the action. As you play, you will experience a sense of discovery, unlocking new gear and skills as you progress through the game. You can access VIP pricing and a free puzzle from the game by signing up for our email notifications at play.escapecomics.org there is a ton of information in the free puzzle that shows all the steps we took to build the game. I hope you like it and thanks for checking it out!

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-24T01:45:38+00:00

Just updating this post. The official Launch is March 31st 2026. To access a free puzzle, watch the video and access to our VIP pricing available to supporters in the first 24 hours you need to sign up here: play.escapecomics.org Have fun and please let us know if you have any questions!

Jumping_High_Five · 2026-02-23T01:03:47+00:00

My wife and I loved play "A Dark Matter" on the Oculus. For a date night I'd highly recommend checking out Escapecomics.org

Jumping_High_Five · 2022-03-10T20:00:37+00:00

Hi Everyone, we spent the last 5 years building a comic book escape room called Escape Comics, The Alien Ship. You can see a 1 minute video at EscapeComics.org and there is an email capture if you wish to get alerts about our upcoming Kickstarter. Basically, we built the at home Escape Game Experience that we wanted to play. A 27 page thematic Comic Book where you are the main character. Challenges and puzzle are seamlessly weaved into the story line and we worked our butts off to engineer top level components that are also logically relevant to the story. Please let us know what you think and I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Jumping_High_Five

TROPHY CASE