Hell of a Deal

Pledge Manager Opening Tuesday the 28th
8 days ago – Thu, Apr 23, 2026 at 08:32:04 AM

Hi Backers

Thanks for your patience. There was a significant amount of work and back and forth required in getting the Pledge Manager ready to go. But we are ready. Backerkit is doing a final review today and our "Smoke Test" will reach 5% of you today as well. This is the way to pressure test the system by sending a select few surveys out to make sure everything is working properly. Then, we will open the Pledge Manager officially, sending surveys to all the backers.

So, if you get an email from the Pledge Manager today, please follow the link and fill out your survey - so we can make sure everything is working properly. Thanks!

Pledge Manager Opens Tuesday, April 28th

On Tuesday, I will send another update with the link to the Pledge Manager (BackerKit) in case your don't see an email in your inbox.

AppleID

Backers who have pledged to the campaign using their AppleID but haven't completely set up their Apple Pay account (linking their email address to their Apple Wallet) will have issues receiving their emails from BackerKit. It hides your email address from us and we have no way to contact you via email.
Those backers have a @privaterelay.appleid.com email address and will need to contact [email protected] or BackerKit Support to update their email address in BackerKit.

Please update your Apple Pay email as soon as possible to prevent this from happening again. You can learn more about hiding your email when signing in with Apple here.

Also, the link I share Tuesday to the PM can be used to access your pledge.

What is a Pledge Manager?

For those who haven't backed a Kickstarter before, you may be wondering what a Pledge Manager is. It is where we collect shipping fees, get your shipping addresses, and collect any applicable taxes. It is critical that you visit the Pledge Manager to provide your address and pay for shipping.

It is also where you can adjust and add to your order, so if you didn't add the foil pokers decks or need an extra copy of the game, this is where you can do so.

The pledge manager will be open until May 25. 

This gives you roughly a month to complete your pledge manager, and pay for shipping and applicable taxes. Fear not, if your address changes afterwards, we will have plenty of time to update it in the system before the games arrive at the shipping hubs and begins shipping in August.

What's Happened Since the Campaign Closed?

A lot!!  True to our word, we hit press almost immediately starting with the chips and the dice, as they have the longest lead time.

This week, we just received our first two rounds of e-proofs for the paper printed materials. The first round always catches missing files or other file issues. We increased the depth of the box to better accommodate the neoprene mats for example. And I have just approved the second round for printing. Never seen an e-proof? Here are the front sides of two press sheets for the bosses:

Okay, that's it for now. I will be back on Tuesday with further updates and a link to the Pledge Manager. Talk soon! Curt

Hell of a Deal: THANK YOU!
20 days ago – Sat, Apr 11, 2026 at 11:35:27 AM

To all our backers, Thank You!

When embarking on any creative endeavor, you are never quite sure how it will be received. That's what is so gratifying about watching a campaign's progress LIVE, as people discover and appreciate what you've made. Cameron, Gaeton and I have been so excited about this game and are absolutely thrilled that 3735 of you found that excitement contagious enough to support us. We can't thank you enough!

I know that you are going to love it!

What’s Next?
We are not wasting ANY time! This weekend I am going to be working hard to update and complete work on all the printing files. Molds and tools required to make the dice, chips and wood components have already been begun. And if all goes well, print files will go to the printer Monday or Tuesday. 

For those of you who have never published a game, this is blindingly fast. If you've waited crazy long for other games you've backed and couldn't believe we were targeting September to deliver this game - you're right. It is almost unheard of. But we did it last year with A Place for All My Books, and with luck and a lot of previous planning and elbow grease, we will do it again. Production will begin almost immediately to stay on track with our tight schedule. Between now and then, we’ll be posting updates as the Pledge Manager opens and then at least once a month to keep you informed and share our progress.

Pledge Manager: BACKERKIT
If you're new to crowdfunding, the pledge manager is where we’ll collect your shipping address, shipping fees, and VAT (where applicable). It is a VERY important part of backing a game. We will post an update here, on the KS page, AND send an invite via your email as soon as the PM goes live on BackerKit. We are trying to have that happen late next week. It is critical that you visit the pledge manager at that time, so we can send you your games when they arrive at our fulfillment centers.

IMPORTANT: If you used an AppleID when registering for Kickstarter OR your pledge was $1, the system is unable to email you. AppleID doesn't give us your actual email address, just a coded one that doesn't allow communication back to you. In both cases, please come back to this page and/or read the updates you get from KS with the link to the PM.

A quick reminder: this pledge manager will work a bit differently than other campaigns you may have been involved with. Since we’re on such a fast timeline, the ability to add to your existing pledge or make new pledges will be very limited before we lock orders down. So don't delay. Make any changes to your order as soon as you are able when the Pledge Manager goes live on Backerkit.

RETAILERS:

When you get to the PM, The Retail case Pledge Level will show up as a $0 cost item. Apply the funds you pledged to ADD ON cases, which should correctly remove your shipping costs if your order is above $300 (two cases worth). If for some reason it does not work as we intended, we will manually adjust and/or provide shipping refunds if the system charges you incorrectly. It is a new system and we thank you for your patience. My hope is it works perfectly.

Thanks Again!

I will post an update with an estimated time for the PM to open next week. Until then, be well and have a lucky day! - Curt

Final Hours! Hell of a Deal is ALL IN!
21 days ago – Fri, Apr 10, 2026 at 07:49:07 AM

Hello Backers!

What a wild day we had yesterday! I feel like the news about Solo mode and upping the Boss count to 44 started getting out - and brought a lot of folks over to the page. If you were among them, thanks! And welcome to The Last Resort & Casino.

I know I speak for Cameron and Gaeton as well when I tell you we very much appreciate all the support and excitement you've brought. I've loved seeing all the suggestions throughout the campaign and fielding your questions. It has been a pleasure sharing the updates, with WAY too many details about the game's development, how it was evolving through the campaign and showcasing all the elements that I'm pretty pumped about. This is a special game. I loved working on it and I can't wait to get it to your table.

New Interviews Posted

For other insights into the game, feel free to tune in and listen to one or both of the recent interviews that posted yesterday. One features Cameron, the designer, and I on Gaming Trend.

(oof. Nice face, Curt)

The other is just yours truly talking with the Champions of Tabletop. Both are fun watches if you have some time this weekend.

Almost three weeks, and we still haven't shown you all the Bosses. So here's my chance to share a couple more...

Bosses & Hellfire

Suits A'Wilde:

We didn't even give this guy a backup hand. Why? Suits treats Hearts and Diamonds as the same suit and Spades and Clubs as the same suit. You know what the odds of him getting a FLUSH are? "They're high." "Very high." Bring a big hand to the table. You're gonna need it.

For Hellfire mode, we just removed most of your ability to mess with him. You can't discard his cards, steal one, remove it from play - he's untouchable. So you better be able to beat what he's holding. It's not impossible. But it ain't easy.

The Devil - Pretty in Pink:

If we hadn't been clear before... the Devil sucks! Pink has Trip Aces as his back up hand - and three down cards, of which he can use all three. I hope you haven't been preciously hoarding those Favor cards like dragon's gold - cause he starts the round by trashing them ALL. By the way, you can't Fold. BRUTAL !! But at least you can draw new Favor cards to help you... 

Unless you are playing Hellfire. You won't have to discard your Favors, but you can neither use them nor draw new ones. Favors are such a major tool in your cheating strategy that the loss of it for the final battle - is a really nasty trick! But fear not. It's just a friendly game of cards. heh heh heh heh.

Okay, Final Push. We shut down at midnight East Coast time, so get those pledges in. Remember, Late Pledges will only be a week or so long as we rush to press. So don't delay. Also, be sure to grab a couple of the ADD ON foil poker decks while you can. (Because playing poker with sleeved cards is as unholy as it comes!) Plus, they are sweet lookin'.

Later tonight, as the clock winds down, I will be back with one more note about the Pledge Manager, getting us your address and other important things to make sure your game arrives without delay.

Til then, remember, “A faint heart never filled a spade flush.”

Curt

Last 48 hours! Hell of a Deal
22 days ago – Thu, Apr 09, 2026 at 07:24:51 AM

Well, here we are in the last 48 hours of the campaign. I do have one important news item for people.

Multi-Game Shipping Discount

When backers first asked about this, I wasn't sure if we had the ability to modify the shipping cost for multiple copies. But we have confirmed a way to do this, which offers a savings of $10 on the shipping of the second core game in the same package. Hopefully that helps those who were interested. Thanks for your patience on getting an answer.

Get to know a Boss

Yesterday we dropped the news that we doubled the number of Bosses in the game, with the addition of 22 Hellfire Bosses. And even with all the showcases we have done on the Bosses and their abilities (as unlocks) we still have a few from the core game that we never talked about, should you be interested to read on...

The Boatman:

This was the one illustration where I had a clear idea of what I was looking for. The Boatman (Charon) seemed perfect in the rubberhose animation style to take inspiration from Popeye, as a skeleton. Fun!

The Boatman only has a pair of Jacks as a back up hand. But in addition to his 2 hole cards, he gets another card dealt face up, the Toll card. For players, the card's value becomes a "dead" card and cannot be used - unless the player wishes to pay a Soul out of the Community pot.

Even more challenging is the Hellfire version, where he gets 2 face up Toll cards. That's a four card hole for the Boss to play with - AND two "dead" card for players. Now using one or both of them will cost you a Soul AND a Temptation for each you use. That got a lot more costly - and his hand got a lot more dangerous!

Brimmstone:

Annoying. That's his job. Brimmstone is a spoiler and he only gets worse in Hellfire. First Trip 10's are gonna be tough enough to beat. But then, after hands are dealt a card is Burned (discarded) from the main deck. Everything hangs on that card. 

If a Red suit, no one can play Favor cards. That can be VERY rough when trying to beat three of a kind. If a Black suit, you lose Devilish Offerings as a group, which means no trading cards, no pulling from the discard, etc. Like I said, annoying.

But in Hellfire, he just piles on. If a Face card, you also can't Fold. Or if an Ace, all players randomly discard a Favor. And of course the Red / Black abilities still happen too.

Okay, that wraps up today's showcase. We've only a day and a half left as the campaign ends at midnight Friday (EST). 

If you want to be dealt in - the time is now! Don't miss it.

Curt

Hell of a Deal: Big Wednesday News!
23 days ago – Wed, Apr 08, 2026 at 08:42:23 AM

Hey Backers,

I promised some big news today - and we weren't foolin' around.

Announcing HELLFIRE mode !

Yes, you read that right. During the campaign, we Stretched from 14 Bosses to 22 Bosses... and now we are DOUBLING that amount in one big drop! Hell of a Deal will now burst at the seams with a total of 44 Boss cards!!

Each Boss, including Nick Hauss and The Devil Himself, have Hellfire versions. These are marked with a Flame icon in the upper right corner and a text box framed with flames. The bosses have been adjusted to be more difficult to beat, either with higher ranked default hands and/or enhanced special abilities. Those changes appear as red type in the text box. Here are a couple examples...

You may remember Demona. But NOW when a Heart is placed into the Flop, Turn or River, and players decide not to Fold, the MUST bet two chips this round. It's not an option. So you better feel pretty good about beating her two pair.

Oh, wait. Hellfire Demona can make a Heart Flush with only 4 cards! How are you feeling about that hand now? Do you cut your losses and Fold? Or do you lean in?

As another example, take a look at Eenie Meanie. You recall that he makes the High card of the Community board unplayable for players (not for him). In Hellfire, Meanie does the same to the lowest card in addition to the High card! 

Yes. There will only be 3 cards in the Community plus your 2 Hole cards to construct your hand with. Worse, if an "A, 2" doesn't come out on the Flop, the "dead cards" are going to change as the hand progresses, making your final hand a moving target. (Whereas an A,2 are already the highest and lowest cards possible and locks them in)

Make no mistake, folks, these Bosses really ramp up the tension and can be much more challenging.

But, it is important to note, as I mentioned to a backer in the comments, we always wanted this game to be adjustable for your play group. If you have a bunch of folks who are less familiar with poker, start with 2 Souls each and/or allow two player's Temptation to get to 12 or 13 before you lose. 

We balanced the core game for a mix of experienced and less experienced players playing together. We made it a challenge, but not overly difficult (the luck of poker not withstanding). That said, here at Smirk & Dagger, we are gluttons for punishment. If you are feeling particularly confident in your combined skills at the table, that's what Hellfire is for; to take things up a notch. You can add Hellfire to taste. You can seed in as many Hellfire Bosses as you like, even choosing which Bosses of which type to really curate the game. Or do what we do - and play ALL Hellfire!! (just maybe not your first game. You have been warned.)

I hope you will agree, that the game now boasts a huge amount of variety, for significant replay value, with a great number of levers to adjust the game for any group you may wish to play with.

Combined with our recently added Solo mode, with 13 different Gamblers to encounter, Hell of a Deal has become so much more - and we thank you for helping to make it a reality with your support. 

Remember, anyone waiting in the wings who is still considering a pledge, this is not a normal campaign where you can pledge a dollar and come back in a month to commit. Late Backing will be VERY short. Just a week or so as we race to press to get the games in your hands as soon as we can! So, don't be mad later. Back it today!

Okay, talk soon all.

Curt