Salaam / Peace All,

Many of you are frustrated, and understandably so. We had planned to ship in February 2019, and we ended up shipping 9 months late. Literally one entire gestation period late.

All toy sets (besides for a few people who ordered after the campaign, and some South African Orders) have been shipped.

I humbly apologize for this. But you have our guarantee, that we will do everything we can to ensure that you:

1. Receive what you ordered

2. Are satisfied with what you received

_______________________________________________________

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Tracking numbers

Unfortunately, we simply could not afford to add tracking numbers. There were a few units that were sent out with tracking numbers, to gauge transport duration, so you may receive one. If you did not receive a tracking number via email, chances are we haven't added a tracking number to yours.

How long will it take?

SAPO provide a guideline of 10 to 14 working days, from the date of shipping.

We started shipping a while ago, but the bulk of the boxes (to US, Canada and UK) were only sent out today (the 20th of November 2019).

To make matters worse, the airline which carries the mail, SAA, is currently on strike, which means it will in all probability take more than 14 working days.

We therefore estimate that it will take approximately 21 working days. This sucks, but it is completely out of our control.

What happens if I don't receive my board game?

As per above, 21 working days yields a date of 14 December 2019. Assuming there may be some delays on the receiving country side, please email us if you do not receive your order by the 22nd of December, 2019. 

If you have not received it by then, we will send you a replacement order, via Expedited Mail Service, with a tracking number (which takes 4 to 7 days). However, we will only send these replacements out in the First week of January, 2020.

Where's my Comic?

If you ordered a box set and added on $3US for a comic, there will be a printed comic in your box set.

If there isn't a comic in your box set - please email us and we will send you a Digital Comic AND reimburse you for the Comic.

If you ordered a Digital comic, you should have received it via email. If not, please email us.

NOTE: The comic features your name and Town. As addresses have changed, the Town may be incorrect. If this is the case, let us know and we will send you a digital comic via email.

_______________________________________________________

Lastly, if you are not (too) mad at us (please don't be!), please help spread the word! We are a little company in South Africa, with big ambitions, and your voice will really help us take this to the next level. Please, please send us pics, videos, and talk about us on our social media. PLEASE!

PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

I love each and every one of you.

Ebrahim and the Team at Binaye

Salaam / Peace,

Mixed feelings - joy that we're FINALLY shipping and we get to share our amazing product with you, and regret for not having done things differently.

I plan to write a full blog post on our journey, with the intention of helping other creatives who plan on embarking on this journey. But for now, let's ship!

IF YOU HAVEN'T completed the survey, please do:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VN2YP22

IF YOU HAVE completed the survey but your details have since changed, please send your new details to hello@binaye.com

Once we start shipping, we will set up a war room to handle all queries via email and WhatsApp. Details to follow.

Peace and Love,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace All,

It's been a while - but I'm feeling so much better knowing we will be shipping a quality product.

The playing cards are being manufactured by THE oldest playing card manufacturer in South Africa. A little more than what we've budgeted for, but definitely worth it.

The playing mat has been manufactured and has been sent for cutting. It looks so awesome! It's a woven fabric with a rubber backing,  which will keep the matt steady while playing, and keeps it crease free.

The box is almost finalised - we adjusted the dimensions after testing it with the contents, and now we're making some minor tweaks to get the fit just right.

That just leaves the pieces and the leaflet, which are very low risk items so they'll be manufactured last (they are pretty much ready to go).

All in all, way later than we should have, but way better than what we had in mind!

The team and I will continue to work to ensure we get these babies out as soon as possible.

We thank you for you patience and understanding thus far, stay awesome!

-Ebrahim from Binaye

Eid Mubaruk / Happy Eid

Eid Mubaruk to all celebrating. I hope you all had a wonderful day full of love and blessings (food).

BREAKTHROUGH

We've had a breakthrough with the Board. We have successfully found 2 fabric options for the board that we are currently testing. Both WILL work, we're just figuring out which is better. From the pictures below, you can see one is a felt type material while the other is a rubber-backed woven fabric:

We will finalise the material this week and then get the board in the queue for manufacture.

I will update with a revised delivery date as soon as we can provide one.

Stay awesome,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace All,

I hope this mail finds you in the best health and I trust you're all having a blessed Ramadan, as we are too.

To all those that have reached out - thank you for your kindness. As backers you have been really kind and understanding, and that means everything to us. We assure you that we will not let any of you down, and deliver a quality product as soon as we can, insha'Allah / God willing.

We have not yet shipped (-_-)

The cards and pieces are still being manufactured. We've gone through several proofs thus far. The quality is not at a point that we are happy with (besides for the cards). I have been in close contact with the printers to ensure we get the quality that we have requested:

The most significant setback has been with the board (playing surface). We have literally gone back to the drawing board to redesign the playing board using a fabric material - which has put manufacture of that component on hold, as we have had to find a new manufacturer for this component.

 It's not at the quality we want to ship at so I feel it's necessary to delay in order to give all backers a quality, finished product and not a beta version.

 This has added a delay of a further month, but we're working on it daily to resolve. We hope to ship within a month after Ramadan, inshaAllah.

I trust you will understand. I thank you for your patience thus far and I assure you we are trying our best to get this out as soon as possible.

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace All,

We are currently proofing artwork for manufacture, which means we are very close to getting ready to ship!

All items will be sent via the South African Post Office (registered airmail). We plan to send all units out on a first-order-first-dispatch basis (so preference will be given to those who ordered first) - provided we have your details! If we don't, you will be pushed further down the list until we receive your details.

How will it work? We will await your confirmation. If you don't confirm, we will try and get in touch to verify, within a fixed time limit. If we are still not able to confirm, we will ship to the address we have on record.

If we do not have an address on record, and we are unable to get in contact with you... Well, we haven't yet quite figured out what to do in this regard ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So please confirm asap!

Please complete even if your details have not changed (please state so in each of the text fields).



https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VN2YP22

Once again, shukran / thank you for your patience.

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace All,

No excuses - let's get straight into it.

Progress:

1. Cards - Last set of changes being effected

2. Box: Artwork complete

3. Board - Last set of changes being completed

4. Player Pieces (Changes being made, see below)

5. Leaflet - Last set of changes being effected.

Player Pieces

After extensive play testing, we have decided to change the maximum number of players from 5, down to 4. The reasons for this are rather complex, as it's to do with game mechanics and certain permutations that have only arisen after play testing.

So to clarify, each set is playable with up to 4 players. The cool thing is that you can still combine decks, so that 2 decks will increase the number of players to 8, etc.

Since this is not what we had initially planned, so we will compensate you, our esteemed backers, by providing 8 player pieces per box (4 male characters and 4 female characters). Here are 4 more characters below (in addition to Woke Wahhab and Aima Niqabae. And 2 are still being created):

Once again, we thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this process. We will be sending out surveys to confirm details at the end of March. Please keep a look out for this!

Stay awesome,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace you awesome folks,

We are at an advanced stage in play testing. Right now we're focusing on play-ability. We're testing different colour coding to ensure we ship you a quality, playable product and not a Beta version.

What's next? Once we've play tested internally, we will play test with some random human beings, with little to no intervention, to observe how the game elements are used.

Please bare with us! We thank you SO MUCH for your patience and support. We want to ensure that we send you the best quality product.

Here are some pictures of our most recent play test (as you can see, the board has been adjusted slightly).

Stay awesome,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace,

It's been a while. I agree - we haven't been great with communication - I humbly apologize.

We haven't been slacking with progress though! We have been set back by almost 3 weeks due to finalization of Special Edition Cards, however, we are pretty much done with all CARD illustrations. Here's a teaser of what you can expect:

Some of the cards are in the draft phase (a few tweaks needed), however, play testing is now under way, while Asma finishes off the remaining Artwork (board, pieces, box, game leaflet).

As soon as the Artwork has been locked down, we will give the manufacturer go ahead for printing!!!

I will endeavor to provide more regular updates insha'Allah / God willing, as we near delivery!

Stay awesome Fam,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace!

We've been quiet of late. Don't stress, we haven't taken your money and escaped to some exotic beach destination.

Irfaan and I live in South Africa - it's already an exotic beach destination. Which is why I've decided to spend it on going to the Swiss Alps!!!

JUST KIDDING. We haven't yet received a cent from LaunchGood (true story), and Asma is quietly knocking out all the cards, while balancing that with her studies (Goodluck, Asma). Insha'Allah / God willing, we are on track for delivery in February, 2019. We will keep you posted, with photographic evidence, during January - I promise.

In the mean time, we need to finalize content for the Meme Challenge Card! Please take a minute of your time to vote for the content of this card. Please vote here. 

These are the finalists:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

NOTE: These memes have been submitted by verified backers of this campaign!

Please vote here: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CMPPRGY

IF YOU ORDERED A SPECIAL EDITION

We will be in contact with you shortly. If you do not receive an email within the next 24 hours, please email us a hello@binaye.com, to confirm your card details.

Thank you for your patience! Stay awesome,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace,

I should apologize upfront for the spam - as this email is not entirely Binaye Games related. 

LaunchGood is running a #GivingTuesday competition. Basically, campaigns will run for ONE day (yes, just 24 hours). There will be prizes (in the form of funding) for the Campaigns that raise the most money or have the most number of backers.

I've decided to run a campaign for Binaye Blocks (our Educational Toy Brand), as we could really do with additional funds for our third toy in the range and Binaye Blocks 2.0.

What's in it for YOU?

If you help us win a prize (anything from $1000US to $20k!!! Prizes are for top 18 most funded and top 18 most raised - so we have a chance!), we are offering you the following:

• ​A chance to purchase one of our new and improved Binaye Blocks (we've improved the fit on the block connections) at a discounted rate
• The toys ship immediately! Delivery within 7 to 12 business days
• a coupon code for a discount on the 3rd set in the range
• a portion of your purchase will be given to Al Imdaad's Yemen Fund
• An opportunity to have a say in how Binaye Blocks 2.0 turns out, through survey feedback

I'm turning to you awesome community to help us win some much needed funding! We want to revolutionize the way kids are introduced to the Qur'aan and we need your help to take Binaye Blocks to the next level.

https://www.launchgood.com/project/binaye_blocks_version_20#!/

In other news...

Ummahsonic did an awesome write-up on Binaye Games! Check out the article in their blog post:

https://ummahsonic.com/the-middle-path-the-boardgameabouteverydaymuslimproblems/

Check it out!

Shukran to all 64 of you who took the time to answer our survey. Your input matters! This survey is now closed - we need to now effect the results into our content.

For Question One, we're glad that the overwhelming majority of you want to be a part of our board game development process! 

As for the 2% that don't want to, we will find you and unleash some Shariah law on you. 

Question Two was a little ambiguous, however, we can clearly see that there's a fairly equal rating for each of the four major topics:

For Question Three we received some awesome responses! There's way too many to list here, however, some Topics raised that weren't covered were:

• ​The nafs - struggles against ones own base inclinations

• Prayer and wudu situations

• Unmosqued/Third Spaces, Music, Activism as un-Islamic

• Generational differences eg parents clinging on to superstition

• Division within families based on perceived levels of religiosity

• I think the role of social media and internet in getting religious knowledge which is usually not 'ilm but information. People don't value scholars anymore or think it's important to have credible teachers. They just depend on any YouTube video or famous personality with a big beard

• most people refuse to seek their own knowledge of the religion and they just believe what was told to them even though it may not be true and then you have people spouting lies and they don't even know it. People need to look up things for themselves and find a trusted source
  

• Normalizing sins

• While I adore the element of wit, some positive reinforcement or positive/optimistic elements relating to seen would be great to encourage and foster a love for Islam esp among the youth

• Age as a factor in disregarding younger voices

• Finding fatwas to justify anything, fasting in Ramadan just for eating and then splurging at night

• I dont know if its possible but 'taboo' topics like mental health

• Correcting misogyny and how it’s not Islamic but cultural
  

• Marriage
  

In keeping with our results from Question 4, we will release a proportionate amount of feedback via video and email:

Watch your emails for the Meme Challenge Vote!!! Coming next :-D

Stay Awesome Peeps,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace You Awesome Humans,

I've put together a quick survey (the first of many), to get an idea on general game content and a few other things. Please take the survey, if possible. It's just 2 minutes!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5R7KPW7

Stay awesome,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Email

What a journey this has been.

We’ve had contributions from places we’ve never factored into when calculating shipping - but we couldn’t be happier!

We cannot wait to share our board game and/or comics with each and every one of you. We’ll keep you posted on progress and let you know as soon as we reach a milestone. This is what needs to happen:

1. Survey forms to be sent out (You get to have your say in how the game turns out)
2. Finalizing of all artwork: Packaging and box contents
3. Test Run for manufacture
4. Play Testing Event with a group of backers
5. Final Manufacture
6. Shipping info survey to be sent out
7. Shipping

I’ll send through more information on each item above, to give you a better idea of what to expect and when.

The board game will now be available on www.binaye.com/shop and you can use the coupon code “LAUNCHGOOD” to get free shipping, for a limited period, although the price will be increased to ZAR335.00 (approximately $23US, excluding shipping).

Onward. We're only getting started.

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace You awesome backers!

Extension

With your help, we've smashed through our Target! Give yourselves a pat on the back - good job, folks.

As with all campaigns, there is a small percentage of failed transactions - this is expected.

Our failed transaction tally is sitting at $512. This is 10% of our Target, which is kinda significant. We've reached out to everyone who had a failed transaction - and we've found that some of you guys are experiencing issues in updating your details - so we've taken a decision to extend the campaign by 24 hours, to assist donors in updating their details.

Extras

Even after deducting the failed transactions from our Total, we've unlocked a stretch goal!!! All board game pre-orders will include 3D Player pieces! So you will be able to use the player pieces as (flat) tokens or you can add on a piece, included in the box, which will make them stand upright. Unnecessary, but awesome.

But that's not all! We've decided to add on a FREE STICKER pack for all board game pre-orders. These will be a Launchgood Exclusive, for all you awesome Backers.

Stay Awesome,

Ebrahim from Binaye

It's 5:20 am here in South Africa. The team and I have been on minimal sleep, working around the clock to get the word out. Pulling in every last favour we could (our marketing budget is well and truly spent).

But I just woke up to 103%. WE DID IT!!!!

Yes, WE. We found a global community of people who care about change. People who believe in our vision and supported it. That includes you.

THANK YOU! I said it before and I'll say it again. YOU ARE AWESOME. 

The team and I promise to work hard and deliver on what we set our to achieve. We are PUMPED to get this board game in to manufacture as soon as possible.👊🏾

Stay awesome,

Ebrahim from Binaye. 

Salaam / Peace,

Australian Fam, don't miss our feature in the Australasian Muslim Times!

You can read it online here, as well:

https://www.amust.com.au/2018/10/a-board-game-for-addressing-social-issues/

The Countdown Begins...

There are now 8 days left for us to reach our target. We still have 14% to go - so PLEASE help us reach our target. We don't have a huge marketing budget so we've been calling in every favour we could. We're confident that you, as early backers, will help us reach our target. 

Please use the links below to help spread the word:

https://www.instagram.com/binayegames/

https://www.facebook.com/binayegames/

https://www.launchgood.com/project/the_middle_path__a_board_game#!/

Salaam / Peace,

Thanks for all the submissions on our Meme Challenge! We've been posting them on our Instagram Stories, with credit. At the end of the campaign, we will select winners!

Special Edition

The team and I have decided to add on a SPECIAL EDITION giving level, where you can have yourself drawn in the Board Game!!!

We will feature you, in all your glory, in our board game. You will get:

• 1 x board game
• Another copy of your card (in addition to the one in the board game), encapsulated in the finest German-made Acrylic Glass, for safe keeping and self-admiration.
• International Airmail Delivery
• A chance to choose your card format/type
• A chance to approve your artwork
• Instant fame

This is also a limited edition - there are only 5 spaces available! We will work on a first come first serve basis, although, as loyal Backers we’re informing you first!

Pre-ordered already? No problem! Simply upgrade by doing the following:

1. Click the “Support” button on the campaign page
2. Select the “Just Helping” option
3. Subtract how much you’ve already pledged from $96, that’s the amount to input (So if you pledged $15, the difference would be $81. Math101)
4. Please state “upgrade” in the note field. Done!

Salaam / Peace,

As early backers, we will give you a say in how the game turns out. Immediately after the campaign, we will be sending out the Surveys so that you have a say.

But we've decided to kick things off with a meme challenge! The winning meme will be featured together with your name, on the card!!! All you have to do is caption this card:

Rules:

1. The content has to be based on a uniquely Muslim problem.

2. The text must fit in the white space in the upper half of the card.

3. You will be featured ONLY if you have contributed to the campaign.

4. Please try not to copy content, we're not keen for any lawsuits. Also the South African Rand don't do us any favors.

EXAMPLE: Your caption can start off with the words "That moment your realize...". 

That's it! You can enter by sending us your entry, or even posting it to social media. Be sure to tag @binayegames so that we notice you (Facebook and Instagram).

Peace,

Ebrahim from Binaye

Salaam / Peace Fam,

We've just reached 60% - Alhumdulillah! We are overwhelmed by the support our campaign has received so far - you guys are absolute rock stars.

Although we aren't at our target yet - we are optimistic that, inshaAllah, we will reach our target well before the campaign end date. Here's what you need to know:

1. AS SOON AS we hit our target, we will begin preparations for manufacture. So the sooner we hit our target, the sooner we can start - the earlier you get your board games!

2. Every single cent raised in this campaign will be used to ensure that you get more than just our Minimum Lovable Product. So we'll be adding on Stretch Goals from now till the campaign is over. What are Stretch Goals? Basically, we use additional funds raised to add new features or improve the overall quality of the experience. We want this game to be a thing of beauty. Materials and aesthetics are important to us. 

So here's our first stretch goal:

Stretch Goal for $5750

If we reach at least $5750 in funding, we will have enough funding to upgrade all player pieces to 3-dimensional Player Pieces. Each Player Piece will consist of at least 2 interlocking, puzzle type pieces, that, when connected, enables your player piece to stand upright. How awesome!?

Problem is the die is rather expensive, so we can only include this IF we raise $750 over and above our target.

So, if you want this in your board game, please help spread the word!

Peace,

Ebrahim from Binaye Games

All 100 early bird units are done! If you were one of those lucky 100, good job, buddy.

If you aren't one of the 100 Early birds and you paid $19 (or more) while there were still early bird units available, either for a noble intention or due to sheer negligence, we salute you for your contribution. It means so much to us - Shukran!

Please help us get to our target! Right now, we need at least 160 more pledges in order to reach our goal. That's it - just 160 units!

Keep well and keep spreading the love. 

Woah. :-)

In less than 48 hours, we've just passed 30%. We can't even. Alhumdulillah / all praise is due to Allah.

We heart each and every one of your faces! Like, seriously. To see orders coming in from all over the world, one thing's for sure: People care about all the issues we aim to address in the game. We need change, and you are going to be a part of that change, inshaAllah.

We aren't out of the woods yet! We've opted for an all-or-nothing campaign, which means we NEED to reach our target - so please help out by sharing this campaign!

Peace,

Ebrahim

We haven't officially launched and we've received so much of love! Alhumdulillah:-)

We have added a Referral Program (see the bottom of the campaign page). It works like this:

If you pre-order at least one board game, you are eligible for our referral program.

All you need to do is ask your friends to add "Referred by [your name and surname]" in their order note. That's it!

1. If you refer 5 friends who each make a donation/pre-order, you will receive a FREE printed personalized comic

2. If your referral leads to the pre-ordering of 10 board games, you will receive an additional FREE BOARD GAME!

So don't delay, get sharing!

Ebrahim from Binaye Games