Update 5 - A New Trek Begins: The Future of Lapidary Legends and the Birth of GOAT
This post has been a hard one to write and, truthfully, one I probably should have written sooner.
For over two years, Lapidary Legends has been at the center of everything I’ve done. It’s the game that started this journey a labor of love, creativity, and obsession that I’ve poured countless hours into. It’s complex, beautiful, and ambitious… maybe a little too ambitious for our very first published project.
But before you panic Lapidary Legends is absolutely still coming.
After a lot of late-night conversations with my partner, we realized something important: we have passion, vision, and drive but not yet the crowdfunding experience or budget to launch a large-scale project like Lapidary Legends the way it deserves to be launched.
Crowdfunding a big-box game is its own mountain to climb, and we want to make sure we reach the summit successfully. So rather than risk burning out on our first ascent, we’re taking a smart, exciting step forward.
Introducing: GOAT (Goats on a Trek) 🐐
(Title still a work in progress — but the goats are here to stay.)
Inspired by the incredible agility of mountain goats scaling sheer cliffs, GOAT is a roll-and-write game about math, movement, and mayhem.
Here’s how it works:
The active player rolls 4d6, chooses two dice for themselves, and the remaining two go to everyone else.
Players use simple arithmetic to climb the cliff, reaching higher rows for more points and better grazing spots.
Or, they can stay put to graze bushes for extra points but every decision counts.
All players share a single board, meaning your path up the cliff might block someone else’s or vice versa.
It’s competitive, quick to learn, and filled with those “aha!” moments we love in clever tabletop games. The game’s heart lies in tension do you climb higher for big points, or play it safe and graze where you are? Every move matters.
Why GOAT Comes First
We see GOAT as a training ground a smaller, more manageable project that lets us learn everything we need to know about manufacturing, crowdfunding, and fulfillment before tackling Lapidary Legends.
We’re not walking away from Lapidary Legends far from it. We’re investing in ourselves and our community to make sure that when it launches, it has every chance to succeed. This is a long game, and we’re here to play it right.
What’s Next
We’ll be sharing more updates on GOAT (Goats on a Trek) in the coming weeks including artwork, prototypes, and maybe even a few previews of the mountain board itself. If you’re part of The Grove (our newsletter community), you’ll get the first look at everything.
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and belief in what we’re building. PineApple Tree Games exists because of players like you people who love imagination, strategy, and a touch of whimsy.
Here’s to learning, growing, and climbing together. 🧗♂️🐐
Brett
Founder, PineApple Tree Games
