Elf Creek Games, makers of Merchants of the Dark Road (see "Origins Award Finalists"), has fallen on hard times recently, and faces several challenges in fulfilling their recent Kickstarter campaigns as well as other financial responsibilities, which include sorting out three years of backlogged accounting and bookkeeping. Elf Creek has multiple unfulfilled Kickstarter projects, such as the Merchants of Dark Road: Secret Villages/Santa's Workshop Deluxe/Elf Creek Story Puzzles project and Paradox Initiative, which represents about $340,000 worth of crowdfunding obligations. 

To help stabilize the company and fulfill their outstanding Kickstarter obligations, Elf Creek has tapped John Coveyou, founder and director of Genius Games as well as Simple Financials (a tax firm), to step in as Elf Creek's new Executive Director to help right the ship. 

"I care deeply about this industry and I know firsthand the challenges of running a board game publishing company," said Coveyou. "I've worked with dozens of other types of small businesses that were working through difficult transitions, and I know how rare and special a game company like Elf Creek is. Its products are beloved. Its design quality is outstanding. And its community deserves answers."

Coveyou and his team at Simple Financials will be in charge of operations at Elf Creek in an attempt to restructure the company and stabilize it. Then, once the company's books have been cleaned up and their obligations addressed, they will look to transition it to new ownership.