Finalizing Shipping Details
about 5 years ago – Wed, Feb 27, 2019 at 09:10:48 PM

It's the beginning of the end, folks!

You should have received an email from BackerKit today looking to finalize your shipping details. I've made updates to people's addresses when I've been notified of changes, but in case there's any question that your address may not be up-to-date, please look for that email!

Addresses will be locked in two days. Once the shippers have the addresses, there may still be time to change them, but I would like to think we'll be solid-state by then.

I do not have a ton more information at this time. I don't want to make promises on dates only to have our shipment held up by forces outside of my control. 

What I do want is to let you know when I've received word that the shipment has left port, has been received by the fulfillment companies, and when products are starting to be directly fulfilled to backers. I do generally think all of that will be happening within the next two months, and I am tentatively hoping that everyone will have a game in-hand by June.

Please join me in continuing to be patient as we wait for the cogs to continue to turn. I'm excited for the next steps to be put in motion!

Insert & Mass Production Update
over 5 years ago – Sun, Jan 13, 2019 at 01:05:58 AM

Happy New Year! Well, 12 days into the new year. Happy January 12th. Okay, moving on.

The Insert 

I've been asked a lot about the insert - what's it going to look like, how deep are the pockets, etc. etc.

Well, it's been quite a ride - literally months of back-and-forth, including a "final" sample in the mass production copy that definitely was not going to work for us...but the final-final result is in, and I think we finally got it!

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We wanted to make something that was going to couch the tiles safely within the box. I don't think the "points" on the tiles are really sharp enough to catch on things, but I didn't want them sideways or jumbled in a bag or anything, so we went with a custom pocket-shape.

1 & 2) Card Pockets - These both are about 31.75mm (1.25") deep, which should be more than enough space for both decks of cards either sleeved or not. 

3-5) Tile Pockets - These will accommodate the territory tiles, with #4 being a special pocket that will specifically fit the Founder's Hills. 

6) Baggie Pockets - Gotta have space for bags! There will be 6 bags total when you open the box: 4 smaller bags for each player that will contain building tokens, meeple, and standee; 1 larger bag for your carrot tokens & miscellaneous other tokens; and 1 tiny bag that will have the four stands for the standees (which can be thrown away after you apply the stands).

I went back and forth about incorporating specialized pockets for the standees & meeples, or other interesting insert customizations, but ultimately I wanted something utilitarian-but-nice. (And, if we get the opportunity to publish the 5-6 player expansion, I'd like it to be able to fit into the same core box, if possible. Whee!)  

Mass Production Update

So, I was going to post a slew of  pictures, but really it's so similar to the digital sample that I figured that I'd simply give you a link to the DropBox list of updated pictures and instead use this space to highlight the few differences between the the digital sample and the final production copy of the game.

1) The Box

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The New Box has thicker cardboard and heckin' if it wasn't worth it, since that extra .5mm was only a bit more money, and does a MUCH better job of supporting the game. Even after repeated trips out of the house, being handled by kids, etc., it's still holding up around the corners and sides, it's awesome.

Also the color between the panels on the box changed from white to the creamy yellow - the white was actually a printing error due to the printer using the wrong file, so I'm glad that got fixed up.

2) The Standees

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So originally the standees were going to be the same thickness as all the other punch-out pieces in the game (a hearty 2.5mm), when we realized that there were some pretty serious indents left by the plastic stands that would only get worse over time if the stands were knocked around or removed and replaced, etc. 

The printer generously allowed for an extra sheet of 2.0mm standees to be included with the game, as we otherwise would need to redesign an entire punchboard of other elements that the original, thicker, standees were included on. 

What can you use your extra rabbit punch-outs on? Well, you only get one set of plastic stands, so possibly you could tape them to your wall, use them as a bookmark, infiltrate other games with them... :D

3) Cobalt's Pants

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I will never understand how art files shift and change from us delivering them to the printer using them, but there you go. On the original digital proof copy, they managed to forget the white for Cobalt's pants, and a sliver of white on his hat. Those have been corrected!

...

I have another serious topic I need to address with y'all (yes, it's about money), but I'm going to save that for a second update, since this one has taken long enough to get out there.

I appreciate everyone sticking in there as I continue to plow through toward the goal. Right now the game is sitting in China waiting for Chinese New Year to do its thing; which is almost nice at this point, because it's giving me some time to continue to try and organize the final pieces to  this puzzle - y'all being part of the big, beautiful finale :D

I'll be back soon with more info on some other parts of the equation. Hope you're all staying safe and warm this winter! (Or cool and dry this summer, depending on your hemisphere :D )

Status Update - Production, Shipping, and more
over 5 years ago – Sun, Nov 11, 2018 at 11:25:07 PM

Hey there, folks. I'mma give it to you straight, let's go -

Production Update:

The games should be done printing and on their way to their fulfillment centers by December 10th. 

The production apparently got pushed back due to stuff LongPack was doing for Essen and there's nothing I can do to get that time back or get the printer to work faster, so we're stuck with it.

Shipping Update:

The game will not be in your hands until January 2019 at the earliest. For some of you, that may be closer to (or in) February. This is due to a number of factors, the biggest of which is just the literal time that it takes to ship the games from the factory to the fulfillment centers + the time it takes them to mobilize and ship to you. 

All of the gears are in motion, though - LongPack is actively working on packing lists and OTX is actively reaching out to Quartermaster & GamesQuest, while I'm finishing any paperwork I need to do for all of them.

This game is heavy, y'all. It's hitting right around 2.5kg (5.5 lbs), which really means that our shippers are considering it in the 3kg-and-under category. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased about the quality of the components and box, and know that this game is going to be both a beautiful and long-lasting part of your collection because of it, but wow is that heavy.

This is to say that I severely undercharged on shipping up-front. I knew it was a risk to bundle shipping into the total game price when doing the Kickstarter, but I didn't realize how much that would come back to bite me in the end. When the game goes back on-line for purchase, it will end up having a much more accurate shipping cost on it. This means everyone who has already purchased the game, even as a pre-order, has gotten an incredible deal on the cost.

Finally, An Apology, if you want to read it:

I am incredibly apologetic, and am very interested in being open about things, despite my recent silence. 

I've often seen first-time creators hit a point where they try to explain the complicated business of being responsible for the creation of a product hand-in-hand with their responsibility for so many people (backers/customers), all while trying to go about their lives like there wasn't this momentous thing perpetually happening around them.

While I've always been patient, I've never understood why it seemed so hard to post updates, respond to comments, etc.

Well, now that I'm in the thick of it myself, I know the answer - letting people down SUCKS, and letting down so many people in one fell swoop feels like a crushing defeat. Makes sense that people may want to avoid having to do it, even if they're not actually avoiding it so much as putting off the inevitable. Additionally, I've had to get a couple "real" jobs to help support the financial side of things in light of the extra shipping costs, and that hasn't helped make more time to address things.

Y'all don't deserve any of that though, and I can absolutely understand being frustrated and annoyed by it - again, I've been there myself plenty of times from your POV. The last thing I've wanted to do is let you down, which the game being late, etc., is already doing, so honestly the added "icing" of me being uncommunicative is just completely unacceptable.

Know that I'm working hard behind the scenes on your behalf, and am striving to be better on this front.

Thank you for your patience, forever and ever.

Digital Sample Proof! LOTS of pictures!
over 5 years ago – Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 04:20:51 PM

Hey there, everyone, Happy Halloween! (a bit early, but still!)

I received Rabbit Island's "digital proof" last week - and then had to sit on my hands until the printer was available, since they were celebrating a national holiday until October 7th. 

FINALLY, though, I've both received everything I needed from them, and they're back in their offices so they can respond to the feedback I've sent them.

This is going to be an image-heavy post - sorry-not-sorry. ;D
I've tried to make it easier on you (and your browser's loading speed) by both making the pictures smaller for this post and grouping them where I could - you can open them at full-size by clicking on them, which will send you to their Dropbox counterparts (like I've done in past updates).

Note: Not everything is excellent, unfortunately - I've got some concerns about some of the materials involved in places where it's clear that they didn't use what was in my original order requirements, and there are some places where I think we could upgrade the quality in order to get a better product - but I'll put those notes below!

Here's the money shot right up front though:

It Begins~

They packed this copy the way they'll pack yours - a heavy cardboard box covered in bubble wrap (shown here as a lump), with a cardboard padding cover for the top and bottom. Sorry about the lighting - I almost forgot to take pictures, and didn't have a chance to adjust the location well.

 The box is fairly huge, and heavy! One of the things I'm addressing with the printer is whether or not our original cardboard weight (2mm) will be sufficient to keep the box dent-free for an extended period of time.

The Interior

I got excited and started pulling things out, but remembered to take a couple pictures!

That little "coloring book" picture you see in the top lid immediately below this sentence is the sticker that will go on the exterior of the packaging on the game box, and then again on the exterior of the shipping box, so the pickers at the shipping location will be able to get the right packages to the right people!

 

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And now for some more detailed views...

Let There Be "Aww"s!

First our standees! They're suuuper thick, to deal with all the handling they'll get over the course of playing the game.

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And then the meeples!

And they're building!

The Building Tokens have stickers that go on them to make them even more colorblind friendly, but the sticker sheets we received weren't kiss-cut (which is standard for a digital proof), and we haven't cut them out yet. Enjoy the pictures anyway!

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That's all for now!

Once I receive the amended insert copy (I had to ask for some changes), I'll put that up for your review!

Remember that you can check out the whole folder of pictures at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zxqwksh0jj1smkx/AAB05W7DOVcddaCWxaPSaWY4a?dl=0

Hope everyone's having a wonderful October so far!

A Much Desired Update!
over 5 years ago – Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 01:34:46 AM

I'm sincerely sorry for the delayed update - this sort of extended radio silence is unusual for me, and it shouldn't happen again. I *know*, as a consumer and oft-Kickstarter backer, that any update is better than no update. Life is a very big contributor in keeping me away, distracted, and incapable, but that's a crappy excuse at the end of the day.

So! I'm here to report that the printer has approved all of our art files! The final file is the vacuum-molded insert that goes in the box to hold all of the components - their designer will take the 2D image I sent them and make it a 3D one (so fancy!).

Also, I got word today that they're working on my "white box" sample - it should be here sometime in the next two weeks (though I'm still looking to confirm that expectation; hopefully I'll hear back from them this week). A white box is an unprinted sample of the game that will allow me to check the materials we requested, and general component sizes. (I'll definitely post pictures when it's here!)

Once the white box sample has been approved - hopefully the same day I receive it - then they'll start the full production run. They'll send me a couple of the first copies off the printer so I can see the full product as it's finished, which is going to be so cool. 

After the production run is finished and the games are boxed (we're having them packaged at the factory), then it'll be off to the Shanghai port, and then on to our US & UK fulfillment companies - which of course means they'll be with you next! 

I honestly don't want to jinx anything from here on in by speculating on lengths of time it'll take to get everything done. I'm feeling pretty frustrated and anxious about how long it's taken us to get to this point, and it's making me want to make sure I don't overpromise anything. 

Once the printers have confirmed a few more things, I'll be back with the next update. Again, sincere apologies on the length of time, and I hope this update finds you all well!