[CANADA] Were you sent the wrong things? Email me with details! I'm hounding the warehouse to have them fix it.
7 months ago – Sat, Oct 14, 2023 at 04:43:23 PM

Hey folks!

Pick and Pack, the Canadian warehouse, has made a series of inexcusable errors, and hasn't responded to my emails. If you were sent cards, instead of books (or something else nonsensical), please send an email to me at [email protected] with details. 

Please note that this only applies to orders that included items that were shipped to Canadians in Wave 2. If you haven't been sent anything, it's because your order includes something I don't have in stock yet. Your order will be shipped as part of Wave 3 as soon as the end of next month.

I have been trying to get a hold of the warehouse, and will continue to do so until I get answers and a resolution. Your orders will be properly fulfilled correctly, I'll make sure of it.

Let me apologize on behalf of the warehouse, since they won't say it to you. I'll get you your correct orders as soon as possible.

Hang tight!

-g

Shipping out Wave 2, finals from the Panda factories, freighting hurdles, and a Chinese holiday
7 months ago – Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 11:12:53 AM

Hey everyone!

I wanted to send out another update last week, but between mile-long email chains about trans-pacific pallet freighting and stymied inventory back-and-forths, there wasn't as much to fill you in on as I wanted there to be.

Enough has been addressed now where I can give you a meaningful update, though. I'll bullet-point 'em:

•  Freighting from Chinese manufacturers has been arduous. Between language and time differences, it's been challenging to organize this final leg of these products' journeys. This includes everything from Panda and the bags/beanies from Fandomoid. However, these have virtually all been done now, and will be shipped after...
•  China has a weeklong holiday next week. I was trying (so, so hard) to get everything out and done before this holiday came up. Some factories only take a half week break, whereas others take the full week. In any case, once they return, it should be relatively quick to send things off. However...
•  This series of communication challenges and holiday pushes some deliveries to the end of November, if not early December. The good news here is that we're still beating the crazy rush of holiday stuff, but only barely. Australia is the least impacted by this, probably, since their freight time is only two or so weeks, rather than the 5-6 of the other warehouses. I'll have a better guess on final delivery times once they're on the water. I'll have all warehouses on high alert for these and be ready for them to start shipping out product as quickly as they can after receipt.

Here's a video of all the Panda products. These have come off their factory lines, so what you see here is what you're gonna get!

Currently, I'm trying to get a bead on when I can expect the dice to be shipped. Thankfully, those take up much less space and can be shipped as parcels, so their delivery times aren't worrisome. I do have some in-progress photos of the Bulette Takes the Liar dice, though:

The manufacture has run into an issue with the d12 molds of the geleton dice, but seem to think that they'll be alright with the new ones they're making. That mold should be done by the end of next week. Frustratingly, these folks are terrible at communication, so I'm continuing to press them for more regular updates and details. More on that soon, I'm sure.

Inventory confusion with Aetherworks has been resolved. Because of some stock overlap between me and Hit Point Press, they were confused about a couple items. It's been resolved, although it took far too long to get emails back from them.

I've initiated fulfillment from all warehouses of Wave 2, including Wave 1 for Australia and New Zealand. Thank you all in the AU region for your patience with those orders. Everything else to come comes from Chinese manufactures and will get to you first, by comparison.

I know that every warehouse has their fulfillment orders, but haven't received confirmed start times from Gamesquest (UK/EU/RoW), Aetherworks (AU), or Pick and Pack (CA). Whalebacker in the US has said they'll be starting Wave 2 US orders next week. I'm continuing to press the three quiet warehouses for details and confirmations.

In general, there are so, so many emails happening to get this final leg complete. Thank you all for continuing to be exceptionally cool and kind while I handle this less-fun part of Kickstarter fulfillment :)

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—

...And that's it from me for now! I'll be back here with more details as I have more to share. Until then, keep on adventuring! Talk more soon!

-g

Interim update: waiting on a final okay from Australia warehouse before wave 2 shipping, plus a small (resolved) complication.
7 months ago – Fri, Sep 15, 2023 at 03:23:47 PM

Hey everyone! First...

...Wave 2 of orders are shipping very soon!

If your order includes only these things, yours should go out this month! If it includes anything not included in this list, it will go out in November. Here's the product list going out imminently:

• Book 2 (standard or deluxe)
• Book 1 (standard or deluxe)
• Book 1 cards
• Standard enamel pin
• Tote bag
• Criir miniature
• Magic coins

Please make sure your Backerkit addresses and on-file cards are correct! You can do that through the old survey link sent to you, or by logging into Backerkit.com using your Kickstarter email. If you're struggling with it, send me a message and I can get you a fresh survey link to log in with. I check my messages each morning and will check them this weekend! :)

Relevant orders will be locked, and cards charged for shipping and late add-ons as soon as next week when I export the pack lists for the warehouses. I'll be sure to post another update when that's starting!

I've put off posting this lead-up update because I've been trying to get a very simple answer from my Australian warehouse regarding my inventory there. The Australian shipment arrived, and the warehouse has it. I'm just ensuring that everything I thought was there is, in fact, there. We don't want any surprises once I send them your orders to be shipped, you know? I'm chasing down answers and elevating the priority of it wherever I can. I've tried to get an answer from them since Monday and haven't been able to get it. So, thanks for your patience while I handle some annoying admin work and email chains.

So, in general, we're all green on this end. I'm just counting my chickens after verifying they're hatched, if you'll forgive the butchering of an idiom.

-

I like to post video updates here, but I'll hold off on those so I can send them next week when I should have a final shipment of MPCs (the final, what-you-get copies directly from the manufacturer). Hang tight! It'll probably be a few videos, since there's a lot of stuff!

-

The li'l hiccup

There was a small issue with the production from Panda. It was a clerical error, and they've acknowledged it was on their end. Chances are good that your order's not affected.

The gilding on the Legendary tier backers' cards were never done, and it's a separate process from the normal cards. They have to be done separately, which will take 3.5 weeks. Now, this is on Panda's dime (which is very cool and responsible of them). This will not delay the delivery of the rest of the products. All in all, there are ~300 orders that this affects, so while I want to make absolutely sure that those 300 people are taken care of, this doesn't impact the overall health or schedule for the campaign.

Now, the following thought is not a guaranteed plan, so please don't take it as "Griff you said so" material!

Because Panda is covering that cost, I'm hoping that it will make air freighting them a feasible option. In that event, it's possible that those remade cards will arrive before the rest of the shipment, which would be a little funny. This is the best logistical transparency I can offer, given my level of familiarity with the costs involved, but my actual logistics team may yell at me and tell me I'm a bozo. I should have more information regarding this next week. Again, in any case, the number of orders affected by this is small, so please don't worry about it. :)

-

Okay, that's it from me, heroes! I'll talk more next week with news regarding getting this second wave of orders shipped out and, hopefully, locked! Again, please make sure that your information on Backerkit is correct ahead of that!

Talk more soon, and keep on adventuring!

-g

August Update: everything is in production or nearing shipment!
9 months ago – Thu, Aug 10, 2023 at 01:37:52 PM

Hey folks!

Bottom line up top: Right now, only orders with books and the magic coins have gone out. Criir minis are going to be shipped to warehouses any day now, bags and beanies will begin their overseas freight within the month, dice are similarly approaching completion. Panda Games products are the last to ship since they're all being freighted together. They have to wait until everything is finished before that happens, which means we're waiting on the cards and boxes to be finished. Those are in production and should be done around the end of next month, meaning the final wave of orders should go out in November (ocean freight takes forever). Thank you for your patience!

The next shipment wave will be early-to-mid September. I'm in the process of moving existing stock from my previous US warehouse to my new one (which aligns with my partners at Hit Point Press). It's bit of a headache, but once it's over things should be easier to keep tabs on. Once that moves over to the new warehouse, orders with Criir minis, books, coins, and any Book One merch (Book One cards, totes, non-animated pins) will go out.

As a reminder, your order will ship out as soon as I have everything relevant for it! You'll be charged for shipping at that time; until then, you can change your address via Backerkit. Please make sure to do that if you need to!

I've included a video below to show the final journals and beanies. These were the last things that needed approval / to be seen! The beanies were already in production, this was just the first one they made on the production line. Anyway, here's that:

Production

If you'll remember from the last update, here are the manufacturers I'm working with to get you everything from this Kickstarter:

•  Eldritch Foundry: Criir minis
•  Fandomoid: Saddlebag backpacks, beanies
•  Cerberus: Geleton and BTtL dice sets
•  Panda Games: basically everything else—animated pins, washi tape, GM screen, journals, banners, bookmarks, cards, dice bags, BTtL booklets, key rings.

Eldritch Foundry is shipping out the Criir minis to the warehouse any day now. Hooray!

Fandomoid is finishing up the beanies now. Bags are done and will ship alongside the beanies.

Cerberus is wrapping up the dice within the next 4 weeks. Those may get air freighted, but that's up in the air at this point.

Panda Games are getting things wrapped up. However, they were held up by the changes to the box size updates. Those changes were necessary, and will result in a better product with a longer lifespan. Those will be the last things they finish, probably by the end of next month, at which point they'll be put on an ocean freighter alongside the rest of the products they've made. It's a lot! That freight will take 5 to 6 weeks, putting us at the start of November for earliest possible shipping in the states, Europe, and the rest of the world. Thank you for your patience! Australia has the shortest wait, and will start to get theirs only 2-3 weeks after leaving port. Nice!

Thanks for the support and patience! I can't wait to get you your rewards: they're coming!

That's it from me for now! As always, I'm just a message away! Keep on adventuring!

-g

Production updates,
10 months ago – Wed, Jul 12, 2023 at 10:03:48 AM

Hey folks! Time for another update on production and fulfillment.

Shipping & Fulfillment

About a third of you have received your book-and-coin orders so far: whoohoo! That's a big win. If you have issues with your order, send me an email at [email protected] or a direct message here on Kickstarter.

If you're not in North America or Australia, your order is coming: my Europe and ROW (rest of world) warehouse has a lot of paperwork and red tape that had to happen before things get shipped—a lesson I've learned since my last update. Your order should go out literally any day: I made the final payment to them for their shipping fees yesterday morning. Thank you all so much for your patience while I bug them about this to push it forward. You've all been rockstars, truly. Australian orders will go out early August: in this case, the enemy is simply freight times.

If you ordered the book and coins in the US and haven't gotten your order yet, hold tight. The coins just got into the states over the weekend and should be shipped or shipping this week.

As a reminder, your order will ship out as soon as I have everything relevant for it! You'll be charged for shipping at that time; until then, you can change your address via Backerkit. Please make sure to do that if you need to!

Production

If you'll remember from the last update, here are the manufacturers I'm working with to get you everything from this Kickstarter:

•  Eldritch Foundry: Criir minis
•  Fandomoid: Saddlebag backpacks, beanies
•  Cerberus: Geleton and BTtL dice sets
•  Panda Games: basically everything else—animated pins, washi tape, GM screen, journals, banners, bookmarks, cards, dice bags, BTtL booklets, key rings.

Eldritch Foundry is printing the Criir minis now: those will be done within a month or so, at which point they'll be sent wherever they're needed. The good news, like the coins, is that they should make it to their destinations pretty quick via typical parcel (since they're small). That means no sluggish freight times.

Fandomoid's in the QA and late production stage for the backpacks. They're also working on the beanies now, which should be simple enough. Below are a couple photos: a shot of the bags on a rack, and one of the leatherette beanie label:

Cerberus is mid-production on the dice. I'm looking for more accurate timelines on those now. Like the Criir minis, these will probably be simple enough to ship out because of their size. I know a lot of folks are eager for these.

Panda production is ongoing, which makes sense seeing as how many things they're producing. In the past month I've helped finalize some lingering details on the journals and card boxes: typically regarding product dimensions. The manufacturing team was having a hard time following some measurements I made for the journal (such as where the dimensions for the cover starts vs. where they start for the spine), so that held them up a little bit. After some more back and forth, it should be okay now. Similarly, after adjusting the materials used in the cards (to make them a bit more rigid), it impacted their combined dimensions a little bit. It ultimately just meant increasing the box size by another 3mm to accommodate them. In addition, the original box design included a glued-in separator. This has/had the potential to break in shipment or with use. We're using a cardboard insert now, which will be more durable and, optionally, allow you to customize how you want to use the box once you get it.

I took a short video about the journal, cards and the box to go over this. I also touched on the beanie a little:

More Magic Items

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That's all for now! Until then, keep on adventuring!

-g