Dawn of Madness is Live!
over 4 years ago – Wed, Nov 20, 2019 at 01:41:13 AM

Hey friends!

Well, it's been kind of a whirlwind day, but I'm finally able to get over here to tell you the news: Dawn of Madness is officially live on Kickstarter! And not only is it live, but it is currently at over $470,000 only a few hours after launching! I know a bunch of you are over there already (and thank you for joining us once again!), but for those who hadn't heard and are interested, you can find the campaign right here. (And for those who aren't interested, there isn't any DM-specific stuff in this update, so you can stop reading now. =) 

Wondering what's in the campaign so far? Here's a look:

And last of all, we have an awesome 24-hour Early Bird reward: The Watchers!

We don't have an early bird pledge level this time, either, guys, so even if you pledge $1 now and upgrade in the PM later, you'll still be eligible to get the Watchers. 

Okay, well I just wanted to make sure everyone knew it was out if they wanted to take a look! We'll be back with more Deep Madness-specific stuff soon!

Shipping is On-Going! Some Important Info!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Nov 19, 2019 at 01:46:52 AM

Hey friends! It's another week of exciting shipping times, and I just wanted to send you a quick update. 

First, too, I wanted to apologize that we've been kind of quiet the last few days. I know I haven't been as active in the comments as I want to be, and I fully intended to get this update out to you last week. We just have a ton going on right now, so please accept my apologies for all of the questions that have been asked over the last week. 

North America

The US orders are nearing completion. In fact, it is entirely possible that they all have shipped at this point. If you haven't received yours yet, though, don't panic - there are likely still a few that haven't gone out yet, and there are certainly still plenty in-transit. (I got my reprint stuff just the other day. Which did make me squeal joyously.)

As for our Canadian friends, there was a slight hiccup. Basically, we were under the impression that everything was set in place and that we were good to go on the Canadian shipping, and Quartermaster thought that they were still waiting on some sort of approval from us. (Ugh.) We're honestly not positive how this happened, as we've been pestering them every few days to get this going. But somehow it did. We think everything has been worked out now, though, and it is even possible (though it hasn't yet been confirmed) that the packages are on the truck on their way up North right now. Please accept our sincere apologies that you are once again receiving your orders later. The changeover from Snakes and Lattes threw in a number of unforeseen complications that we had hoped to avoid this time.  However, because your orders are being packed at QML, there should be no further complications once they're on the truck. (Which, as mentioned above, they very well may be as we speak.)

Europe and South America

European orders have taken quite a bit longer to ship out than we were anticipating as well. There are a few factors for this. First of all, a couple of updates ago we said we had tried to prioritize the UK orders due to Brexit. Well, after that update went out, Bigblue came back and said they could, if we were willing to pay an extra chunk of money - though it would also slow down certain elements of the shipping process as we went along. Well, we went ahead and did that - and then Brexit was delayed again. LOL. 

Anyway, that is why it is taking a bit longer for people in some countries to get their copies. We're terribly sorry for this delay. But please know that you will receive your package, and it shouldn't be too much longer. The same goes for South American orders, which should all be airmailed to you shortly. 

We also heard about some problems with tracking numbers, but I believe that most of these problems have worked themselves out by now. (Like I said, I planned to post this update last week when it was probably more relevant. As I'm pretty sure it isn't any more, I've deleted all the rest of the info about this.)  

Australia and Oceania

The Australian orders should have all shipped by this point. If you haven't received yours yet, then you should very soon. We were made aware of a rather strange error in some of the orders where the shipping labels were addressed to backers' Kickstarter names rather than their actual names. Once again, I don't think this is still a problem (and I don't believe we heard of it actually posing a problem for anyone), but Aetherworks did assure us that any packages which had difficulty delivering due to this problem would be immediately sent back out with the correct name. So, if you were affected by this strange error, then rest assured you will get your game. (As I've said before, I intended to send this out last week, so none of this may be relevant any more.)

Asia and the Rest of the World

Your order should have arrived by now. If it hasn't drop us a line at [email protected].

Some More Info 

For those who missed the last update, it is normal for you not to have the novel Shattered Seas. That will ship some time next year. 

For those wondering about how to lay out your Monstrum, I will be posting pictures of how I lay mine out as soon as I get the chance to do it. That'll be coming in the next update or so.

For those who received a Drifter King with a detached scepter, we are terribly sorry about the problem. However, it is a very easy fix. It may sound strange to say, but I was actually extremely pleased that mine came broken, so that I could show you how to fix it. =D Here we go:

And that's all there is to it! Hope that helped... someone. =D Many other minis who came with a piece separated can be repaired in much the same way. 

For those with things that are missing, broken, etc., send an email to [email protected]. However, please be aware that we are a very small team, and that it is actually just one person (our production manager, Cherry) who is handling all of your emails. So, while I think that actually a majority of orders have gone very smoothly, she is nonetheless dealing with hundreds of emails and requests right now. As such, it may be a few days before she gets back to you. Don't worry or panic if this happens. You are not being ignored or avoided. She will get back to you - she just has a ton going on right now. (Furthermore, sending multiple emails only slows down the process for everyone, so please try and be patient as she works through everyone's issues. =) You can always email me as well if you're extra worried about something at [email protected] - though there is absolutely nothing I can do apart from make you feel better and ensure Cherry has indeed received your request. ;D 

As for when replacement parts will start shipping, we will put in the orders once fulfillment has completed. Hopefully that won't be too much longer now.

We will be back with more for you guys soon, so stay tuned! This campaign isn't over yet! 

Dawn of Madness

The main reason it was very important to me to get this email out to you is because Dawn of Madness launches tomorrow, and I didn't want you to think you had been sidelined for another project. You haven't been. You are insanely important to us, and I wanted you to know that we have not and will not drop off the face of the earth because of that new campaign. We still have the novel, the Choose Your Own Terror story, and shipping to finish, so this campaign still has plenty of life left in it. We will send out another update tomorrow to let you know that we've launched, but I wanted this one to be focused solely on this campaign apart from this brief mention. (We have done a massive update on the campaign page over there, though, and we will have an incredible 24-hour early bird, so if you're interested check out the new campaign page right here.)

Okay, that's it for this update! We will talk to you guys again very soon!

Happy Halloween, and More About Shipping
over 4 years ago – Fri, Nov 01, 2019 at 03:28:03 AM

Hey there! It may be a little late for most of the world, but where I am it's still Halloween. So, happy Halloween! I hope you had a fun day full of monsters and mayhem. And candy. Of course, candy.

I know there are a lot of questions, so let's get started. I'm going to begin with shipping info, and then we'll move into Q&A below that.

Shipping

Europe and South America

The European orders are just about halfway through shipping. The process has gone a bit slower than expected because of the Monstrum Boxes, which kind of threw a monkey wrench in things because they are just that massive. Thus far 664 orders have been delivered, 819 have shipped and are in transit, and 1,793 are scheduled for next week. These should hopefully all be finished and shipped by next Thursday. Backers will be sent emails when the order ships out with a tracking link. 

North America

Quartermaster Logistics will start the US shipping late next week. It certainly took longer than we were all thinking it would, but the complexity of the campaign's orders and the queue in their pipeline delayed the start of the shipping process. Having said that, once the process begins it should hopefully go quickly. The whole process will likely take about 2 weeks. 

As for the Canadian orders, they are being shipped from Quartermaster as well. The initial import process has currently begun. The packages will be delivered in bulk shipments to a Canadian FedEx hub, at which point FedEx will break them down into individual shipments and mail them to you. (This way there will not be any tariffs or VAT applied to your order.) Once FedEx receives the packages then tracking numbers should begin working. 

We're very sorry it's taken so long to get the North American orders rolling out to you all. We feel terribly that this hasn't made progress quicker than it has. But this should all get rolling by next week. We'll update you as soon as we know more.

Australia and Oceania

The boat has arrived and the games are at the port. The packages are currently going through customs. Once that's done, they will be transferred to the warehouse and should be sent out quickly. (Keep in mind that in the EU and US hubs the packages are being assembled at the hub, whereas your orders are already assembled. So once they're at the warehouse it should hopefully be a very short process to get them out to you.) As with the North American orders, we are extremely sorry that your orders haven't started shipping yet. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel up ahead.

Asia and the Rest of the World

All of these packages were shipped a while ago according to our communications with VFI, and should either have been delivered or should arrive very, very shortly. If you haven't received your pledge within the next few days, contact us by sending an email to [email protected]. We'll help you track it down.

Questions and Answers

I'm missing something or something was damaged in-transit. What should I do?

If you find that you're missing something or that something was damaged in-transit, then please contact us via email at [email protected]. Please be aware, though, that it may be a couple of weeks before we can send it out to you. The reason for this is because the hubs are completely focused on the deliveries right now, which pretty much makes customer service an impossibility until they are finished. Once they're finished, though, we will send out all replacements as soon as possible. It also may take a few days before we can get back to you. This is because we are a very small team, and most of these emails are handled by our production manager, Cherry, who is also overseeing shipping and a variety of other things. She will get back to you, though. Promise.

I'm missing some of the biggest parts of my pledge, such as Monstrum or expansions. Should I send an email?

Most large orders have been shipped in two boxes. It is entirely possible (and is, in fact, likely) that yours was one of them, and in some cases we've heard that the boxes have been arriving on different days. Please give a few days to see if it arrives, but if it still hasn't showed up then by all means contact us.

I'm missing Jon the Cat. Should I send an email?

Before you send an email, please check your Uncounted Horrors box. Jon is not in a separate package: he is in the bag of loose miniatures in that box (along with the spawn markers and other things.) Of course, if you can't find him in there, then feel free to contact us.

I'm missing the novel. Should I send an email?

No. The novel was always intended to be a second wave shipment. It will ship out to you some time next year. If you do happen to receive a copy of Shattered Seas, then a time vortex has opened and the fabric of our dimension is unravelling, and you should leave your house immediately.

I'm missing the stretch goal box. Should I send an email?

There isn't a stretch goal box per se, unless you count Profundum. The stretch goals are broken up between a variety of boxes, with some in Profundum, some in Faces of the Sphere, and then Lucas Kane all by his lonesome. So, no. 

What else should I know?

Shipping sucks. I was pretty sure it was the case from all of the Kickstarters I've backed in the past, but if there was any doubt then it was completely driven from my mind by the first Deep Madness campaign. Furthermore, this campaign has done little to change my opinion on the matter. 

No doubt you have been impacted by some part of the shipping in this campaign. Whether it's a delay, a damaged package, or a missing product, we want you to know how sorry we are and to let you know how much you mean to us and how much we appreciate you. Whatever your problem, it will get solved. We promise. And, in the end, we'll all have awesome games and gooey (not literally) monsters to play with.

Dawn of Madness

Some of you who have been following Dawn of Madness may have noticed we've been really quiet about it in these past few updates. You also may have noticed that October has now completely passed and you haven't noticed any big launches taking place. Well, basically, we realized that, no matter how much we wanted to launch it in October, we couldn't for two reasons. The first was that there was quite simply a few more things that we needed/wanted to finish before officially launching the campaign. And the second (which is honestly a way bigger deal at this point) is that Deep Madness still hasn't delivered and we didn't want you to feel like you had been forgotten for some new shiny thing. So, we've delayed Dawn of Madness to November 19th. Hopefully by then everyone should have received their copy of Deep Madness (or at least most should have), and we will be able to shift gears with a clear conscience on the matter. Having said that, even when Dawn does launch it won't mean our passion for Deep will wane in the slightest. We'll still be here for whatever you need. =) Because, like I said before, you guys are important to us. We wouldn't exist without you. And we are extremely grateful for the support you have given us. (Plus, we still love this game, and plan to continue doing so for many years to come.)

Oh, which reminds me: for those wondering about the final part of the Choose Your Own Terror story, it's still coming. I haven't forgotten. =)

Okay, that's it for this update. If you have any problems with your order, please reach out to [email protected]. And thank you for continuing to stand by us through the horrific, maddening warzone that is shipping.

This Week in Shipping
over 4 years ago – Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 03:37:51 AM

Hi! Hope you've had a great week, and that waiting for this game to reach you hasn't driven you too mad. 

I only have a few small updates for you today, but I wanted to make sure you knew everything we did. So, let's get going.

Shipping

North America

There's not much new to report yet for the US, except to say that QML is still getting everything ready and lined up. For our Canadian friends, we have learned that Snakes and Lattes might not be able to handle the deliveries for Deep Madness. Having said that, don't fear, because we've been talking to Quartermaster and they have a new Canadian-friendly shipping program that they are working with us to implement. As soon as we have everything squared away with that, the Canadian orders should be the first to go out.

EU and the UK 

Some of our UK backers have been wondering how Brexit will effect delivery, which is a very fair question. The honest truth is, we don't really know for sure yet. Obviously all of us were hoping that this wouldn't be an issue, but now it is. We talked with Bigblue, asking if they could prioritize the UK orders, but they said they are unable to do this because batches of shipments are organized in a way to optimize the order preparation process. They also said they should be finished with prep by October 23rd. 

So, I realize that's not the best news for our UK backers, but don't stress about this yet. For starters, I've been pouring through the list of possible tariffs should the UK exit with a No-Deal Brexit (the worst possible outcome), and I have seen no reference of board games or other entertainment products (or toys, for that matter) receiving a tariff. Of course that could change (and it's also possible I missed it - though I don't think so), but as of right now it doesn't look like board games will be impacted by any new tariffs, at least in the short-term. (If you're interested, you can take a look at the proposed worst-case tariffs here.) Furthermore, we are actively working with Bigblue to ensure that any impact (if there is any) from Brexit will be minimal to non-existent for our UK backers.

So, all of that to say, shipping in the EU/UK should begin very soon.

Australia and Oceania 

All orders have been loaded on the boat EVER DEVELOP 142S, and it should launch tomorrow, arriving in port on October 31st.  We apologize that it took longer than we anticipated to get these orders on their way to you. Apparently the biggest issue was that the packing process took significantly longer to finish than we had initially thought it would, with a lot more time spent on double-checking orders than we had anticipated. (Hopefully that means errors will be at an absolute minimum.) Having said that, we are sorry that it's taken this long to get your packages on their way, but they will be on the water starting tomorrow.

Asia

Now, for the Asian orders. We have learned from VFI that all Asian orders... have shipped. Huh. How about that? Backers who need help with their order can send an email to [email protected].

The Printed Rulebook

After our last update, we received several comments asking about how original backers could get the reprint rulebook in a printed version rather than PDF. For whatever reason we didn't really anticipate this because the changes were so minor (except for the two parts that are also in the Profundum booklet), but now that we know we were wrong we're looking at ways to get you a printed version of the rulebook. Currently what looks like the best option is as a Print on Demand book, rather than having it mass-produced in China (we would need at least 1,000 orders to make it feasible to print in China, and honestly we just don't think we'll have anywhere near that many people who want it.) I'm looking into this and will be ordering a couple samples to see what works best, then I'll let you know when I have more details. (Whatever the case, we're working to make this as cheap as possible for those who want it. We will not be making money on this.)

Okay, well that's it for this update! Talk to you again as soon as we have more information to share!

New Shipping Info and the Updated Rulebook
over 4 years ago – Tue, Oct 08, 2019 at 03:26:07 AM

Hey there! Hope you've had a great couple of weeks. We have some updates for you today. Shipping by and large hasn't started yet, but there are positive signs of forward movement, which we'll go into below. And we also wanted to give you something else: the updated rulebook!

This Week in Shipping

Europe and South America

All the goods have arrived at the French warehouse. BigBlue expects that fulfillment will start between October 15th and October 22nd.

United States and Canada

The 4th container should be received at the QML warehouse tomorrow. According to what we've heard thus far, fulfillment prep could begin as early as next week. (!)

QML will ship Canadian goods to Snakes & Lattes once they have them in-hand. We don't have an exact date yet as to when they will arrive in Canada, but we'll let you know more as soon as we know more.

Australia and Oceania

All orders have been packaged in the factory and are ready to go. We are waiting for our agent to book a boat, which should happen very soon.

Asia and the rest of the world

VFI has packaged all of the Asian orders. They should begin shipping them this week. (Yep! You read that right!)

The Updated Rulebook

Now we wanted to give you a little something to chew on while you're waiting for the shipments to begin. Here is the updated core game rulebook for Deep Madness! This is the exact same book that will be shipping in core games shortly. It is, however, slightly different from the original rulebook released in the first printing. Essentially, we just made it a tiny bit clearer and made a few things more obvious. (For instance: we were shocked how many people missed the "use sanity to reroll dice" mechanic, which is honestly the only way to beat the game.) If you've already mastered the game, you won't find anything groundbreaking or overly different in here (apart from a pretty major rewording of scenario 4 and the easy mode in scenario 1, which were also both included in the Profundum PDF in the last update), but we wanted to make sure everyone had access to the newest version. 

• English Rulebook
• German Rulebook
• French Rulebook
• Spanish Rulebook
• Italian Rulebook

Okay, that's all we have for this update. We'll be back with more news as soon as we have it, and more fun stuff as well! Have a great week!