Two updates for the price of one!
over 1 year ago
– Sun, Nov 17, 2024 at 09:53:25 PM
Here's today's update, and if you scroll WAY down you can find the previous update from about a month ago, which somehow didn't get published. I don't know how I missed it; I probably was afraid it was too negative to post, and then didn't get around to rewriting it. But anyway, the issues I discuss in that update are solved now, so that's an outdated update, which means it isn't technically an update because it isn't "up-to-date." So here is the new update, followed by the previous, very-dated downdate. I mean, outdate.
TLDR: The "Timetable" section below explains a bit better, but we're looking at mass production this month and resolving next month, and I guess probably, at this point, shipping likely won't happen until February or March. I'm very sorry, yet again.
UPDATE
Hi all, I hope you have been enjoying your gaming recently. I can't imagine how much has changed in some of your lives in the years since I launched this ill-fated project. My life is good, but I have been distant on social media because I didn't want anyone to think I was "moving on" from this project; it is still my #1 priority, even though there hasn't been much for me to do on it since approving nearly all the components from the pre-press sample given to me at Gen Con. I'm waiting, just like you.
I consistently receive emails from the printer once or twice a week, reminding me that they are working on it. Their speed seems inexplicable, but to be fair to them, the first two years of delays were not their fault, since this is the third manufacturer I've had on this. Your money is safe, and the game is getting printed, and you will have it soon. I keep saying that, and I still mean it.
This project has not consumed my whole life. I have three other games done but not announced, plus I am almost done with a totally different project (not a board game), which I'll let you know about once this game ships (or at least, once it's on a boat). I'm spending my time working on a deckbuilder prototype, writing prose for a potential video game, and getting the marketing ready for another non-game project.
I'm working on a new pledge management update to calculate the add-ons and shipping, since I've now incorporated a few add-ons into the box as free items, and added other new things instead, and I want backers to know what exactly they will be getting. That update will go out probably around the first week of January. If your address changed, don't worry about it yet. You can message it to me if you want, but there will be a big update for address changes coming soon, so you don't have to fret. As much as I would wish to surprise you and say "it's shipping now," the reality is, I will give you at least a couple weeks notice to change addresses.
Communication - Join Discord!
My phone is old and isn't receiving push-notifications from the Kickstarter app. If I missed any messages, please simply send me another one, or email me: vigourgames at gmail dot com. I'm actually easiest to reach if you use Discord. Join here; I usually answer questions immediately. I prefer Discord comments and DMs to email, but regardless of how you reach out, I will answer you. If I don't answer, it means I didn't see your message. Note:Please don't post a Kickstarter comment if you want me to see it immediately – I don't think there's a way for KS to notify me about comments (at least, I couldn't figure it out)! Just message me or email me.
Video Updates: I wanted to do fun video updates and industry chats with my friend Jeff, but he's going through some personal health issues for the next several weeks, so I'm going to hold off on video updates until he can participate. I'm going to get back to doing videos at some point.
Timetable
I have been fighting for many months with the manufacturer to ensure that we would ship this year. They are so slow. I just simply cannot convince them to go any faster. I guess they probably slot in the bigger-budget projects ahead of me in the queue; that is the only explanation I have, because several friends of mine also print with this manufacturer (LongPack) and have not had the same trouble as me. I've worked with this manufacturer several times before, but I guess most of those partners got fired when the company was purchased about two years ago, and I think there might have been a bit of deception on their part about the details. For example, why did I have to re-export all 700+ files multiple separate times, with slightly different dimensions and color profiles each time? (Probably because the manufacturer secretly changed which factory they were using, and the machines had different requirements.) Another example: The files for the miniatures did not change AT ALL since 2020 - four years they have been sitting, so why is it only now that I find out they are "approved for production?" What changed? Again, a new company bought the manufacturer and they didn't want to scare away clients, so they pretended everything was "business as usual" while flailing and scrambling. But regardless of the past, here's the latest timetable as I have heard it:
Printing this month; likely shipping in February.
I was told "45 days" to complete mass production after I approved the sample on August 1st. I don't know why it took so long, but they have suddenly approved the project for print, and it is in their print queue. They are saying production will take 8 weeks, meaning it will be complete mid-January. And we'll begin shipping in mid-February. If the project is not boxed and finished by January 25th, it will get stuck in the 3-week vortex of Chinese New Year. So I'm fighting HARD to avoid that.
Ok, don't fear; big things coming soon. I'll do a PROPER update to work out shipping and add-on changes; that will likely be ready the first week of January. I want to wait until the game is DONE and PRINTED and on a boat before asking you to do any more work. So just hold on and continue to suffer my failings, and we'll get you sorted out very soon.
-Joey
_____________________________________________________________________________
My previous update from a month ago didn't get published. Here it is, but don't read it. These issues have since been solved.
Hi all, sorry for the lack of confirmation about production. I don't want to get into the details too aggressively at this moment, since I already paid for printing, and I don't want the manufacturer getting angry if they read this. But these details explain why I haven't updated you since Gen Con. Despite the issues, this (third) manufacturer is the first one that is actually moving forward to make the game, and I DO trust them. Ultimately, these problems are my responsibility, and probably indicate my inadequacy as a communicator.
When producing the Gen Con samples, the manufacturer was making incorrect assumptions about the game that made me timid about immediately approving mass production – for example, they tried to redesign my box and plastic insert "because there was empty space in it" and I had to remind them "This is an expansion. The empty space is for the base game." At Gen Con, they presented the pre-press sample game to me, and I noticed they changed the planetary base miniature by adding a peg sticking out the top "so we can put a hole on the bottom of your miniatures and they can pop onto the base." And I was like "stop making changes; this is an expansion! I don't want pegs, and that's not how the game plays, anyway!" I also had a difficult time explaining that the Temple Clock (dial) doesn't spin like a fidget spinner; it needs to be tightly sprocketed. I had to explain this at least 10 separate times over the course of production, because they kept forgetting. There's numerous grievances I could complain about, mostly just incredibly lazy errors on their part. [Note: These have all been resolved by now.]
Another fire I had to put out was when the miniature for Qiwen was redesigned without my consent. In order to reduce assembly costs, the factory changed the miniature so his right arm was sticking straight up. Keep in mind, this was days before we were supposed to begin production!Anyway, as soon as I pointed this out, they were like "no problem; we can go back to how it was." And I was like "can you just do everything according to how it was, and stop assuming things?" The change felt insidious because it WAS pretty minor, but it made me nervous about approving mass production, since the version I approved at Gen Con was supposed to be the final version. So this delayed things because I essentially demanded a whole new "pre-press" sample (or at least, a new digital sample, with photos of everything) prior to printing. So yeah, this delay was my fault, but only because I truly care that the finished game is what I approved. With their subtly-updated version of Qiwen (see below), it looked like the necklace he's dangling in his right hand is now defying gravity, and looks like a weapon instead of jewelry. If the changes below seem trivial, then I'm sorry. But this stuff matters to me.
correct approved version(top),incorrect version they were about to mold(bottom). Note the right arm. [This has since been fixed.]
Expanded Edition: "Landing Flags" - Acrylic, not Injection-Molded PVC
The cost of molds for miniatures is utterly bonkers these days (or at least with this manufacturer). To give you an idea: The game comes with flag tokens made of punchboard. The 700 backers who ordered the Expanded Edition (and those who got the Collector Edition base game version) are getting nicer, plastic flags. For the 700 sets of flags, the manufacturer originally quoted me at $930, plus the cost of a mold (about $3000). But post-pandemic, the price skyrocketed to $11,000. I felt like a scam was happening, since the manufacturer claimed they couldn't fit the flags and the planetary bases onto the same mold. Which makes no sense, since I was under the impression that they were using a large circular mold (the plastic is injected into a small hole at the top, then the mold is spun fast, and the centrifugal force presses the liquid PVC into the outer cavities of the mold). But whatever kind of injection molding they are using, they claimed they couldn't fit the flags onto the same mold.
The same manufacturer in 2016 (prior to getting bought by a larger conglomerate) charged me and my friend Jeff only $50,000 to produce 135,000 miniatures, which included 21 unique sculpts – and in that case, each mini needed to be hand-assembled. Whereas in this case, it would be one-tenth as much plastic, only 1 unique sculpt, and no assembly. The pricetag seemed crazy. So right after Gen Con I pulled the plug on the plastic injected-molded flags. I looked into 3D printed flags, and they ended up being too expensive. So then I reached out to a publisher in Serbia, since they produce similar plastic flags for a war game. The plan was to order all their existing stock of flags, plus have them produce new flags in their flag mold and have the flags custom-painted into the 14 colors. But then the publisher pulled out of the discussion because they tested their mold and decided it was deteriorating, and would fail.
So I found out about a acrylic printing, which is basically printing onto flat plexi-glass and then cutting it into the right shape. The price was about $4000 less than the PVC molded flags, much more affordable than $11,000. And – unlike the previous plastic flags we did for the Collector Edition – these flags actually have the sigil (icon) for each alien printed directly on them. So I'm pretty happy:
Acrylic Landing Flags (for Expanded Edition backers) - I'll make these available to other backers if there's a surplus.
Expanded and Collector Backers Only: I'm going to probably ship only 5 of each flag in each set, instead of 7. Most players would never need more than 5 flags at the same time for any alien (Vroon might occasionally need a sixth, but only when playing a 2-player game.) Including 7 flags for each of the 14 aliens just seems pointless, just more plastic to fill up your box without a purpose. If I include only 5 of each, then I can decrease the total amount of flags I produce by almost 20,000 units and put that savings into other things. I'll go over this in detail in a future update, so backers who care about how many flags they get can still get them.
Collector Edition (Base Game) Backers Only: Due to the switch to acrylic flags, 3 of your 14 aliens will now use a different flag than the flags you currently have from first edition. I'm sorry about that. But the base diameter of the flags is very similar, so I am hoping you can accept this change. The old manufacturer already melted down the old flag mold, the second mold was too expensive, and the third mold we were going to use deteriorated and didn't work out. If you REALLY want the 3 new aliens to use the old plastic flags, one solution is to take 1 of the 6 or 7 flags belonging to each of the 11 aliens you already have, and repaint them to the 3 new aliens' colors, so you'll end up with 14 aliens with 5 or so flags each. 5 per alien is more than enough, in most cases. Or I can send you a full set of the new acrylic flags. I'm also trying to figure out how to elevate your wooden Temple Clock above the game board; the wood clock is simply too big, and I was not able to figure out how to make it compatible with the new Event cards. I said I would provide some kind of elevated platform for you, since I had a backer who offered to laser-cut platforms for your wood clock. But I have't heard from him in about two years, so I need to reach out to him again. I haven't forgotten about this component; I am still looking into it. There's only a few of you who will actually use such a thing, so I'll send a specific update about this in a few weeks when I have a shipping date figured out, and I'll learn how many of these items I'll need, and try to avoid letting it delay shipping for you. I'm doing the best I can; I've never had a project languish like this, and I need to make sure the momentum continues. I'll incorporate these details into the next pledge manager update I do.
Cheers!
-Joey
