Finishing Up: Download Codes, Damages, & Incomplete Surveys!
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Aug 16, 2024 at 12:43:06 PM
Gen Con was a success!
Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by our booth to compliment the campaign, browse our catalog, or check out The Details of Our Escape in person even if you knew it'd be on your doorstep when you got home! Tabling any convention is an exhausting experience, but that kind of encouragement can make all the difference in powering through. I took a little extra time to rest and recover after, but I'm happy to say I'm finally catching back up!
Itch.io download codes have been sent to your Kickstarter-associated emails!
For those of you not familiar, itch.io is a digital storefront that allows you to sell games, distribute download codes, and re-download from a personal library. You should all have received the same files through BackerKit, but sending them again through itch 1) gives you the option add them to a personal library and 2) helps drive digital sales beyond the Kickstarter by tracking pre-order downloads. You don't have to create an itch.io account to make use of your download code, but if you do, consider leaving a rating or review! That's another way itch can help feed our discoverability. I focused on getting out codes for TDoOE and GoGoGolf! first, but I'll be sending codes for all other add-ons as well. It's just a time intensive process sorting through add-on CSVs.
You'll also see that I've included .txt files of both The Details of Our Escape for accessibility (some screen readers &tc. have an easier time with simple, image-less files) as well as isolated domino sheets and a cheat-sheet for quick domino placement & interpretation. These weren't included in the BackerKit code I sent out before Gen Con, so I also put them up there for anyone who prefers to download from their platform.
As with anything else, if you didn't receive a code or have any issues, feel free to reach out! Just be sure to double check your SPAM folder first.
I've also received a few reports of packages arriving bent or damaged!
This is obviously a bummer, but unfortunately pretty par for the course when fulfilling a campaign this large. And if 2 or 3 people are commenting about it, there are likely more people experiencing similar issues but not speaking up! Whether it's on packaging, the USPS, or fate, I take quality control very seriously and don't want anyone to feel like they received a subpar product. If any of your rewards or add-ons arrived damaged in the mail, send me a message detailing the issue and I'll mail you a replacement free of charge. Same goes for anything that gets lost—if your copy doesn't arrived by the end of the month let me know and we'll see if we can't track it down before sending a replacement.
Speaking of mailing, a handful of you still haven't filled out your BackerKit surveys!
~40 of you if we're getting more specific. Again, this isn't uncommon when you have 1300 backers and I know how easy it can be for things to fall through the cracks sometimes. Still, I want to send you the product you paid for and can't without an address! I'll keep sending out reminder emails periodically, but if you haven't reserved your copy yet and are wondering why, double check that you aren't one of the 40!
That's all for now!
This might be my last update for a while unless something comes up, but if/when it does, you'll be the first to know! You can always reach me here or via https://www.possibleworldsgames.com/contact and if you or someone you know would be interested in print copies The Details of Our Escape or one of our other games (or merch!), you can find them at https://store.possibleworldsgames.com/!
Thank you all for your patience, enthusiasm, & support and I hope you enjoy your games!
T
Books are mailed! PDFs are sent! Retail/online release next week!
about 2 months ago
– Tue, Jul 30, 2024 at 04:49:26 PM
As promised, everything has hit the mail!
It took some doing, but as of today 1300 mailers have been packed, labeled, and sent on their way—some already starting to showing up on doorsteps! The only packages yet to be sent are backers who didn't have their surveys filled out in time for mailing (~50 of you). I'll send another survey reminder email post-Gen Con and pick up stragglers as they come in. Otherwise, you should have received USPS tracking sent to your Kickstarter-associated email, but give it some time before you start to panic! I'm committed to resolving any missing or damaged orders that might pop up, but all we can do right now is play the waiting game.
I've also sent PDFs out via BackerKit!
I didn't have time between mailing and convention prep to create a .txt companion file or to set up the games' itch.io pages, but I wanted to make sure that those of you eager to play were given the first opportunity before I started hand-selling copies of The Details of Our Escape and GoGoGolf! at Gen Con. I'll send another batch of codes (and a Kickstarter update) when the public itch.io release is ready and would appreciate it if you'd consider re-downloading and leaving a rating or review on the platform when the time comes.
Copies will be available first at Gen Con and our webstore/retail after!
I'll be debuting the game at booth 241 before sending copies out to game stores & distributors and adding pages to our webstore! I'll also put leftover shirts up and try to do a local release shindig here in Pittsburgh! One thing at a time, though, and right now I've gotta make sure I have a successful con.
More soon! Feel free to reach out for support, but keep in mind I'll be on the road until Monday! Responses will be delayed and I appreciate your patience in the meantime.
All best,
TIREDler
Books are here! Finally!
2 months ago
– Wed, Jul 24, 2024 at 12:06:24 PM
Books arrived safe & sound and are GORGEOUS!
Despite all the stress of printing internationally for the first time I couldn't be more pleased with the final result. Packing has officially begun, and I'm beyond excited for folks to receive their copies soon!
In other news:
Call me eggs 'cause I am scrambling!
The print runs of GoGoGolf! (also now in hand!) and The Details of Our Escape both arrived later than expected due to Microsoft's CrowdStrike fiasco impacting both FedEx and UPS systems. I also leave for my biggest sales convention of the year—Gen Con—next Wednesday. That means I have to assemble ~500 GoGoGolf! copies, mail 1300 packages, pull off a 1.5k digital release, and do all my final con prep in less than a week (while I'm still catching my breath from carrying 800 lbs of books up a flight of stairs, haha).
Everything WILL get done before the convention, but please be patient! Especially regarding PDFs!
I've gotten more done in less time before (ask me some time about the reprint that arrived the day before PAX right after my basement flooded) so I'm confident in my ability to get everything in order, but the last thing I want to do is rush something out just because I'm under pressure. A lot more than clicking "go" goes into a digital release—from pushing storefronts live to key generation to customer support to a lot more—and I want to make sure I do it right. I know a lot of other TTRPG campaigns release PDFs early and without much fanfare (usually as an afterthought or a way to appease backers) but I see it as legitimate a release as anything else and deserving of the same attention. I'm also fulfilling a $20k Kickstarter in less than 6 months, so, you know, there's that! Give me a few more days and trust that they're worth it!
More soon! For now I'm getting back to work!
T
Books are off the boat!
2 months ago
– Wed, Jul 17, 2024 at 01:36:16 PM
Hey all! Another quick one!
The COSCO SPAIN 065E took a little bit longer to unload than expected, but I'm happy to report The Details of Our Escape is now in FedEx's hands and on its way to Pittsburgh from California!
They're expected to arrive Monday, July 22, so I'll be sending a 48-hour last-chance reminder this Saturday for anyone needs to update their mailing address on BackerKit. As soon as boxes are in hand, though, I'll get to packing and hopefully have both copies in the mail and PDFs distributed to everyone by the end of next week! That means you should all get your copies (or at least get them sooner than anyone else for international folks with long shipping times) before I start selling them online or in person at Gen Con.
More on everything soon—including t-shirts (they're in and look GREAT) and GoGoGolf! (should arrive from printers next week)—and thank you for your patience and support in the meantime!
– T
Orders Lock July 1! (48 Hours From Now!)
3 months ago
– Sat, Jun 29, 2024 at 07:18:21 AM
Hi all! Just a quick reminder that this weekend is your last chance to change your address before BackerKit surveys lock July 1 at 10am EST.
Books still appear to be arriving on schedule, so with any luck they'll be on their way to you the week of July 15. Locking surveys and collecting funds July 1 gives us the full 14 days needed for postage and add-on funds to hit our account before purchasing labels and sending everything off.
Also, reminder that I'll be coordinating PDF distribution with the game's full release/mailing so that downloads, buzz, etc. will help drive wider discovery. Like I've said in comments, a strong release week can be super helpful for indies like me! Rest assured y'all will be the first to receive codes before anyone else sees the game, though.
Lastly, if you're one of the 6% of backers who've yet to fill out your survey, now's the time! You'll still have the option to later, but it'll take extra time to process and mail your order—likely after the first wave of fulfillment.
Have a nice weekend!
Tyler
