Cost: While we would love to offer free shipping, there really is no such thing. Shipping is really expensive and we have tried to come up with pricing that accurately reflects our cost to get the game into your hands without creating a logistical nightmare on our side. Your shipping will be added in the pledge manager. We expect that we’ll have to come out of pocket a bit based on what we are charging and we are ok with that.
Tracking: We will also be using non-trackable shipments in some cases in order to save on cost as tracking can add 30-50% or more in some cases. So please understand if we do not have tracking with your package we did so knowingly. Rest assured, that we will get you your game and any risk associated with a package not being trackable is on us.
Delivery time: While we would love to get everyone their games at the same time, it is just not possible. There is a high likelihood that some areas of the world will get their games before others. Our commitment is to get the games ready and printed as fast as possible (we’ve already done a ton of the prep work). At the factory we will break out the shipments to each fulfillment company with instructions to them that they should begin shipping as soon as possible upon receipt. In addition, because we have complete control over the U.S. shipments, you will not be able to order and receive the game on Amazon (or from any other US retailer) before our backers have it. (Please note: Because of unexpected delays and other unforseen issues, we reserve the right to sell the game at major conventions, even if they have not been delivered yet). The reason for this is that conventions are among the best form of marketing and therefore necessary to give the game the best chance for success. One guarantee we will give is that if we do release anywhere before the backers receive theirs it will be at a price that is higher (usually significantly) than what was offered in the campaign.
The fine print stuff:
What does “Exclusive” mean? You’ve probably noticed we do not say Kickstarter Exclusive but rather show a logo with our image (or another company image) and the word exclusive. What this means is that these items will never be available in retail and only through us or the company depicted on the logo. However, while they may be available from us in the future, they will most certainly not be given away for free. In most cases, the cost of putting together the same package you might back in our campaign is 50% more or higher afterward.
Other: Lastly, we will be using fulfillment companies in different parts of the world and while we have done our best to ensure we pick good ones, ultimately, once the games get into their warehouses there is little control we have at that point. We have always done our best to bend over backwards for our customers and if for some reason there are any issues with damages, missing components or missing shipments we will make it right. It just might require some patience.
Why back this campaign? While we have had great success with other games like Deception: Murder in Hong Kong and Champions of Midgard, we are still a relatively small company and we just do not have the funds needed to fund every project we do without some help. Your pledge gets you all the exclusive unlocked content which will not be available in retail… only through us. Plus, if you live in the U.S the game will be in your hands before someone can get it from an online retailer. Lastly, we expect the standard retail version of the game to be $99 MSRP, which won’t get any of the cool exclusives that you’ll get on this campaign. If you live outside the U.S, we will do our best to get it into your hands first. Also, pledging helps get us closer to buying our company “team building” yacht.
As a publisher that has brought more than a dozen games to market thus far, we feel confident in our ability to get this done. The gameplay for this game is 95% complete. The art and graphics are well underway. We are confident that we will hit our release goals with no problems (shipping delays or Acts of God notwithstanding). In addition, our intention is to not release this game to standard retail until all U.S backers orders have been shipped. Our goal is to have it in our backers hands 1-3 weeks before someone can buy it on Amazon.