Missing Fast? Please let me know by Sunday.
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Aug 27, 2021 at 05:30:23 PM
I am on vacation in the land that bandwidth forgot until Sunday afternoon, but I will survey all of my emails and pack up copies for everyone who has let me know that they are missing their copies of fast Delvers so that they go into the mail on Monday.
Even if you contacted me by some other method, please drop me an email at [email protected] with [Missing Fast Delvers] in the subject line so that I can just use the email tag to sort through who needs what. There are so many different email, forum, text, and smoke signal channels that it is hard to keep track of them all. I will double check everything, but the easier it can be for all of us the better. Thanks! I’ll get on the soon.
EU/UK Update: Customs issues
over 2 years ago
– Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 03:16:01 PM
So, despite my providing full documentation on the US side of things - twice - to the UPS folks, and Kixto giving very explicit instructions on whom to list as the importer of record ...
UPS has charged Kixto £250 in VAT for zero-rated goods AND indicated in the customs clearance that Kixto, not Gaming Ballistic, is the importer.
We basically are now being held hostage. One box was (incorrectly) delivered with Kixto as "owners" (and this matters), and the other is being withheld until the fees are paid.
This is the practice of UPS in Canada as well: charge obscene brokerage fees on inexpensive shipping and withhold the goods until the victim pays. Fees are frequently 3-5× the cost for shipment.
In any case, Kixto and I are working to bludgeon UPS into what is effectively obeying the law. Until we do, the shipment is frozen. I'm not sure if the ownership problem is critical or a nuisance.
Working to solve this ASAP, and will update when I have more info. This doesn't impact US, Canadian, or AUS/NZ packages, most of which went out USPS.
Two Smart, No Fast
over 2 years ago
– Tue, Aug 24, 2021 at 03:19:26 PM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
All Packages on the Way (Somewhere)
over 2 years ago
– Wed, Aug 18, 2021 at 01:54:30 AM
All of the Canadian, Kiwi, and Aussie packages are to be dropped off at the USPS this afternoon.
All OTHER international packages have been placed in two boxes, each of just shy of 40 lbs, and shall be on their way to Kixto in the UK via UPS at the same time.
Plus one map that the post left out in the Florida rain.
So...that's it. Other than keep my finger on the pulse of things, all books shall be on their way by this afternoon.
Please Say Nice Things (If you can)
over 2 years ago
– Wed, Aug 18, 2021 at 01:54:17 AM
Now that I've gotten all the books in motion, if not in backers' hands quite yet, it's time for me to take a deep breath.
Soon, though, I shall pull together the post-mortem for the campaign. What went well, what didn't go so well.
One thing that I can say didn't go as well as I'd hoped is the number of total folks who came by to get the books didn't really hit what I planned (500) or hoped (600), let alone what I dreamed (1,000,000! Kidding. But nigh-on 1,000 for this type of book set wouldn't have been nutso).
It is, of course not too late. If it should move you, saying nice things about the books in the forums, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, or any of the many RPG discussion forums, especially with real-world examples of how they helped, would be spiffy.
Here's one example:
One of my Patreon subscribers took his preliminary copy of Delvers to his Favorite Local Game Store. He asked if he could run a walk-up game. Of GURPS. (Ahem: let me say that again. He ran a walk-up game of a Powered by GURPS product). Several new-to-GURPS and a few more new-to-Roleplaying joined the game, were playing in 30-60 minutes, and he has since been asked back to run a weekly game. The FLGS has purchased several more copies of the DFRPG boxed set. One of the players actually backed this Kickstarter (hi, player!).
That game is still ongoing.
Showing off the books and pointing out how books lead to players and players lead to sales for your local game stores is phenomenal. Retail orders from Gaming Ballistic (using my handy product catalog) are phenomenally valuable. The difference between success and playing the margins for Gaming Ballistic is probably one or two retail level orders per week. (Note that's only 50-100 orders per year, and my incomplete mailing list of stores is 1200 strong or more).
As I've said before: there's nothing wrong with my business model that 1,500 backer/customers (or 300 game stores!) wouldn't fix right up. Most of that is me putting on my marketing hat. But some of it is you, spreading the word.
Thanks to all for coming along this journey with me for Delvers to Grow. I hope it helps you game more, and faster.
Until the next time: Keep up that looting practice!
