(NOTE: If you also backed Weird, Whimsy & Wonder, these are the same news I shared as an update there)
It’s been a while.
I can hardly believe that more than a month ago I was telling you that fulfillment should be wrapping up within a week or two. And yet, here we are.
The lack of updates has a reason, though not a particularly good one: we simply haven't been able to get a clear picture of what's happening.
Let me explain.
What went wrong?
For the first time, Critical Kit partnered with distribution centers in the US and EU. On paper, this seemed like the best decision. It would speed up fulfillment, simplify international shipping, and, most importantly, avoid burdening you backers with unexpected fees, tariffs, or customs charges.
Unfortunately, the reality has been very different.
There have been customs complications in the EU, misplaced shipments, distributors not realizing that deliveries had already arrived, delays while they tried to locate those shipments, and a frustrating lack of communication about what was actually happening. We've also had reports of books arriving damaged.
If something could go wrong, it feels like it has.
The hardest part has been having so little control over these issues. But worse than that is not having answers for you.
When someone asks me, "Where is my book?", it's incredibly frustrating, and frankly embarrassing, to have to answer, "I don't know."
Critical Kit has been contacting the distribution partners daily, pushing for information and working to resolve these problems. Some backers have received their books, and more copies are making their way to people. But for others, we're still waiting for reliable information.
I can't give you a precise estimate right now. Anything I told you would be a guess, and after everything that's happened, I don't want to make another promise based on information I can't verify.
The books exist. They're printed. Many have already been delivered. But the distribution process we believed would make things easier has turned into a series of unfortunate events.
And I am deeply sorry.
Where do we go from here?
I'm frustrated and, to be honest, ashamed of how this has unfolded.
This whole experience has taken a considerable toll on my mental health and even made me reconsider what I want to do next in my career. But that's something for me to work through, not a burden I want to place on you.
What matters here is that you supported this project, trusted us to deliver it, and have been waiting far longer than you should have.
I take that responsibility seriously.
I want to be very clear about one thing: I remain committed to getting every one of you the books you've paid for. We're not walking away from this, and we're continuing to work with Critical Kit to resolve the outstanding deliveries.
I've also put my future projects on hold while I focus on seeing this one through and earning back the confidence of those who supported it.
I wish I had more concrete news to share today. I really do. But I'd rather be transparent about what we know and what we don't than offer another optimistic timeline that might not hold.
A small gift while you wait
I know this doesn't compensate for the delays or the frustration you've experienced, but I'd still like to offer you something as a token of appreciation.
I'm giving every backer a free PDF copy of my game Before the Storm, normally priced at $12.90.
You'll receive a notification from BackerKit letting you know that new digital downloads have been added to your account. From there, you can download the game at no additional cost.
I hope you enjoy it, and perhaps it will bring a little something good to your gaming table while we continue working through this.
Thank you
I know I've said this many times already, but thank you for your patience and for sticking with me.
I understand that patience isn't endless, and I don't take your trust for granted. I hope you can still trust that this project hasn't been neglected, even when the lack of visible progress or communication might have suggested otherwise.
I'll continue pushing for answers and will share concrete information as soon as I have it.
I’m finally able to bring you some more concrete news regarding fulfillment of the remaining pledges.
(NOTE: If you also backed Weird, Whimsy & Wonder, these are the same news I shared as an update there)
I really haven’t liked being radio silent these past few weeks. I pride myself on being open and transparent in my communication with backers, patrons, players, fans, and friends alike, so disappearing for a while (especially after telling you the add-ons had arrived at the warehouse) has genuinely been bothering me.
The main reason is simply that I didn’t have anything concrete to add. I’ve been in regular contact with Critical Kit, but they’ve been dealing with an administrative nightmare caused by changes in regulations right in the middle of fulfillment.
On top of that, I’ve had some personal issues take quite a lot out of me over the past month. I’m getting the help I need and slowly getting back on my feet.
But I finally have news, so let’s get to it.
1. EU
A new EU packaging regulation created some significant complications for fulfillment, with the potential for both very high costs and a lot of additional administration. To avoid passing any surprise fees on to you, Critical Kit has partnered with a new fulfillment service for EU orders.
The books are being moved to them this week, and once everything is properly in motion, tracking numbers will start going out. We expect this part of the process to take roughly another week to complete.
2. USA
We have a fulfillment partner in Tennessee, and US fulfillment has been underway for a while. As Critical Kit receives the tracking information from the US partner, it is added to BackerKit, and you’ll receive your tracking details through there.
3. Australia, Canada, and Rest of the World
Fulfillment for Australia and Canada is expected to begin this week and continue into next week, along with the remaining international orders.
As things stand right now, we expect everything to be sorted by the end of next week.
And I do want to apologize for how long this has taken.
We began strong, with 70% of fulfillment done in a couple of weeks. Now, as we approach the end of August, that nagging feeling of I just want people to have their books already has been weighing on me quite a bit.
This whole process has been an exercise in accepting how many parts of international manufacturing and fulfillment are simply outside my control. We’ve had to navigate unexpected regulatory changes, shifting international requirements, and a generally unstable shipping environment.
Through all of that, the priority has remained the same: getting your books to you safely, without unexpected fees or unpleasant surprises when they arrive.
I deeply appreciate how patient you’ve been throughout this process. Please know that we are working through these final steps every day, and I very much hope that when you finally have the book in your hands, you’ll feel it was worth the wait.
The good news going forward is that Critical Kit is now putting these new international fulfillment systems in place, which should make everything considerably smoother.
Great news: if you ordered Everspark or Weird, Whimsy & Wonder as an add-on, we’re now ready to fulfill your pledge.
Zoom in and you can see the books on top of the boxes
That’s right, the books have finally arrived at the warehouse, and the team is getting everything organized so those remaining packages can start shipping soon.
Thank you very much for your patience and continued support. I know the wait has been longer for those of you with these add-ons, so I’m glad we’ve reached this stage at last.
By the way, did you download the Meta-Tables from the previous update? I’d love to hear what you think of them and whether they’ve added anything fun to your sessions.
You can access them using the same link as always. Just head to your downloads, where you’ll find a separate PDF containing the two new tables. You may also have received an update notification directly from Itch.io.
I considered adding this page to the tables-only document, but since these tools sit slightly outside Triple-O’s core scope and don’t appear in the zine itself, I thought it made more sense to keep them as an optional, standalone file. It’s a single landscape A4 page with both tables ready to use.
Questions Asked
I structured this one a little differently from the other tables. Instead of a single d66 table, it contains six smaller d6 tables, each based on a different context in which players might ask questions.
For a completely random result, roll 2d6: use one die to choose the category and the other to select a question. If you already know the context—for example, the characters are speaking with an NPC—you can go directly to that category and roll a single d6.
Some examples:
Do I know anything about this?
Is there another way around?
Does it look valuable?
Do they spot or acknowledge us?
This was a lot of fun to create, and I think it captures the natural back-and-forth of GMing for a group. It may even help move the story forward when a scene starts to lose momentum.
Impulse
I also changed the phrasing of this table slightly, so it now sits somewhere between a Spark Table and a scenario-specific table.
Most results are short combinations of a verb and a noun or direction, such as:
Snoop around
Share the spotlight
Make an ally
Adopt a mascot
I drew from more than 30 years of GMing (for both tables, really) and thought about the many priorities players bring to the table, and how those priorities shift throughout a session. If you want to introduce some extra push and pull into the party, this is the table for it.
Other News
Elsewhere, I received two pieces of excellent news this week.
First, my game Load the Simulation was nominated as a finalist for Best GMless Game at the Critt Awards. That was incredibly exciting to see!
Second, I now have my very own Bundle of Holding, featuring five of my games at their lowest combined price yet; including Load the Simulation. If you’ve been curious about more of my work, this is a great opportunity to check it out.
I hope you enjoy the new tables, and I wish you all an excellent weekend.
I’ve just returned from a short trip to Porto for a wedding (where I learned Portuguese weddings last 14+ hours), and I wanted to acknowledge that fulfillment is still progressing, although at a slightly slower pace than any of us would prefer.
So, to make up for the wait, I had an idea.
I went back through the polls we held during the campaign and looked at some of the table ideas that received plenty of votes but ultimately didn’t make the final zine. Coincidentally, two of them are what I would consider meta-tables: they deal more with emulating players than the characters themselves.
That falls slightly outside Triple-O’s core scope. One of its principles is to remove the extra layer of trying to emulate a player first and then interpret how their character would act, since those two levels of intent can become a bit muddy.
Still, I think these tables could make for a fun optional addition to your game. Better yet, I believe I can fit both onto a nicely laid-out single page and release it as a separate bonus file. The two selected tables are:
Questions Asked The kinds of clarifying questions players normally ask a GM. For example: Can I see an exit? Is anyone else here? Does it look safe? Are they armed?
Impulse A table reflecting a player’s immediate urges or priorities. For example: loot-seeking, peace-making, lore-digging, or resource-saving.
I already have partial drafts for both tables, so I’ll finish them, curate the entries, and lay everything out as an extra page. Once it’s ready, I’ll add it to the Itch.io downloads for you to access at no additional cost.
I hope you enjoy the bonus, and that it helps make the remaining wait for physical copies a little easier. Fulfillment is still moving forward, so if you haven’t received your tracking number or package yet, don’t worry. It’s coming!
Stopping by with a quick update on how fulfillment is progressing.
We’ve now crossed the 60% mark, which means well over half of the packages are already on their way. There’s still plenty left to send, but things are moving steadily.
Our publisher did have to shut down the warehouse for a few days last week due to the heat wave in the UK. It was a genuine concern for the health and safety of the warehouse staff. Thankfully, work has now resumed, and despite preparations for GenCon later this month, fulfillment continues to move forward.
I also have good news for those of you who ordered Everspark or Weird, Whimsy & Wonder as add-ons. The ship carrying those books docked today!
From here, it’s mostly in the hands of customs, so there’s a little bit of guesswork involved. If everything follows the usual timeline, the last leg of the journey should take a little over a week, after which those orders can begin shipping immediately.
If you haven’t received a tracking number yet, it’s most likely because your package hasn’t reached its fulfillment wave yet. The publisher is shipping everything in batches, and more tracking emails will continue going out over the coming weeks.
Thank you once again for your patience and support. We’re getting closer every week, and I hope to bring you more good news very soon!
(NOTE: If you also backed Weird, Whimsy & Wonder, these are the same news I shared as an update there)
It’s been a while.
I can hardly believe that more than a month ago I was telling you that fulfillment should be wrapping up within a week or two. And yet, here we are.
The lack of updates has a reason, though not a particularly good one: we simply haven't been able to get a clear picture of what's happening.
Let me explain.
What went wrong?
For the first time, Critical Kit partnered with distribution centers in the US and EU. On paper, this seemed like the best decision. It would speed up fulfillment, simplify international shipping, and, most importantly, avoid burdening you backers with unexpected fees, tariffs, or customs charges.
Unfortunately, the reality has been very different.
There have been customs complications in the EU, misplaced shipments, distributors not realizing that deliveries had already arrived, delays while they tried to locate those shipments, and a frustrating lack of communication about what was actually happening. We've also had reports of books arriving damaged.
If something could go wrong, it feels like it has.
The hardest part has been having so little control over these issues. But worse than that is not having answers for you.
When someone asks me, "Where is my book?", it's incredibly frustrating, and frankly embarrassing, to have to answer, "I don't know."
Critical Kit has been contacting the distribution partners daily, pushing for information and working to resolve these problems. Some backers have received their books, and more copies are making their way to people. But for others, we're still waiting for reliable information.
I can't give you a precise estimate right now. Anything I told you would be a guess, and after everything that's happened, I don't want to make another promise based on information I can't verify.
The books exist. They're printed. Many have already been delivered. But the distribution process we believed would make things easier has turned into a series of unfortunate events.
And I am deeply sorry.
Where do we go from here?
I'm frustrated and, to be honest, ashamed of how this has unfolded.
This whole experience has taken a considerable toll on my mental health and even made me reconsider what I want to do next in my career. But that's something for me to work through, not a burden I want to place on you.
What matters here is that you supported this project, trusted us to deliver it, and have been waiting far longer than you should have.
I take that responsibility seriously.
I want to be very clear about one thing: I remain committed to getting every one of you the books you've paid for. We're not walking away from this, and we're continuing to work with Critical Kit to resolve the outstanding deliveries.
I've also put my future projects on hold while I focus on seeing this one through and earning back the confidence of those who supported it.
I wish I had more concrete news to share today. I really do. But I'd rather be transparent about what we know and what we don't than offer another optimistic timeline that might not hold.
A small gift while you wait
I know this doesn't compensate for the delays or the frustration you've experienced, but I'd still like to offer you something as a token of appreciation.
I'm giving every backer a free PDF copy of my game Before the Storm, normally priced at $12.90.
You'll receive a notification from BackerKit letting you know that new digital downloads have been added to your account. From there, you can download the game at no additional cost.
I hope you enjoy it, and perhaps it will bring a little something good to your gaming table while we continue working through this.
Thank you
I know I've said this many times already, but thank you for your patience and for sticking with me.
I understand that patience isn't endless, and I don't take your trust for granted. I hope you can still trust that this project hasn't been neglected, even when the lack of visible progress or communication might have suggested otherwise.
I'll continue pushing for answers and will share concrete information as soon as I have it.
Was this supposed to ship with DeadBoi as part of the single shipping cost for pledging both? I got an email Friday that my Triple-O had shipped and my DeadBoi arrived yesterday, but I don’t see a tracking number in that Triple-O email. And there’s no Triple-O in the box.
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