I’m finally able to bring you some more concrete news.
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 books 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 is now underway. As Critical Kit receives the tracking information from the US partner, it will be 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.
At one point, I genuinely hoped these books would be in your hands by the end of March. 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.
Exciting news: guess what just arrived at the warehouse?
Zoom in and you can see the cover!
Yep, that’s right. The books are finally here (or there, rather. I am not there. Anyway).
After the long journey by sea, the port delays, customs, and the final delivery, we have officially cleared the last hurdle.
And Tim, our hero at Critical Kit, personally unloaded all 50 boxes from the truck. So please join me in sending some appreciation (and perhaps some sympathy) to his back.
Fulfillment will begin very soon. Before long, you’ll finally be able to flip through all those colorful pages. And so will I, because I still haven’t held a finished copy myself!
Thank you once again for your patience and support throughout this whole journey.
A quick update today, since the news is brief; though at least partly exciting.
-> For the UK, the books are still sitting in a container at the port, waiting for DPD to collect them. Anyone up for a port heist?
-> For the US, the books have already arrived at the distributor, so fulfillment should begin this week or next. US backers will hopefully have their copies very soon.
That is all I have on the shipping front for now. I’ll admit, it is a little stressful sitting here drumming my fingers on the table and waiting for more concrete news, but we are getting closer every day.
A gift for you
To thank you for your patience and support while we wait, I decided to offer you a gift: a free digital copy of my oracle zine, Random Realities. You will receive access to both the PDF and the web app version.
Each page contains 60+ oracle results, and I think it pairs especially well with Weird, Whimsy & Wonder.
Random Realities has been very well received by the community, and I hope it gives you plenty of ideas for your games, prep, and writing. Consider it a small token of appreciation for sticking with us through this long final stretch.
Have fun with it, and please let me know how you plan to use it.
(Side note: I'm using BackerKit's digital fulfillment for the first time for this one, so it's also a good test to see if it works. You should get an email saying something like, “New digital downloads available for you" very soon.)
Other News
Elsewhere, this past week has been a little more exciting. My game Load the Simulation was named a finalist for Best GMless Game at the CRIT Awards, which was wonderful news.
I also have an exclusive Bundle of Holding running at the moment, featuring five of my games; including the aforementioned Load the Simulation.
So, while I continue waiting impatiently for more shipping news, there have at least been a few good reasons to celebrate.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding.
After a bit of detective work by our publisher (thanks, Tim!), we managed to track down the shipment. The ship is scheduled to arrive at port on July 5th.
From there, everything depends on customs. Once the shipment is cleared, the final leg to Critical Kit’s warehouse normally takes a bit over a week, though that part is a little harder to predict. The important news is this: it’s finally arriving.
For those of you in the U.S., fulfillment should begin almost simultaneously, as the shipment there has already arrived. We’re so close now!
I’ve been itching to bring you something more concrete than “the books are on a ship somewhere,” and I’m very happy that I finally can.
As always, thank you for your patience, your encouragement, and for coming along on this journey with us.
I’ll be back with another update as soon as the books reach the warehouse and fulfillment begins.
It’s been a while, so I thought I’d stop by and share whatever information I have.
I bet what you’re really interested in knowing is where the books are, so let’s start there.
The books are still on a ship somewhere, making their way towards their destination. Unfortunately, there is no tracking number or system for us to follow. I wish I could stick AirTags on those boxes. I’d probably dedicate a second monitor just to watching their progress full-time. But alas, things remain a bit fuzzy until the shipment actually arrives at Critical Kit’s warehouse.
As a small reassuring note, Critical Kit received a shipment for another one of their projects last week. It looked fantastic, and it confirms that containers are indeed moving and arriving as expected. So, for now, we’re still playing the waiting game.
Collapsible Scratchpad
In the meantime, I have a small quality-of-life update for the web app. Following a suggestion from a Triple-O backer, I’ve added a button that lets you collapse the scratchpad down to a small tab at the bottom of the screen. Since both apps share the same framework, it was easy enough to bring the feature over.
This update is already live. You don’t need to download or update anything.
Spotted at UKGE
Last week, Critical Kit attended UKGE, and Weird, Whimsy & Wonder made a couple of appearances. First, it was featured on a rather lovely banner showcasing our beloved dancing frog couple. Seeing them at that scale was a delight.
See them at the far left?
Second, Critical Kit had two review copies shipped by air mail. Those arrived much faster than the main shipment (though at a cost that makes doing that for all copies completely unrealistic). They were there to show off the finished product and help generate interest ahead of fulfillment.
Ugh I want one so bad
So don’t worry, we’re not secretly selling copies before yours arrive. The books are still very much on their way. These were simply a pair of advance copies.
And I have to admit: seeing them only made me want to hold one in my own hands even more.
Thank you, as always, for your patience and support. Rest assured, the moment I have any concrete information about the shipment’s arrival, I’ll rush over here and let you know.
Until then, keep your eyes peeled, have a great week, and talk soon. —Cezar
