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
As anticipated in the previous updates, the books have officially finished printing, and I finally have some images to share with you. Check them out below.
(You'll notice that Everspark was also printed simultaneously; they're coming together!)
I also uploaded a short video so you can properly see the spot UV in action, because it looks really good in motion.
And can I just say: I absolutely love the pink headband (that’s a printing term I learned during this process).
The finish turned out beautiful, the colors are vibrant, the text is incredibly crisp, and overall it genuinely feels like a premium product. I’m very, very happy with how it came out.
At this point, shipment to the warehouse is underway, and now comes the final stretch: getting the books safely where they need to go. So yes, there’s still a little bit more waiting involved, but the important part is this:
The book exists. It’s real. And it looks fantastic.
Thank you once again for all your support, patience, and enthusiasm throughout this whole process.
I hope you have an excellent weekend, and I’ll keep you updated as things continue moving along.
I’ve been a bit quiet these past couple of weeks because, honestly, once things move into the printing stage, there’s only so many different ways I can say “the books are printing.” But today I finally have some more concrete news to share.
If everything continues according to plan, the books should be ready at the print shop next week.
After that comes the slightly more adventurous (to put it mildly) part of the journey: getting them shipped overseas to our publisher while the world continues insisting on being geopolitically complicated. We’re doing everything we can to make that process as smooth as possible, but as I think goes without saying, that part is well beyond our direct control.
What I can promise is transparency. I’ll keep communication clear and updates coming as soon as I have reliable information to share. It may still take a few weeks for the books to make their way to Critical Kit headquarters, but we’re getting very close now.
For the moment, all I can really offer is honesty about the process, crossed fingers, and my best hopes that the shipping phase behaves itself.
I’ll return with another update as soon as the books are officially on their way to the publisher and we have a more solid estimate for arrival.
Thank you again for all your support and patience. I truly can’t wait to put this book in your hands!
