We've got a short but exciting update today! There hasn't been too much news since our last message: production has continued as expected, with no further surprises.
Last week, the Chain Mail and Meteorite D20s were completed and sent from the factory to our warehouse. They are on the boat right now, crossing the sea toward us. This should take 30-35 days, so we're expecting them to land in November. Once they are in the US and at our warehouse, we'll begin fulfilling the D20 pledges right away.
The Dinosaur Dice sets are also coming along well. They are expected to finish production this week and be sent to us shortly. Like the Chain Mail and Meteorite D20s, these will take 30-35 days to arrive, and we'll begin fulfilling these pledges once they are in our warehouse.
That's all for now—We'll be back again once the dice are in hand and ready to fulfill!
It's time for another production update! There's a lot to share today, so make sure you read the full update. Here a look at what's inside:
Dice Tray samples reviewed and approved
All production samples are complete
Meteorite and Chain Mail D20s on track
Production quality issue discovered in some dinosaur dice
Let's start with a quick note on that last point. In short, we've run into a manufacturing issue that is affecting some of the dice. We have already implemented a solution, but this has altered our shipping timeline. There are lots more details on the issue and how we're solving it below.
Dice Tray Samples Approved
In good news, we now have samples of the three (3) folding dice trays from the factory. They look great, and we've signed off on the run.
The dice trays were the final sample we were waiting on, so this completes all the accessories for the campaign. This is always an exciting moment in manufacturing, and one we're happy to share today.
Dice Manufacturing Update
On the dice side of production, Meteorite and Chain Mail D20s are on track and look great. However, as noted above, we've run into a quality issue with a small portion of Dinosaur Dice sets.
This problem is fragmentation, little flakes of fossils coming off during the embedment process. This is not unusual when embedding fossils, but some dice are exhibiting a higher-than-average fragmentation rate that exceeds our quality guidelines.
Triceratops D6s with a bit more fragmentation than we like to see...
Given the number of successful test sets we produced without issue, this was a little bit of a surprise. In any event, we've already compensated by quick shipping additional specimens to the factory to make sure we have enough material to complete the production run (plus a little bit more).
Naturally, we'll be taking more time to inspect each set as they are removed from their molds, as well as casting replacements. This means there will be an impact to the shipping timeline.
Right now, our factory estimates the dice will not be ready for shipment to our warehouse in the USA until late October. This is slower than expected—we were planning on them being in our warehouse and ready to fulfill at that point.
Rest assured, we're looking at all options to accelerate the delivery of components and additional production without sacrificing quality. We're also committed to keeping the cost the same.
To be 100% clear: Nothing in this production issue will come at any additional cost to you. We're going to absorb these costs directly.
Next Steps
If you look at the BackerKit timeline, we're supposed to charge cards this week for shipping and add-ons. We'll be hitting the pause button on that until the shipping timeline is solidified. We'll update again as soon as we have a firm ship window for items and then set a new charge date based on that.
If you've made it all the way down here, we'd like to thank you for your patience. Issues like these are never fun, but they are a fact of life in manufacturing. Every project is a totally new experience with its own quirks and hurdles. Crowdfunding gives you an inside look behind the scenes as creators grapple with a myriad of issues. All of us here appreciate your support, and we want to assure you we are all working hard to get these awesome dice out to all of you.
We have the first look at the factory's production samples ready to share today! Take a look at everything below:
Each of the Dinosaur Dice
The Campo del Cielo Meteorite D20
The Medieval Chain Mail D20
Each of the RWH pins
The Dinosaur Facts Playmat
These pictures come straight from the factory. We just couldn't wait to share this preview—it's too exciting to keep secret! Everything is looking fantastic. Once our photo team gets their hands on the items for the perfect shot, we'll share those as well.
Production Update
Outside of the samples, news has been uneventful but positive on the production side. Everything is running smoothly, and no hiccups have been reported. Last month, the factory received the final shipment of dinosaur inclusions. As we mentioned in previous updates, we chose to send the material in multiple shipments to avoid major losses of inclusion specimens due to shipping issues. Now that shipping is complete, nothing should slow the manufacturing of dice and add-ons. Everything is smooth sailing!
This is basically the best thing we could hear from the factory. We'll have a deeper update on production news once we are closer to completion!
Pledge Manager
There are still about 100 backers who have an open survey in the pledge manager—if that's you, then there is still time to complete the survey and share your shipping address. Please don't forget to do so soon!
Once we get closer to fulfilment we will begin locking down addresses. We'll be sure to put out a notice before this occurs!
That's all for now. We'll see you soon with another update!
Dino Dice Get an Upgrade + New Fulfillment Timeline
Hello, everyone!
We've got some exciting news to share: The Dinosaur Dice Set is getting an upgraded look!
A mockup of the new dice faces!
As we looked at how gamers were going to use the dice, we wanted an easy way to identify the specific fossil in each die. To accomplish that, we are investing in brand-new molds so that the highest number on each side will show the dinosaur captured inside. We are absorbing these fees ourselves, at no additional cost to the backers, so this is an awesome free upgrade for everyone getting a dinosaur dice set.
New Fulfillment Timeline
While production has begun, it's become clear that we'll need to make an adjustment to our fulfillment plan. Rather than try to rush this project and sacrifice quality, we'll need to push back the final shipping dates for backers.
The good news? We're only expecting a 2-month difference. According to our new production schedule, we'll have all products in our warehouse by late September, where they'll be ready to ship out immediately. We expect fulfillment to be complete in October, with plenty of time for the holidays for those of you sharing the dice as gifts.
Fulfillment delays are never something we choose lightly, but we believe it will result in a stronger final product and shipping experience. We will keep everyone informed as the production process continues!
Shipping + Add-on Charges
To that end, we are pushing back the charge dates for additional add-ons and shipping. Rather than doing this in July, we plan to do it in September, right before fulfillment begins. Like before, we'll make sure to send out an update in advance of the final charge date so you won't be surprised!
That's all for now. For our Pay Over Time backers, please make sure you complete your surveys as we'll be locking them later this month. We'll see you soon with another update!
Mass Production Begins + Pay Over Time surveys soon!
Hello, everyone!
Summer is beginning, and so is the mass production of dice! We're excited to dive into all the news around that, but first: Pay Over Time surveys are opening this month!
If you're a Pay Over Time backer, here's what to do: Once your pledge is completely paid for, we'll activate your survey. That should be early next week. You'll receive an email for you to fill out the survey as usual. Then, we'll lock the surveys closer to the end of the month! If there's any issue with this process, just let us know at [email protected], and we'll help you out. (This is our first time using Pay Over Time, but it looks like everything should go smoothly.)
Production Update
It's always a fun time shipping hundreds of dinosaur bones, meteorites, and chain mail pieces around the world. There are several possible complications in such a process, from a shipment being lost, to it being held up in customs, to it being damaged on its way to the factory. We've decided to play it safe and send our batches of dice inclusions a couple hundred at a time to avoid any critical shakeups to our production process.
Inclusions safely arrived at the factory!
Fortunately, we haven't run into specimen loss yet, and our partners at the factory have been awesome to work with, too! Everything has arrived safe and secure, just the way we like it. With this week's shipment, we've already sent around 600 of each inclusion, so 6,000 individual specimens. Most of those are fossil pieces—a whole lot of dinosaur dice!
With that amount, we're ready to begin mass production at the factory. We'll have another update on that process after the first batches are complete.
Packaging is almost finalized!
This week, we're putting the finishing touches on the print files for packaging! It's looking great and only needs a few last tweaks before they're good to go.
That's all for now. For our Pay Over Time backers, please keep an eye out for your surveys, and we'll see you soon with another update!
Closing Surveys Soon + First Shipment Is A Success!
Hello, everyone!
Today, we've got a short & sweet update with good news and a quest for you! First, the quest. We are getting ready to close surveys in the next two weeks—if you have not filled out yours yet, please do so soon! We'll need to close surveys before we can go into full production mode so we know how many units we'll need to make.
We're still waiting on about 25% of backers to complete their survey, which includes adding shipping information, selecting cool new add-ons, and managing payment information for shipping costs.
The date to complete your surveys by is May 12 at 12 PM ET.
For those of you who have chosen pay-over-time pledges and do not have your surveys open yet, do not worry! We will reopen your surveys in June once they are available, and you'll be able to finish them then.
Production Update
Exciting news! The first shipment of dice inclusion specimens has passed through customs and been received by the factory! That means, dice manufacturing can begin!
We'll be sending more batches to the factory over the next month. After this initial shipment, we decided it would be best (and more secure) to send specimens in multiple shipments. This will prevent them from being held up in customs for too long.
What's new in the Pledge Manager?
We had some questions about new items in the shop from pay-over-time backers who don't have access to the surveys. We'll share a photo of everything here, and you can visit the preorder shop to get more info on each item!
It's time for another production update! There's a lot to share today, so make sure you read the full update. Here a look at what's inside:
Dice Tray samples reviewed and approved
All production samples are complete
Meteorite and Chain Mail D20s on track
Production quality issue discovered in some dinosaur dice
Let's start with a quick note on that last point. In short, we've run into a manufacturing issue that is affecting some of the dice. We have already implemented a solution, but this has altered our shipping timeline. There are lots more details on the issue and how we're solving it below.
Dice Tray Samples Approved
In good news, we now have samples of the three (3) folding dice trays from the factory. They look great, and we've signed off on the run.
The dice trays were the final sample we were waiting on, so this completes all the accessories for the campaign. This is always an exciting moment in manufacturing, and one we're happy to share today.
Dice Manufacturing Update
On the dice side of production, Meteorite and Chain Mail D20s are on track and look great. However, as noted above, we've run into a quality issue with a small portion of Dinosaur Dice sets.
This problem is fragmentation, little flakes of fossils coming off during the embedment process. This is not unusual when embedding fossils, but some dice are exhibiting a higher-than-average fragmentation rate that exceeds our quality guidelines.
Triceratops D6s with a bit more fragmentation than we like to see...
Given the number of successful test sets we produced without issue, this was a little bit of a surprise. In any event, we've already compensated by quick shipping additional specimens to the factory to make sure we have enough material to complete the production run (plus a little bit more).
Naturally, we'll be taking more time to inspect each set as they are removed from their molds, as well as casting replacements. This means there will be an impact to the shipping timeline.
Right now, our factory estimates the dice will not be ready for shipment to our warehouse in the USA until late October. This is slower than expected—we were planning on them being in our warehouse and ready to fulfill at that point.
Rest assured, we're looking at all options to accelerate the delivery of components and additional production without sacrificing quality. We're also committed to keeping the cost the same.
To be 100% clear: Nothing in this production issue will come at any additional cost to you. We're going to absorb these costs directly.
Next Steps
If you look at the BackerKit timeline, we're supposed to charge cards this week for shipping and add-ons. We'll be hitting the pause button on that until the shipping timeline is solidified. We'll update again as soon as we have a firm ship window for items and then set a new charge date based on that.
If you've made it all the way down here, we'd like to thank you for your patience. Issues like these are never fun, but they are a fact of life in manufacturing. Every project is a totally new experience with its own quirks and hurdles. Crowdfunding gives you an inside look behind the scenes as creators grapple with a myriad of issues. All of us here appreciate your support, and we want to assure you we are all working hard to get these awesome dice out to all of you.
We have the first look at the factory's production samples ready to share today! Take a look at everything below:
Each of the Dinosaur Dice
The Campo del Cielo Meteorite D20
The Medieval Chain Mail D20
Each of the RWH pins
The Dinosaur Facts Playmat
These pictures come straight from the factory. We just couldn't wait to share this preview—it's too exciting to keep secret! Everything is looking fantastic. Once our photo team gets their hands on the items for the perfect shot, we'll share those as well.
Production Update
Outside of the samples, news has been uneventful but positive on the production side. Everything is running smoothly, and no hiccups have been reported. Last month, the factory received the final shipment of dinosaur inclusions. As we mentioned in previous updates, we chose to send the material in multiple shipments to avoid major losses of inclusion specimens due to shipping issues. Now that shipping is complete, nothing should slow the manufacturing of dice and add-ons. Everything is smooth sailing!
This is basically the best thing we could hear from the factory. We'll have a deeper update on production news once we are closer to completion!
Pledge Manager
There are still about 100 backers who have an open survey in the pledge manager—if that's you, then there is still time to complete the survey and share your shipping address. Please don't forget to do so soon!
Once we get closer to fulfilment we will begin locking down addresses. We'll be sure to put out a notice before this occurs!
That's all for now. We'll see you soon with another update!
Thank you to everyone who has shown up so far! We're so excited for this campaign -- and what an amazing first day we've had already! We blew by the $100k funding mark and we're only just getting started.
We wanted to take this time to talk a bit more about the project and answer your burning question...
Why dice?
It's a great question, and the answer comes from a place we’ve been thinking about a lot lately. First, we think the world could use more science and history in everyday life, and more moments of shared wonder. We've explored this through jewelry, books, and other collaborative projects. This project is one small way of adding to that conversation.
All the dice in Roll with History, Dinosaurs, Campo del Cielo, and Chain Mail
But there's always more than that with Mini Museum. There's a big picture too and that picture revolves around the underlying promise of Mini Museum, which is to say that history, time, and reality are best understood through direct, physicalcontact. We try to encourage this by making meaningful collections designed to provide a sense of one's place in the universe, connecting the present directly with moments and materials far outside everyday experience.
Prepping T. rex specimens for D20 inclusions
In contrast, dice are meant to be handled as the centerpiece of interactive gameplay that involves storytelling and a shared connection with others. In that sense, they're dynamic in a way that is very different from our typical collections. We found this combination really intriguing and it inspired us to see what might be possible by merging wonderandfun.
Someone's having fun!
The result is an object that captures a piece of the past inside an object designed to be used in the present. In this way, the artifact becomes something more than an item to study and transforms into a new kind of experience you engage with in a different context… hopefully an experience you share with others because that's really what Mini Museum is all about.
So... What's Next?
We still have a few tricks up our sleeves! We'll be announcing a few stretch goals and even more ways to grow your collection, so stay tuned and check back in often! What are you hoping for? What are you most excited about with this collection? Drop a comment and let us know!
Now... What About You?
As we've already talked about, this campaign is a unique one for Mini Museum. We want to bring history to a new audience in new ways, so we'd love to hear a bit more from YOU! Fill out the poll to help us get to know you better!
How long have you been following Mini Museum? Have you been with us since our first campaign over a decade ago?
Or is this your first collection? If so, welcome! Glad to have you here! What questions do you have for us? Whether its questions about our process, how we ensure your specimens are authentic, or what our favorite dino is, we're happy to answer - just ask!
We've got a short but exciting update today! There hasn't been too much news since our last message: production has continued as expected, with no further surprises.
Last week, the Chain Mail and Meteorite D20s were completed and sent from the factory to our warehouse. They are on the boat right now, crossing the sea toward us. This should take 30-35 days, so we're expecting them to land in November. Once they are in the US and at our warehouse, we'll begin fulfilling the D20 pledges right away.
The Dinosaur Dice sets are also coming along well. They are expected to finish production this week and be sent to us shortly. Like the Chain Mail and Meteorite D20s, these will take 30-35 days to arrive, and we'll begin fulfilling these pledges once they are in our warehouse.
That's all for now—We'll be back again once the dice are in hand and ready to fulfill!
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