PROJECT STATUS UPDATE (JULY): SCIONS OF THE DARK GODDESS
Dear backers,
Summer is here, and with the heat, we bring you another monthly update, though unfortunately, it is not the news we would like to share.
There has been little improvement in the current situation, and we are still waiting to receive the physical rewards at our hubs. We apologize that this isn't the update we would like to share, but it is the update we have. Once more, we are truly sorry for this extended wait.
However, we remain firmly committed to not giving up until this matter is resolved and Scions of the Dark Goddess reaches your hands, which it will—have no doubt about that.
In the meantime, we have followed through on what we said in the previous update. A new PDF adventure is now available for free in your BackerKit downloads section: The Ship on the Coast, written by Pau Ferrón. It will take you to 1920s Barcelona with a group of characters united by a strange shared experience.
As usual, if you have any questions or issues with the download, please write to us at [email protected].
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Shadowlands Games
___ (Versión en castellano)
ACTUALIZACIÓN SOBRE EL ESTADO DEL PROYECTO (JULIO): SCIONS OF THE DARK GODDESS
Queridos mecenas:
Con el calor del verano que nos rodea, traemos una nueva actualización mensual. Aunque no con las noticias que nos gustaría traeros.
La situación actual ha avanzado poco y continuamos esperando recibir las recompensas en nuestros almacenes. Lamentamos que no sea la actualización que querríamos compartir, pero es la que tenemos. De nuevo, nos disculpamos sinceramente por este prolongado retraso.
Sin embargo, continuamos con el firme compromiso de no cejar hasta que el asunto se se solucione, hasta que Scions of the Dark Goddess llegue a vuestras manos, cosa que ocurrirá, no tengáis ninguna duda al respecto.
Mientras tanto, cumplimos con lo dicho en la anterior actualización. Ya tenéis disponible gratis, en vuestra sección de descargas de BackerKit, una nueva aventura en PDF: El barco en la costa, escrita por Pau Ferrón, que os llevara a la Barcelona de los años 20 con un grupo de personajes unidos por un suceso extraño común.
Esperamos que estéis teniendo un buen verano. Seguiremos informando.
Como siempre, si tenéis cualquier duda o problema con la descarga, escribidnos a [email protected].
We are listening to you, we understand your concerns, and that is why we want this update to be something more than just an update. Something closer to a real conversation with you about the current state of Scions of the Dark Goddess.
First of all: we let May go by waiting for the printer to give us a definitive delivery date for the physical rewards. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and we apologise. For the wait, and for the silence — which, on top of the delays this project has already accumulated, only adds frustration and uncertainty. And that is the last thing we want.
So: we're sorry. We take full responsibility, and we will not let this happen again.
The Print Bottleneck: What's Happening
As we communicated in our last update, Scions of the Dark Goddess is at the printer. But the printer is currently experiencing a significant production bottleneck, and our project has been caught in that log jam alongside others. It seemed like it would only be a short delay — and we are still waiting.
We don't have a confirmed exit date from them yet. But we are on top of it. We are following up. We are not sitting on our hands.
We know some of you have suggested switching printers. We hear you, and we understand why that seems like an appealing solution. But changing printers at this stage would mean starting the production process essentially from scratch: new proofing, new agreements, new scheduling from the beginning. That wouldn't speed things up — it would add even more delay. It is genuinely not an option that would get the books to you any sooner.
What we can tell you is that we are pushing, and we will share a confirmed timeline the moment we have one.
A Small Thank-You
As we committed to, all backers will receive a new PDF adventure with each update as a token of appreciation for the wait. It won't give back the time, but it is a sincere thank-you for your patience.
This time, we are gifting you Terror at Ebenalp, a one-shot by Joan Segovia that will leave your investigators stranded in an idyllic Alpine hotel… in a far from idyllic situation.
It will be distributed to all backers shortly, available to download from your BackerKit profile as always.
Our Mistakes
We underestimated the complexity of this campaign, and we got things wrong. Not in the creative work — we are proud of that — but in everything it entailed: the scope, the production, the logistics of managing so many physical components, and the timing of a project launching internationally in two languages for the first time, with this level of physical extras, in a challenging production environment.
We gave you an estimated shipping date and we didn't meet it. We also fell short on communication. Part of what held us back was outside our control. Part of it wasn't. We take full responsibility for our mistakes and, once again, we sincerely apologise.
What we can tell you — and what we genuinely believe — is that these mistakes are pushing us to learn. And we are learning. In how we estimate timelines. In how we communicate, especially when we don't have good news. In how we manage production dependencies. It has been a hard lesson, and we are not walking away from it unchanged. Learning from our mistakes is what turns a stumble into a step forward — and that is exactly what we are doing.
Regarding the Frustration
We understand where your frustration comes from. Delays and communication failures are two very clear sources of it. That frustration is legitimate, and we own it.
But we also want to address something directly: there have been alarmist voices questioning whether this project will ever see the light of day. And we want to assure you — they are wrong. There is a full team of people behind this project, who have dedicated years of real work to this campaign.
Shadowlands Games has published over 150 books and role-playing games in Spain alone. We are not new to this. We have made mistakes regarding scaling our reach internationally, but we know what it means to finish a project — to hold a printed book in your hands and know that every single page was worth the effort.
We have a firm commitment to facing the challenges of every project while maintaining its quality and delivering it to the people who helped make it a reality. That is not going to change.
We Are Still Working
Our commitment is intact.
We are not going to stop until every one of you has Scions of the Dark Goddess in your hands. You can count on that.
As always, for any questions or postal address updates, you can reach us at [email protected].
Thank you — genuinely — for your patience, your understanding, and for sticking with us.
Shadowlands Games
_____ (Versión en castellano)
ACTUALIZACIÓN DEL ESTADO DE SCIONS OF THE DARK GODDESS
Queridos mecenas:
Os estamos escuchando, entendemos vuestra preocupación y, por eso, queremos que esta actualización sea algo más que una actualización. Algo más parecido a una conversación con vosotros sobre el estado de Scions of the Dark Goddess.
En primer lugar, hemos dejado pasar mayo esperando a que la imprenta nos diese una fecha definitiva para la entrega de las recompensas físicas. Lamentablemente, no ha sido así y os pedimos disculpas. Por la espera y por el silencio, que sumado a los retrasos que acumula este proyecto, no hace más que añadir frustración e incertidumbre. Y eso es lo último que queremos.
Así que: lo sentimos. Asumimos nuestra responsabilidad y no volveremos a caer en este error.
El embudo de producción en imprenta: qué está pasando
Como os comunicamos en nuestra última actualización, Scions of the Dark Goddess está en la imprenta. Pero la imprenta está atravesando actualmente un importante embudo de producción, y nuestro proyecto se ha visto atrapado en ese cuello de botella junto a otros. Parecía que iba a ser por poco tiempo y seguimos esperando.
Aún no tenemos una fecha de salida confirmada por su parte. Pero estamos encima. Estamos haciendo seguimiento. No estamos de brazos cruzados.
Es cierto que algunos habéis sugerido cambiar de imprenta. Os escuchamos y entendemos por qué parece una solución atractiva. Pero cambiar de imprenta en este punto significaría empezar el proceso de producción prácticamente desde cero: nuevas pruebas, nuevos acuerdos, nueva planificación desde el principio. Eso no aceleraría las cosas, sino que añadiría más retraso. Sinceramente, no es una opción vaya a hacer que recibáis los libros antes.
Lo que sí podemos deciros es que estamos presionando y que compartiremos un calendario confirmado en el momento en que lo tengamos.
Una pequeña compensación
Como nos hemos comprometido, en compensación por la espera, todos los mecenas recibirán una nueva aventura en PDF con cada actualización. No recuperará el tiempo, pero es un agradecimiento sincero por vuestra paciencia.
En esta ocasión, os regalamos ‘Terror en Ebenalp’, un one-shot de Joan Segovia que dejará a vuestros investigadores aislados en un idílico hotel de los Alpes… en una situación nada idílica.
En breve será distribuida a todos los mecenas, que podréis descargarla en vuestro perfil de Backerkit, como siempre.
Nuestros errores
Subestimamos la complejidad de esta campaña y nos hemos equivocado. No en el trabajo creativo —de eso estamos orgullosos— sino en lo que ha conllevado, el alcance, la producción, la logística de materiales y los tiempos de un proyecto de este alcance que se lanzaba internacionalmente en dos idiomas, con este nivel de extras físicos, en un entorno de producción complicado.
Os dimos una fecha estimada de envío y no la hemos cumplido. Hemos fallado en la comunicación también. Parte de lo que nos ha frenado estaba fuera de nuestro control. Parte no. Asumimos la responsabilidad total de los errores y, de nuevo, nos disculpamos sinceramente por ello.
Lo que sí podemos deciros, y lo creemos de verdad, es que estos errores nos llevan a aprender. Y estamos aprendiendo. En cómo estimamos plazos. En cómo comunicamos, especialmente cuando no tenemos buenas noticias. En cómo gestionamos las dependencias de producción. Ha sido una lección dura, y no vamos a salir de ella iguales que como entramos. Aprender de los errores es lo que convierte un tropiezo en un paso adelante, y eso es exactamente lo que estamos haciendo.
Sobre la frustración
Entendemos de dónde viene vuestra frustración. Los retrasos y errores de comunicación son dos fuentes claras de ello. Es legítimo y lo asumimos.
Pero queremos también abordar algo directamente: ha habido voces alarmistas que ponen en duda que este proyecto vaya a ver la luz. Y queremos garantizaros que no tienen razón. Hay un equipo completo de personas detrás de este proyecto, que han dedicado años de trabajo real a esta campaña.
Shadowlands Games ha publicado más de 150 libros y juegos de rol solo en España. No somos nuevos en esto. Hemos cometido errores al escalar internacionalmente nuestra proyección, pero sabemos lo que significa terminar un proyecto, sostener un libro impreso entre las manos y ver que cada página mereció el esfuerzo.
Tenemos un fuerte compromiso de hacer frente a las adversidades de cada proyecto, manteniendo su calidad y entregándolo a quienes nos han ayudado a convertirlo en realidad. Y eso no va a cambiar.
Seguimos trabajando
Nuestro compromiso sigue intacto.
No vamos a parar hasta que cada uno de vosotros tenga Scions of the Dark Goddess en sus manos. Eso podéis tenerlo por seguro.
Como siempre, cualquier duda que tengáis o actualización de dirección postal podéis contactarnos a [email protected].
Gracias, de verdad, por vuestra paciencia, vuestra comprensión y por seguir con nosotros.
SCIONS OF THE DARK GODDESS STATUS: PRINTER INFO AND MORE
Dear Backers,
Before we get into matter, we want to offer our sincere apologies for the ongoing delay. We know you are eager to receive your rewards, and so we are to ship them. In short, our printer partners have been unable to clear their backlog of orders and failed to meet their April delivery deadline. We are continuing to push them and it will undoubtedly be completed.
We realize this isn't the news you were hoping for, and we'd like to offer you some compensation. Starting today, all backers affected by the delay regarding physical rewards (at every level) will have access to a free one-shot scenario written by Enrique Camino, one of the authors of Scion of ther Dark Goddess. You should be able to find this ‘Choreography for children's group and astral soloist’ among your donwloads.
While we are unable to complete shipments, we will continue to provide a digital scenario every month as proof that we are working to deliver your rewards.
Printing Issues
As mentioned in the previous update, we expected the rewards to arrive at our hubs by now, with shipping set to begin in April. Unfortunately, the printer is still experiencing significant delays due to a high volume of projects. This has held up Scions of the Dark Goddess until now.
Everything was finished and settled on our end a while ago. We are pressuring them to complete the physical production and deliver all the rewards to our hub.
Since the printer's estimates were not met, we will not be able to provide a new estimated date until we receive a confirmed shipping window from them. But rest assured: We are in constant contact with them, trying to speed up the process and finish as soon as possible.
If you have any particular questions or wish to discuss your order, please email us at [email protected].
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Shadowlands Games
__ (Versión en castellano)
SCIONS OF THE DARK GODDESS STATUS: PRINTER INFO AND MORE
Queridos mecenas:
Antes de entrar en materia, queremos ofreceros nuestras más sinceras disculpas por el retraso continuado. Sabemos que estáis deseando recibir vuestras recompensas, y nosotros también queremos enviároslas cuanto antes. En resumen, nuestros compañeros de la imprenta no han sido capaces de reducir su acumulación de pedidos y no han cumplido con el plazo de entrega previsto para abril. Seguimos presionando para que se complete lo antes posible, y sin duda se terminará.
Sabemos que no son las noticias que esperabais, y nos gustaría ofreceros una compensación. Desde hoy, todos los mecenas afectados por el retraso en las recompensas físicas (en todos los niveles) tendrán acceso a un escenario one-shot gratuito escrito por Enrique Camino, uno de los autores de Scions of the Dark Goddess. Deberíais poder encontrarlo, titulado “Coreografia para grupo infantil y solista astral”, entre vuestras descargas.
Mientras no podamos completar los envíos, seguiremos proporcionando un escenario digital cada mes como muestra de que seguimos trabajando para entregaros vuestras recompensas.
Situación con la imprenta
Como mencionamos en la actualización anterior, esperábamos que las recompensas llegaran a nuestros centros logísticos a estas alturas, con los envíos previstos para comenzar en abril. Lamentablemente, la imprenta sigue experimentando retrasos significativos debido al alto volumen de proyectos. Esto ha afectado a Scions of the Dark Goddess hasta ahora.
Por nuestra parte, todo está terminado y cerrado desde hace tiempo. Estamos presionando para que finalicen la producción física y entreguen todas las recompensas en nuestro almacén.
Dado que las estimaciones de la imprenta no se han cumplido, no podemos proporcionar una nueva fecha estimada hasta recibir una ventana de envío confirmada por su parte. Aun así, podéis estar tranquilos: estamos en contacto constante con ellos, intentando acelerar el proceso y finalizar lo antes posible.
Si tenéis cualquier duda concreta o queréis comentar vuestro pedido, podéis escribirnos a [email protected].
Gracias por vuestro apoyo y comprensión continuos.
With this update, we would like to share the current status of the project and provide you with the latest information available.
First and foremost, our sincere apologies. We are fully aware of the accumulated delay and understand that it is not pleasant. We truly recognize the frustration this may cause, and we are eager to get your rewards into your hands as soon as possible. However, setbacks do sometimes occur.
Due to the heavy workload at the beginning of the year, our printing partner has not met their February delivery estimates. That said, we want to be absolutely clear: Scions of the Dark Goddess will reach you.
We remain in constant contact with the printer to expedite production as much as possible, as this is the final step before physical shipments can begin.
What is the current forecast? At this time, estimates indicate that the rewards will arrive at our hubs and shipping will begin between April and May. We will provide more precise and definitive information as soon as it becomes available.
Everything is already prepared so that shipments can start immediately once the pallets of books arrive at our hub.
We would also like to clarify that the absence of recent updates has not been due to a lack of work or attention to the project. On the contrary, the Scions of the Dark Goddess team has been closely overseeing production to ensure the books reach you as soon as possible. We chose not to send empty monthly updates simply stating “no news.” You deserve meaningful information, and that was the reason for that; we prefered to communicate when we could provide real and useful details.
As soon as we have confirmed data, you will know immediately.
Thank you again for your trust, understanding and patience, and please accept our apologies once more for the wait.
Shadowlands Games
____ (Versión en castellano)
ESTADO ACTUAL DEL PROYECTO
Queridos mecenas:
Con esta actualización queremos contaros la situación actual y trasladaros la información que tenemos en estos momentos.
Antes de nada, nuestras más sinceras disculpas. Somos conscientes del retraso acumulado y sabemos que no es agradable. Entendemos la frustración que genera, sinceramente, y estamos deseando poder haceros llegar vuestras recompensas. Pero a veces los contratiempos ocurren.
Debido a la sobrecarga de trabajo de comienzos de año, nuestro servicio de imprenta no ha cumplido sus estimaciones de entrega en febrero. Sin embargo, queremos despejar cualquier duda: Scions of the Dark Goddess os llegará.
Estamos en permanente contacto con la imprenta para acelerar la producción todo lo posible, ya que es el último paso del camino antes de empezar los envíos del material en físico. ¿Cuál es la previsión actual? En estos momentos, la estimaciones son recibir las recompensas en nuestros almacenes y comenzar los envíos en abril-mayo. Os daremos información más precisa y definitiva en cuanto podamos.
Eso sí, ya está todo preparado para que los envíos comiencen en cuanto los palés de libros lleguen a nuestro hub.
También nos gustaría explicar que la ausencia de actualizaciones recientes no ha sido por falta de trabajo ni de atención al proyecto. Al contrario, el equipo de Scions of the Dark Goddess está encima de la producción para intentar que os llegue cuanto antes. Hemos preferido no enviar actualizaciones mensuales vacías tipo “no hay noticias”. Merecéis tener información y preferimos compartirla cuando la tenemos, cuando podemos aportar datos reales y útiles.
En cuanto dispongamos de datos definitivos, lo sabréis de inmediato.
Gracias de nuevo por vuestra confianza, comprensión y paciencia. Y recibid de nuevo nuestras disculpas por la espera.
SotDG STATUS: PRINTING & ADDRESS LOCK ON NOVEMBER 24
Dear backers,
As we mentioned in our last update, over the past few weeks we have completed all the remaining technical adjustments, and the printing process will begin shortly.
Shipping Address Lock
To streamline shipments as much as possible, we are already coordinating in parallel with our shipping partners. Therefore, on Monday, November 24, we will permanently lock shipping addresses in the Pledge Manager to avoid any issues.
If you have moved or need to update your address, you may do so until Sunday, November 23.
You can update your address in several ways:
By accessing your BackerKit profile (under Your pledges & surveys).
By using your invitation link to the Pledge Manager.
Or, if you need assistance, by writing to us at [email protected], and we will be happy to help.
Late Pledges and Pledge Upgrades
Similarly, if any backer wishes to upgrade their pledge level or add additional add-ons, this must be done before November 21, both to ensure availability and to avoid shipping delays caused by late changes.
The same applies to late pledges. If you are reading this and wish to join the project, please do so as soon as possible to secure availability.
Shipping
According to the latest information from the printer, the rewards will arrive at our hubs in laste week december - first January. As soon as we receive them, we will immediately begin packaging and shipping so the Scions can reach your hands as quickly as possible.
Most backers should receive their rewards between February and March 2026. Those living in more remote regions or areas with slower customs processing may receive their packages between April and May 2026.
We want to again extend our apologies for the accumulated delays and thank you sincerely for your continued patience and support. We are very close to finally bringing Scions of the Dark Goddess to your tables.
Thank you.
Shadowlands Games
_____ (Versión en castellano)
ESTADO DE SotDG: IMPRESIÓN Y CIERRE DE DIRECCIONES EL 24 DE NOVIEMBRE
Queridos mecenas:
Tal y como adelantamos en la última actualización, en las últimas semanas hemos completado todos los ajustes técnicos y el proceso de impresión va a comenzar en breve.
Cierre de direcciones de envío
Para agilizar los envíos lo máximo posible, ya estamos trabajando en paralelo con los servicios de mensajería. Por lo tanto, el lunes 24 de noviembre cerraremos definitivamente las direcciones de envío en el Pledge Manager, para evitar contratiempos.
Si habéis cambiado de domicilio o necesitáis actualizar vuestra dirección, podéis hacerlo hasta el domingo 23 de noviembre.
Podéis realizar el cambio de varias formas:
Accediendo a vuestro perfil de mecenas en Backerkit (apartado Your pledges & surveys).
Utilizando vuestro enlace de invitación al Pledge Manager.
O, si necesitáis ayuda, escribiéndonos directamente a [email protected] y estaremos encantados de asistiros.
Late Pledges y aumento del nivel de aportación
De igual manera, si algún mecenas quiere aumentar el nivel de aportación o añadir más add-ons debe hacerlo antes del 24 de noviembre, tanto para asegurar disponibilidad como para evitar retrasos en el envío por modificaciones tardías.
Igual ocurre con los late pledges. Si estás leyendo esto y quieres entrar en el proyecto, hazlo cuanto antes para asegurar la disponibilidad.
Envíos
Según la información más reciente de la imprenta, las recompensas llegarán a nuestros almacenes a finales de diciembre - principios de enero. En cuanto las recibamos, iniciaremos inmediatamente el empaquetado y el envío para que los Vástagos lleguen a vuestras manos cuanto antes.
La mayoría de los mecenas deberían recibir los libros y ayudas de juego entre febrero y marzo de 2026. Aquellos que residan en regiones más lejanas o con trámites aduaneros lentos podrían recibir sus paquetes hasta en abril - mayo 2026.
Queremos reiterar nuestras disculpas por los retrasos acumulados y agradeceros de nuevo vuestra paciencia y apoyo constante. Estamos ya muy cerca de que Scions of the Dark Goddess llegue por fin a vuestras mesas.
The sooner you join, the stronger Raven’s wings will spread… and the more stretch goals you help to unlock!
Remember, payment in installments available (min €125 pledges).
What's new?
The Fall of the House of Corvus
The ultimate campaign for Raven, the role-playing game!
One night, during a secret ritual meant to lift a curse on the family, the parents of the Corvus Characters are murdered by a spectre they summon. From then on, their family curse worsens, spiraling out of control to the point of threatening the very survival of the manor itself. Meanwhile, a new menace, born of their parents' experiments, stalks them and attacks them mercilessly every night.
Treacherous Ravens and Beloved Spectres
This volume is the second scenario compilation for Raven, the role-playing game, and it includes four independent ready-to-play adventures (or tales), in which you will face spectral beings, tragedy, mystery, terror and conspiracies.
Raven Starter Set
Sit down and start playing tenebrous Raven adventures immediately with this Starter Set, even if you have never played it before or are a complete TTRPG beginner. The Raven Starter Set includes everything you need to play: Rules booklet, World booklet and Adventures, maps, Corvus Character sheets, handouts, Threat cards and a set of dice.
Lenore, the first Raven live-action role-playing game.
Lenore is a narrative, dark and dramatic live-action role-playing game inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and Raven, the role-playing game. It is designed for six players and one Tenebrous Voice (who will act as a narrator).
Playing Lenore means experiencing the fearsome fog of the City of Raven and desperate pacts with crows in your soul. A sombre and emotional poem awaits you.
We are immensely grateful for all the support you have given us to achieve the best possible edition of Scions of the Dark Goddess. This campaign has been one of the major milestones for our company, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Here's what we have achieved:
✅ €239,249 raised.
✅ 2,585 backers.
✅ 25 out of 25 stretch goals unlocked.
✅ The most supported campaign ever run by a Spanish role-playing game publisher.
✅ No other independent campaign for Call of Cthulhu has ever received this much support before.
What Comes Next?
In the coming days, BackerKit will collect all the necessary information and process the payments. You will receive a notification once this happens. Please be aware that, for security reasons, your bank may sometimes block or reject the charge. If this occurs, BackerKit will notify you automatically, and you will need to contact your bank to authorize the payment.
For any questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
The Pledge Manager and Late Pledges
Pledge Manager After the campaign, we will begin preparing the Pledge Manager. This usually takes a few weeks, but we hope to have everything ready as soon as possible. Through the Pledge Manager, you will be able to:
Increase your pledge level (paying only the difference).
Add any add-ons from those available.
Provide your address and pay the shipping costs.
Select your preferred language for your rewards.
Late Pledges Once the Pledge Manager is open, late pledges will also be accepted. This means those who missed the campaign will still have a chance to join in, though prices may vary from the original campaign.
First and foremost, I want this to be a positive message, not a destructive criticism.
First and foremost, as a previous consumer of your products, I am deeply saddened by the situation you are currently going through. Until now you have produced quality products, always with the best intentions, which is why the situation you are clearly experiencing both surprises and saddens me. Obviously, there are factors beyond your control that have led you to make a series of decisions that are affecting the outcome of this and other campaigns. In that regard, all I can offer is my most sincere support.
However, there is something that depends entirely on you, something that is not only affecting you right now but will also affect you as a company in the future: transparency. It is solely up to you to be completely honest about the situation, to provide details, frequent reports (and no, a simple monthly post saying there is no progress is not enough), absolute clarity regarding current and future decisions. And again, that depends on you — and it is what will destroy your company and your reputation unless you take action. At this point, even delivering a finished product will not be enough; you must regain the trust of your current and future customers.
Some suggestions:
- Provide weekly updates on progress, even if that progress is zero.
- Clearly explain why switching printers is not an option. After all the delays this project has accumulated, a simple “starting over would delay everything even more because we’d have to begin from scratch” is not enough. This is preferable to the absolute uncertainty of “if we stay with the current printer, we don’t know when it will be finished, if at all.” A certified six‑month delay is preferable to going month by month without knowing whether this will be a six‑month delay, a year, or never.
- Explain the real current state of the project — absolute transparency.
- Explain the financial status of the project.
- Explain the status of future shipments for the project.
Right now, the only thing we have from you is absolute uncertainty that borders on fraud, and it is ONLY in YOUR hands to fix this situation. It is not necessary to wait until the product is delivered to resolve this; if you keep waiting, it will already be too late to repair your reputation.
I honestly hope you do something, because your company has gone in a very short time from being a great business to being considered scammers.
My two cents.
------
Primero y ante todo quiero que esta sea una entrada positiva, no una crítica destructiva.
Como consumidor previo de vuestros productos me apena enormemente la situación por la que estáis pasando. Hasta ahora habéis hecho unos productos de calidad y siempre con la mejor de las intenciones, por eso me sorprende y me apena la situación que claramente estáis viviendo. Obviamente hay factores que escapan a vuestro control que están haciendo que hayáis tomado una serie de decisiones que están afectando al resultado de esta y otras campañas. En ese aspecto no puedo daros si no mi más sincero apoyo.
Sin embargo sí que hay algo que depende enteramente de vosotros y que no sólo os está afectando actualmente si no que además os va a afectar como compañía de cara al futuro y es la transparencia. Sólo de vosotros depende ser totalmente honestos con la situación, dar detalles, reportes frecuentes (y no, un sencillo post al mes indicando que no hay avances no es suficiente), claridad absoluta con las decisiones actuales y futuras. Y eso, de nuevo, depende de vosotros y es lo que os va a destruir como empresa y vuestra reputación a menos que hagáis algo. A estas alturas incluso entregar un producto terminado no va a ser suficiente, debéis recuperar la confianza de vuestros clientes, actuales y futuros.
Algunas sugerencias:
- Indicad SEMANALMENTE los avances, incluso si esos avances son nulos.
- Explicad claramente por qué no es una opción cambiar de imprenta. Tras todo el tiempo de retraso que lleva el proyecto un simple "es que volver a empezar retrasaría todo más porque habría que empezar de cero" no nos vale. Esto es preferible a una incertidumbre absoluta de "si seguimos con la imprenta actual no sabemos cuando se finalizará si es que se hace). Es preferible 6 meses certificados que seguir mes a mes sin saber si esto será un retraso de 6 meses, un año o nunca.
- Explicad el estado actual real del proyecto, transparencia absoluta
- Explicad el estado financiero del proyecto.
- Explicad el estado de los futuros envíos del proyecto.
Ahora mismo lo único que tenemos por vuestra parte es una incertidumbre absoluta que ralla la estafa y SOLO está en VUESTRA mano el arreglar esta situación. No es necesario esperar a entregar el producto para resolver esto, si seguís esperando ya será demasiado tarde para arreglar vuestra reputación.
Espero que hagáis algo, honestamente, porque vuestra compañía ha pasado en muy poco tiempo de una gran empresa a ser considerados estafadores.
Mis 2 céntimos.
From the Trickerion Pledge page. Your words about your process in producing your games.... used to compel people to pledge. To assure them of your results.... Please read this, Shadowlands, and see if you can count how many times statements you've made here may cause confusion, irritation, mistrust, frustration, etc. among those of us whom have pledged. And before you can say "Well, Enoch, Trickerion is a different project!" Please, REREAD these words and see how they imply a business model you apply to all of your projects. Take note of the printing and shipping statements. Enjoy.
<quote>
Risks and challenges
Regarding the process and publication risks.
Publishing a tabletop role-playing game is not an easy process. Throughout its development and production there are a variety of moments when errors can occur. Sometimes things can go wrong. We know this as a company, as designers and as clients. But we strive to minimize the risk.
At Shadowlands Games we are committed to seriousness and loyalty in the fulfilment of all our projects, including both in quality and production. This will has led us to publish successfully all our projects for more than 5 years (licensed and self-produced), through pre-sale and crowdfunding campaigns. To date, we published more than 55 games and supplements only in Spain. Now it's time to take the great talent of our authors internationally and expand our market.
All of our books go through a meticulous editing and production process to minimize errors, problems and delays. These are the steps:
Pre-production. We carried out important design and editing work to advance the launch of the project on Backerkit. This includes having the game materials complete and the artwork more than 70% complete. The remaining 30% continues working during and after the campaign until the final product is obtained.
Quotes and production agreements. Previously to the campaign launch, we managed everything with printers and manufacturers to get everything ready. As soon as we receive the funds, green light to production!
Shipping. This step is complex, but we prepare and manage it in advance with companies specialized in international management and logistics to be able to send a large number of orders in a short time.
To all of the above, we add our firm commitment to transparency and communication with backers and customers. We will assist you before, during and after the project to respond to your questions, suggestions and comments through this platform, our social networks or our website/email.
Trickerion, the roleplaying game, couldn't be possible without your help. We are very grateful to you, dear backers, for your support and trust. Therefore, we want to assure you that we will do everything we can to make Trickerion the best role-playing game possible.
<end quote>
Also, compare this to the Risks portion of Scion's pledge page and you'll see much the same...
So, you can see how in hindsight, this might seem misleading? Especially when most of your projects have people going "Where are you? Can we has updatez? Call of the Sea you've left to drift for 5 months now, with no word! Five months! Why, we shouldn't even complain here cos it's only been a bit more than a month here.
I'd get it if you had a 78% fulfillment rate and there were just some stragglers. I'd put that to individual project teams not picking up their slack. Or something off with the dice production. But by and large, you are failing your donors all the while asking for more money on more projects. You are drowning.
There is a printer, yes. But you don't have the funds to pay that printer. Or, you don't have the funds to pay the shipping and you're scared to ask us for a re-up. And that's why you're buying already designed IP to re-sell under your banner so you can get enough of a profit margin to play catch-up. Or you're just grifting us and hope we'll all eventually forget this project, like in another 3 years or so. But by that time, your name will become synonymous with grift and you'll eventually find those diminishing returns sinking your projects.
I think your next update should rely less on ChatGPT and more on being frank with those of us who feel emotionally manipulated by your promises of a quick turnaround. Honestly, those of you reading this, if you had seen this project listed and they'd said "We're pledging now in spring 2024, and we hope to get this to you by 2027" would you have pledged? I wouldn't have.
I can't even bring myself to use the PDFs we have because there's a feeling of being played. And I think if I see any grammatical or spelling error in these final proof PDFs I'll lose my shit over the lack of quality control. It would just be another strike against a shoddy production. And honestly, I don't need that. I'm tired boss. Real tired.
At this point, I’ve accepted that it might never happen But, they keep swearing it will, so who knows? Would they so vehemently deny that it’s dead if it wasn’t? What would be the benefit of leading us on? Shadowland, I’m here, being patient, assuming the best and preparing for the worst. At least I got a cool campaign in digital format.
I know everyone’s upset, but ask yourself if the vitriol is worth it. If it actually makes you feel better to make them feel worse, or if it just perpetuates a downward spiral of negativity.
Let’s be kind to one another even if it means we have to see the best in people despite evidence to the contrary.
