Fulfillment Is Complete -- If You Still Have an Issue....
As the title indicates, general fulfillment for this project is complete. We know there are some folks who have had issues with their shipment. If you have a problem and have no...
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Justin D. Jacobson (Board Game Necromancer)
6 months ago
Fulfillment Status + Issues with the App + More
Lots to cover in this update, so buckle up. Let's start with...
Fulfillment
US and Canada are underway. It should wrap up by the end of the month. They are probably about halfw...
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Justin D. Jacobson (Board Game Necromancer)
6 months ago
Card Sleeves: Which Sleeves for Which Cards?
I'm seeing a couple of folks saying they were shorted sleeves. That is most likely not the case and is just a situation of using the wrong sleeves for the wrong cards. This happened with the original campaign as well, and honestly we probably should have added something to the...
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Justin D. Jacobson (Board Game Necromancer)
7 months ago
Tower Plushie Makeship Campaign Is Live + Covenant Shipping Starting This Week
The folks over at Makeship have officially launched their campaign for the Tower plushie. You can check it out here: https://www.makeship.com/products/the-tower-plush
Makesh...
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Justin D. Jacobson (Board Game Necromancer)
7 months ago
Tower Plushie Giveaway + Fulfillment Update
The Makeship campaign for the plushie Tower will be starting soon, but Makeship are doing a giveaway on Twitter/X right now! All you have to do is go to THIS TWEET, make sure...
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Justin D. Jacobson (Board Game Necromancer)
7 months ago
App Update 1.3.1 -- PLEASE READ
Well, that was quick. We're still on pace to begin fulfillment in October, and it's looking like sooner rather than later. In anticipation of folks getting their games, we went ...
As the title indicates, general fulfillment for this project is complete. We know there are some folks who have had issues with their shipment. If you have a problem and have not already emailed [email protected], please do so. We will make sure we get everything sorted out for you.
If you have already emailed us, we will be working to get caught up on all our emails that came in over the holidays. Additionally, I'm happy to report that Josh Heake will be moving to full-time with us for customer service to make sure we are providing you the best and most responsive service we can. Rest assured, if you don't have your game or need a replacement part, we will work with you until you get it.
This was a very exciting project, and we are happy to see folks enjoying their games. But don't rest easy ... the Tower never sleeps.
Lots to cover in this update, so buckle up. Let's start with...
Fulfillment
US and Canada are underway. It should wrap up by the end of the month. They are probably about halfway done, so no need to worry or reach out if you haven't gotten a shipping notice or received your game yet. Rest of World will process after those go out.
UK/EU and Asia should start shipping out by the end of this week or next week. Keep in mind that different locations within these regions will take longer to process and ship. In particular, the shipping process for Asia can extend out for a longer stretch than some of the other regions. As always, patience.
As I mentioned before, Australia had some COVID-related staffing issues to deal with. They are largely over the hump but behind in general. They expect to start shipping in "early November".
Reminder: If you have an issue with a lost or damaged shipment or missing or damaged parts, please contact Quartermaster Logistics directly via the Contact form on their website.
App Conflict with Android 14
EDIT: Our developers were able to fix the problem and have already released the new build. So, no worries. Appreciate everyone's patience and understanding while we got that sorted out.
As you might have heard, an issue has popped up with a conflict between Android 14 and the RTDT app. This is well beyond my understanding, so I asked our app developer and lead engineer to break down the issue in "plain" language:
The recent rollout of Android 14 caused unforeseen conflicts with portions of the code used in the RTDT app ("libraries") that are necessary for it to function. While this currently only affects Google Pixel devices, the problem will expand as more devices move over to Android 14. The next steps are finding replacements for the affected libraries and testing them to make sure they don't cause other issues. Our programmers estimate this will take a couple of weeks. In the meantime, the app is playable on any device not using Android 14 that meets our minimum specifications.
I want to be clear, this is not an issue that we had any warning was going to pop up, but we jumped in immediately to start working on a solution. And, of course, I'll pass on updates from the team as I get them. We're sorry for the inconvenience -- especially for those you who can't find an alternate way to play the game until then.
And Other Stuff
Now that you all are starting to get your hands on the app, you will undoubtedly find a few typos or UI glitches here or there. Please report any bugs, typos, or other issues with the app using our bug reporting form. Having them all come through the same channel will make sure we don't miss something on a future update.
Those of you who got Coffers 2 might have noticed that the upgraded offering tokens pictured in the image are not in the set. During final pre-production, we determined that the size of the token did not work well for the regular coffers treatment. In lieu of that, we have provided swirly, golden cubes as alternate offering tokens in the Covenant box proper. To be clear: There are no offering tokens in Coffers 2.
Finally, Makeship are heading into the homestretch on their Tower plushie campaign. They're cute, and they come with a felt skull you can tuck into the portal pocket. Give it a look before the campaign ends.
Makeship works a lot like Kickstarter or BackerKit, but it's on their own website. They put up the plushie design for 3 weeks. If enough people pledge to get it, they go ahead and make them and ship them out. Importantly, Makeship have been doing this for 5 years now, and their process is well tested and refined. If you back for the Tower plushie, you'll get it in January. For full disclosure, we get a very modest cut if this is successful, but we really just thought it would be a fun thing for the fans of the game. As part of the design process, I received a production copy, and, well, it's as adorable as it is evil (and as big as my head):
As for the Covenant campaign, as some of you probably noticed, the shipping emails are already going out. In good news, Quartermaster Logistics informed us that they were able to push up the starting ship date for US/Canada backers, and they will start going out this week! The international hubs (other than AU) are on track to start shipping out in the next week or so, and we continue to monitor the situation in Australia, which is looking like a November start date.
The Makeship campaign for the plushie Tower will be starting soon, but Makeship are doing a giveaway on Twitter/X right now! All you have to do is go to THIS TWEET, make sure you're following Makeship and us and then retweet. It's open to folks worldwide. So go do that right now, and then come back for the boring fulfillment stuff.
Just kidding, the fulfillment stuff is exciting too. We have confirmation from QML that they are making final preparations to start shipping to US/Canada backers in the next couple of weeks. All other hubs will follow shortly after that, except for AU. Aetherworks are apparently having some major illness issues at their warehouse. We are keeping an eye on it, but it could push the start date there to November.
Importantly: Address verification emails could start going out as early as this weekend. They will be coming from [email protected]. Please keep an eye out for them and feel free to whitelist that address to make sure it doesn't hit your spam folder.
[EDIT: Clarified that the giveaway is being run by Makeship, not Restoration Games.]
Well, that was quick. We're still on pace to begin fulfillment in October, and it's looking like sooner rather than later. In anticipation of folks getting their games, we went ahead and submitted the expansion update to the iOS App Store. They don't let you decide when to release, and you can't control how long the review process takes. We wanted to be sure that folks had the app when they received the expansion, so we submitted now. And they approved it almost immediately. (Who knows, maybe Tim Cook is a huge RTDT fan?) In any case, version 1.3.1 is now available in the App Store and should be up in the Google Play and Amazon app stores later today.
I hope it goes without saying, but you cannot play the Covenant expansion without the physical components. If you don't mind spoilers, you're welcome to select the expansion and poke around if that's your jam. In the meantime, though, you can still play with the app as normal without selecting the expansion.
In the update, you'll notice a little tweak to the UI for selecting expansions to make it a little cleaner. And of course, the Covenant expansion in all its glory: new main goals, monuments, wastelands, doom skulls, and more! It feels wrong to say somehow, but have fun!
Let's get straight to it: No more hiccups at the factory, and all of the items are now on the water or already at the warehouse. As I indicated in the last update, we expect fulfillment to begin in October. That said, there is a very good chance it could start in the closer hubs -- Asia, AU/NZ -- before the end of September. We'll of course keep you posted if anything changes.
Gen Con was absolutely amazing. Of note, we ran non-stop Covenant demos, and everyone had a great time with it. I'm really ecstatic with how the expansion turned out. And, finally, I received the first official production copy from the factory and made a quick video to show it off. Please pardon my meager production skills.
This update is coming a little later than I would have liked. We had another issue with the factory that we had to hear back about before I could report back to you all. If you also backed our Unmatched Adventures campaign, you've already heard the news: The factory was hit by a typhoon. In that campaign, it did not impact the timeline. Unfortunately, for Covenant, it did result in a delay of a couple of weeks. Speaking broadly, we expect the product to be ready to ship in the next couple of weeks and fulfillment to now begin in October. Once the games get on the boat, that will let us narrow down the window more precisely. I'm sorry for the delay, but these kinds of things can happen -- you just don't hear about them for games that go straight to retail. All we can do is pass on the best information we have and keep you updated. But if anything else happens, I'm going to start suspecting Isa.
Meanwhile, we have wrapped up the initial build of the latest version of the app, and we wanted to get it tested before everyone gets their hands on it. So, if you are interested in playtesting the new app build, we'd love to have your help. IMPORTANT: In order to playtest, you must meet the following criteria:
This is print-and-play only. You must be able to print your own Covenant expansion materials.
You must have an android device to use the playtest version of the app. (Sorry, no iOS devices.)
You must have the Alliances expansion (to borrow the power skulls to simulate the doom skulls).
You must be able to get in a few games during the playtest period from August 7-28.
As most of you probably know, we'll be at Gen Con next week. All of the Covenant events are filled up. However, if you want to come by and see it in action, we're running them pretty much all day, every day in Hall B at the Restoration Games HQ (along with Unmatched tournaments and a bunch of other fun things).
And, finally, you might recall a prior poll for an RTDT plushie that we're working on with Makeship. Well, I got the prototype, and -- I never thought I'd say this about the Tower -- it's adorable. I mean, it even comes with a little felt skull you can tuck into it. We'll have more info about it -- and a contest to win a free plushie -- in October.
We know you all have been very patient as we've dealt with several issues getting this campaign to the finish line. We are definitely getting closer, but we're not quite there yet. We did get some more information from our manufacturer about why the production has taken longer than typical and longer than we anticipated.
(As an aside, you might have noticed that BackerKit moved updates from a separate tab to a sub-category on the regular Communication page. You can filter for updates or sort by date. If you see folks having trouble finding an update, please point them in the right direction. Not sure how I feel about the change myself, but it's not like I have any control over it anyway.)
The major cause of the manufacturing delay was a shipment of paper that was unusable. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it meant that they couldn't print any cards. And we're not talking about a few sheets either; it was their entire supply. So they had to make an additional order and wait for delivery. Again, not something you can just pop down to the local Office Depot to pick up. Unsurprisingly, delays like this can compound, backing up a number of projects. This was really a major disruption to the process.
On the plus side, things are now back on track. We are still looking at about a month until they are ready to ship from the manufacturer to the fulfillment hubs, which would mean fulfillment starting sometime in September. As usual, I'll provide another update and a firmer date as things progress. In the last update, I mentioned that we would look at shipping the base games out separately from the expansions. However, the games are still not at the hubs. That possibility is not something we can really explore until that happens. We are advised that it's likely not possible given their workflow, but we will give a firm answer when we have it.
Obviously, this is not great news, but we'd rather be transparent than try to gloss over it. Part of crowdfunding is that you all get a much closer look at the production process than usual. Stuff like this can happen from time to time, but you never see it.
In the meantime, addresses remain unlocked on your survey. If you need to go in and update it, you should be ok. We have heard some folks having trouble changing their state. It's always best to delete all fields and re-enter them from scratch. If you still have issues, please email [email protected], and they will get it done for you. And if you have any other issues or questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thanks for your continued patience.
Let's start with the bad news: Production for Covenant has been slightly delayed. The design on the monument figures had to go through a number of refinements to get them just right, which took longer to finalize than we anticipated. These figures are significantly larger and more intricate than our standard foe and building figures. (You can see an image of the Colossus of Bjorn mold below.) That process is now done, and production of the plastics is starting. We do not yet have an updated timeline. We should have it soon, but I didn't want to delay the update further waiting for it. As soon as we get a revised timeline, I will post it here. I can tell you that we do not expect any further delays in the production process.
As for the good news, there's twice as much of that!
For starters, the second printing of the base game is complete, and they are already on boats, heading toward the fulfillment hubs. For those of you who only ordered the base game, we will explore the possibility of having those shipped out separately, without waiting for the Covenant content to come in. We don't know yet if they will be able to accommodate that, but we'll see.
Saving the best for last: You might have noticed that an update to the app just dropped, and it's a juicy one. In addition to the usual assortment of refinements and bug fixes, we have the new monthly Adversary quests that we unlocked during the campaign. This brings a host of new challenges to keep you busy until the expansion arrives. New quest names include: "A Friend of My Enemy", "Seeds of Savagery", and "Happy Birthday, Isa!" Good luck!
Production is well underway for the 2nd printing of the base game. Note the "Version 2.0" marking on the bottom of the bottom slip sheet.
Meanwhile, having finished up the print materials for the base game, Panda are now starting production on Covenant and the other items. We are still on target for our existing fulfillment timeline. We'll do another update when games start getting onto boats. Until then, have a look at the folks at Capable building a whole bunch of Towers.
Finally, if you haven't heard of the Esoteric Order of Gamers, he's an amazing graphic designer and artist (whose even worked on a few of our games). But he also puts out the best player aids around. He just released a player aid for Return to Dark Tower. Have a look, you might find it super handy.
We've finished development of the alternative monthly quests and are ready to do some playtesting. So, we're looking for a few brave souls who would like to put these through their paces before we push it out to everybody. IMPORTANT: This playtest is only open to people who have an Android device and already own a copy of the game. If you do and would like to playtest build 1.2.7 with the new quests and some other updates, please complete this playtester application form. We are planning on sending out the playtest build by early next week.
The call for playtesters is now closed. We'll be sending out the playtest materials to the playtesters some time next week.
On a separate note, we've been in contact with Makeship about doing one or more plushies of some of the cuties in our game. If you're not familiar with them, they run crowdfunding-esque campaigns to do plushie versions of characters from various games and other properties. They're big fans of Return to Dark Tower and reached out to see if we'd be interested in doing it. We thought you all might have fun with it and decided to make a poll to help decide who we "plushify". I tried to include our most iconic characters and ones who I thought would translate well into a plushie. If you have other suggestions, feel free to shout them out in the comments below.
Meanwhile, nothing new on the production side of things. We got a look at the production samples for Coffers 2, i.e., the plastic versions of the tokens, and they look great (NOT FINAL).
We are locking down addresses in the BackerKit pledge manager. You should get a notice from BackerKit that this is happening and can make any last-minute changes now. After that, you will no longer be able to manually update your address. If you have any issues, please contact us at [email protected] and include the email address you used in BackerKit and the updated shipping address.
When it is about ready to go out, you will get an email from Quartermaster Logistics to verify your pledge address for shipping. Please make sure you "allowlist" [email protected] so it doesn't get caught in any spam filters.
Production remains on schedule for fulfillment to begin in July.
In the meantime, have a look at the Covenant box bottom:
Production is moving along nicely. Some of you might recall from last time that this is a two-stage production process. Our regular manufacturer, Panda, is producing the printed materials and miniatures. They then forward those to our Tower manufacturer, Capable, for final assembly. Panda has already start on that process -- just got a photo of some of the monument miniatures today in fact. Here's a sneak peek:
As always, I'll let you all know if there are any changes to the timeline, and I should be able to post a pdf of the Covenant rules soon. To close things out, I thought I would also show off the final Astromancer spells, including the stellar art from Nastya Lehn:
Quick update to our retailers. We will be locking orders down on Friday, January 13 (sometime during mid-morning after I get up). If you have been continuing to take preorders or want to make any last-minute changes, now is the time to get that done. So, please go into BackerKit and finalize your orders.
We will NOT be charging cards at that time. We just need to lock down the counts to finalize manufacturing. We will charge cards for the orders when the games are ready to ship from the factory, which should be some time in March. (We will not charge for shipping until the games are ready to ship from the fulfillment hubs to you, at which time we will confirm the cheapest and best way to ship them.)
If you have any questions or problems completing your order, please contact BackerKit support. If you're still having trouble or have an unrelated question, please email [email protected].
We've submitted an update to the app across the iOS, Android, and Amazon app stores, which should show up shortly. Here's what's new:
Updated the Tower event screen to clarify which seal to remove. Some folks have difficulty seeing exactly which seal to remove during the "A Seal Is Broken" event. The app screen now shows which seal should be removed.
Rebalanced four-player games to give more turns in earlier months. After gathering tons and tons of game data, we determined that the game scaled a little too difficult at four players. In a four-player game, players will not be able to get less than 8 turns in months 2 and 3. We also slowed down the foe cadence slightly. These changes only apply to heroic difficulty. If they result in you finding the game too easy, it's time to give gritty difficulty a try.
Added win/loss text to the End Game screen specific to the Adversary. Finally! You now get custom win/loss text based on the chosen adversary. No spoilers, but I think Isa's loss text might be my favorite.
Lots of bug fixes. Among other things, we changed the way Tower states are stored in saved games. Games could get stuck in an incorrect state if exited during an event chain that included a Rotate Tower event.
Polished a number of screens. (Gain 1 spirit if you can spot the changes.)
