Fulfillment Status, Keep an Eye Out for the Coin, Where To Find Rules Help, and Just a Hint of a Tease
about 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 09, 2022 at 03:54:58 AM

Let's start, as always, with fulfillment. For the US and Canada, things are moving quickly now. As of today, Quartermaster are through about one-third of the orders. They expect to complete primary fulfillment by the end of next week. No need to fret if you still haven't gotten your shipping notification.

Nothing much has changed for the other hubs. The UK/EU base game shipment seems to be taking a little longer to get to port, so that might get bumped another week, toward the end of the month and middle of April respectively. Meanwhile, Asia has all stock in hand now and should start fulfilling in the next two weeks. CN/HK/MO should get their packages fairly quickly. Other countries in the region might take longer. We'll get more detailed timelines for the other countries as they start to ship out. Aus/NZ remain on track for April.

When you get your game, if your order includes the coin, please be aware that it is packed loose in the carton (in a plastic bag). It can end up sliding toward the bottom of the carton, even under a flap or below the bubble wrap. So please look carefully for it before reaching out to Quartermaster for a replacement.

Lots of folks are starting to play their first games. No surprise, lots of folks are having questions. Not to worry, we're here to help. First stop should be our Learning page, which includes the Watch It Played video and our FAQ. If that doesn't help, the game's Board Game Geek forums and our dedicated Discord channel should get you a quick answer to any specific questions.

And, finally, I figured now is as good a time as any to mention this. While you all are just getting your games now, I've been playing the finished product the past six months or so. I've played literally a hundred games in that time. In what is probably the best endorsement, I'm still having a lot of fun with it. My game group still asks to play every time we get together. And as I kept playing, my game designer brain kept noodling ideas in my subconscious. Then, this past Saturday, this happened:

So, yes, I'm working on an expansion. I only mention because I might start talking about it publicly. Given the great feedback we've gotten on the game, the high demand we are seeing, and the limited additional stock we have, we will be looking to do another campaign in the future for folks who missed out on the game the first time. So, maybe, right around when you've played your 100th game and you're looking for a new challenge, I'll be there just in time.

What To Do If You Have an Issue with Shipping ... and an App Update
about 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 02, 2022 at 02:25:16 AM

US and Canada orders have started shipping out, and other regions will be close behind. I want to mention a few things to make this go as smoothly as possible.

Sign up for FedEx delivery manager service: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/delivery-manager.html. Quartermaster sends out tracking emails, but they can be delayed. If you sign up for the service, you will get notified (by email or text) when a package is scheduled to be delivered to your address. You can even do things like delay delivery if you're going to be out of town or arrange for delivery to an alternate address.

When you get your game, if you notice any damage to your shipping carton or to the game box inside, please take photos of both. This will help us get reimbursement for replacement items.

Reminder, if you got the neoprene mat, it is shipping separately from the other items. The shipping notification email QML was sending out was a little confusing in that it referred to all items in the order. We have since tweaked the language to clarify that.

If you have an issue with your shipment, please contact [email protected] first. They will be able to provide you with a better, quicker response to your problem. And they will reach out to us if it's something we need to address.

As for the fulfillment timeline, things remain largely unchanged. US/Canada will take a few weeks to work through, so please be patient there. We should have a more definitive timeline after they work through this initial batch. Freight to the remaining hubs is estimated to take about a week longer than we originally planned. As of now, UK and Asia are expected to start fulfilling later this month. EU and Aus/NZ first thing in April. I've updated the sea freight status sheet. We should be retiring that very soon as that portion of the process winds down. 

Meanwhile, we've just uploaded another updated to the app. We continue to add refinements, squash bugs, and the like. And we'll continue doing that as we get more feedback as more folks get their games. Notes for this update are as follows:

• Fixed a bug where players could not remove Xyr as a companion when presented to do so by one of Isa's events.
• Fixed a graphics bug that could cause a crash when entering dungeons on some older and low-end devices.
• Game Settings now has a Performance Mode option. (This should help with lower-end devices and save on battery life for the device.)
• Minor sound, text, backer names and graphics updates.
• Graphics and audio performance pass.

As folks start playing, reminder that the best way to answer your questions about the game are our learning page or the BGG forums. And don't forget to share your game stat screens and game seeds! Happy hunting!

US/Canada Shipping Starting Soon, Other Regions Close Behind
about 2 years ago – Tue, Feb 22, 2022 at 04:50:11 AM

We are now on the other side of Chinese New Year, and stuff is starting to happen. I know it's been a little bit since my last official update, but there wasn't much to report during that quiet period. I have been keeping the freight status sheet up-to-date with the latest info, and I'm going through the comments daily, answering any questions that might pop up. I'll continue to use that process going forward.

As we move into this stage of fulfillment, I want to highlight this general rule: If you have an issue with shipping, please contact [email protected] directly for assistance. It will be faster and less likely for error than working through me as an intermediary. This includes things like: not receiving an address verification email, needing to postpone a shipment, lost or damaged shipment, etc.

The big news, of course, is that the address verification emails have gone out from Quartermaster for the US and Canada regions. If you are in the US or Canada and did not get an email, please check your spam folder. If you don't see one, email [email protected]. I don't know exactly when the actual shipments will start going out, but it will be soon. I'm quite confident that folks will start posting their shipping notifications when they get them, so that will let everyone know. Also worth keeping in mind that this is a massive order that will take several weeks to roll out. The "Rest of the World" shipments will be leaving from this hub, but it will be at the end of the queue as each one requires special preparation and documentation.

As for the other hubs, the current dates have held pretty well as indicated on the sheet. There is still the possibility of delay at port, so we'll have to keep an eye on that. But I'll be sure to update through that process. Barring any real trouble, we'll see those confirmation emails going out in the next few weeks.

To close on a fun note, for those who didn't see, Return to Dark Tower made a brief cameo on South Park a couple of weeks ago. No, we had no idea it was going to happen. Matt Stone, one of the creators, is a big board game fan and has included board games on the show from time to time. But, I have to admit, it was pretty cool.

Wheels (and Boats) are in Motion
over 2 years ago – Fri, Jan 28, 2022 at 12:07:20 AM

Appreciate the patience for me to get this update out. For starters, this past week was a bit bananas for me personally, between getting ready for our next KS and some personal stuff. (If you're over 50, get your colonoscopy, folks!) More importantly, international freight has gotten pretty hairy again. Chinese ports were simultaneously locking down again for the virus and hurrying up to beat Chinese New Year. Even the big boys are not immune. But, I finally have all the latest info. Reminder, you can see the current status of the sea freight shipments in this google sheet. So let's run down what the actual fulfillment windows look like, i.e., when can you expect to get the game in your hands.

US/Canada/Rest of World: Just a couple of containers still to get to the warehouse. Based on current estimates, fulfillment is expected to resume in mid- to late February and take about 3 weeks to complete. So this should wrap up by the end of March (with some RotW locations taking longer to complete based on local postal service).

United Kingdom: We've booked the shipments for both the base game and additional items, which are scheduled to depart before CNY. Fulfillment is expected to begin in March and should largely complete by the end of March.

European Union: We've booked the shipments for both the base game and additional items, which are scheduled to depart before CNY. (You'll note that the base game shipments for the UK and EU are on the same ship!)  Fulfillment is expected to begin in March and should be largely complete by the end of March.

Australia/New Zealand: Unfortunately, we could not get this shipment out before CNY. We do have a tentative booking for immediately afterwards. And, owing to the short journey, it should arrive at the fulfillment center towards the end of February. Fulfillment is expected to begin in March and should be largely complete by the end of March.

Asia: We had some difficulty getting this shipment sorted out due to communication issues between Capable and VFI regarding domestic customs issues between the two provinces. It's sorted out, but the shipment won't leave until after CNY. Again, owing to the short journey, it should arrive at the fulfillment center towards the end of February. Fulfillment is expected to begin in March and should be largely complete by the end of March.

If you noticed a theme here, it's that we expect the vast majority of backers to get their games by the end of March, all within roughly the same window, regardless of where you are. This is later than we promised of course, and there will always be some backers who get it a little bit later for one reason or another. But, importantly, it demonstrates why we went with this approach, i.e., prioritizing distant hubs over nearer ones. I know some folks are getting restless, but I want to assure you: Our interests our fully aligned. I want to get you your game just as much as you want to get it. For now, it's just waiting and watching. Ironically, February is going to feel like a very long month.

In the meantime, here's a really polished and thorough review from Tabletop Tolson:  https://youtu.be/aAAs3Fr0Khs. I promise, once you get your game, it'll be worth the wait.

Finally, I do want to mention that we are launching our Thunder Road: Vendetta Kickstarter campaign tomorrow. Obviously, I'd be thrilled if you decide to back. But I'm really mentioning it to give you a heads up that the first few days of the campaign can be super hectic. So it will take me a bit longer to respond to comments and messages here, but I will keep an eye on things.

Moving Into the Final Stages of Fulfillment and the Early Stages of Playing
over 2 years ago – Thu, Jan 13, 2022 at 11:58:54 PM

Fulfilment Status

If you are keeping a close eye on the sea freight status sheet, you'll note that the EU fulfillment has moved from "ON HOLD" to "WORKING". We continued to get vague word on the status of our EU import authorization. Rather than just hope and wait, we worked with our fulfillment partner to find a workaround. Short version, we are moving ahead with sea freight on those last two hubs immediately.

This means that we are actively booking all hubs now and, consequently, that we are locking down all shipping addresses in BackerKit. By the time you read this, you have already received email notification of your last chance to update your address in BackerKit. If your address is good, you do not need to do anything. If you need to make a change, click on the link in the email and update accordingly. As of this update, you have less than 48 hours to make any changes directly in BackerKit.

This is not the last opportunity to update your address if it changes after BackerKit lockdown. Quartermaster will send a final notification when they are ready to export their addresses for fulfillment. Please make sure you are able to receive emails from [email protected] and that they will not go to your spam folder. Importantly, I can no longer handle address changes myself, so do not message me in Kickstarter or via email.

A few other items of note. As far as I know, we don't have shipments booked yet for UK and AU, but I wasn't able to get up-to-date info from our logistics partner since I wanted to update everyone on the address lockdown right away. As soon as I get that info, I will update the sheet. All of the Panda items are now at VFI for Asia fulfillment. In another bit of good news, Capable were able to complete the final inspection of the last set of goods, and we should be able to get those to VFI prior to Chinese New Year, meaning that they will be able to begin fulfillment when they return. The Panda items are very close to getting into Quartermaster's warehouse. We had a few minor delays with some of the boats getting into port, getting stuff off loaded, or getting stuff over to the warehouse. But those should all be resolved by next week. At that point, Quartermaster will start fulfilling the all-in backers along with the remaining base game backers. We are still expect the majority of US backers to have their games by the end of February, with Canada backers shortly behind, and "other country" backers in various stages of completion depending on their specific postal systems.

Game Update

We're psyched to see folks getting and playing their games. And excited (and frankly a little relieved) that folks seem to really be having a good time with it. Please continue to share your experiences with us, including your end game screen. You might have noticed that it includes a game seed. If you find a particularly interesting or challenging game, folks can use that seed to try it out themselves. When you start a new game, you can enter a game seed, and it will load the game with the same set up and event timeline.

On the other hand, there have been a few reports of bugs. If you find a bug, please report it using the form on the support page at  returntodarktower.com. This makes it easier for us to collect, assess, and fix them.

The most common report we are seeing is that the Tower battery life indicator is super wonky. This is not a problem with battery life -- just the indicator. We've done tons of tests and demos with good results. You should get a few games out of a fresh set with no problems. (Reminder that your first few games might take a bit longer due to learning the game.) And the app will give you a warning if the batteries are critically low. You can always save your game, replace the batteries, and restart with minimal interruption.

Our outstanding app developer Bjorn is finishing an update to resolve this and other issues, which should be out soon, so keep an eye out. Here is the list of bug fixes for the new version:

● Game would lock up when leaving one of Yana's Main Goal dungeons in a restored game (if the dungeon was not completed).
● Tomas's second and third dungeons would not spawn in restored games.
● If the tower disconnected from the app in a restored game the app could cause the tower to recalibrate.
● Back button on the adversary spawn screen when Miras's, Tomas's or Yana's main goal was completed. If pressed, the Adversary did not spawn.
● Native crashes on devices connected to the Vulcan graphics API. (Vulcan has been disabled for now.)
● Dropping a skull into the Tower while exploring a dungeon caused the app to exit the dungeon, causing other errors. (Skull drop sensor now disabled on the Choose Dungeon and Explore Dungeon screens.)
● Foes that were max level (savage) and had all their tokens on the board could act twice in the same turn.
● A few Adversary images on the Quest screen were incorrectly positioned on 4:3 and 5:4 aspect ratio devices.
● The battery % indicator readings fluctuate too much, giving inaccurate information. (Disabled for now. Users will get a warning when batteries are critically low.)
● Updated backer name list
● Minor visual updates for readability and clarity.

Paint Jobs

On one final note, I went ahead and painted my quest marker minis from Dark Horde to make them easier to distinguish on the table:

If it's not obvious, I am a thoroughly average mini painter, but I'm pretty happy with the results overall. Can't wait to see what folks do with their sets. In fact, here's a hero paint job that looks pretty sweet: