TLDR: Most orders in progress; hardcovers delayed; digital version releases today!
Hi backers!
It's been a flurry of activity here-- after a long day of packing, with the help of some wonderful friends, a good chunk of the Downcrawl shipping logistics are completed! Here's me looking extremely tired with about 400 orders ready to head to the post office...
...and here's one of those orders about to be wrapped up:
That's the bonus cards for Early Bird backers on the right; you'll note that all the words on the top card are expressions of gratitude for you awesome folks who helped kick this project off with me. <3
A quick update on where things are at with shipping:
Pre-order backers who placed their orders after March 1, 2025 should see their orders ship in early to mid-April. These orders will be processed in a separate batch next week after the crowdfunding and "late pledge" orders are all done.
For everyone else:
All bonus item packages have now been shipped, including card decks for orders that also included bonus items. You should have received either an email from PirateShip or BackerKit (or both) with a tracking number, to the email associated with your pledge. Check your spam folders if you don't see it.
If you're outside the US and your tracking number starts with AHOY, you can enter that number on the Asendia portal to track your package.
All standalone card decks have now been sent to the card printer (this is for orders that do NOT include any bonus items), and should ship in the next 7-10 business days. You should have received an email from DriveThruCards confirming the order, and will receive another email with a tracking number when your order ships.
Note: emails from DriveThru sites will mention that an account has been created for you, if you didn't already have one associated with your project email address. This is how they track your order in their system and lets them send a confirmation email when your package ships, open a ticket if there's a problem with your order, etc. You do NOT have to log in to this account unless you have a need to; you'll get the relevant notification emails about your order automatically with no further action.
All standalone softcover rulebooks have been sent to the book printer (i.e. orders without any other book products). You should have received an email from DriveThruRPG confirming the order, and will receive another email with a tracking number when your order ships.
That leaves the hardcover rulebooks, and these orders will be sent to the printer no later than Friday (you'll get a confirmation email from DriveThruRPG). Unfortunately, I've learned over the past few weeks that there is a much bigger backlog at the book printer currently for hardcovers than for softcovers. I've learned this because I had to wait weeks longer than I thought I would to get the final hardcover check proof (which is also why hardcover orders have not been sent to the printer just yet).
Because of this, even though the hardcover book orders will be going in this week, there will be a delay of 2-4 weeks before hardcovers ship, meaning your hardcover rulebooks likely won't arrive until late April or, worst case, early May. I do apologize for this; I had assumed softcover print times were indicative of all book orders, so this caught me by surprise as well.
Digital Version Now Released!
As a consolation, I'm happy to say that I'm releasing the final digital version of the rulebook a bit early-- specifically, right now-- so you can start playing Downcrawl without needing to wait for physical books to arrive.
You can access your digital downloads (also including player handouts and other useful material) by logging into your BackerKit survey and clicking the blue "Get Your Digital Downloads" button.
(If you do want a link to share, you can point people at the Downcrawl website. Pre-orders are available for just a couple more days; on March 31st, the game will go on sale at a higher price point (printing costs are going up because of tariff uncertainty) so grab it now if you're still on the fence!)
Shipping Issues
If your order arrives damaged, please contact me ASAP for a replacement. Ideally if you can send photos of the damage both to the box and/or to interior contents, that's very helpful.
If your order doesn't arrive at all, but your tracking number says it should have, before contacting me please first confirm that someone else at your residence or a neighbor didn't receive it for you, or that it didn't get returned as undeliverable to your local post office (the tracking page should show this if it's happened).
If you don't receive a tracking number and think you should have, log into BackerKit and check that you completed your survey and paid for shipping. If you haven't done this, reach out to me ASAP about a late payment (I cannot hold unclaimed orders indefinitely). Otherwise, ping me and I'll investigate.
More Soon
I'll be back in a few weeks once orders are starting to get into your hands with some info about the official release and what's next for me and Downcrawl. Until then, hope you can start enjoying some new adventures in the Deep, Deep Down!
