Charging shipping and locking addresses next week! Let's do this. :)
Hello everyone!
I apologize for this taking a bit longer than anticipated. We had a harrowing few weeks where UPS lost 2/3rd of the cubes, and there were a lot of conversations with their customer support. BUT. They have thankfully arrived, and we are good to go.
I've just submitted the shipping charges for review with BackerKit. It looks like they are taking the day off today, so I should hear back from them early next week. As long as they approve the rates, we can get this show on the road.
The shipping cost includes shipping for the cube and the book (if you ordered a print copy) and a minor amount for our U.S. backers (less than $2) for the tariff/import fees. Thankfully, the tariff situation had calmed down a bit by the time we ordered, so it was much less than we feared.
Once BackerKit approves the rates, we will charge your cards and lock addresses. So please ensure your card details and addresses are up to date by Monday.
I know a handful of you haven't been able to access the PDF. I believe this is because we haven't yet charged for Add-ons. You should be charged for both Add-ons and Shipping at the same time. Once that goes through, you should be able to see the PDF. If you still can't see the PDF after being charged, let me know.
Let me know if you have questions! I can't wait for you all to get these in your hands!
PDFs are here! Cubes are close to the finishing line
Happy PDF release day!!
It's time! Thanks to the efforts of our amazing crew, the complete PDF is out and ready for your perusal. If you've completed your survey, you should receive a link to download the PDF today. If you haven't received it by Friday and think you should have, let us know.
Now, despite multiple folks looking through the text over the past several months, it is possible we may have missed some typos or errors. If you notice any errors, please fill out this form by next Wednesday, March 4th.
After that window closes, we'll make any last tweaks and get the book set up for printing through DrivethruRPG!
Cube Update
We're SO CLOSE. Nathan met with our cube manufacturer a few days ago and was informed that they should be wrapping up the last of the cubes next week. They also sent us some photos.
Black and white puzzle cubes sit in a cardboard box
Puzzle cubes with colored borders sit in a decorative stack
Black and white puizzle cubes sit in a decorative stack
We cannot wait to get these beauties into your hands.
Finalizing fulfillment
So with that in mind, please update your shipping address if needed by March 13th. We will be locking addresses after this point.
With how volatile the tariff situation is these days, we won't know the exact amount of our tariff bill until the cubes hit the border. Once we have that number, we will finalize the shipping costs and then charge cards to cover shipping and any add-ons/pre-orders added to your pledge. You'll receive a notification prior to this charge going through.
Hello backers! I hope those of you in the northern climates got/get through the week's snowy storms safely. I personally am not ready for winter to be here.
I've got a few quick updates for you!
Our cube manufacturer shared some photos of all three cubes with us.
Black and white cube
Border cube
Color background cube
We're feeling pretty excited! These are in progress, but our manufacturer is also balancing them with a holiday rush. It sounds like production should wrap up soon after the holidays.
Our three new adventures are also trucking along faster than expected! One adventure is already edited, and the other two are in the editing stage. Once those two finish editing, they will all progress to layout. We have new art from Hodag ready to go, so I expect the book to finish around the same time (if not earlier) than the cubes.
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, and stay warm!
Surveys lock tomorrow: Get your surveys and pre-orders in now!
Hello everyone! Just a quick post today to let you know that we're locking surveys tomorrow. Make your final changes to your surveys or snag a pre-order if you've been on the fence. There are nine of you who haven't filled out your survey yet, so please do so today!
I'll be back with a longer update soon, once cube production is underway.
THANK YOU to the 152 of you who completed your surveys! We've got a few stragglers, so be sure to answer them as soon as you can.
I have a super fun update for you today. Nathan managed to secure some additional funding, and we're going to add THREE more adventures to the book! We funded the initial Level 12 and the first stretch goal for a Level 1 adventure. We're now going to add a Level 3, 6, and 9 adventure. Check out these amazing stories.
Zavier Bates: Writer
Zavier Bates will provide us with our level 3 adventure: Law Keepers Labyrinth Within the center of a large city run by a magocracy, those who have committed crimes worthy of greater punishment are sent to the magically created labyrinth beneath the ordinary jail. The labyrinth slowly wears away the mentality of those incarcerated within, but unfortunately, mistakes happen. An individual who was prosecuted months prior and sent below has now been proven innocent and needs to be released. This is no easy task, as the labyrinth has a variety of non-lethal traps, spells, and functions to facilitate its purpose. The rooms of the labyrinth shift each time the door of the previous room is shut, and while those inside do not need to eat or drink to survive, the surprises within do not make the stay enjoyable.
Maria Gata, Writer
Maria Gata is writing our level 6 adventure: Help! There’s a dungeon in my living room!
The remnants of an adventuring group known as the ‘Stone Llamas’ have put forth a job request:
“Discrete adventurers wanted. Must know how to read, follow instructions, & fight hordes of monsters. Pay in platinum or magic items.”
As the ‘Stone Llamas’ studied a recently obtained relic, a dungeon staircase appeared in their living room. Turns out the relic was a puzzle and a dungeon! Although their wizard figured out how to solve the puzzle (which they assume will turn the relic back into an inanimate cube), the puzzle pieces/dungeon rooms are moved from within the dungeon. The wizard moved all six control rooms together to avoid having to traverse the dungeon while he solved the puzzle, but this drove the dungeon monsters into a frenzy. While fleeing the now monster-infested dungeon, half of the ‘Stone Llamas’ were banished to other planes. The other half needs to find them and rescue them.
Meanwhile, monsters are spilling into town. The remaining ‘Stone Llamas’ will provide an annotated map & the wizard’s detailed instructions on how to solve the puzzle to the party. All they need to do is get to the control rooms and enact the wizard’s plan before the town finds out that all of the monsters are coming from their living room.
VJ Harris, Writer
V.J. Harris will write our level 9 adventure: The Void of the Wilds
Once worshipped as the physical manifestation of a powerful nature god, the Voidblossom was corrupted when touched by energy from an aberrant plane. Now craving the darkness, it used its massive vines to drag the temple and all its worshipers deep below the surface, hiding it away from the eyes and minds of the world for many centuries.
Professor Zylthana Tultha, a respected elven botanist and middling druid, has spent her life searching out the secrets of the natural world and cataloguing them, seeing it as her grand mission to educate the world on everything the land possesses. Their studies have led them to the location of the temple and the Voidblossom, once known as The Flower of the Wilds. The characters have been hired to escort them through the temple. Given her long life (678 years) and many expeditions, she has offered them their pick of the treasure she has found across the years.
We hope you'll find this a welcome addition to your book, and we feel it allows for a more even level spread. Plus, now you get 5 adventures to use with your cube!
What does this mean for fulfillment?
As we stated during the campaign, we've always planned to ship the printed books and the cubes separately due to multiple factors. Adding these adventures will not impact when your cube arrives (which I'm pretty sure is what most of you are most excited about. ;) ). That being said, we know you'll want to get your hands on the stories as soon as possible, so we plan to deliver a preliminary PDF of the initial two adventures once cubes start to ship. Both adventures are through the editing and art phases and in layout--right on schedule. Check out these goblin triplets HodagRPG created for us.
Goblin triplets
So yes, this will unfortunately delay when you receive your physical books, but we hope you agree that the wait will be worth it!
Cube Production
Finalizing the layout design on the second full color prototype took a bit more back and forth with the manufacturer than anticipated, and our artist then moved cross-country while we were working out the last of the kinks. But we are back on board, and the second (and last, barring any glaring issues) prototype is currently in production. We expect to receive it within the next 2-3 weeks, and once we do, we'll send out a last call on surveys.
That was a big update! Let us know if you have any questions, and we'll be in touch very soon!
I've got some exciting updates for you all! We received the color prototypes, and we're excited to show these beauties off. Shout out to 14thWarrior for guessing the surprise option, as you were correct! We're introducing a third option for our color fans: backgrounds in color with paths in white.
Two cubes with different color patterns sit next to each other
Aren't they pretty?
We are still leaving the bordered cube as an option, so you'll now have three options to choose from:
- Black & White - Color Background - Color Border
Two scrambled puzzle cubes sit next to each other
We still have a little bit of tweaking to do on the prototypes, and it will involve another round, but we feel confident enough in them both that we're opening up the BackerKit surveys this week.
There will be a survey "smoke test" sent to 5% of you to ensure that everything runs smoothly before we send the surveys to everyone. Please keep an eye on your emails so you can fill out your surveys asap.
Writing Update
We're still trucking along. Both adventures completed sensitivity review and their first round of edits. They're undergoing revisions now, but things are going smoothly!
Pre-order Update
If you missed out on the original campaign, don't worry! You can jump on the train now. Simply click here, select the tier you'd like to back, and enter your email address. You'll receive a survey with the rest of the backers, and you won't be charged until the surveys close.
Let us know which cube option is your favorite! And don't forget the classic: black & white is still an option. :)
Sorry to do this publicly, but I'm struggling to figure out how to contact directly. I've got my cube - it's great and fun to play with - but the yellow and grey faces have the centre square both rotated 180 to the pattern. Can someone please get in touch?
