Project Update: Major Gloomhaven Errata
It was brought to our attention (thanks JamesyWamesy1) that it is not communicated in the game that a number of events should be unlocked when certain classes are unlocked. Basically, every time you unlock a new class, you should add one or two events to your event decks, but there's no indication in the game that you should do so.
But fear not! We have a simple fix in the form of a new campaign sheet you can download and print out: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fF6p_ZzkNMfWytOifGr0NqBBwopWfzmY/view?usp=sharing
And while we're at it, there was one more event card that should have been added at a specific point in the campaign that was also overlooked, but that fix is also taken care of with the updated campaign sheet linked above (in the first bullet of the "Additional Reputation Unlocks").
I apologize for the extra inconvenience of having to print out a new campaign sheet, but it is the easiest thing in the game to print out, as it is just a black and white A4 sheet of normal paper. And if you don’t want to print out a new sheet, you can just note the changes on your current sheet (marking all the event numbers along the bottom next to their corresponding classes and adding in the additional unlock for C-57).
We'll be back on July 29 with the next regularly scheduled update, which will include another segment from Danielle expanding on the modifier deck changes she mentioned in the last update. Catch you then!
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Project Update: U.S. & Asia Fulfillment Begins! RPG Mod Decks & Class Spreads
We’re back this week with lots of Gloomhaven fulfillment updates and additional looks at how gosh-darn good this Gloomhaven RPG book is coming along!
- BoardGameGeek: Gloomhaven Forums
Our social pages are one of the best places to catch breaking announcements, like today’s Frosthaven: Digital Early Access announcement (July 31st!), and exclusive art drops from our many wonderful artists, like this Inox Bodyguard by Runa Ivana Rosenberger!
Now let’s get into…
With containers arriving last week we successfully ran pledge managers for U.S. tariff surcharges and have uploaded those orders for fulfillment starting THIS WEEK!
The first 2 containers have been delivered to the warehouse and unloaded. Three more containers have arrived at port and are on the way to the fulfillment warehouse, and ONE SWAN is bringing up the rear with about half a container scheduled to arrive at port on Aug 1st. Please note that fulfillment order is randomized and at the discretion of our fulfillment partner based on a number of factors including a) outstanding pledge balances (tariff charges), b) operational efficiency, c) bulk orders logistics, d) regional demand, etc.
-GLOOMHAVEN RPG UPDATE-
And here’s the layout page I promised. As you can see, we’ve upgraded the graphic elements and worked hard to make the actions easy to parse for casual and first time readers. Layne has been key in making this look as good as it does, and Arch’s eye for art has been fundamental in producing all the lovely assets you see employed across both spreads.
-UPDATE END-
That's it for this week! We'll be back on July 29th with some more updates and a few small surprises!
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Project Update: U.S. Tariff Surcharges & Fulfillment Progress
Hello Grand Festival Backers!
Today is all about Gloomhaven fulfillment updates and the rollout of U.S. tariff surcharges. Important information below for all our backers, but especially our American audience. We also have a brief update from Danielle on the RPG with a quick look at a “Factions” page.
Still have questions?
So let’s get into it!
As of today, we are implementing the following charges to U.S. pledges, which will need to be PAID via Backerkit Pledge Manager prior to your order being queued for fulfillment:
- Gloomhaven: $15/copy
- Class Upgrade Kit: $10/copy
- Gloomhaven (Retail Backer): $10/copy
The above are flat fees that will be charged to any “Wave 3 - Gloomhaven” cart containing any of the above SKUs on a per unit basis. As a reminder, these U.S. tariff surcharges are a result of new import taxes on board games under the most recent U.S. administration’s trade policy and are out of our control. We greatly appreciate your assistance with these new taxes, as paying them is fundamental to the success of this project as a whole and our ability to fulfill our commitments to you.
We will be running your Pledge Manager payment method automatically on Monday (July 7th) and again on Friday (July 11th) so that we can clear as many orders as possible for fulfillment beginning Monday (July 15th). No action is specifically required, unless you need to update your payment method.
If your card on file is declined, you will receive an email notification from Backerkit about the failed attempt alongside instructions to update your payment method. You can manually re-attempt your payment method, or wait for us to attempt to clear it again on Friday (July 11th).
NOTE: Any failed payments after Friday (July 11th) will result in your order not being queued for fulfillment, and you will need to contact us directly at [email protected] for fulfillment of your order. Failure to contact Cephalofair within a timely manner may result in additional charges, additional refund fees, and/ or loss of pledge as we are assessed monthly storage fees on all unshipped products and cannot hold onto incomplete orders indefinitely.
-GLOOMHAVEN FREIGHT & FULFILLMENT-
SUPPORT REMINDER: A friendly reminder that we are NOT ABLE to individually check fulfillment status or ETA for orders until AFTER FULFILLMENT HAS BEEN COMPLETED (Which we will confirm in our updates).
Requests sent to our support inbox prior to our signal of “FULFILLMENT COMPLETE” will likely go unanswered and will slow down our response times on other and more urgent support requests.
Thank you for your patience and understanding! :)
-Forteller Backers
- finally, redeem that code in the Forteller app at:
https://fortellergames.com/
The first 2 containers have arrived and cleared customs, we’re expecting them to arrive at our fulfillment warehouse on Friday, July 11th, with orders to start the following week.
The EVER FOCUS ship has three more containers and is scheduled to hit port on July 7th and ONE SWAN is bringing up the rear with about half a container scheduled to arrive at port on Aug 1st.
As a reminder, we’ve been booking freight as it’s become available from China to the U.S..The surge in the tariff situation has meant needing to book multiple container ships as they have become available, but we can now confidently say everything is on the water and moving towards our U.S. warehouse for fulfillment.
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Project Update: Gloomhaven CA & AU/NZ Fulfillment Has Begun!
We’ve got exciting news this week of Gloomhaven fulfillment OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY in select regions, and others approaching fulfillment very soon. Scroll to the bottom of the update for miniature project updates and a brief recap of our Washington D.C. trip.
Still have questions?
So let’s get into it!
GLOOMHAVEN FREIGHT & FULFILLMENT
Requests sent to our support inbox prior to our signal of “FULFILLMENT COMPLETE” for a region will likely go unanswered and will slow down our response times on other and more urgent support requests.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
-Forteller Backers
UPDATE: Codes are still in the process of being distributed s of 6/18/25 due to an error we encountered on our end last night. These will still be distributed via the Backerkit Pledge Manager as soon as we've resolved.
-Preorder Backers
Backerkit Preorders are included in "project fulfillment."
Cephalofair.com webstore preorders will ship immediately following Backerkit fulfillment in their respective regions.
Please note: FoldedSpace addons are still incoming to our warehouse and will be shipped separately. No need to panic if you don’t see it alongside your pledge at this time, or need to contact us until fulfillment is complete. This includes any orders of JUST FoldedSpace + Gloomhaven Accessories Only as well (no base game). Laserox addons will also ship independently directly from Laserox.
Please note: FoldedSpace & Laserox addons are shipping to you separately from their respective manufacturers directly. No need to panic if you don’t see it alongside your pledge at this time, or need to contact us until fulfillment is complete.
Tariff surcharges are still pending implementation to your cart pending our first official customs clearance which will hopefully be any day now. We should have more information by or before the next update.
MINIATURES OF GLOOMHAVEN
CEPHALOFAIR RETURNS FROM WASHINGTON D.C.
Last week we put in a good amount of work with some really passionate and hard-working industry peers lobbying in the U.S. Capitol against tariffs on toys and games. Game designer Elizabeth Hargrave (Wingspan) was but one of our cohort and did a really great job summarizing our time in D.C. and recaps some of the data we shared with congressional representatives. I’ll link to her debrief HERE for those that may be interested.
The biggest call to action for those wanting to help support our industry is to call call/write your members of congress and let them know we are looking for the following assistance:
What we were asking for:
- In general: Save Christmas by eliminating tariffs on toys and games -- either by exempting our industry, or by exempting small businesses more generally.
- In the Senate: cosponsor S. 1593, the Small Business Liberation Act (exempting small businesses from paying tariffs imposed by Executive Order 14257).
- In the House: introduce a companion bill to S. 1593.
END OF UPDATE
Have a great week!
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Project Update: Gloomhaven Ocean Freight, Miniatures Update, & Operational Actions/Changes
Let’s jump in.
100% of our Gloomhaven ocean freight has shipped! Please see below for an updated Grand Festival project tracker and individual regional freight/fulfillment updates.
Also, please note that Forteller Audio Narration is on target to be distributed via Backerkit pledge manager as we get closer to regional fulfillments We’re also working on making “live” some support FAQ infrastructure and video tutorials for those of you stepping into Gloomhaven for the first time, or returning from your time “away”! More info on all of this in our next update(s)!
-GLOOMHAVEN: RPG-
I was just sent an exciting page spread this morning by our own Danielle (RPG Project Manager/Developer) and Layne (Graphic Designer) that we wanted to share with you! Progress continues on shaping and perfecting the “guts” of the book. I know Isaac recently provided some insights to the curation being done now that it’s “all together” so things are getting put through the usability/digestibility “machine” that is Layne Huber’s excellent eye for layout & presentation. Arch Anderson (Art Manager) has done a great job working with the ever-talented Francesca Baerald on the page accents you see here too.
Last update I’d indicated we would be calculating and putting for U.S. tariff surcharges. While I’d hoped to spend last week doing this, we were hit with a number of breaking news updates, vendor price increases, and new potential surcharges from our freight companies as well that required our attention. While unexpected, it’s sadly not surprising. These updates all required our attention primarily so we could make sure IF we have to charge you for U.S. tariffs, it will be in confidence and ONLY ONCE.
The First Curveball:
On May 28, 2025, the Court of International Trade ruled that the reciprocal and fentanyl tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are unlawful. This court, made up of Reagan, Obama, and Trump appointed judges ruled unanimously against the tariffs stating “trade deficit” was not a valid reason to declare a “National Emergency” and that these powers rest by default in the hands of Congress. To quote, “"The court does not pass upon the wisdom or likely effectiveness of the President's use of tariffs as leverage….That use is impermissible not because it is unwise or ineffective, but because [federal law] does not allow it." The judges also ordered the Trump administration to issue new orders reflecting the permanent injunction within 10 days.
The Second Curveball:
As we’ve been conditioned to expect from this administration, The US government filed a motion to stay the order pending an appeal. AKA, they are appealing and in the meantime continuing to collect tariffs until rejected by higher courts (appeals court and/or Supreme Court).
The Third Curveball:
Basically, just as we’re finding ourselves needing to pass along these new taxes to you, existing logistical partners are also running into various situations in which their cost of business are increasing dramatically, cash flows are becoming tighter, and risk factors heightened, so to offset that, additional charges are being levied on our cost of doing business too.
We do believe we have ways to circumnavigate these payment pass-throughs ourselves though, but it’s going to take some more manual processing from us—frustratingly taking more of our time and effort we’d rather be putting into other aspects of our obligations to you.
To summarize: Given we have several weeks ahead on the water, we’re taking some more time to confirm what our true import costs are looking like so we can make sure we’re not overcharging, undercharging, or putting you through more annoying steps than absolutely necessary. We’ll likely have more confident information to share by next update, if not sooner.
-TARIFF IMPACTS & CEPHALOFAIRS ACTIVE EFFORTS-
We’ve been doing our absolute best to be transparent with our audience and community here about what tariffs mean to our project timelines, production challenges, and company resource hurdles. For this reason, I feel it’s important to share some hard decisions we’ve had to make recently as well as some proactive steps we’re taking to help advocate not just for our organization but this industry we love as a whole.
Last month we let our staff know we’d be concluding some re-forcasting of the year ahead, and even into next year, as we realize that without confidence in trade policy we may be looking at further delays on top of our own existing project creative/production delays (of which we acknowledge and take ownership of those parts we are ourselves responsible).
Last week we came to the conclusion of that new forecasting and determined that a few steps were in our best interest to uphold our existing obligations. Those obligations being first and foremost to:
#1) Our Backers. You have invested in us and our creative vision. We have a fiduciary responsibility to you to make sure we’re protecting your pledges and in position to produce/fulfill as soon as the landscape permits us to move forward.
#2) Our Staff & Creative Contractors. We are blessed to work with incredibly talented individuals that help us put together our wildest dreams, and it takes dedicated individuals with hundreds of hours under the belt of product understanding, awareness, and insights to build further upon the foundations we’ve already created. We want them to have confidence we’re positioning ourselves in the best place for long-term employment and growth.
Staffing Changes
I want to make absolutely clear, we have confidence in Cephalofair’s organizational standing and future, but want to be able to look back and know we took EVERY step at our disposal to keep our promises to you. Steps taken not sooner than needed, and not later than would jeopardize that confidence.
NOTE: These furloughs impact more background operational/sales based team members as we recognize we still have outstanding product development/production obligations that require our full-time attention in those areas to see RPG/Miniatures through. As well as community support needs as we head into our next round of fulfillment. Please have faith we are not taking any eyes off the ball, but rather shoring up on overhead where it makes most sense and is most advisable by our financial specialists.
We deeply regret the position we find ourselves in amidst this trade war and to our staff, both dismissed and temporarily setback, we apologize and thank you immensely for your professionalism, understanding, and dedication to our outstanding projects. And while it may not be necessary, I do feel compelled to share that we had several Cephalofair employees be the first to raise their hand and offer to “be the first in line” should our situation require it. While ultimately our decisioning came down to our most obvious income disruptions and greatest business needs- having had the pleasure of working for each of these phenomenal employees for several years now I’m genuinely not surprised and thank them for their compassion for each other and support for our organization as a whole. We hope, and will be working our absolute hardest, to ensure these reductions are for as little time as possible and will prioritize getting staff back to full-time first and foremost.
-SO WHAT ELSE IS CEPHALOFAIR DOING?-
Local Advocacy (Politics Warning, Ye Who Enter)
We try very hard not to make politics a center post of what we do, we’re game makers, toy makers, and inventors after all. But I am also a firm believer that in business and in life, politics will find you even if you don’t go looking for it. So when appropriate, I choose to engage rather than disengage. I volunteer locally, am a member of our local chamber of commerce, and try my best to attend local small business/governance related meetings when relevant to my needs and interests.
Nonetheless, I hope the insights I was able to provide and my offers to be a resource should they desire to represent small/medium enterprises in the future encourages them to consider greater action at some point.
Cephalofair is going to Washington D.C. (Obviously, politics)
Super Secret Stuff (NOT POLITICS! HUZZAH!)
We’ve been asked numerous times by very generous backers how they can contribute/donate/support Cephalofair in smaller ways to help navigate the current uncertainty ahead. While we’re in a confident position to execute on those obligations without this level of direct financial support, we’re always keen to give our community more ways to engage in the “World of Gloomhaven”! Amidst the disruption of the last couple of months, we’ve not just navigated the lows, but actively looked for opportunities to pivot resources (where responsible) into vetting projects/ideas/etc outside our normal peripheral that may be executable even under these uncertain times.
One of the few things we DO have confidence and ability to execute on at this time is game development, design, and the ability to plan for things in the future that we hope you’re all really going to enjoy.
Some of these are more future proofing our publishing position and most certainly won’t be our focus until our outstanding obligations are fulfilled (RPG/Miniatures), but some smaller things in our “back pocket” maaaay just sneak their way onto your radar sooner than we intended.
And that’s all I can really say about that for now, so I’m going to “tie a bow” on it before I say any more!
END OF UPDATE!