Boof and I have been watching world events carefully these last several weeks, and we thought it was high time we gave our backers a bit of reassurance. Here's the short version: Han Cluster is happening. We are still charging full-steam ahead and plan to see this commitment through. There will be no extra charges to you for fulfillment of rewards except what we need to collect for shipping and sales taxes / VAT, as applicable. For those of you who want to read the long version, read on!
We're Prepared
I've been planning and strategizing how bring the Han Cluster to market for several years. This has not been a whim project, or something I haven't thoroughly thought through. It's been a significant investment of creativity, time, and financial resources to bring it to life in the way I truly feel like it deserves. Boof and I have taken this very seriously every step of the way and we, along with many others who played it or contributed to its development, believe strongly in the game. We have contingencies, both in the form of cash reserves, in a potential change of printers to one outside of China (if necessary), and in ways to manage the risk of what's to come in order to ensure we can finish what we started. While no one can possibly predict what will happen with the world trade market in the coming days, let alone in the 8+ months it will take before our product ships from the printer, we are experienced enough to know that panicking is not the right move. Even in the face of extreme adversity, I remain optimistic. That's crazily on-brand, right?! But I have reasons why.
It's Not Just a Leap of Faith
In short, we are prepared for this. Though we may take a big hit to our initial earnings in the short term, we are keenly aware of the fragility of this moment. I dearly want Han Cluster to have a future. I want this to be a beginning for the setting not an ending. Both of us believe strongly that having physical books is an essential part of that future, and if it means dipping into our reserves getting the initial print run to happen, we are prepared to do it. This will not impact you as a backer of the campaign from a financial standpoint. It may slow things down a little bit as we check the temperature of the market and move a little bit more deliberately through making final decisions on printing and delivery, but we are confident we have the resources and support necessary to handle any foreseen and unforeseen problems.
Whatever happens, we promise to keep you apprised of what's going on and how we're moving forward. The alternative is to risk the diminishment of Han Cluster into something much less. Or worse, outright losing its momentum altogether and seeing everything I've been working toward for the last ten years just disappear into obscurity. The prospect of that is truly heartbreaking. I honestly think the setting deserves the best chance I can give it. It deserves to be seen in full color, glorious print on people's shelves, and more than that, I believe its themes of optimism and human connection are something today's world badly needs. Boof and I are determined to make this happen, and we have planned accordingly, with a lot of smart people in our corner to help us navigate these challenges.
That's all we wanted to say. Going forward from here, we'll start making the big push toward the end of the campaign, and we hope you'll join us in getting the word out as the unique excitement of this true "kickstarter" moves into its final days! We hope this gives you some perspective and peace of mind about our plan and commitment going forward. Thank you ALL for your support, and we're excited to make the push into our final week!
