We've done our best to deliver all the rewards you've pledged for. If you're missing something, please reach out to [email protected]. It is easy to miss an update email amidst all the message we all get each day. (Two backers saw our morning email and we've sorted/are sorting out their pledges.)
But now that we close this chapter, we start a new one...
This campaign introduces two brand-new decks of Hexploration cards:
Along the Way: Discover roadside attractions, curious encounters, and the paths and trails that connect your world.
Strongholds: Populate your campaign with unusual forts, castles, towers, and other fantastic structures.
Like our previous Hexploration decks, each new deck includes:
40 Location cards – each with evocative art on one side and charts of related prompts on the other.
10 Traits cards – each packed with thematic tables you can apply to any location (imagine a Hidden Evil Chapel or a Magically Warded tower).
5 Reference cards – filled with general charts and helpful advice tied to the deck’s theme.
Back it early for a bonus 8 hex map tiles & a 10+ clings--if you're getting any physical product. (So if you already have the tiles, you can still get a few more even if you're just getting the new decks.)
Aside from 10-15 folks who haven't submitted their surveys (if you're in that situation our messages must be going to spam or something so send a note to support at inkwellideas dot com) we've shipped everyone's rewards! And most folks should have them as most shipped before Gen Con or very soon after.
BTW, if you didn't back the original Hexploration Decks crowdfunding (or want more for a friend or extra tiles) they are now available in our store--don't forget to use the coupon code at the top of the store pages.
In case you missed it, we're launching two new two new Hexploration Decks next month. If you're interested, please do follow the link and click the "notify me on launch" button. Knowing how much interest there is will help me understand what I can do with this next phase. This time we're pivoting back to Kickstarter to see how things are going over there.
And now about this post's title... see this link for 10 cards from the "Along the Way" deck! The deck will focus on trails/roads and interesting locations along the way. :) The second planned deck will be "Strongholds": forts, castles, towers, a great wall, and so on. Then if this does well, we do plan to make something for other genres down the road.
Gen Con was a great success! It is always fun to talk with folks excited about the stuff we make--and get more ideas and encouragement!
So except for any mistakes and oversights, we've finished shipping to all backers. Many/most of you have your decks or have gotten a shipping notification or an emailed question about shipping. If you haven't and you think you should, please email [email protected] first--for some very dumb reason Backerkit doesn't email me about posts by backers here until the next day, if at all.
Last night I sent the print-on-demand codes to anyone who backed for the PDF, but didn't get the printed deck in case you'd like to get them from DriveThru's print on demand service. Aside from shipping (which I can't control) the codes are designed to get you the decks for approximately the same cost as if you backed the crowdfunding for the printed decks.
Sending those PoD codes allowed me to mark most of the remaining orders 'shipped', which made it easier to find the last of the physical orders. I didn't see before Gen Con that there were about 20 left. Sorry! They've all been sent today (except for 3 where I emailed questions.)
What's Next? Two new potential Hexploration Decks: Along the Way & Strongholds! Click the link to 'follow' and help our planning to let us know you're interested. We're going to try this back on Kickstarter... sort of in case we missed some folks who didn't join us over here on BackerKit. (Good to keep our options open.)
Along the Way will cover roadside attractions as well as oddness on roads and trails themselves. Strongholds will be all about Forts, Castles, Manors, and even more unusual defensive structures.
And there will be a few other surprises related to the new project. We expect to launch it in the first half of September. We'll have a delivery estimate before the launch--but they will almost surely be sent this year.
I've got two polls... the first is an official BackerKit poll asking about the mix of cards in each deck. That should be linked to this message.
And this poll might be super granular, but I'd love to hear which of the last 5 cards in each deck you think are particularly cool/useful.
Hi Folks, I'm doing all I can to get everything shipped out before I leave on Monday for Gen Con. I'm about 2/3 of the way, but most of the harder orders (international requiring customs forms) went out first. At least I'm hoping most of the harder ones are done. :)
I'm pressed for time, and I find bullets easy to read, so away we go!
I emailed all international backers getting a shipment last Saturday asking if they wanted me to ship now, delay, or switch to a digital only reward and I refund the difference. Since all but 5 people who replied wanted them now, I'm going to send the rest today/tomorrow--except for those few who replied and wanted to delay/refund. I did this just in case other countries put tariffs on US goods in a week or two, but it seems everyone is very understanding. Thank you!
I see so many folks I recognize who have backed us over and over or who reviewed our products etc. who I should have sent a personal message to... Sorry! I just can't take the extra 5 minutes for each this week.
Did you know you shouldn't apply packing tape over thermal labels? I was about to take my first batch of packages to the post office and noticed any labels printed the night before were very faded under the tape. So I had to reprint just about 5 where I added extra tape on top of the label after I added it. Just weird, FYI. :)
The clings are not inside the tiles box for two reasons: 1. Because we added so many clings--20 sheets instead of 10, even though we had extra space in the tiles box for the clings plus a margin of error it would be bursting at the seams. 2. The printer shrink-wrapped those boxes before I could add the clings, so I'd have to reopen each box and possibly damage it.
Also the clings were a learning experience. A bunch got mussed up. I've tried to weed out all the bad ones I see, but I'm sure I missed one here and there. Hopefully the idea that you're getting well over 100 towers/towns/etc plus over 30 coasts/rivers/lakes makes up for it. I'm hopeful there will be opportunities down the line to fix them/make these better.
Print-on-Demand codes: I haven't forgotten! But with the shipping busy-ness and Gen Con I may not get these out until the week after Gen Con.
Whew! Quite a bit of work to get to this point since our last update. But I now have 100 of everything (and more of some things) and the rest are supposed to get to me next week. Here is a pic from a video I just made: And here is the video all about it!
If you're following the project, but haven't pledged, our late pledging closes at midnight US eastern time Sunday July 20th (just as the clock ticks over to the 21st). You can pledge here.
Most of you reading this know all the details about the decks & tiles. So let me focus on the shipping details:
The rest of the decks and tiles will be coming to me on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, depending on the shipping gods. There's plenty that can be prepped though so if things don't come until Wednesday, I can be ready to ship faster starting Wednesday.
If you plan to be at Gen Con, we will have booth 150 and you can pick up there--we'll also credit you back your shipping fee towards anything else at our booth. (So if you paid $8 shipping, you'll get $8 off a purchase there.) To do this send an email to 'support at inkwellideas dot com' and list your name and the email address you use on Backerkit (if it isn't the same as what you're sending from.) You must do this by 9am US eastern time Monday July 21st. Put 'Gen Con Pickup' in the subject line.
If you are outside the US,look for an email from 'support at inkwellideas dot com' in the next 24 hours asking you if you want to take the risk of paying a tariff or if you'd rather switch to a digital only pledge and I'll refund the difference. You can also wait to see if/how much folks who have received theirs are paying, but it seems likely tariffs may be more next month. Unfortunately even though you've paid shipping & VAT, a tariff would be in addition to that. I hate it too. :(
OK, with that out of the way... Can't wait for you to have these! (Don't be surprised if you get another update soon if there are a number of questions for me to clarify.)
