Sent to Print - Shipping Coming Soon and Breaking Down the Cost of Business
Hello everyone,
All backers' materials have now been sent to the DTRPG printer and will ship as soon as they come off the press! This means as little as 1 week for most American and UK region backers and 2-3 weeks for the rest of the world.
Thank you again for the support and patience. This time around was harder, not because of the amount of work that went into GLIDE 2, but because of the cost to get this to everyone in the end. Shipping and printing have skyrocketed for me in Canada, even when using print-on-demand services. I'll need to rethink how I can get games to people or increase prices going forward. I thought $25 (CAD) for an indie game is a lot, but it is honestly way too little.
Here is a brief breakdown of the cost to get GLIDE 2 into people's hands (all prices in Canadian/CAD):
The project raised $6,300, which came to about $5,500 after fees and dues. Funds raised for shipping and add-ons sit at just over $3,500 Canadian. Total raised: $9,000
Artwork cost me about $3,000. This was an expected cost but still a lot for a small project (and do spend a lot on artwork in my games). Total expenses for printing and shipping hit over $5,000 Canadian. A lot of this is due to weak currency conversion and a recent price increase on DTRPG. Print-proofs, shipping, and other miscellaneous expenses sit at $300. Total expenses: $8,300
What this means is that once I pay taxes, I will have made a loss on the project and must skip paying myself for the time I spent working on it (hundreds of hours). This may come across as complaining, but this practice is just not sustainable and really turns me away from doing more crowdfunding as I fear backers won't be interested in $35+ (CAD) games, plus shipping.
I have a lot more thinking and research to do on this, but future Sasquatch Games publications may go direct to print-on-demand or offer a voucher for backers to pay their own shipping costs (as it is probably cheaper for them than for me).
Anyways, I hope that everyone enjoys GLIDE 2 as much as I enjoyed making it. The project was something really special, and I hope it brings more players into the solo-TTRPG space.
GLIDE 2 is ready to ship as I've reviewed the latest print-proof and am happy with it! The latest proof has a load of revisions and edits that I missed during my initial process. It will be well worth the extra wait.
However; there was a new issue identified with GLIDE 1. This means that backers who added-on GLIDE 1 will be slower to receive their total print package as I need to wait for a new proof -- sorry! This is very frustrating as I was expecting to have everything entering the print -> ship process this week as I have a new job starting in September. I've spent time looking into getting copies of GLIDE 1 sent from my other print-on-demand sources, but there isn't a clear way to ensure that everything will arrive in the quality I've promised.
I'll give it 2 weeks before shipping begins and hopefully I can expedite the print-proof on GLIDE 1 (I'm in Canada and proof shipping is so very slow to get to me). If you have any changes that are needed to shipping, please reach out to me by September 10 to ensure your game arrives where it is supposed to.
GLIDE: Part Two is now complete and will be starting to ship very soon. There are a few issues I'm clearing up on my end, one being a series of text overflow issues in the physical copies. This is being corrected to ensure that you get the full game (nothing missing) in the book due to spacing issues or cut-off content. This will take 2-3 weeks to correct, so I thank you in advance for your patience.
You may have noticed a few updates heading to your inbox from itch io and DriveThru RPG. These are the corrections to the digital copy of the game and will be the most up-to-date way to play.
Here is what the physical copy looks like:
The front cover of GLIDE Part Two, depicting a Seeker looking into the distance, under the night sky.
And the interior:
A 2-page spread on the Guild of the Glider, providing the rules for interacting with the guild and gaining bonds.
A 2-page spread on Connections, making friends and earning rewards over the course of the game.
If there are any last minute changes needed to shipping addresses, please contact me ([email protected]) and I'll get things fixed right away.
I'm very excited to have the game reach your hands soon! Thank you, again, for the patience.
GLIDE 2 is now available in digital form. You probably have already received an email with your link to download it, but if not, feel free to use the following:
I'm working on finalizing the the print copy of the game now. This should take a week, then 1-2 weeks for the proof to arrive. I will be back with another update once this happens. Around the time of the next update will be the final notice for charging of all payment, plus updating of addresses as needed.
Enjoy Eridoor! If you have any feedback, please email me at: [email protected]
[EDIT] I've added DriveThruRPG integration for the digital distribution. You can access GLIDE 2 through your Pledge Manager (click here if you're missing yours: https://glide-part-two.backerkit.com/).
Update for May -- all the artwork is now finished by HODAG!
A botanist tends to their indoor garden, spraying a large plant.
What this means is I'm now working 100% on the layout and revisions for the final game. I'm currently sitting at 153 pages, which is way more than I was expecting, and this is before the art being added. I'll be cutting some this down, hopefully closer to 120 total pages.
You will have received notice of your order being locked by now. If you need to make any changes, please reach out to me through the BackerKit contact form or directly at: [email protected]
I'll be back in June with an update on the layout progress and with a better date as to when you can expect to see GLIDE 2 in your mailbox. Please not that payment will only be charged about a week before the orders will go to print and I will provide notice of this prior to.
Thank you for the patience on GLIDE 2. I'm excited to share the final product with everyone very soon.
Quick update here to cover what has happened since the funding period.
All backers should have received their email link for the pledge manager. If you have not, please reach out to me as there may be an email issues i.e. you use a relay or similar privacy tool. You can also try this link: https://glide-part-two.backerkit.com/
The art for GLIDE 2 is now being done byHODAG. This change comes after talks with Evlyn concerning deadlines and estimated shipping time. Unfortunately, she is unable to complete the artwork at this time due to a large couple of commissions needing to be addressed before GLIDE would hit the table.
I've worked with HODAG on a few other projects and they have guaranteed all the artwork to be finalized by the end of May. I'm happy to share a concept piece that I commissioned last year (see below). I believe that HODAG can capture the fantasy/sci-fi mix I envision for GLIDE and am very excited to see what they come up with.
A Seeker sits on their glider, starting up towards the night sky. Two moons float in orbit, illuminating the desert below. What adventures await on the horizon?
The core rules have reached an estimate 90% completion, with the total pages hitting 140! These additional rules won't be shared for play testing as it is mostly lore, background information on rules, and more tables. The total size of the project is likely to be slightly decreased as artwork is added to the layout.
I'll be back soon with more information, as it arrives!
I got my book recently and while I'm loving the book I just wanted to let you know that there seems to be two errors on page 11. The book says "Gliders have a maximum of and start with 5 Wear." and "Gliders have a maximum of and start with 6 Supply" without saying what the maximums are.
All backers' materials have now been sent to the DTRPG printer and will ship as soon as they come off the press! This means as little as 1 week for most American and UK region backers and 2-3 weeks for the rest of the world.
Thank you again for the support and patience. This time around was harder, not because of the amount of work that went into GLIDE 2, but because of the cost to get this to everyone in the end. Shipping and printing have skyrocketed for me in Canada, even when using print-on-demand services. I'll need to rethink how I can get games to people or increase prices going forward. I thought $25 (CAD) for an indie game is a lot, but it is honestly way too little.
Here is a brief breakdown of the cost to get GLIDE 2 into people's hands (all prices in Canadian/CAD):
The project raised $6,300, which came to about $5,500 after fees and dues. Funds raised for shipping and add-ons sit at just over $3,500 Canadian. Total raised: $9,000
Artwork cost me about $3,000. This was an expected cost but still a lot for a small project (and do spend a lot on artwork in my games). Total expenses for printing and shipping hit over $5,000 Canadian. A lot of this is due to weak currency conversion and a recent price increase on DTRPG. Print-proofs, shipping, and other miscellaneous expenses sit at $300. Total expenses: $8,300
What this means is that once I pay taxes, I will have made a loss on the project and must skip paying myself for the time I spent working on it (hundreds of hours). This may come across as complaining, but this practice is just not sustainable and really turns me away from doing more crowdfunding as I fear backers won't be interested in $35+ (CAD) games, plus shipping.
I have a lot more thinking and research to do on this, but future Sasquatch Games publications may go direct to print-on-demand or offer a voucher for backers to pay their own shipping costs (as it is probably cheaper for them than for me).
Anyways, I hope that everyone enjoys GLIDE 2 as much as I enjoyed making it. The project was something really special, and I hope it brings more players into the solo-TTRPG space.
GLIDE 2 is ready to ship as I've reviewed the latest print-proof and am happy with it! The latest proof has a load of revisions and edits that I missed during my initial process. It will be well worth the extra wait.
However; there was a new issue identified with GLIDE 1. This means that backers who added-on GLIDE 1 will be slower to receive their total print package as I need to wait for a new proof -- sorry! This is very frustrating as I was expecting to have everything entering the print -> ship process this week as I have a new job starting in September. I've spent time looking into getting copies of GLIDE 1 sent from my other print-on-demand sources, but there isn't a clear way to ensure that everything will arrive in the quality I've promised.
I'll give it 2 weeks before shipping begins and hopefully I can expedite the print-proof on GLIDE 1 (I'm in Canada and proof shipping is so very slow to get to me). If you have any changes that are needed to shipping, please reach out to me by September 10 to ensure your game arrives where it is supposed to.
GLIDE: Part Two is now complete and will be starting to ship very soon. There are a few issues I'm clearing up on my end, one being a series of text overflow issues in the physical copies. This is being corrected to ensure that you get the full game (nothing missing) in the book due to spacing issues or cut-off content. This will take 2-3 weeks to correct, so I thank you in advance for your patience.
You may have noticed a few updates heading to your inbox from itch io and DriveThru RPG. These are the corrections to the digital copy of the game and will be the most up-to-date way to play.
Here is what the physical copy looks like:
The front cover of GLIDE Part Two, depicting a Seeker looking into the distance, under the night sky.
And the interior:
A 2-page spread on the Guild of the Glider, providing the rules for interacting with the guild and gaining bonds.
A 2-page spread on Connections, making friends and earning rewards over the course of the game.
If there are any last minute changes needed to shipping addresses, please contact me ([email protected]) and I'll get things fixed right away.
I'm very excited to have the game reach your hands soon! Thank you, again, for the patience.
GLIDE 2 is now available in digital form. You probably have already received an email with your link to download it, but if not, feel free to use the following:
I'm working on finalizing the the print copy of the game now. This should take a week, then 1-2 weeks for the proof to arrive. I will be back with another update once this happens. Around the time of the next update will be the final notice for charging of all payment, plus updating of addresses as needed.
Enjoy Eridoor! If you have any feedback, please email me at: [email protected]
[EDIT] I've added DriveThruRPG integration for the digital distribution. You can access GLIDE 2 through your Pledge Manager (click here if you're missing yours: https://glide-part-two.backerkit.com/).
