Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron

Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron

by The World Anvil Publishing

Updates

Check out the latest news and keep up with progress

PROJECT UPDATE
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The World Anvil Publishing
CREATOR
23 days ago

Project Update: #38 - Fulfillment Update: halfway there

Hello Mercenaries,

Fulfillment has officially begun! The first photos from backers are already hitting our Discord server—check out some of them below, followed by a detailed breakdown of our current fulfillment status.


European Union

  • Italy: Completed. All Italian backer rewards have been shipped.
  • Rest of the EU: We are approximately halfway through. Orders are being dispatched in batches; we estimate two more rounds are needed to finish. All shipments should be complete by the end of February at the latest.

UK & Rest of the World (Excluding US)

The pallet of books and accessories has cleared customs and is scheduled to reach Zatu by this Friday. Once I receive confirmation that the "eagle has landed," we hope to begin shipping as early as next week.

United States

The situation is less dramatic than previously feared. Tariff threats have de-escalated for the time being, so we are moving forward with sea freight. We’re getting these books on a boat now and staying optimistic about the next 45 days of transit.

I have received a reasonable estimate from Quartermaster Logistics and we are proceeding with them. As soon as our onboarding is confirmed, I will schedule the pickup. The books are ready to be loaded onto a big, beautiful ship—some might even call it "tremendous."

Jokes aside, we’ve now entered the "waiting" phase. I know the delay isn't ideal, but the process is officially in motion. I will continue to update you as the shipment progresses.

Update on Alchemy

We have reached an agreement with Alchemy to move Valraven into the priority lane. The books should be ingested over the next two weeks. If all goes well, everything should be online in about a month. I have also committed to revising the Quickstart to include it in the offering, which I will be prioritizing over the next few days.

We’re almost there!

Reminders
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PROJECT UPDATE
user avatar image for The World Anvil Publishing
The World Anvil Publishing
CREATOR
about 1 month ago

Project Update: Important Fulfillment Update: EU Shipping, Unboxing, and US Logistics


Hello Mercenaries,
We have some important information to share today. Please read this update carefully, especially if you reside in the United States.

Unboxing

Let’s start with universally good news: because we have received all stock, I recorded a full unboxing of every item in this campaign. You can watch the video by clicking this link or pressing play below.




We are thrilled with the final production quality, and we hope you will be too.


EU Shipping

The first packages will go out next week. We generally send them in batches because it allows for smoother handling, but all packages should be out the door within the next 14 days or so.

🇮🇹 I pacchi iniziano ad uscire la prossima settimana. Generalmente li scaglioniamo, ma entro la prima settimana di Febbraio tutti i pacchi dovrebbero essere spediti.


UK & Rest of the World (Excluding US)


We have booked the pickup for Zatu, who will handle shipments for the UK as well as all non-EU/non-US countries (including Canada and South America). The exact pickup date is being finalized, but once the stock leaves Italy, it will pass through UK customs. Assuming no major issues arise, it will reach Zatu promptly.

We estimate this process will take approximately 2–3 weeks. I prefer to be conservative with estimates, as logistics often take longer than anticipated. The good news is that Zatu has been very fast in the past; once they receive the stock, they usually begin fulfillment within 1–2 days.


United States

Oh boy. 

I want to avoid using these updates to discuss politics, but given the current situation, it is unavoidable.

If you are in a rush, here is the short version: We are pausing fulfillment to the US for a few weeks because the import regulations are currently unclear.

Now, the long version.


The Context

I would like to provide as much context as possible to explain our reasoning and the reasons why we need to stay put for a little while longer.

Most of you will be aware of the escalating tensions between the US and Europe over Greenland, including threats of new tariffs on top of existing ones, and even the outright invasion of Danish territory, which would essentially mean one NATO ally attacking another. Obviously, this is obscene, and no sane person would go through with it; however, that doesn't seem to be the mindset of the current US administration. The reasons for these actions and threats are essentially irrational — here’s my favourite military analyst explaining why — and I suspect they are driven more by the billionaires behind the throne. Regardless of your views, I’m not here to tell you what to think. What you need to know is that this is now becoming a real problem for us and for the safe delivery of your rewards.

Trump's threat of new tariffs against some European countries (which cannot be done legally, as the EU negotiates as a bloc) has prompted the EU to reject the deal agreed last summer. Why not? Deals with this administration don't seem to matter for more than a few weeks. 

The situation is fluid because this was confirmed yesterday, and Trump’s speech at Davos did nothing to de-escalate the situation. 


Change of plan

The initial plan was to ship everything to Zatu in the UK, who would then work with Quartermaster Logistics in the US as the American hub. This would mean that we would only have a single point of contact: Zatu. 

When I returned from holiday, I sought confirmation of the plan, and Zatu essentially told me: 'No, handle it yourself'. I don’t know if this is because they are getting cold feet given the situation, or if they just want what is best for us (although I have my suspicions). 

This is not a major issue: we can put the cargo on a ship leaving Italy and arriving in Florida, after which Quartermaster Logistics can take over and we can deal with them directly. It is a more costly option (more shipments, more paperwork and more people to liaise with, as it's never just one person per hub), but something we can handle overall. 

The real problem is that, right now, we don’t know what will happen with tariffs. The first three weeks of the year have been filled with bad news, and things seem to be spiraling out of control quickly. What rules will be in place if the EU rejects the previous deal? Will Trump have a meltdown in the next few days? Will he change tariffs on a whim when he can’t sleep? Essentially, we need 45–60 days of certainty. Currently, we have, at best, two to three days without drama. 


What does it mean for your reward

After consulting with Quartermaster Logistics, they also suggested we hold our position until at least the end of the month. We will keep your rewards in storage and monitor the situation. We simply have to wait to see if the crisis stabilizes or escalates.
If things look relatively stable in early February, we will book the ocean freight. If not, we will wait a bit longer.
Our main priorities are:

  • Ensuring you receive your rewards without being buried in unexpected tariffs that we would be forced to pass on to you, and
  • Ensuring books and accessories are not rejected at customs or destroyed in the chaos (while this sounds dramatic, it has happened to others when tariffs were first enacted).

Long story short: please be patient. The situation is complicated, but we are on it.


Short Story, Alchemy

  • I have put Sean Newton—our editor for Valraven and a fantastic fantasy writer—to work on a new Valraven short story. He is currently writing it, though real life is interfering as he lives in Minneapolis and is personally impacted by the events unfolding there. However, he has promised a draft by the end of the month. I told him to first of all stay safe. When the story is ready, we will send it for free to every backer as a thank you for your patience.
  • I have also been in touch with Alchemy to speed up the conversion of Valraven and our other games for their VTT platform. I believe we have found a reasonable path forward. I need to discuss the budget internally, but I feel strongly that we should accelerate this process. I will keep you posted.


Reminders



– Tommaso
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PROJECT UPDATE
user avatar image for The World Anvil Publishing
The World Anvil Publishing
CREATOR
2 months ago

Project Update: #36 - Shipping Valraven to the US - Tariffs update

Hello Mercenaries, 
If you reside in the US and ordered Valraven, please read this update.

For backers in all other regions, YOU CAN SKIP THE PARAGRAPHS BELOW (or read them, I can't stop you). Please note that we are still awaiting the dice. We have arranged for expedited air delivery (at four times the standard shipping cost) to avoid the additional 60-day delay via sea. They are in the hands of UPS but for now the tracking is blank. We now expect them to arrive in early January, and if there are no further delays we remain on schedule to begin fulfillment in January.

(🇺🇸 US Only) The dreaded tariffs

The time has finally come to finalize how we will get your rewards to you. We delayed this decision as long as possible, hoping for a favorable development regarding import tariffs, but the news remains discouraging. The current tariffs are still in place, and even if the Supreme Court were to intervene, effective changes likely wouldn't take hold until next summer.
After consulting with our fulfillment hubs, it became clear we only have two options:

  • The "Fast" Route: We send packages individually to backers. However, in this scenario, tariffs are calculated based on the Sales Price of the item. This would result in an average cost of roughly $53 per package (plus fees)—an amount that would irreparably damage our business and which we are uncomfortable passing on to you. Normally we would have chosen this route, because it’s fast and prior to tariffs those import fees would have been 0. 
  • The "Hub" Route: We ship a pallet of goods to a US hub first. In this scenario, we pay import tariffs based on the Production Cost, then pay the hub to distribute the rewards. While this introduces a delay (sea freight plus hub processing), it drastically lowers the average tariff per package to approximately $5–$6, depending on what a specific backer has ordered.

Between the two, the second option is the only sensible choice. It protects the project’s financial viability and keeps costs reasonable for you.


How was the ~$6 amount calculated? 

The $6 fee is an estimated average. In practice, most backers will pay slightly less, while some may pay more, depending on the number and type of items in your specific order.
Reliable information is currently difficult to secure; regulations are in constant flux, and even specialized trade resources do not always account for every exemption or special case. We also have reports from fellow creators of a certain randomness on how these tariffs are inflicted upon upcoming packages. However, based on our latest data, we are applying the following rates:

  • Paper Components: Subject to a 15% tax on production cost.
  • Dice/Plastic Components: Subject to a 40% tax on production cost.


A Note on Stability 

Please be aware that the situation remains fluid. We are doing everything in our power to ensure this fee remains final; however, since the inauguration, we have not observed four consecutive weeks of consistent regulatory stability. Things can still change, and if they do, we will update you.


What This Means for You

Unfortunately, there is no way to entirely avoid these tariffs. This approach means it will take longer to receive your rewards, and we do need a small contribution from you to cover the mandatory government charges.

  • Surcharge: All US backers will see a new line item on their survey labeled "Tariffs." On average, this will be around $6 (depending on your order size). Fo you it could be $0.80 or $13, but on average it will be $6. Your card will be charged for this amount after the goods have passed customs (we will warn you beforehand). Please note this is a compulsory charge required to fulfill your reward. After the recent weight changes, some of you had a little credit that will be used to offset this cost, if possible.
  • Timeline: Fulfillment will likely be delayed by approximately 2 months. This accounts for the 30-day sea voyage, followed by customs clearance, unloading, and final packing at the hub.
  • Our Contribution: We are absorbing all other associated costs (freight, hub fees, etc.) to keep your share as low as possible.

We understand this is frustrating news—we don’t want to charge extra, you probably don’t love having to pay extra—but we are committed to seeing this through. We exhausted every possible avenue to avoid this, but ultimately, we must share this specific cost to ensure Valraven reaches the US tables. 

Reminders


– Tommaso
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PROJECT UPDATE
user avatar image for The World Anvil Publishing
The World Anvil Publishing
CREATOR
3 months ago

Project Update: #35 - Look at the Slipcase!

Hello Mercenaries, 

TL;DR: We have pictures of the slipcase, and you should review your shipping address.

Final Books and Slipcase

I finally received the final copy of the Valraven slipcase and books, complete with binding, gold gilding, and all the bells and whistles. While I desperately tried to get some pictures in natural light, it's December in Finland! After a few attempts where reflections didn't look right, I resorted to taking photos inside the house under a normal ceiling light. That said, this thing looks glorious.
Note: These pictures are quite large, and I don't want to clutter your inbox. For the high-resolution versions, please head to our Discord server.






Today, we also received the main shipment containing all the paper items. The dice are still missing, and we will be conducting due diligence by checking all the boxes we received. Therefore, we are still planning to start sending things out in January. Trust me, having worked for a shipping company when I was younger, you definitely don't want your books shipped close to Christmas anyway.
However, there is one thing you can do now: double-check your shipping address! We will be locking them down very soon. You can verify your address through your survey link. 

A note on weights

Now that we have the final items, we have added the precise weight of each item to BackerKit. For this reason, some of you might see a small credit or a small missing amount on your order, as the total weight might have changed slightly. Please ignore this. On average, the changes even out, and there will be no further adjustment to your shipping cost at this point.
I will send another update once I have the final missing items in hand.

Reminders


– Tommaso
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PROJECT UPDATE
user avatar image for The World Anvil Publishing
The World Anvil Publishing
CREATOR
4 months ago

Project Update: #34 - Pictures of the printed Tarot, and latest production updates

Hello Mercenaries, 

TL;DR: Today's short entry will show you how the Tarot looks in print and give you a little update on the rest.

The Tarot are printed!

I have the Tarot Deck sample in hand and I’m very happy with it. Here’s how it looks:




The book cover samples arrived too and they are perfect. I’ll show how everything comes together in the next update, with covers, interiors, gold gilding and the slipcase. The slipcases were meant to be finished this week but the printer is behind schedule, so they should be completed next week.

Once that is done, every paper component will be ready and will be shipped to our warehouse, so we remain on the timeline from the previous updates. Dice production is not yet finished but is close, and they will ship to the warehouse as soon as they are ready.

Updating the address

We have not locked addresses yet, but we will do so soon in preparation for fulfillment. We will send a final reminder when the time comes. You can be proactive now by checking and confirming your delivery address in your survey. Fulfillment will begin in January and will likely finish in February, so keep that window in mind if you expect to move.

I’ll send another update when I have the final items in hand.

Reminders


– Tommaso
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