Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron

Valraven: The Chronicles of Blood and Iron

by The World Anvil Publishing

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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