Q1 Project Progress So Far
15 days ago
– Fri, Feb 28, 2025 at 03:17:35 PM
Hi everyone,
I appreciate your patience, and I want to provide a long-overdue update. While unexpected freelance obligations and tight deadlines have kept me busier than planned, progress has been made on the project, and I want to share the latest developments with you.
Funding Progress
I recently had a productive meeting with a representative from the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center regarding the loan I’ll be applying for to complete fulfillment. He has extensive experience with this specific loan and has helped many entrepreneurs navigate the process successfully. Right now, I’m working on the necessary financial documents, including my 2024 business taxes, and finalizing application materials. Once everything is in place, we’ll be looking at multiple lending options to ensure the best path forward.
Manufacturing Update
I’ve received updated pricing from DoFine Games, the new manufacturer I’ll be working with. Their rates are in line with the estimates I received last fall, which is great news. They come highly recommended by trusted industry contacts and by GPI Games (the company now handling our coins and anthology). I’ve personally inspected their work and am very confident in the quality of their production.
Addressing Backer Concerns
I know this has been a lengthy, rocky process, and I want to acknowledge that. I continue to work with individual backers behind the scenes on customer support issues, including assisting those interested in upgrading to the Complete Boxed Set (which is in stock and ships immediately). If you’ve reached out to me and haven’t heard back, please don’t hesitate to follow up—I want to make sure no concerns slip through the cracks.
The project is moving forward, and I remain fully committed to fulfilling it. I appreciate everyone’s patience, and I’ll continue to provide updates as more concrete progress is made.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
Thanks,
Clark
Help for Individual Backers, and a Progress Report
3 months ago
– Thu, Dec 12, 2024 at 12:48:04 PM
Hi Everyone,
I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season. Thank you for your patience and continued engagement as I work to fulfill this project. I understand the delays have caused frustration, and I want to acknowledge your concerns while sharing the progress I’m making to see this project through.
Fulfillment Progress
- I’ve been actively addressing needs of individual fulfillment issues. This is important project-related work, but it’s not work that’s visible to all backers, as it affects individual orders. I’m shipping out PSYCHE boxed sets to them wherever I can. There was a block of backers in the fulfillment wave that never received their sets, and they needed replacement orders issued.
- I’m trying to track down the backers that Backerkit assisted in upgrading to the Boxed Set. They were helpful in the moment, but didn’t keep records of who they upgraded. Each of you that upgraded to the boxed set should have received your rewards in the last fulfillment wave. If you didn’t please message me, and I can get your order out to you.
- I ran a report in Backerkit recently that surprised me - it was for backers in the US and Canada who pledged at a low rewards tier (such as Core Set Only), but then added on all or most of the Companion Decks post-campaign. There were over a hundred backers who did this. I’ve been trying to reach out to these backers individually, to see if they’d like the Boxed Set instead. I’ve gotten a very low response rate back. I’m happy to get a product into as many hands as possible, and I’d rather see backers get the Boxed Set than continue to wait on the printing of the individual sets. If you’re one of the backers who backed the Core Set but then added on a LOT of add ons, please message me, and let’s see if we can get product into your hands.
Revenue Generating Efforts
I’ve tried to be as transparent as possible about what is required to get the individual Core Set and Companions printed. I’m doing exactly what I told you I would do in the project updates from the fall: I’m trying to sell existing inventory. Not just Psyche, but original Reckless Deck was well - to raise revenue for the next wave of printing. And, that is working. As I gain new customers, and existing customers like you choose to give Reckless Deck products as holiday gifts, we get closer to where we need to be to place the printing order.
My efforts have included:
- Promoting Reckless Deck to new customers through newsletters and ads. These efforts directly support funding the outstanding rewards.
- Getting Reckless Deck into more retail stores.
Regarding the ads and newsletters: I’ve received a number of message from less than happy backers, complaining about seeing ads or getting newsletters from me promoting Reckless Deck. Promoting the products is my best tool for raising the revenue we need to complete the production. If seeing these promotions has left you feeling overlooked, I want to assure you that every effort supports fulfillment. I’d love to be able to re-frame your view of these efforts: That they are me out there hustling, trying to raise the revenue needed to get you the products I owe you. What I’m not doing is hanging out in my Bond Villain volcano lair, enriching myself off the investment of your funds while skipping out on following through on my promises. I want nothing more than to complete the project and to get all your rewards into your hands.
Financial Updates
- As I said this past fall, I’m pursuing a small business loan to further support fulfillment. This process requires detailed submissions, including a business plan and projections. Unfortunately it’s tedious, and the process doesn’t provide many headline-worthy wins along the way. But it is moving forward, and I’m optimistic about approval.
Next Steps
I’m fully committed to completing this project and delivering the high-quality product you backed. I hope to have the business loan application documents completed by early to mid-January. If approved, we'll be able to move into production immediately.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding. If you have specific concerns or questions, feel free to message me directly.
Regards, and a Merry Christmas,
Clark
Post-Boxed Set Fulfillment Update
5 months ago
– Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 08:39:26 AM
Hi All,
This update is a bit overdue, and I appreciate your patience, as I’m in the middle of some personal challenges right now.
After the fulfillment of the Complete Boxed Sets to US and Canada backers, I’m trying to troubleshoot individual backer issues. Who didn’t get their set that should have, who still managed to get a janky, defective box (still!), and who might be missing a playmat or a mouse pad. If you’re still having problems, please let me know through Kickstarter DM so I can address them directly.
I’m sorry to report that after several weeks of telling you there would be another production announcement, those plans have fallen through. I had an outside funding source that, combined with the remaining project funds, would have gotten Core Sets and the top 3 most popular Companion Decks in production, but that funding source disappeared at the last minute. I’m still deeply frustrated by this, but I’ve re-set, and am looking at other options. I have possible partial solution through a small business loan within the State of RI. It will take me a couple of weeks to get the paperwork and the documentation completed. This, plus what I hope will be a strong holiday season, should get us back on track for production of the all-important Core Sets, and as many of the Companions as we can afford to print. I will update you in the next few weeks on potential progress.
I have also seen that after the wave of positivity from North American backers who received their orders, there’s been a wave of frustration and growing concern from the international community. First, I fully acknowledge (and share) your concerns. You have a right to feel impatient and unhappy. There have been more than one request to reassure you that I plan to come through with your orders at all. I want to be absolutely clear: I remain 100% committed to delivering everyone’s rewards. Some Kickstarters are creators' personal projects, where the Kickstarter is the end goal of that project’s lifespan - they create for their backers, they fulfill their rewards, and that’s it. And then there are projects where the Kickstarter is meant to launch a product line with a lasting commercial life, in both in e-commerce and retail stores, available in the US and internationally. This has always been the intention behind Psyche, and I’ve had many interactions with buyers at game stores, bookstores, and on college campuses that have proven there’s an audience for it. I’m also well aware that Reckless Deck’s business has consistently been bout 30% international. This project isn’t done until everyone’s received their rewards, and Psyche is available at retail outlets in the US, the EU, and Australia.
As unfashionable as it is to continue to invoke the pandemic as a source of continued fulfillment delays, it remains a fact that the Complete Box Sets I just produced, whose production got moved from China to the US because of covid-related freight shipping costs, cost more than 3 times per unit what they were budgeted for. While this is frustrating, I know I'm not alone in this – I’ve talked to many other covid-era project creators that are digging their way out of similar circumstances. I want you to know that I’m still committed to seeing it through, because I’m still passionate about the product, and I see that there’s nothing else available on the market that does what Psyche can.
If you have a fulfillment problem with the most recent Complete Boxed Set wave, please continue to let me know what your issues are. If you need to change your address, send me your new address via Kickstarter DM - I’m happy to make the change for you.
More soon.
Clark
Fulfillment is Back on Track
6 months ago
– Wed, Sep 18, 2024 at 10:04:34 AM
Hi All,
This is just a quick one to let you know that our latest production issues are resolved, and fulfillment of the Complete Boxed Sets is back in action!
The boxes have been re-run, and the issues with the bubbling and the seal of the art wrap are resolved. All the sets have been shrink wrapped, and returned to our printer's facility. Fulfillment resumed yesterday, and continues today. I will find out later today if there will be more days of fulfillment needed to complete all remaining orders, or if they'll have it completed by end of day.
Some of you should have received shipping notices yesterday via email. If you did, please consider leaving a quick comment below to let both me and the other backers know things are proceeding as they should.
Once I get my own replacement boxes for the inventory I have here on hand, I can get started on those orders from international backers who said they're willing to pay the shipping to get their Complete Boxed Set sent ahead of the shipping for their region.
There have been a lot of questions about the Core Set lately, and I want you to know I'm working very hard on that as we speak. I should be able to give you more specifics very soon.
I'll continue with updates on fulfillment when there is more news to share!
Cheers,
Clark
Additional fulfillment hangups this week
6 months ago
– Fri, Sep 13, 2024 at 09:21:14 AM
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to provide an update on the new boxes and our fulfillment progress. It’s been a challenging week, for sure. There’s good news is, the new boxes have been produced, and the issue with the glue and art wrap bubbling has been resolved. To ensure the best results, production had to be run slowly over the weekend, and then we allowed the boxes an extra day and a half to rest to confirm the bubbling wouldn’t return. Thankfully, it didn’t.
However, we hit an unexpected snag—the boxes are too large for our printer’s shrink wrap equipment. (I mean, seriously?) As a result, they’ve subcontracted the shrink wrapping to another local business, and all the completed sets will be ready for shipping first thing Monday morning.
Shrink wrapping may not sound like a big deal, and not worth a further weeks delay for. But I was very unhappy that the initial wave of sets were not shrink wrapped, and were shipped with just loose box lids with no seal whatsoever. I thought it was a very unprofessional presentation, especially for such a high price point item. And many of the sets they sent me experienced damage during shipping from rubbing up against one another, due to the fact that they weren’t shrink wrapped. So, it wasn’t a step I was willing to forego, even though it cost us yet another delay.
As mentioned, shrink wrapping will be completed by Monday morning (the 16th), and fulfillment will resume immediately after. In the meantime, replacement boxes are being sent to backers who have requested them. If you received one of the earlier faulty boxes, I encourage you to submit a request for a new one. You deserve the product you were originally promised.
I’m also working on being able to make another incremental fulfillment announcement, but I’ll wait until everything is finalized before sharing details. I hope to have more news for you next week.
I apologize for this latest delay and appreciate your continued patience. I'm doing everything I can to ensure you receive a top-quality product.
Best Regards,
Clark
