Reckless Deck PSYCHE

Fulfillment Hangup
4 months ago – Mon, Aug 26, 2024 at 03:00:35 PM

Hello All,

Yes, there have been fulfillment delays to the Psyche Complete Boxed Set, and I wanted to respond to the questions and comments I've been hearing from you all. Here's what's going on:

On many of the game boxes, we are seeing that the glue holding the art wrap to the actual cardboard is separating, causing areas to bubble. Once I received a portion of my own inventory, I saw immediately that this was a problem, and reported it to Shuffled. They are adamant that the game units did not leave their facility looking like that, but all the same, that's how they're ending up looking on the receiving end. And so, Shuffled is re-running the game boxes, and have paused fulfillment to all the orders not yet shipped. Once we resume, all orders going forward will go out with the new, corrected game boxes. 

I received a timeline for their process for the printing and swapping out of the boxes: They're already halfway through the process. The art wraps have been printed, and the spot UV has been added. The cardboard is being delivered to them Wednesday or Thursday of this week, and then needs to be cut, assembled, and wrapped. They will allow for time for the glue to set, and do testing to make sure we won't have the same problem again. Fulfillment will resume mid-to late-next week, Sept 4th or 5th, and go through the weekend, and is scheduled to be 100% completed by end of day September 9th.

If you're a backer who received a box that's got this bubbling effect happening, you're eligible for a new box! First, this is what the problem looks like:

Here is the link to the form to fill out, and post a photo or two of your faulty box:

https://shuffledink.formstack.com/forms/reckless_deck_box_replacement

If your box has this problem, Shuffled Ink will send you one of the replacement boxes at no extra charge. 

I'm sorry that the fulfillment process is experiencing setbacks. After all your waiting, you deserve better. It goes without saying that I am as frustrated as all of you about this. My assessment is that fulfillment hasn't gone smoothly or speedily AT ALL. The original estimate I got for fulfillment of these sets was 3 days to a week, if you can believe that. And while Shuffled has been very apologetic about the delays, that doesn't help you, the backers, who are still waiting. 

Let me address one other concern that's been raised by backers: because this has dragged on so long, fulfillment is now overlapping with ads I have running on Reddit and with convention appearances, which I fully realize is frustrating, and just...not classy. I see some of you commenting on this, and believe me, I agree it's not ideal. However, this marketing plan was put in place weeks ago, and started after fulfillment should have already been completed. It was my intention to build on the momentum and excitement of people receiving their orders in order to support the next wave of production and fulfillment. Pulling the ads now would put the other backers still waiting for the smaller sets in a freeze as well, because that drastically slows the revenue I'm generating to produce their inventory.

Again, I'm sorry to report yet another delay. I'm doing everything I can to ensure you get the high quality product you paid for.

Cheers,

Clark

VERY Quick Weekend Update
4 months ago – Sat, Aug 17, 2024 at 06:02:35 AM

Hi All,

Here is a SUPER QUICK update for you, because I'm in the middle of NECRONOMICON here in Providence, RI - an H.P. Lovecraft and Weird Fiction convention. Reckless Deck has a table in the vendor hall, and I'm running story workshops using Psyche.

Fulfillment is still ongoing. If you haven't received notice that your set has shipped, don't stress. Literally all of my friends who backed the Kickstarter are still waiting for a notice that their package is shipping. (WTF?)The printer has fulfilled hundreds of orders, but there's still more to go. I have a meeting scheduled with them on Monday, to find out why this is taking so long. They told be they'd have fulfillment done in under a week, and now it's bee more than three, and we're still not done.

A few of you have reported QC issues, like an individual deck or dividers missing from your set. I have a list of those complaints (luckily it's very short), and I'll be passing it off to the printers on Monday. They will replace whatever it is you're missing.

If you need to update your address, just message me the new address in your inquiry please - no need to message me and ask "How do I update my new address?" If you have questions or concerns, leave them in the comments or DM me. I am seeing all your comments and trying to address them. Sorry if I've been a little incommunicado - I've had freelance work with tight deadlines, prep for Necronomicon, and am simultaneously working with the printers about fulfillment, and with another vendor for the remaining coins and anthology production.

Let me plow through this con this weekend, and I'll address each of your concerns individually.

Hope all is well with you.

Clark

Fulfillment underway! Addressing some questions
5 months ago – Tue, Aug 06, 2024 at 01:07:33 PM

Hello All! 

Hope summer is going well for all of you. I'm pleased to report that fulfillment for the Compete Boxed Sets is currently in progress. A little later, and a little slower than anticipated, so if you haven't received a confirmation email yet, don't stress.

Fulfillment Timeline

First, right before packages were supposed to start shipping out, our printers caught a mistake that was turning up in one of the groups of cello wrapped cards. So they decided to re-run that one group and swap them out of all of the boxes. That fix delayed us by several days. I was told fulfillment would be complete before this past weekend, but Friday evening I got word that there was still more left to do. They sent out over 100 packages yesterday, so it's clear they're making aggressive progress. Now, however, they're dealing with a hurricane in Florida that I'm sure will slow us down for a couple of days. Hopefully, all the packages will have been sent and everyone should have their tracking info before the end of this week.

They've also sent me a chunk of inventory, which I'll be using to fulfill all the orders going to international backers that asked to have their sets shipped directly. Those arrive tomorrow.

Questions Regarding Arriving Orders

I've seen a number of comments asking what's up with the anthology and the the remaining coins. We've covered this a lot in prior updates, but for those of you who might not have been tuned in, here's the situation:

Anthology

The anthology will most definitely still be happening. Given how much work has gone into it by the authors, the outstanding quality of the their stories, and the gorgeous illustrations by Reiko Murakami, not going forward with the anthology has never been an option I've considered. I will send them to all the Passport Tier backers in a separate shipment.

Coins

As far as the coins go, there was a problem with the previous manufacturer's follow through on the gold and copper coins. All the silver coins are good to go, however, and all selected silver options are being sent out as part of this fulfillment wave. The gold and copper coins are being completed by a new manufacturer, and that work is currently in production. All the gold and copper coins chosen by Passport Tier backers will be shipped out along with their anthologies.

Playmats

There have been some questions about people expecting multiple playmats. The Passport Tier includes ONE of your choice of playmats, and each backer made their choice when they completed the pledge manager in Backerkit. There was some very early language in the first days of the campaign that said "one of each unlocked playmat". But that was before I learned my playmat producer would allow me to do smaller runs of different designs without charging me more. So instead of unlocking 2 or 3 different designs as individual stretch goals, we only did one "unlock", and I included SIX design options all at once. This is a point that was clarified very thoroughly both during and in the months after the campaign.
However, our playmats for this campaign are freaking awesome, and I want anyone who wants one to be able to get one (or more). So, I will run A SALE on playmats for any interested backers. I can make any additional playmats available to you all for $18 each, down from $29. $18 is a steal for stitched playmats - most of my artist colleagues sell theirs at shows like GenCon for $35 or $40 apiece. If you're interested, leave a comment below, or DM me. As a refresher, here are the 6 playmat designs you could potentially chose from:

Make Some Noise

Those of you who are getting your stuff in the mail, I'm so unbelievably thrilled that we've finally reached this point. But, I've got plenty of other backers, both here in the US and internationally, who are still waiting. If you're happy with the product you've received, I hope you'll consider making some noise about it on social media! Share an unboxing video, or some photos, or some posts about the cool characters and story ideas you've come up with for your creative writing or your rpg campaigns. Helping spread the word could really make a difference in how quickly I can get the rest of the items fulfilled.

For any of you who are Reddit users, I'm also in the process of creating a Reckless Deck SUBREDDIT. It'll be a place where we can meet to talk about creativity, projects we're working on, and to seek the advice and feedback of our fellow creators.

If you have questions about fulfillment, or your order specifically, feel free to continue to leave your comments and questions here, or DM them to me.

Cheers,

Clark

Fulfillment Starts Today!
5 months ago – Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 06:11:06 AM

Hi All,

Best Project Update ever so far - fulfillment starts TODAY! 

Production on the Complete boxed Set is DONE, addresses are imported into the fulfillment software, and boxes are getting packed and shipped out starting this afternoon.

 To my knowledge, everyone who has sent me a change of address has received a confirmation back from me saying it’s taken care of. (If you needed your address changed and I did not email you back a confirmation, please DM me again on Kickstarter.) Everyone who’s asked to upgrade from their original order to the Complete Boxed Set has had their order adjusted. Every international backer who’s asked to have their Complete Boxed Set shipped now instead of waiting for the fulfillment to their region will be getting a shipping confirmation shortly.

If you still want to upgrade to the Complete Boxed Set, let me know, and we’ll get it done.

As a reminder, here's what is shipping in this wave:

• The Complete Boxed Set to all Passport Tier backers, Cards Only Tier backers, backers who upgraded, and pre-orders in the USA and Canada
• All Playmats included in any of those orders
• All SILVER coins included in any of those orders

The Short Story Anthology, and all Gold and Copper coins will ship separately to any of these backers receiving their Complete Boxed Set in this wave. For all other backers, these items will ship in one order, along with all your other rewards.

Another really positive aspect of this milestone is that fulfilling this production run means we're past all Covid-related production decisions and emergency pivots. Now that international freight shipping and manufacturing rates are no longer cataclysmic, we're free to return the remainder of production to China, where the rates are once again much more doable. What we do need to do, though, is sell some units of this boxed set to get us over the finish line. If you're one of the backers about to receive their rewards, here are some ways you can help your fellow backers:

• Post on social about your awesome new Psyche set! Make unboxing videos, show posts of your favorite card combinations, and talk about how it's been helpful in your creative process or RPG gaming. 
• Tell friends who might enjoy it or benefit from it! 
• I will be enabling product reviews on the Reckless Deck website. Once you get yours, if you like what you see, consider writing a review.

I'm so excited for you first wave backers to get your stuff and to start using the system by holding the real, physical, finished product in your hands. For those of you still waiting, I want to reassure you that I'm fully committed to seeing this project through to the end. I'll continue to do everything I can to get the order for the individual sets placed as early in the fall as possible, in order to get it in your hands before the holidays.

Here are some images of the production prototype!

Tell me what you think of the finished product in the comments below!

Cheers,

Clark

Production Progress Update
7 months ago – Thu, Jun 06, 2024 at 12:17:47 PM

Hello All,

It's an exciting time for the project, as we are deep in production for the Complete Boxed Set! All the cards for the sets have been COMPLETED. I've asked the printer for photos of the stacks of our inventory, but I don’t want to delay this update any longer. I’ll share the photos in a separate update once I get them.

I’ve received word that a hand-constructed prototype of the 2-piece box is the next step, which is expected to be completed by the end of this week/ early next week. Nothing so far has come up that puts us off our projected timeline of being done with production before the 4th of July holiday, but production on the box is still ongoing. The exact start date for fulfillment and the duration of the fulfillment process are yet to be determined.

Upgrade Your Pledge 

For anyone in the US or Canada who isn't in either the Passport or Cards Only tiers and wants to upgrade their pledge level to get the Complete Boxed Set when it ships in the July fulfillment wave, Backerkit is fully briefed and ready to assist you. They will inform you of the difference between what you’ve already paid and the $199 Cards Only price, as well as any potential difference in shipping charges. Backerkit will either get your permission to charge the card already on file or take a new method of payment for the difference. If you encounter any issues with Backerkit, please let me know, and I’ll contact them on your behalf. I’ve already done this once for a backer, so hopefully, we should be good to go from here on out.

You can reach them at [email protected]m

Wave 1 International Shipping 

Many international backers have reached out to me asking how much it would cost to get one of the Wave 1 Complete Boxed Sets shipped to them directly, rather than waiting for the fulfillment for their entire region. I have some rough estimates for you:

Australia $75

Germany $60

Hong Kong $70

Italy $60

Phillipines $75

Sweden $75

United Kingdom $60

Please remember, these are ESTIMATES, based on the approximate weight quoted to me by our printer. I don’t actually have the finished product in hand yet. Additionally, these estimates do not include VAT or import taxes that your country may impose. However, I am exploring ways to list this as a “gift” rather than a “sale” on the customs declaration, and potentially undervalue it to save you some money.

Ultimately, only you, as the individual backer, can decide if an expedited shipment in July fits your budget. If it does, please let me know via instant message—I’m happy to arrange the shipment for you.

DriveThru RPG for Digital Only Content

DriveThru RPG looks like it’s going to work out well for those of you seeking physical copies of  the expansions that aren’t going forward to print. But I admit, there’s a bit of a learning curve to their process, so please bear with me. I’m working with their customer service team to set up a vendor account, and create and upload files for you to order printed copies. I will I will try to have this process completed to coincide with the July fulfillment wave.

Already Working on Wave 2

I’ve been laying the groundwork for the fulfillment wave after this one, which will include all the rest of the items, and all the other regions. 

As I’ve said before, how quickly we’re able to get the order placed for the remainder of the products depends heavily on sales of the Complete Boxed Set in the US and Canada, once  the backers receive their rewards and I have the inventory in hand. Given this dependency, it’s impossible for me to provide an exact timeline. But, I’m committed to doing everything I can to sell the necessary sets and begin production as close to Labor Day/end of summer as possible.

With the conclusion of this current wave 1 production and fulfillment, we’ll be free from any remaining Covid-era decisions or arrangements. Which means future plans, pricing, and logistics will be based on present-day conditions, and not on the constantly-shifting, state-of-emergency conditions we faced during the pandemic. Production for the remaining inventory will return to a China facility, which, as much as I hate to say it, significantly reduces our costs. I’ve begun planning freight shipping directly from the China facility to fulfillment partners in the EU and Australia, as well as to me here in the US.

Coin Issues, and Solutions

I need to inform you about an issue with the coins. Despite previously stating that coin production was 100% complete, we've discovered significant shortages of copper and gold-finished coins while preparing for fulfillment.

I’ve repeatedly tried to resolve this with our original producer, Signature Coins, but they've become completely unresponsive despite their initial “reluctant-but-probably-willing” attitude towards correcting their error. Do I think this is acceptable? No. Will fighting with them about it get you your rewards in any kind of a reasonable timeframe? Apparently, no to that as well. Ultimately, in researching other manufacturers, it turns out that they just weren't that special, and there's other vendors who can get this done for us, and at a better price. So, I’m moving on from this, and focusing on the more important issue of getting you your rewards.

 I’ve found a new manufacturer, GPI, based in Massachusetts. They have a relationship with a Chinese affiliate capable of meeting our needs, and at a very reasonable rate. Their sample work confirms they can achieve the required detail and accuracy, and production on the gold & copper coins we need has already begun. 

Unfortunately, this means gold and copper coins won’t be ready in time to ship with the Complete Boxed Sets in July. I already have a secondary shipment planned for US & Canada Passport Tier backers to receive their short story anthologies, and so the gold and copper coins will be included in that shipment. All silver coins are good to go, however, and will be included in July’s shipments. 

GPI has provided an excellent quote for the anthology printing, and Deanna and I are prepping design files to begin production. We are still deciding whether to schedule a freight shipment solely for the gold and copper coins and anthologies or to bundle these items with the larger shipment of the remaining inventory. If Boxed Set sales are strong once they arrive in July, we can start manufacturing the remaining inventory sooner. In that case, everything will be sent out in one freight shipment wave.

Whew. Yes, that’s a lot, but as I said at the start, it’s almost Go Time. Please let me know your thoughts, and any questions you may have, in the comments below. 

Cheers!

Clark