Happy Holidays Update & New Progress Measurements!
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Dec 20, 2016 at 11:25:12 PM
Hi everyone!
There's a brief shift in the updates here. This is Alan Bahr, and I'll be doing the updates going forward. Our aim is to have a bi-weekly (every two weeks) update that will give you some more detailed and consistent information about the project and our movement on it. I'll also be assisting Sandra in the project management aspects here, as we sprint to the end here. (Shipping is a lot of work, so I'm trying to take some of the workload away from Sandra, so she can focus on shipping). Howard is focusing all his attention on making comics and finishing the setting text for Planet Mercenary.
First, for orders: Sandra has made updates to all the orders based on the survey responses! Thanks to everyone who responded!
The Pristine 70 Maxims books should arrive the first week of January (obviously pending the normal shipping risks). Orders for only the Pristine book will ship out by the end of January.
The Defaced 70 Maxims books arrive mid-February (again, pending potential shipping disruptions). Any orders that contain a Defaced book (and a pristine) and no Planet Mercenary books will ship by Mid-March. Note: this will include any orders that have paid for split shipping or orders without Planet Mercenary books but with items like coins and dice.
Once Planet Mercenary goes to the printer, we'll communicate that to you.
So! Updates!
The goal of this update is to provide clear levels of where we are on the various pieces of the project. We know we are behind, but we are making a massively concentrated effort to get this done ASAP.
If you have concerns or need a question answered, simply post in the comments for this update and I (Alan) will do my best to answer. If I can't, I'll get Sandra on the horn and we'll get you an answer.
Component Status
- Planet Mercenary Dice - Ordered and Arrived
- Planet Mercenary Mayhem Deck - Ordered and Arrived
- Planet Mercenary GM Screen – Art is in progress.
Planet Mercenary Book Status
- Rules Text: 100% written. In editing. Going to layout as edits are done.
- Art: Art is 80% completed. Sandra will be stepping into assist in art direction so we can get this done ASAP.
- Setting Text: 75%. Layouts being done as edits are done.
- Pre-Gen Adventure: Done. In editing and layout.
- Copy-editing: Not yet begun
- Indexing: Not yet begun.
- Game Chief Secrets PDF: Pieces are in place, but our focus is on getting the core-book out to you, and then turning our attention to this fully.
You can expect similar updates on a regular schedule going forward!
Thanks and Happy Holidays!
- Howard, Sandra, Patrick, & Alan.
Playable Scenario Release & Seventy Maxims update
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Nov 15, 2016 at 11:47:02 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Seventy Maxims Surveys
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 11:15:19 PM
Sandra posting again:
I've just sent out all the surveys to ask which version of the Seventy Maxims book you want. Sorry that took so long. Kickstarter's survey system does not allow for automation. Each question has to be written individually. Which leads to my next item:
$40 backers, I made a mistake on your survey. (Maximillian with Air Drop, and Seventy Maxims with Air Drop) The text at the beginning says you don't automatically get a copy of the Seventy Maxims, but you do get 1 copy included with your pledge level. Just tick the circle next to the version of the book that you want.
There may be other wording errors in the surveys. If you find one, the same recommendation applies, tick the circle next to the edition you want. Give me an email address if you think there is any chance of confusion.
Please respond to your surveys quickly. Next week I will begin contacting people who want to update their orders. It is going to be a long slow process. I will post progress updates at the end and in the comments at the end of this post where I talk about the two editions of the book. I believe you can subscribe to comments on that post so the updates will be sent to you.
That's it for now. Thank you for your patience and understanding as I manage this logistical challenge.
Getting You What You Want
over 7 years ago
– Mon, Oct 17, 2016 at 11:52:07 PM
We've Been Listening
We're going to find a way to make both versions of Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries available as hardback books.
Sandra has contacted the printer, and is getting quotes for running both versions of the Seventy Maxims book—one pristine, and one defaced—at lower counts. This is going to be kind of expensive for us, but it sounds like it really is the only way to make everyone happy.
She is also evaluating the shipping & handling budget to see how much extra we'd have to charge if people want to split their delivery into two pieces: the maxims, and the game.
Here's what's going to happen:
- Sandra will run the numbers.
- We will send out a survey to determine which of the Seventy Maxims books you want.
- The survey will also give you the option to split your shipment, and to order hard copies of both the pristine and the defaced books. There will be an additional charge for an extra book, and there will probably be an additional charge for split shipping.
- We will alter the cover art for both books, as appropriate, and will make another editing pass on both versions to clean up typos before the offset print run. (That was going to happen anyway, but now you know that it is going to happen.)
- Sandra will need to update, by hand, about 3500 orders, to reflect your survey responses. Backerkit has been locked down, and this particular change is outside the scope of what we can automate.
Here's what you will need to do:
- Respond to the survey when it arrives
- Pick Pristine, Defaced, or Both
- If you pick "Both" there will be an additional charge
- Pick Ship ASAP, or Ship With Planet Mercenary
- If you pick "Ship ASAP" there will be an additional charge (unless you ONLY ordered the Seventy Maxims book, in which case your order will ship as soon as we have the books in hand)
No matter how the numbers shake out, this is going to be expensive for us. Sandra's time is a limited resource, and we just dropped at least three weeks of work into her queue. But we've been listening to you, and it sounds like the extra work is required in order to get you what you want.
Howard still has concerns that the appearance of the defaced version will not work as well in print as in PDF, but has conceded that it is possible that his eye is more sensitive to this stuff than yours will be. He is going to continue to worry that the hard copy of the defaced version will disappoint people, because it disappoints him, but the business principle he has preached at others—"If your customer wants a thing that you don't like, it's okay to make it for them and accept their money"—totally applies here.
Digital Delivery
On the Seventy Maxims PDFs: We’re getting word that some backers are having trouble getting the PDFs to download and open on iPads and other tablets. We’ve left a customer service request with BackerKit and will continue to work to figure out what the trouble is and how we can fix it. We'll post an update when we have an answer.
On the Core Rules: We just threw a full week of work in front of Sandra, which is going to impact the date for digital delivery of the core rules. Howard has made his voice-pass through half of the material, and is now back from the last of the conventions he was committed to. We're still driving hard for the end of October, but it's coming up on us a lot faster than we want it to.
We're doing a Maxim 70 coin that uses some design elements from the Seventy Maxims book. Watch the blog space at SchlockMercenary.com for details.
Seventy Maxims PDFs
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Oct 14, 2016 at 10:55:35 PM
Greetings backers, this update is from Sandra, manager of logistical delivery.
The Seventy Maxims PDFs are uploaded to the Backerkit system and as soon as I hit publish on this post, I'll go there and hit the "distribute" button. I believe that Backerkit will then send each of you an email with information on how to download your PDFs. If there are any hiccups in this process, email [email protected] and I'll figure out the problem.
Alternately, you can log into Backerkit yourselves and get your downloads. If you have forgotten your Backerkit login, click here. That will take you to a survey recovery page. Logging in will also allow you to update your mailing address if you have moved.
The Seventy Maxims PDFs are available to all backers who have a Seventy Maxims book in their order. If you do not have the book in your order, you will not be emailed about it or able to download. If you haven't filled out your survey, you'll have to do that before you can download. If your Backerkit order shows that your card was declined, you'll need to fix that before you'll be able to download. I'm happy to help individuals with any of these issues. Email [email protected] if you need help.
The download is a zip file which contains 3 PDFs. One is the black-and-white version of the book, which is almost identical to what will see print. Only it won't be so white because the paper we've chosen is off-white and has a nice texture. The other two PDFs are the version with all the handwritten notes in it. They're just two different resolutions of the same file.
The print version of the book is in the hands of our printing company. They inform me that books should arrive at the Schlock warehouse around January 1st. As soon as they arrive we will begin shipping orders to customers who only ordered the Seventy Maxims book. It will be another month or two before I can evaluate whether we're able to split orders for other customers.
That's it for now. Thank you for backing the project.
--Sandra Tayler
