November Backer Update
over 1 year ago – Sun, Nov 20, 2022 at 05:07:07 AM

Hello again everyone. Holiday season is approaching - we're staying busy and we hope you're all staying safe and warm!

Production Update

Here's the mid-month update on the production status. As we discussed in our last update, it looked like our fulfillment date was going to move from November to December due to a few tricky designs that were holding us up. Here's where things currently stand. 

The good news first - the final design that was holding us up, the war elephant mount, has received the all clear from our design department! Here's the video we've been waiting to see:

Check out how firmly the platform stays in place on the back! Very nice! Your warlord will NOT need to worry about their seat coming loose as they stomp their way into battle. 

Unfortunately, it took our manufacturer two more prototype drafts to reach this result since the last time we talked. We are now waiting on the physical sample to arrive at our offices for our direct, hands on approval. That should occur this Monday.

Even with the expedited shipping fees we're paying to shuttle samples back and forth, that means we're behind where we want to be. We were hoping to receive and approve the prototype by the 12th of November. Assuming this sample passes muster on Monday, that means we are just over a week behind our updated schedule.

Once the sample gets the go-ahead from us, production will begin. Hopefully all production will be completed by the end of the month. That means inventory will likely arrive at the fulfillment center in the first or second week of December. After the inventory has been received by the fulfillment center, we'll begin the packing and shipment process. As we've mentioned before, we'll be proceeding cautiously to minimize any packing errors at this step. Rest assured, we'll continue to push this forward as fast as we can while also maintaining the quality of the product.

Thanks again for your understanding in this process, everyone. I think we're all aware of Kickstarter campaigns that ship with glaring oversights. Books that are printed with missing pages, dice that are shipped without a quality check, etc. Production and fulfillment are complex processes, and can be a real challenge for the sorts of small companies that turn to Kickstarter. Mistakes can always happen, but they're almost guaranteed when a company attempts to rush a product out the door without taking care to tick each box as they go. We're a small company ourselves, and we're doing our best to give you a great product with no issues. 

We'll be back with at least one additional update before the end of the month as we work  to complete the fulfillment of your pledge.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns the best way to contact us is at [email protected]

October Backer Update
over 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 03, 2022 at 09:48:41 PM

Hello everyone - we're back with your October update (one day late!)

Production Update

As you know, November was given as our estimated fulfillment date when we launched this project. While we're still pushing to try and fulfill this month, it looks like fulfillment is unlikely to begin until some point in December. We'll be breaking down the reason for the delay below, along with the most recent updates.

In our September update we discussed a few Skinny Mini designs that were holding up the fulfillment process, and stated that it was more likely for orders to ship in late November than in early November. We've been working on resolving those issues all October, and we were hoping to have them completely taken care of before the end of the month. This update is coming to you a day late because we were hoping to get the "all clear" from our art manager and pass the good news on to you. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

While we've resolved all the issues with the siege tower and XL flying dragon, we're still held up on one design - the war elephant mount. The issue at hand is a problem with making the platform on the back hold correctly. This would have been resolved by now, but unfortunately  several printing errors on the side of our manufacturer delayed the process. Because the war elephant is included in everyone's set as part of the freebie minis we've been unable to start fulfillment. 

Here's our current estimates for the fulfillment time frame:

• Receive / approve new War Elephant prototype by second week of November.
• Complete production by third week of November.
• Receive inventory at fulfillment center by fourth week of November.

These dates are our best approximations at this point, and are dependent on the new prototype being the final one. Once the inventory has been received, the fulfillment process can begin. We'll be doing as much prep for fulfillment as possible while we're waiting for the final design to arrive, but because every pledge is different we'll be proceeding cautiously to minimize any packing errors. 

We appreciate your understanding, and we'll continue to keep you updated with clear and accurate information as the process continues. You can expect additional updates from us throughout November as we work to complete the fulfillment of your pledge.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns the best way to contact us is at [email protected]

September Backer Update + Enhanced Digital Tokens
over 1 year ago – Thu, Sep 29, 2022 at 04:07:36 PM

Hi everyone - we're back again with your latest updates. Get the scoop below!

Production Update

Production is 99% complete. Out of everything we're producing, there are just three Sets that haven't been given final approval... one siege weapon design, the XL war elephant, and the XL Flying Dragon mount. The design issues with those three designs are minor - but we feel that they're worth getting right to ensure we're giving you the best quality product. We're getting new prototypes of these sent to us now -  hopefully these will be the last ones!

As we wait for those designs to be finished, we are underway on the packing process! Our fulfillment partner has been receiving the completed sets this month and gearing up to process your orders. 

Even though it sounds like we're tantalizingly close to sending out your order, please know that we'll be taking this final step very carefully. We have a lot of backers on this project, and each and every one of you has a unique order. That means lots of places where something can go wrong in the fulfillment process. We'll be double (and triple) checking across the board to do our best to minimize any errors, and ensure you all get exactly what you paid for. 

We've caught one issue already. One of our binder sheet sets - the black combo sleeves - were printed with misaligned binder holes. We've kicked these back to the manufacturer, and they're producing a new batch for us. 

This issue, along with locking in final approval of the last 3 designs, means we may be cutting it close on hitting our estimated November shipping date. At this point, it looks likely that we'll more likely to ship in late November than in early November. We'll be sure to keep you posted if any other issues arise.

Looking forward to sharing more with you soon!

Enhanced Digital Tokens

We're happy to announce that we have released enhanced versions of our digital token packs! If you had Digital Tokens included in your pledge, you'll find the enhanced tokens now available to download in your BackerKit account. You can also find your digital downloads on your survey confirmation page.

If you've been following along, we received a lot of feedback from people who wanted to get our digital tokens at a higher-resolution. We heard you on that, and sent our team back into the digital mines to resize all our tokens. Originally, we were only planning on updating circular tokens, but we decided to do the same for the full front art as well. All Medium, Small, and Tiny tokens are 200 DPI now (up from 144 DPI)!

Our goal has been to find a file size that provides good resolution on virtual table tops, but isn't so large that it eats up all your file space. We think these new tokens do that well!

If you're not sure how to access your BackerKit digital downloads, you can check out this link. Thanks again for your feedback on this - we hope these spice up your virtual games!

Other Projects

In case you missed it, we've got several other projects going on at the moment.

Skinny Mini Subscription Club. Join the club, and vote with your fellow members on which new Skinny Mini sets we should make that month. You'll be sent the winning sets at a discounted price once they're produced, months before they make their public debut. Join the club, y'all!

Children of the Fallen Star. The pre-order campaign is still up and running strong! This year-long 5e campaign will ship out in monthly installments, starting 2023. Our latest campaign is an epic adventure in a strange new continent, taking heroes from level 10 to 20. While serving as a sequel to our last campaign "Voyage of the Fallen Star", it can also be played on its own by any group. Join the pre-order campaign to save big on all the maps, skinny minis, and adventure!

Locking Addresses, Skinny Mini Sidequests, and an Exciting Announcement
over 1 year ago – Thu, Aug 11, 2022 at 02:11:51 PM

Hey everyone - a few exciting updates for you this month. Lets get into it!

Locking Addresses

Starting this weekend, we're going to start locking addresses so we can make sure our distribution partners have everything they need. You should receive email notifications via BackerKit that you will have 48 hours to make final changes before they are locked.

This is it, folks! With production in full swing and distribution laying the groundwork, we're well on our way to meeting that November release date.

Production Update

The production saga continues. The majority of pieces have been completed, and are ready to send on to our fulfillment center. That said, we are still waiting on a few last designs that are still pending production. A few pre-production pieces of our more complex designs came back to us with sections that didn't quite fit right (too tight/too loose). Those designs have been going through a few iterations as our R&D team tweaks the designs, reviews the new sample, and tweaks again. As soon as these last few designs are perfected, we'll be able to send everything on to the fulfillment center for distribution.

Skinny Mini Side Quests

We've got a couple more fun (and free!) adventures for you today! Both of these adventures use Skinny Minis we released as part of the freebie minis from our last Kickstarter campaign.

THE REED KING'S COURT

Squish! A group of local highwaymen and bandits have become organized by ‘the Reed King’, and they have laid a number of vicious traps around the area to help them take their ill-gotten gains.

The Reed King’s Court can take place anywhere the PCs can be set upon by wetland highwaymen. Wherever a party of adventurers could be mired in a muddy trap and ambushed by swamp folk would be a perfect place to insert this scenario. Download the adventure here.

NINE TAILS OF HONOR
Beneath the striking vision of a single blossoming magnolia tree, you see a colorfully armored warrior kneeling, playing the lute, and singing a sorrowful ballad.

Nine Tails of Honor can take place anywhere the PCs can see far enough away to notice someone huddled beneath a magnolia blossom tree. While a magnolia blossom tree is not 100% necessary, it fits the feel of the scenario. However, any rolling grassland with large, picturesque trees is a perfect place to insert this side quest. Download the adventure here.

High-Level Adventure & New Skinny Minis

Skinny Minis were birthed as part of Dungeon in a Box, a subscription box that delivers a new adventure every month. They've just announced the launch of our new campaign arc - Children of the Fallen Star, an adventure for level 11-20!

We're creating 150+ brand new, campaign-exclusive Skinny Minis tailor-made for that story.

If that's something you'd like to be a part of, we're launching a pre-order campaign to help fund the campaign. In addition to some really great stretch goals, we're also offering a campaign-exclusive XL Skinny Mini for free to the next 25 backers!

So what are you waiting for? Check out the preorder today!

And as a quick reassurance, don't worry, this new adventure won't be slowing down our Skinny Mini Kickstarter fulfillment. This is a completely separate process for us. As fellow Skinny Mini enthusiasts, we just felt like you might like to know that there's another way to get your hands on some more.

Thanks again for everything! Stay safe, and roll high! 

Digital Tokens, Production Update + New Free Side Quest!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 15, 2022 at 03:25:43 PM

Happy July everyone! We've got lots of fun stuff to share with you, so let's get into it!

Production Update

We're still in our production phase - which means things are quietly humming away behind the scenes. Nearly all our standard mini sets have completed production at this point. That means we're almost ready to get underway with the accessory items (bases, binders, etc), as well as the more robust 3mm terrain items (siege terrain, spell templates, etc). Overall, things are on track and looking good!

Digital Tokens are finally here!

Yes, that's right! At long last, our digitization efforts are complete. 

We're distributing the digital tokens packages via Backer Kit. You should be receiving an email from Backer Kit shortly notifying you of this if you backed at the digital token levels. You can also find your digital downloads on your survey confirmation page. We hope you love them  - and that you get a chance to use them all on the virtual tabletop of choice very soon!

We've done our best to optimize the tokens for size and quality. That said, we do plan on providing one more digital token update in the near future. We'll be releasing updated versions of all Tiny, Small, and Medium-sized circular tokens at a higher resolution (200 dpi, up from the current 144 dpi). This is intended for players who aren't worried about the token file size, and want to use larger tokens for even greater immersion.

New Adventure...Coming Soon!

For the first time in two years, Dungeon in a Box is gearing up to release a brand new, year long campaign! This adventure arc will be a follow up to Voyage of the Fallen Star, and take your party from level 10 - 20 as they explore a wild new continent of unexpected magic. 

We'll be announcing an Early Bird pre-order campaign (with lots of pre-order incentives) very soon. Stay tuned for more news about this, and the other projects we'll be launching later this summer!

Free Side Quest: Lost in Gloom

As you proceed into the darkened caverns, thick wisps of umbral clouds suddenly coalesce around you, quickly filling the narrow tunnels - impenetrably dark. You escape its blinding darkness for a time, only to see more dark clouds hiss into existence further down your intended path.

We have another free side quest for you! This scenario can take place anytime the party has been tasked with exploring deep underground caves. This side trek complicates their journey, as the path they will need to traverse to reach their intended destination crosses into territory protected by a gloom dragon’s dark magic.

Optimized for a party of 4 to 5 player characters of levels 5-7.

If you didn't join our Skinny Mini Subscription Club - you can now purchase this dragon, and the other members of the Dragons of Wonder set, on our retail page.

That's all for today! Please feel free to let us know at [email protected] if you have questions. Until next time!