Dawn of Madness

Deliveries Happening in Most Regions! Learn to Play! Some New Art!
9 months ago – Tue, May 21, 2024 at 09:49:48 PM

Hey guys! Deliveries are really and truly happening worldwide! In fact, I would guess many of you have already received your copy. I know many of you wondered if this day would ever arrive (I even fought off wondering myself on particularly bad days), but it actually has.

Let's get right into where we're at in every region. 

Shipping Update

Europe

40% of orders have been shipped, and the remaining orders will be dispatched by the end of this month.

West Coast USA

97% of orders have been delivered.

East Coast USA

The orders are currently moving through customs. They are expected to be handed over to the courier by the end of this week.

Canada

The container has arrived at the warehouse. They will finish labeling packages once the holiday period is over. Then, the orders will be handed over to the courier.

Australia

The customs clearance is now complete. Orders will be handed over to the courier by the end of this week.

New Zealand

All orders have been received. If you haven't received yours yet, email us at the address below.

East Asia and Southeast Asia

All orders have been received. If you haven't received yours yet, email us at the address below.

Central Asia and South America

Orders are being handled on a case-by-case basis, with addresses and delivery methods being confirmed with individual backers.

Customer Service

Now that more of you have received your game, we thought it would be a good idea to remind you how to get in touch with us if you have a problem with your order. 

If you experience any of the following: 

• The courier loses your package.
• The courier delivers your package to the wrong address.
• Your package arrives with significant damage.
• Your package is missing an item.
• You discover a quality issue with the product upon unboxing.

Be sure to email Cherry at [email protected], preferably with photos to illustrate your situation. Cherry will get back to you with a solution as soon as possible (though there may be a delay of a few weeks while she finishes working on dispatching packages and logistics.) If you don't hear back from her right away, don't panic. She will address any after-sales issues she can't address this month and resolve them collectively in June.

Learn to Play Dawn of Madness

Wondering how to play Dawn of Madness? Jeremy Hollobon over at Adventures in Creative Software has been developing an absolutely stellar series to teach you just that. His third video isn't out yet, but you can watch his first two below, which will give you a great idea of how to get going on the game.

We'll post the third part in a future update once it comes out, but these two will teach you everything you need to know to get going on DoM.

Cary's Art

Of course, the core game isn't the end of DoM. There are four more wanderers coming! We'll have a deep dive coming up for the wanderer Cary James, the actor in Of Art and Oblivion, but we thought we'd start by showing you some of the new art for him. 

Okay, that's it for this update! I hope you guys enjoy Dawn of Madness when you get it (if you haven't already), and we'll talk again soon!

Things are Moving! Unboxing Dawn! Updates on Translations! Digital Dawn!
9 months ago – Thu, May 09, 2024 at 07:00:24 PM

Hey friend! We've got a big update for you today, so let's jump right in. 

Shipping

Europe

The goods have arrived at our logistics partner Green Logistics' warehouse in Poland. They plan to start the shipping process this Friday, May 10th. (Woohoo!)

The US

The two West Coast US containers have arrived at the port. We expect them to reach the warehouse smoothly this week. The other containers are still at sea, but we'll update you once they arrive.

Canada and Australia

The goods are at sea, but we'll let you know as the situation develops.

Asian and Other Regions

Some backers in Asia have already received their packages, which we've been thrilled to hear. If you haven't received yours yet, hold tight! It's likely still in transit.

Customer Service

As deliveries commence worldwide, there is a slight possibility you may experience one or more of the following crummy circumstances:

• The courier may lose your package.
• The courier may deliver your package to the wrong address.
• Your package may arrive with significant damage.
• Your package may be missing an item.
• You may discover a quality issue with the product upon unboxing.

Should you encounter any of the above issues, email [email protected], preferably with photos to illustrate your situation. Cherry will get back to you with a solution as soon as possible. 

However, please be aware that Cherry is intently focused on dispatching and logistics during May, which will limit her ability to reply to you for the next few weeks. So, if you don't hear back from her right away, don't panic. She will address any after-sales issues she can't address this month and resolve them collectively in June.

I'm also still working through a few dozen emails from this and last month, so rest assured I will get back to you if you reached out to me previously. However, I will caution that for most of the world, I can no longer change addresses (and haven't been able to since early April), as most packages have shipped. So, if your address is no longer accurate, we recommend contacting your carrier (UPS in the US) to see if they can redirect it for you. (You can find your tracking number in BackerKit, or let me know if you have difficulty finding it.) If you don't get your package, don't worry. Just email Cherry using the email above, and we'll send it back to you ASAP.

What's in the Box?

Just as a reminder, this is only Wave One of DoM delivery. As such, you will likely not receive everything you ordered in this shipment. What you can expect to receive are the following SKUs:  

• DOM01 - Dawn of Madness Core Box - English version
• DOM02 - The Otherworld Miniature Box
• DOM012 - Deep Madness Crossover Pack I
• DOM015 - Sentience Dice Pack
• DOM016 - Neoprene Game Mat
• DOM017 - Metal Token Pack (80)
• DOM018 - Metal Token Pack (120)
• DM014cre - The Faces of the Sphere - Crossover Pack - English version
• DM014 - The Faces of the Sphere Expansion

You won't find the separate abomination or terror packs, the big box expansions, the big box storage solutions, or the art book. Those will be coming in Wave Two.

Other Language Versions

The translations haven't moved as swiftly as we hoped, but they are still progressing steadily. Here's how each language is doing:

French: The French version has completed its final proofreading. We'll soon submit this version's files to the factory.

Spanish: The team has finished the layout work for the Spanish version. It is currently undergoing final proofreading. Once that's done, we'll also submit these files to the factory.

German: The German version is progressing slower than the others. However, we still expect it to be completed within this month.

We aim to start printing all three language versions next month and expect backers to receive them in September.

Dawn Goes Digital

I also have some fun news today about something to expect in the not-too-distant future. One of our stretch goals was for a DoM tutorial that would teach you how to set up the game and play it. Well, that has not been forgotten—it's just gone digital.  

I've been working with our friend Ken Cunningham from Coded Cardboard on an interactive tutorial for the Dized app. It'll likely be a couple of months before it's finished, but Ken is making excellent progress. So, if you want a more interactive way to learn the game, keep your eyes out for that.

In addition, Ken has finished(!) a Tabletop Simulator mod for Dawn of Madness, which features Emily's entire game. We're just waiting for the team's final go-ahead to post it. I suspect this will be live by our next update, and I will link to it once I can. 

(Side note: If you happen to be running your own project and are interested in getting it into Dized or TTS, I highly recommend Ken. He's a great guy, very conscientious, and a hard worker. His website is codedcardboard.com.)

Unboxing DoM

While most of you are waiting for your game, I thought you might like something to whet your appetite. So, here is a very in-depth, long, and involved unboxing I did for Dawn of Madness Wave One. Enjoy!

Second Wave

In addition to monitoring the ongoing shipping progress in our upcoming updates, we will begin to share updates on Wave Two's progress. Overall, the second wave's development is progressing rapidly, so please stay tuned. A lot of exciting things are coming very soon.

Okay, that's it for this update! Have a great day, and I hope your copy of DoM is one of the next shipments you get! We'll talk to you again soon, my friend.

The Latest with Shipping
10 months ago – Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 11:43:07 PM

Hi guys! We just got a new shipping update, so here's what's happening. 

Shipping Progress

Europe

Two containers previously scheduled to clear customs last Monday spent the week waiting in Hungary instead. Because there were so many goods waiting for Hungarian customs to clear, only one container cleared last Friday and was delivered to the Polish warehouse over the weekend. Customs should clear the other container today (April 22). It should then arrive at the warehouse tomorrow (April 23). After counting all the goods, the warehouse will make a delivery plan. We will continue to follow up with them and pass what we learn along to you.

The US

The ships to the East and West US are currently at sea. (Yay!) We'll keep you updated as they arrive and clear customs. As a reminder, the West Coast Vessel/Voyage is the COSCO ENGLAND/062E, and the East Coast Vessel/Voyage is the GERDA MAERSK/19/W.

Canada

Our shipping partner loaded the Canadian orders onto a ship last week. The Vessel/Voyage is the NAVIOS AMAROLL/52E, which will leave the Yantian port on April 23 and arrive in Vancouver on May 11.

Australia

Our shipping partner also loaded the Australian orders onto a ship last week. The Vessel/Voyage is the WIDE HOTEL/0032S. It will leave Shenzhen port on May 2 and arrive in Sydney on May 14. Due to the small quantity of Australian orders, we couldn't fill an entire container and had to combine our orders with other goods. This fact limited our options, making this ship the best choice we could get.

Other Regions

Our shipping partner also packed other regions' orders last week. Those are being dispatched directly from China in short order. 

Tracking Numbers

• If you're a backer in the US, Australia, or New Zealand, you can now see your tracking number information on your pledge's Backerkit page. Since the goods are still at sea, you won't see much movement from them until May.
• We've learned that Canadian orders must be affixed with a waybill once they arrive at the Canadian warehouse. Thus, we unfortunately won't be able to provide these tracking numbers until mid-May after the ship arrives.
• Our partner is currently sorting the tracking information for other regions' orders. We'll upload them by the end of this month.

Finally, some better news! We'll keep you guys informed as soon as we hear more. Also, I'll have a fun video for you in our next update...

Okay, we'll talk to you again soon, my friend! Have a great week!

April Shipping Update
10 months ago – Thu, Apr 11, 2024 at 09:35:51 PM

Hey, guys. I have good news and bad news today. The bad news is that there was another delay—this time caused by Deep Madness rather than this game. The good news is that things are finally moving again. 

What Happened with Deep Madness

A few days after we sent out the last update, we received a complete set of every Deep Madness product from the factory. We were supposed to receive these products before the Chinese New Year holiday to confirm that all items were in order before shipping, but that couldn't happen in the time allotted. However, because we were eager to get some of that game's products on boats before the CNY holiday, we agreed to the factory's proposal to ship immediately after production without them waiting for our final confirmation.

This was a mistake. 

Upon opening every product, we inspected each component and found that the Deep Madness core game rulebook had several pages with color distortion. We immediately requested the factory to reprint this rulebook. The factory completed this reprint and replacement work on March 17th. However, this unexpected episode caused more than a week's delay, teaching us a valuable lesson: don't ship anything before you've checked it, no matter how tight your timeframe.

Because the most recent plan was for these two projects to ship together, Dawn also suffered from this new delay, in addition to its own reprint woes. 

Since this most recent snafu, we have urged the factory and the packaging warehouse to expedite the process and compensate for lost time. Finally, they responded, allowing us to pass on the latest progress to you. I wish it were better news, but at least there's movement.

Shipping Progress

Europe

The train carrying the DoM goods will arrive at the station on April 15th, and then they'll be transferred to our shipping partner's warehouse. The team will begin packaging and shipping products once all the goods have reached the warehouse. We are communicating with Green Logistics regarding the follow-up plan, which we'll relay to you in future updates.

Everywhere Else

The warehouse in China began packaging games on March 20th, proceeding in the order of East Coast US, West Coast US, Canada, Australia, Asia, and finally, other regions. Orders going everywhere besides the EU are being packaged in China rather than at a local fulfillment partner. Once they make it through customs, they will be delivered directly by a local courier.

The initial week of packaging did not go as smoothly as planned. Our partner found that the planned machine-automated packing process had a higher error rate than expected due to Deep Madness having 50+ SKUs, leading to a switch to entirely manual packaging. This change significantly slowed the process compared to our partner's initial expectations. 

Here are the latest developments:

• East Coast US: The shipment was loaded onto the vessel on March 29th. The Vessel/Voyage is the GERDA MAERSK/19/W. It departed from the Yantian port on April 4th, heading for New York. The estimated arrival date is May 4th.
• West Coast US: The West Coast orders are nearly finished being packaged. The shipping facility has scheduled the shipment to be loaded onto the ship on April 12th. The Vessel/Voyage is the COSCO ENGLAND/062E. It will depart from the Yantian port on April 18th, heading for Los Angeles, CA. The estimated arrival date is April 28th.
• Other Regions: All remaining orders are expected to be packaged by April 18th. They will then either be shipped by boat or dispatched directly from China. We will update you with the specific vessel details and any new progress as soon as we receive the information from our partner.

Tracking Numbers

The domestic courier service has begun assigning tracking numbers to the orders packaged in the Chinese warehouse as they're completed. Thus, we have received all the tracking numbers for orders going to the East Coast of the United States, and by next week, we will receive all the tracking numbers for the West Coast orders. We are working to enter these tracking numbers into the BackerKit system to send out notifications to you all. (We're still figuring out this process, so please bear with us.)

I'm sorry that I don't have better news for you once again. I thought we'd be giving some final updates on the shipping process here, so I find this incredibly frustrating - as I'm sure you do, too. (Those of you who've been around for some of our previous campaigns know how much I hate the shipping process, so I suppose I should have expected more of this than I did. LOL!) But, barring some further minor catastrophe, it looks like we're truly on the journey's final leg now. (Knock on wood.)

I hope we will have significantly better news for you next time—i.e., the ships have arrived, and the games are on their way. (We'll also have more info on translation progress in the coming updates.) We'll send another update as soon as we have something to report (hopefully good). Have a great week, and we'll talk with you again soon.

DoM Shipping & Translation Update
11 months ago – Fri, Mar 01, 2024 at 10:29:09 AM

Hey guys! We have some new shipping and translation news for DoM, so let's get right into it.

Delivery Update

After thoroughly inspecting the entire DoM core game inventory, the factory discovered that the cards in approximately 1,300 sets exhibited minor signs of moisture damage. So, we removed the affected cards and are printing new ones to replace them. However, this task has progressed much slower than anticipated. Most of the managerial staff concluded their Chinese New Year holidays by February 19th as promised, but most workers only returned to the factory this week - something we weren't aware would be the case. Consequently, both the factory and warehouse operations have essentially resumed this week. 

Ultimately, we received a response from the factory stating that the printing of new cards and reassembly work is now expected to be completed by March 10th. Based on this timeline, we have collaborated with freight forwarders and the warehouse to devise a new delivery plan. Here's a look at where we currently stand:

Sheesh. We're really sorry for this additional delay. At least we're still moving forward, even if it's at a crawl.

For the Eastern US, you may have noticed we decided to go with a separate boat there after all. We went back and forth on this, but ultimately, it seemed like this would be the quickest method. However, Eastern US orders will still be packaged in China. Then, they will ship out directly to you once they've cleared customs rather than waiting to be processed and packed by another shipping partner in the States.

Translation Progress

Many of you have been eagerly awaiting news about translation progress, so let's dive into where everything's at.

• French version: All the files in the French version have been translated. We want to thank our two translators for their herculean efforts in translating the core game. The layout work for the French version is expected to be completed within 1-2 weeks; then, it will enter the proofreading stage. Once everything's proofread, the files will be submitted to the factory.
• German version: The translation work for the four storybooks' stories has been completed. The rulebook, cards, and all rules-related parts are expected to be completed by the end of March, after which the layout work will begin.
• Spanish version: The only incomplete parts of the Spanish version's translation work are the components related to Lynas's story. These are expected to take 1-2 weeks to complete, after which the layout work will begin.

We have hired three graphic designers to carry out the layout work for all three versions simultaneously, striving to complete them within three months. (Or sooner if we can.)

Addresses

Not all of the addresses are locked yet, but most are. If you need to change your address and find it locked, email me at [email protected], and I'll change it for you. As I've said before, this is the ONLY WAY I can guarantee your email will be received and acted on in a timely manner. If you message us through Kickstarter, Backerkit, Facebook, or another email address, the chances are high that I may miss it. So please email me directly to ensure I see it and can get you taken care of.

I currently have around twenty emails I still need to reply to that were sent in February. If you're one of them, don't worry. I see you there, and I'll get back to you. If you sent your email before February 5th, I encourage you to send it to me again.  

Okay, that's it for this update. I wish I could say everything was already on the water, but at least we have firm dates for when everything will get out. We'll talk to you guys again soon!