Deus lo Vult – The Board Game of Rampage, Betrayal and Agony

On The Manufacturing Downpayment That Was Made & On EU VAT That Wasn't
over 4 years ago – Wed, Aug 07, 2019 at 02:49:17 AM

Urbi et Orbi!

Pax vobiscum! Mike is here, with the latest news. As usual, I beg your pardon for not telling you things as often as you deserve... and I have no excuses other than "the flesh is weak, the Devil is strong, the struggle is real" and so on.  But we're unstoppably rolling towards our last milestones. Let's see what we have here for you today, everything by the numbers.

During last two weeks, we've been going through the most stupid and ridiculous part of all this story: trying to persuade our bank's foreign trade commission that we're no money launderers and to prove that there is an "economic justification" for us to transfer this kind of money overseas. We provided them with all the documents and proofs we have, but they kept asking for new and new statements and explanatory notes, over and over again. I won't get into details here but it came as far as bringing up our BBC interview as a final argument that we're for reals. Surprisingly,  it worked, but yesterday I was close to writing the update to ask each of you to write them a love letter to prove that almost fifteen hundred people are waiting for this game. Anyhow, the first part of payment left for the Chinese bank today, praise Lord the Almighty!

The gameboard is all finished. Finally. Yes, the backside too. We've managed to find new glitches and typos every time right after sending our "print_files_very_final_v3_newest(2).zip" to the manufacturer... but looks like there are no new ones, eventually. It's done now. Generally,  it took at least three (and even more for some assets) re-makes, re-loads and re-assemblings for almost everything. Praise Heavens, it's over. Also, now we know virtually everything we were supposed to know about board game production when we started this project (including non-obvious but crucial instrumental differences between Western and Chinese design software).

Yesterday we've been assigned the official UPC Barcodes for all our SKUs. Now we're ready to proceed with the fulfillers.

Since the box was 99% done, it'll be done 100%  after we add there one of those barcodes. Whew. 

Now,  about extra payments. Just as we've stated earlier, we'll be obliged to pay 20% EU tax for you when we'll bring the goods to Europe, so you won't need to do that later. But we don't have this kind of money now, and 20% is well above our margin in this case - so we just can't handle it on our own without going completely broke. Thus, here's the plan:

 We've added two more SKUs in our BackerKit store:

- EU VAT for the Core Box (5.20€) 

- EU VAT for the Add-On (1.80€). 

Our European Brethren have to purchase one of those for each Core Box and Add-On, respectively - i.e. one Core Box VAT per each Core Box you've ordered and one Add-On VAT per each Add-On. BackerKit could be pretty confusing sometimes, so please feel free to contact us anytime to get help with that.

You have about five more weeks to do so - before the production cycle will come to an end and game boxes will be loaded on ships. Otherwise, we'll simply be unable to even bring your order on a continent. Hate to say this, but there's no other way around that, because death and taxes are the two things inevitable, for even Our Lord and Saviour teaches us: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's". 

We're still figuring the best import strategy for our American Brethren, and it's either will be the same way, or they would have to file this with the rest of their taxes. We'll get back with this soon.

Stay fabulous, keep yourself tuned and never lose your faith! 

Deus Lo Vult!

The Print Files Were Sent. Also, More Elephants!
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Jul 10, 2019 at 08:52:16 PM

Urbi et Orbi!

Mike is here, pax vobiscum!

Rejoice ye! We finally did it, o most noble brethren of mine! We handed the print files over to the Manufacturer and they're starting to work on a Digital Proof (aka the signal game box, aka the Specimen #0). At the same time, there goes the last and hardest higgling and haggling with the European fulfiller, expected to come to an end these days. We've managed to find the cheapest way possible, but it supposes us to pay the taxes on your behalf beforehand, so it'll be the time to shake your silver purses once again soon, o Fellow Europeans! There'll be the update with detailed instructions soon, next week or so.

There are still eighty-three persons who didn't fill the survey and didn't provide their shipping addresses. Yet another ten persons have payment issues. Guys, read the mail! Check the spam folders or whatever, because the time is going and it'll be all gone soon!

Oh, last but not least - on elephants. When the factory got our print files, they've figured out we've put unit tokens in punchboards not in the right way. And that free elephant space we told you about is actually located not in Core Box punchboard set, but in the add-on punchboard. To be exact, on every one of them. Thus, the previous elephant goes to Inshallah add-on, and, since all other add-ons have this free spot too, everyone will get the free elephant with any add-on!

The only exlusion was made for the Popular Crusade army. These guys are total dicks, they can't have such a nice thing as a living elephant. Here's the one that belongs with them:

It can't fight good but it can carry unlimited amount of looted gold!

That's all for now, my Noble Congregation. Let us get back to work, stay fabulous and be tuned for our upcoming updates! We love you!

Deus Lo Vult!

Dammit Mike you're so slow! Also, an Elephant.
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Jun 26, 2019 at 01:58:21 AM

Urbi et Orbi!

Pax Vobiscum! Mike is here.

As usual, I'll start with repentance. I barely read and answered your messages last week, but not because of neglect. Since we fell months behind the schedule, we ran out of pre-production budget (and obviously we can't touch production and shipping funds), I had to get the daytime (and sometimes nighttime) job to pay my bills and artists' salaries. With all this pressure my usual headaches became so unbearable it made me think I have a brain tumor or something, but thanks  Lord the Merciful, this morning it turned out it's just a cyst (which is generally harmless, but I still most probably have to undergo surgery as soon as I'll finish the project. They said they'll have to drill a hole or two in my skull and it makes me scared af, to be honest... so wish me a piece of good luck).

But since no one could ever be interested in reading whinings and snivelings, let's see if there's anything nice. Well, it actually is.

We're almost done (in all meanings possible): 

We're approving the production contract and all the paperwork with the manufacturer right now,  expecting it to be done next week or so. The backboard art is finished (names are still in progress, it'll take a few days more).

The box art is also finished, we're working on sides now, adding barcodes and so on... which is gonna take a few days as well. 

Now, for the most painful and important thing - the shipment. We finally found the way to make ends meet, and now we've started to wrap up the paperwork with our European fulfiller and setting up the backend with the US one. 

It means that ANY ADDRESS CORRECTION WILL BE UNAVAILABLE AS SOON AS WE'LL FINISH THE SETUP AND TRANSFER THE DATA. Please check it all up for the last time. We will give just ONE MORE LAST CALL and then it'll be sealed forever. 

What about the delivery costs, you'll ask? It's better than I ever thought, that's what: 

•  Somewhat less than half of you won't need to pay any delivery extras at all (though local taxes and fees could still apply);  
• About half will have to add $1- $10 extra;
•  Few of you will have to add more than $10 (most probably if you're lucky to live in some exotic location like the Middle East, or South America, or New Zealand); 
•  We'll send a personal notification to each Crusader, or find another reliable way to contact you on this regard. 

Oh, and one more thing. When we've done composing the punchboards, we found out that we have a free slot for one more token, so we decided to put something good there. Good, and also huge - just like your patience. So here's a free Elephant unit for your Saracens - huge, strong, horrendous and awesome!  

See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles.

He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.

His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron.

He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.

That's pretty much all for today. The most unfinished part for now is the revised game manual, but since the production cycle will take at least 30 days, we'll have more than enough time to finish it and throw it inside the box until then, for it's literally the simplest part production-wise.  It'll be faster now when we finish all other complex print files. We'll get back with an updated and revised version as soon as we can.

Ut diligatis invicem: sicut dilexi vos, ut et vos diligatis invicem! 

Deus Lo Vult!

On Game Manual 2.0, Backboard Art Progress and a New Hope
almost 5 years ago – Thu, Jun 06, 2019 at 12:36:43 PM

Urbi et Orbi! 

Pax Vobiscum!

Mike is here, holding a stack of crumpled pergaments in his emaciated, shaky hands. 

Today, I brought you the long-promised opulent edition of our Game Manual. It still lacks a couple of pages (author's foreword and turn overview reference sheet) and maybe something else I'm still unaware of until you'll point me to it, so I'll be adding them along with all the amendments and corrections in real time. 

Here is a link to it.  It's a Google presentation with opened comments. Look, read, ask and comment - we try to keep it as funny, neat, and terse as we could! Maybe we'll have to put some things another way to make it more clear, and I'm pretty sure we've lost some details, too, because we work on it for so long and we see them as self-obvious while they are not. Please, help us make it better together! 

I'm still not sure what  I have to do to organize the translation effort somewhat better than it was done before. Should we create different files for different languages, or, on the contrary, keep them all together? Should it be personal files with full access or collaboration files with commenting access only? Maybe, having blank pages like this could be of use for our Valiant Volunteers of Translation? Please, let us know how we could make your selfless effort more convenient for you to perform!

Besides the manual, we had a few more puny achievements this week. First, we've done with the next part of the Righteous Congregation art piece! 

Please disregard the temporary lack of your noble names in the second row - they are being composed in a different file because of its godless size. 

We're nearly done with the third part (out of four parts total), so you'll see it soon, too!

That's pretty much it for today. It looks like we'll finally meet the mid-June deadline with our print files, and, what is more important, we (still keeping our fingers crossed for it but it's very probably) found a way to lower shipping costs (no $10-25 extras anymore, anyhow, it'd be rather $10-15 or even $5-15 now, but let us dig it a bit more and get it approved first, for we all were tortured repeatedly with those vain hopes and tries already). 

I'll be back with more news next week. Divine Blessings upon you all, O Noble Brethren of mine! Pray for our poor wicked souls and don't forget to take a look into that game manual! 

Deus Lo Vult!

The End Is Nigh!
almost 5 years ago – Mon, May 27, 2019 at 02:56:49 AM

Urbi et Orbi!  

Pax vobiscum!  Divine Blessings upon you, O Glorious Congregation! Mike is here.

Shame on me for keeping the silence for so long once again, the grave silence that spreads worries and anxiety amongst the crusaders and pilgrims... and this time I have no valid excuses at all. 

I'm just sad and tired, going through definitely not the brightest times of my life and there's nothing I can do to fix these events ...  so it's being hard for me these days to put my make-up on and jump out with some good news - but it doesn't mean there is no such news, not at all! That's me who was having these bad times, not the Gilded Crusade, for our Art Unit never stops, never sleeps, never gives a damn to my sorrows - it just keeps pushing and pushing and pushing on, towards the release. Let's look there, by the numbers, as we used to do:

1. The back panel, "The Righteous Congregation", also known as "those damn galleys" to many of local pre-press designers. We've been expecting to finish this art piece in a month but it took two already and going to take another couple weeks. As I've mentioned before, the thing is HUGE - a bit less than 20,000x15,000 pixels canvas with more than five hundred figures, and around three thousands vector objects for your noble names on a top of it. It took a month just to find a workstation powerful enough to process this chonky boi!

Also, this work already took four utterly downtrodden pre-press designers who jumped overboard after two weeks of this galley on average, and it may (or may not) take more of these poor souls - but it's unlikely, for these last two we've got are hard as nails and they had already outlived any of their resigned predecessors, and they deserve some cheers! 

Please meet the last Deus Lo Vult participants, The Inexhaustible Pre-Press Meisters, Roman and Vyacheslav:

Glory to the heroes!

Vyacheslav also works on last pages of the game manual, and I'm going publish it online on Tuesday or Wednesday, and we'll really need your attention feedback here! We were constantly mending it over and over during the last two months in pursuit of simplicity and clarity, but there definitely will be a bunch of issues and questions, as well as ways to make it better. So stay tuned, we really need to hear back from you! 

Surprisingly, that's all of the production issues we've left. I didn't mention the box, but it will employ mostly the same art the backboard does, and its template is done already. Now, this:

We plan to have all print files handed over to the factory as soon as JUNE 16th. Right after that, I'll fly to Shanghai to sniff the paper, taste the paint and generally initiate the production in all ways possible.

On delivery prices: embraces yourselves and prepare to pay some $10-25 shipping extras in average. Alas, it's inevitable. We can't change it and we have nothing to do with that money. We've been looking to find the best contractors with best offers all this time, and there we are. We'll get more detailed figures after having the actual box weighted and delivery price recalculated accordingly to that, so more updates on this topic will follow. 

Now, the last thing on pre-orders. If you ever thought of grabbing another piece, do it. We will close them pre-orders on JUNE, 16th. After this date, there will be a couple of hundred boxes left, available via distributors, most probably - under the significantly higher price. 

Also, I'd like to remind you to CHECK YOUR DELIVERY ADDRESSES FOR THE LAST TIME, because they will be locked and handed over to fulfillers for the calculations and processing. 

But I'd lie to you if I'd say there's only the good news I have. Not at all! Alas, O Noble Congregation, it looks like you won't have the Cathedral DW Card in our box, and, very probably, you all skinflints go to Hell, except for 65 men just and righteous, who donated a total of $465 to the recovery effort. But we'll keep the donation jar open till the very last day in wait for some more Crusaders to buy that card for you and a place in Heaven for themselves. Let's make it at least $1000 and we'll put both of those cards, it'll be a shame if this art will be lost in vain!

Bless you, O my patient brethren! The Kingdom comes! 

Deus Lo Vult!