Landed! 🛬
10 months ago – Sat, Jul 15, 2023 at 12:24:11 PM

Greetings builders and pilots - 

Time for a comprehensive fulfillment update! First, the awesome news: all shipments successfully navigated the high seas, landed at their destinations, and cleared customs. Phew. However, there are still a number of gates we have to get through in some regions before packages are on the way. Here's a breakdown:

USA

The stock is in the warehouse and is being inventoried and prepped. Bridge (our fulfillment partner) expects to have the tracking numbers out by August 1st. There could be some stragglers if the addresses are tricky, but our goal is to get everything on the way before GenCon.

CANADA

The stock for Canada has been packed up in the USA. It will need to make a freight journey  across the border to our partner in Canada. I have had success getting shipments across in a week, but there can always be delays with customs. Once received, it will have to be inventoried and prepped. However, this shipment services a much smaller number of backers. Once in hand, our partner will give me a better estimate on packing and shipping individual packages and I will pass that along.

UK / EU

Our shipping container was just delivered yesterday (Friday). There is a lot for them to unload and process next week. So it's going to take some time for the intake, and then once they are in a position to fulfill they said the normal estimate is 3-4 weeks before all orders are out the door. I will keep you posted.

AUSTRALIA

All our inventory is logged and at the hub. I don't have an estimate yet, but I would expect them to be fulfilling very soon,  on a timeline similar to the USA.

ASIA

VFI has everything and is beginning fulfillment. Orders to mainland China should be going out in a week. Packages to some countries may first need to go to a local hub, and  may take significantly longer (up to several weeks) depending on the destination country.

We've tried our best to coordinate everything to deliver worldwide at the same time, but given different sailing schedules, fulfillment house queues, and a myriad of other hurdles (port and rail congestion, customs inspections, etc.) it's just not feasible to have it all in perfect sync. We've done our best and hope you understand and can maintain your patience just a little while longer!

Some custom builds from the Twisted Lords Con in Oklahoma this weekend, courtesy of demo-er extraordinaire FlightSuitGSMST!

PLAYMATS

Done! I've seen lots of playmat pictures posted on social media and haven't heard anyone reach out about a missing mat. So my assumption is that everyone has their mat(s). If you have an issue please email us right away at: [email protected] so we can track it down.

 Other Business - GenCon Hype!

GenCon is coming up fast - August 3-6. With our stock in the USA, GenCon is shaping up to be an official Pre-Release celebration for Tactics. We expect to have boxes of Tactics and accessories on hand for purchase in the Lynnvander Booth #1940. Now, we know it could be a little bit of "demotivation" to see convention goers in the USA get access to the game before some International backers... But GenCon is a big opportunity for the game to show well and garner buzz with fans, retailers, and media. We are a very small publisher and it's essential for us to capitalize on every opportunity we have. So hopefully you understand, and can enjoy the excitement it generates along with us! 🙏

On that note - HELP US WITH THE BUZZ! If you're on BoardGameGeek throw us a thumb and get us moving up the GenCon hot list! 🔥🔥🔥 Or post questions or thoughts in our game forum. Every little bit of activity helps the game!

Store is Open (USA/CA only)

Did you forget to get any items when you backed? We have a North America online store up and running: store.snapshipstactics.com.  We'll be using it, along with GenCon, to sell off anything left over from the campaign. Once the special items are gone... they're gone. Note: these orders are separate from your Kickstarter or BackerKit order and will be packed and shipped after backer orders in the USA and Canada are on the way. 

Ok, that's it for now. Drop by Discord to chat with other fans and get hyped for Tactics! A lot will be happening in the next couple of months - we can't wait for you to see what we've got planned!

Playmats Are Being Fulfilled!
10 months ago – Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 06:18:00 PM

Greetings Builders and Pilots -

This is just a "mini" update to let you know that Playmats have started fulfilling! If you recall from the Kickstarter campaign, the playmats are produced at a different factory than the main game and ship separately. They are ready early and so they are going out! We want you to be able to play on your awesome new mats as soon as your game(s) arrive.

If you ordered a playmat you will soon receive an email from BackerKit with your tracking number. 90% of the playmats are going out via FedEx and the rest through UPS.  They are going out this week and next, so if you ordered a mat and don't get a tracking email by end of next week, let us know at [email protected].

Freight Update

Here's a quick update on the ocean shipments from China:

• Shipments have reached our Asia and Australia hubs and are being inventoried
• The USA shipment is on schedule for a July 8th port on the East Coast (the ship is through the Panama Canal)
• The UK shipment (which also serves the EU) is due to port July 11th (it is through the Suez Canal)

So far, so good.  🤞 We'll let you know as soon as the games land, clear customs, and the main fulfillment begins!

GenCon

Reminder: we’ll be at the Lynnvander booth selling our games and kits (Booth 1940), and we’ll be running large demos of Snap Ships Tactics in the event hall. You can reserve a seat in advance here: GenCon Snap Ships Events. We hope to meet you there!

Thanks again for your support - we hope you enjoy your playmats!

We Are On The Boat!
11 months ago – Wed, Jun 07, 2023 at 09:32:46 AM

Actually, boats (plural)! Big news here - in the last few weeks production wrapped, games were packed into shipping containers, trucked to the port, and loaded onto ships bound for our international hubs! Very exciting. Our largest shipment is enroute to the USA, and is due to arrive in Georgia in mid July. 

After arrival, it will take some time to reach the warehouse, get unpacked, and then… fulfillment can begin. Wow! Now please remember that assumes everything goes perfectly as planned - the ship could get delayed, or there could be hold ups at customs, but so far so good. And that means -

Addresses will be LOCKED Monday June 12th

We want to make sure we have sufficient time to upload all orders so that fulfillment can happen as quickly as possible once the products are at the hubs. So, if you need to update your shipping address, do so now. There’s an option in your BackerKit survey that will let you make changes. Email us with any problems.

Retail plans firming up... and a surprise!

As mentioned in our last update, we’ve had interest in the domestic retail space from distributors and stores to carry Snap Ships Tactics. This is a great development for everyone because it means more players will be able to discover Snap Ships Tactics, and we can get the game into wider release. More players, more fun.

It also means our initial order with our factories was a bit higher than we expected, which means the cost of producing Tactics came down slightly. Now we couldn't have gotten this far without you, our most loyal fans…  So to say thank you, at the last minute we stuffed a little something extra inside the Kickstarter Deluxe Starter Box. Want to know more?!?! Check out this 10 minute long(!)  unboxing video of our final production sample we made just for you:

TLDR

In case you didn’t get 6 minutes into the video, every Kickstarter Deluxe Starter Box will now have a set of Acrylic Rulers (one Range 1 and one Range 2) inside for free ($10 value)! 

Your Deluxe Edition will also include the 10 Pilot Cards, 6 Full Art Chassis Cards, a Sticker Sheet, and the 16 Extra plastic pieces, per the campaign. Everyone who ordered through Kickstarter or BackerKit will get this Deluxe version... and we have only about 100 extra copies of it left.

When the Retail edition arrives it won't come with these aesthetic bells and whistles, but it will still be a complete, playable version of the game at a reduced price. But for our initial backers… well, you get the best version of the Starter Box that will likely ever be produced.  😁

GenCon

We’ll be back for our 3rd consecutive GenCon in August. Two GenCons ago we showed a very early prototype of the game, then last year we demoed a near final version. This GenCon we hope (assuming no shipping delays) to have the final product line on hand! We’ll be at the Lynnvander booth selling our games and kits (Booth 1940), and we’ll be running large demos of Snap Ships Tactics in the event hall. You can reserve a seat in advance here: GenCon Snap Ships Events. We hope to meet you there!

All right, that's it for this update. Now back to MarineTraffic.com to keep an eye on our ships. 

Any questions? You can always reach us at: [email protected]. 

No News is Good News!
almost 1 year ago – Thu, May 04, 2023 at 02:37:03 PM

Greetings builders and pilots!

Not a whole lot to report this month - things are progressing smoothly and we’re trying our best to stick to our timelines. The game is in production in China. It is going through a number of steps - printing, laminating, cutting, collation, collection of parts, and assembly. This update is a tad late because I was waiting for pictures to share, but we ran into a (new to me) holiday, Labor “Day” in China ( April 29-May 3). Fear not, that was factored in and we are still on target for a late May production finish. The last few component revisions were handled weeks ago, plastics are complete, and as you can see below, a LOT has been printed! They are expecting to assemble final production copies May 9th, and once approved, the entire order is then assembled. It's a HUGE amount of stuff!

Freight is FUN

To prepare for our factory finish date we’ve been working on freight logistics - determining exactly how to split up our shipment to the various hubs, and arrange containers so that the finished goods can get on the move as quickly as possible. That will be an exciting moment because after the trip at sea, the final step before the games get to you is fulfillment. Fulfillment is when your specific order is put together, packaged in a box, and sent on its way.

To make that happen efficiently, we’ll soon need to Lock Addresses. However, we will wait to do that until the last moment to make sure we have the most up-to-date addresses for all of you.  Remember: you can change your delivery address at any time; no need to wait for the “last call.” Just access your survey and make the change. We’re estimating that the last call will come in June, and we’re still hoping to get packages to you by the end of July. 🤞

Pre-Orders Closed or Closing

Speaking of last call, we have shut down all non USA pre-orders. As part of our freight plan, quantities for international hubs are now locked. We’ll continue to take pre-orders in the USA (where all of our extra stock will end up) until it too is running low - and that could happen very soon! So if you have any friends or family who want to get in on the Tactics first wave - and get access to the Kickstarter exclusives - well, time is just about up. I’ll probably shut down the whole pre-order site in a matter of weeks.

GAMA

Snap Ships took a trip to GAMA - the Game Manufacturers convention - last week.  GAMA is a show (mostly) for retailers to see what’s coming in 2023. We talked to a lot of enthusiastic folks about Snap Ships and gave a presentation on the game to retailers. We constantly run into folks that have never heard of Snap Ships, and getting to put pieces in their hands for them to see and experience what the system is all about is always a magical moment. We had a lot of buzz and interest at GAMA and hope that more and more distributors (worldwide) will be jumping on board.

 An improvised hallway demo at GAMA! 

Well that’s it for this update - thanks again for staying patient, and as always, we appreciate your support!

Swing by the Discord to see what people are building while they wait for Tactics - here’s a recent awesome behemoth from @Snaaptoys on IG - boss battle anyone? 😀

First Factory Sample is Here!
about 1 year ago – Sat, Mar 25, 2023 at 08:39:44 AM

Greetings builders and pilots!  

Here at Snap Ships HQ production continues unabated.  

With print files done, we have now received our first samples from the factory! This is it - the game that has only existed digitally, or as a 3d printed prototype, is finally something “real” we can hold in our hands! It arrived just before we headed off to Adepticon, so no fancy pictures - you get “live” photos of the very first copy on display at the show booth: 

Small tweaks are being made, but honestly, everything looks SO GOOD. The tray is thick and deep and has nicely molded compartments for the range rulers and stands (stand parts all snap into a pocket below the stand base you see above). Minus the tweaks, the factory will soon start gearing up the mass print run.  

Since the sample turned out great, we are still shooting for a July Kickstarter delivery (fingers crossed). We expect production to wrap in early May, then it will be down to shipping and fulfillment. We’ll continue to try to make the whole process as streamlined as possible.  

Retailer Buzz 

In other exciting news we’ve had interest in the domestic retail space from distributors and stores to carry Snap Ships Tactics. This is a great development for everyone because it means more players, more events, and more visibility for Tactics. Soon, we’ll be looking to adapt our Kickstarter Starter Box edition into a retail friendly edition. More on that soon.  

We’re at Adepticon   

A first visit for us, we have a booth and a demo area at one of the USA’s biggest miniatures focused conventions: Adepticon. We are showing off Snap Ships Tactics this week and hoping to pick up some new fans along the way. So far the response has been incredible - full demos, lots of kits sold, and a burst of new backers.  

We’re in Booth 800 (now sold out of kits) demoing the game and giving out some 3D printed goodies. We also have full demo setups on final printed playmats in the Schaumburg Ballroom.  

That’s a Wrap  

If you know anyone who might be interested in Tactics please encourage them to order right away! As printing commences we’ll be closing up the Pre-Order store and all the Kickstarter bonus items will be (poof) - gone in the blink of an eye.  Any questions? You can always reach us at: [email protected]