April Update: Good News (Production), Bad News (Shipping Delays), and More Pics
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Apr 23, 2021 at 01:06:30 AM

Hi All! Hope you are doing well and enjoying the warmer weather (if it is warmer where you are). It has been a busy April, and we have a lot of updates.

Production

First and foremost, the PRODUCTION IS COMPLETE! We received our production copy and it came out beautifully. We are thrilled with the work by our manufacturer, BangWee Ltd., and could not be happier with the quality of the components.

Working with photographer Roque Nonini, we were able to do a product photoshoot. Check out everything included in the Deluxe Combo + Mini Expansions (above) and a couple of shots of other components below (like our finished Eternal Flame).

Shipping 

The games were produced, packed, palletized, and ready to travel at the beginning of April, and we’ve been waiting on news about shipping before sending you an update. Unfortunately, we've hit our first major snag of the project. Up until now, we have been able to keep everything on schedule despite several delays caused by COVID. But due to the pandemic causing delays at ports, the Suez Canal blockage slowing things down, and an increase in imported goods, there are simply not enough ships to meet the current demand, especially ships traveling to the US. Depending on where you live, this changes the timeline.

US + CANADA

After going back and forth with OTX (our US freight forwarder), it looks likely that there won’t be space available on a ship for several weeks at least. This is highly unusual, as generally there is space available within a week or two. Unfortunately, this means we are looking at a delay of at least 6 weeks for those in the US and Canada. We are extremely disappointed and are so sorry to be the bearer of this bad news. We can’t wait to get the games to you, but unfortunately, this is out of our hands. Luckily, we have a reliable freight forwarder who has added us to several waitlists, and if anything opens up sooner, you can be sure the games will be on the first available boat.

AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND

This shipment does actually seem to be on time! Our shipment to Australia (which will also fulfill to New Zealand) is set to arrive in Australia in early May, so games will hopefully reach backers in Australia and New Zealand by June.

EVERYONE ELSE

Thankfully the delays to the rest of the world weren’t quite as extreme as the US and Canada. The EU and UK shipments (which will also fulfill to the rest of the world) are leaving a week or two later than we hoped, but should both arrive by the end of May or early June. As long as everything stays on schedule, backers in these regions will be receiving their games by end of June or early July.

Charging Cards in Backerkit

We are not locking addresses yet, though we may do so soon, especially for those outside the US and Canada. Please be sure to update your address if you have recently moved or are planning to move soon. However, we will be charging credit cards tomorrow (Friday, April 23) in the morning (EDT). You can make updates to your address/credit card here: https://fire-tower-expansion.backerkit.com/

That's everything. Thank you so much for your support of this project, and again, we are sorry for the disappointing news regarding shipping. We will continue to push for a faster timeline and will do everything we can to get these games to you as soon as possible! 

Thanks,

Gwen + Sam

Monthly Update: March
about 5 years ago – Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 03:15:58 AM

Hi Everyone!

We are thrilled to announce that production is ALMOST COMPLETE! We are waiting on our production sample to make sure everything came out as we wanted, and then we will begin shipping out the games to fulfillment centers.

We have heard from others in the industry that freight is taking quite a bit longer than usual due to the pandemic. As long as freight doesn't get significantly delayed, we are still on track for June.

We will likely be locking addresses in early May. If you are moving, please update your survey here: https://fire-tower-expansion.backerkit.com/. And if you haven’t filled out your survey yet, please do so right away!

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

Thanks so much for your continued support. The wait is almost over!

- Gwen and Sam

*Art from Migration, one of the new Seasonal cards

February Monthly Update
about 5 years ago – Fri, Feb 26, 2021 at 11:04:30 PM

Hi all!

Hope everyone is doing well this February! Quick monthly update for you—

Production is underway and (as expected) paused due to the Chinese New Year. We are hoping to wrap up production by the end of March or early April. Once we approve the production copy, the games will be palletized, sent to port and shipped out to warehouses worldwide!

The games will be on boats for a while, then in customs, then on trucks to go to warehouses, then packed and shipped and sent to your door. Before you know it, the game will be on your table and you will be starting your first round of Fire Tower with the Rising Flames expansion. We can’t wait to hear all about it!

But, of course, all this will take awhile, and we still are aiming for June for that delivery date. We are in regular communication with our manufacturer, freight forwarders, fulfillment companies, and others to keep things moving. In the meantime we are working on building fire pits, squaring away translations, and designing new games! Follow along with our progress and more on Instagram and Facebook.

PLEDGE MANAGER SURVEYS

Almost all of you have filled out your surveys and they have been locked. You can still change your shipping address here. We will not be charging cards until closer to fulfillment. If you still have not filled out your survey, PLEASE DO SO RIGHT AWAY to ensure that you get your reward in time!

Thanks again for your continued support with this campaign!

Best,

Gwen and Sam

The first update of 2021 is full of PICS!
about 5 years ago – Mon, Jan 25, 2021 at 07:09:09 PM

Hi Everyone!

Happy New Year!! Hope everyone is doing well as we dive into 2021.

PLEDGE MANAGER CLOSING SOON

Before we launch into our production update, we wanted to update you on the Backerkit Pledge Manager. We will be closing the Pledge Manager and locking in your orders in two weeks, on February 4. We will not charge cards at that time (but feel free to reach out if you would like us to charge your card early), and you will still be able to change your shipping address for a while longer (we will let you know when this is close to being locked). If you still haven’t filled out the Pledge Manager, please do so right away!

SECOND SAMPLE/PRODUCTION HAS BEGUN!

We are thrilled that the production for Fire Tower: Second Edition and the Rising Flames Expansion has begun! We received our second sample and everything looks great, so we are moving ahead with production!

We promised you all some pics, so here are just a few of the components from the expansion and mini expansion samples:

The fire centerpiece is hollow so you can put a light in it, like we did here! Also, the final version will be transparent orange (like our gems), so even more firey and beautiful!

One of the components we made changes to were the firehawks and megahawks. We upgraded the hawks to a stronger wood and changed the color of the screen printing to black. The original, lighter screen printing, did not show up as well as we had hoped, and the black brings out the detail on each hawk. We are extremely happy with the way they came out; we hope you are too!

TIMELINE

We are still planning on a June delivery, as long as everything stays on track and we do not get too many delays due to the pandemic.

Thanks so much!

Gwen and Sam

December Update: Happy New Years!!
over 5 years ago – Fri, Jan 01, 2021 at 01:32:35 AM

Hi Everyone!

Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays and looking forward to the New Year! Our update this month is a quick one...

Pledge Manager

Thanks to the 3300 of you who have filled out your survey! For those who have not yet, please do so when you get a chance. If you need some time, that is fine as well, as we will not close the pledge manager before the end of January, and will give you plenty of notice before closing it. 

Production Update

We received our first sample a few weeks back and we are very happy with how it is coming out! We do have to make a few changes to some of the components in the expansion (mainly the hawk meeples), but overall everything is looking great! We will share more pictures once we have finalized all the components. We should be getting a revised sample shortly, and will hopefully begin production immediately after that. All in all, production is moving along smoothly! 

New Games!

This past year we have started work on two new games, Punch Bowl and Northern Woods. We can’t wait to expand the Runaway Parade Games line and show these games off when conventions come back! If you are interested in hearing about more projects from Runaway Parade Games, be sure to follow us on social media (Facebook and Instagram) or sign up for our email list.

As always, don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] if you have any questions. 

Thanks all! 

Gwen + Sam