Casual games about lumberjacks, including the Flapjacks & Sasquatches Dice Game, Lumberjacks with Rocket Launchers, and Squatch & Seek.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
📓 May Progress Report
4 days ago
– Sun, May 05, 2024 at 07:39:14 AM
TL;DR
US fulfillment to backers not receiving collector editions is complete
Collector Edition production is running behind
Shipping to non-US fulfillment hubs is in progress
📦 Shipping & Fulfillment Update
On Thursday night we packed the last box of rewards to US backers who did not order a collector edition. (Of this campaign's total, this group represents about 80–85% of all backers.) Many thanks five local Friends of Prolific who came over to help with the final push.
Inbound product shipments to Europe, Asia, and Canada are in various states of administrative and logistical progress depending on the region in question.
The collector editions are not done yet. The reason relates to the wooden nickels. As you may recall, when we received our first physical proofing sample from our factory in China back in January we decided that the wooden nickels were a little too wimpy, so we made them a bunch thicker. However, we forgot to communicate this change to the wood shop in Michigan that's manufacturing the collector editions. So when they received our factory sets to make sure that the Chinese pieces would fit correctly… well, they didn't. It wasn't much problem to widen the channel for the nickels, but it did take a bit of time, which is where we stand today: About two weeks behind the last update's estimate for collector edition delivery.
Here's a look at what the collector editions look like on the inside, with the exception that when shipped to backers, they'll contain the clear resin flapjack dice instead of the opaque white flapjack dice, and the wood finish of the wooden nickels will match the wood finish of the box.
We're still far ahead of the July delivery promise we made during the campaign, but even so, we're very sorry about this delay, and the downstream delay it's causing for non-collector backers outside the US. (The reasons for which were discussed last month.)
We're grateful for your patience and working hard to get all rewards to you as fast as we can.
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Thanks for backing, lumberjacks!
If you ever have questions or concerns, send a Kickstarter DM or email ([email protected]), or leave a comment here, and we'll give you a hand.
📓 April Progress Report
17 days ago
– Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 08:00:09 AM
TL;DR
Fulfillment has begun in the US.
Twenty-three backers still need to fill out the pledge manager.
📦 Shipping & Fulfillment Update
We received our main US shipment on Friday, and fulfilled orders until we ran out of appropriately sized boxes. More are arriving this morning, and we'll continue fulfilling today and through the week.
Our collector editions are not quite done yet, so backers at those levels are still perhaps two weeks out from the beginning of fulfillment.
Backers outside the US will begin to see fulfillment on that same timeline. It doesn't make sense to start our international partners on their shipping until all of the rewards are with them, so that means waiting until the collector editions are done.
🙏 Pledge Manager Beseeching
Twenty-three backers have not yet responded to the pledge manager. Today is the last day when you can expect us to honor the international shipping rates originally published there. That's because after today, we may have to ship your pledge from the US, which is dramatically more expensive than shipping it from your local hub.
If you ever have questions or concerns, send a Kickstarter DM or email ([email protected]), or leave a comment here, and we'll give you a hand.
📓 March Progress Report
about 2 months ago
– Thu, Mar 14, 2024 at 10:44:38 AM
TL;DR
The main ocean freight shipment is on its way.
If you have not completed the pledge manager, you're late.
🚢 Ocean Freight Update
We've arranged the ocean shipment of all the completed games from this campaign, which should now have been picked up from our factory. We are a few weeks behind our ideal shipping timeline, but since we built some contingency time into our schedule we still have plenty of time to get you your rewards well in advance of our delivery estimate.
Games heading to our distribution hubs in Asia and Europe have not yet been shipped. Because there are relatively few backers of this campaign in these areas, these games will travel to their hubs by air, so there remains plenty of time to arrange these shipments.
✅ Pledge Manager Entreaties
Thirty-two backers have not yet filled out the pledge manager. We've love it if you did that. Point your browser at lumberjackgames.backerkit.com. Next month, we will escalate to outright begging.
💬 Channel Solicitations
You may soon start to see our distribution and retail partners advertising the retail release of this campaign's games. Please rest assured that backers will always receive their rewards before we ship games to our distributors or sell them at conventions.
The nature of the distribution channel is simply that we need to give our partners information about our upcoming releases many months before they arrive, so we've started that process with these three games.
(That said, also be aware that a few dozen retail stores backed this campaign. As backers, their rewards will ship at the same time as all other backers' rewards. So it's conceivable that you might see one of these games at one of those stores a few days before you get yours, depending on the vagaries of parcel delivery.)
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Thanks for backing, lumberjacks!
If you ever have questions or concerns, send a Kickstarter DM or email ([email protected]), or leave a comment here, and we'll give you a hand.
📓 February Progress Report
3 months ago
– Fri, Feb 09, 2024 at 11:52:56 AM
TL;DR
It's all printed!
It will all ship out once our factory re-opens after the Chinese New Year holiday.
Have you completed the pledge manager?
Today is the last day to back Jewels for the Emperor Penguin.
We have a new Lure Help pin.
🪓 Everything: Printed
The entire print order of all editions of all three games is finished! We received an air shipment of a few copies of each one to use for promotions and pre-release reviews, and they look fantastic.
🏭 All Of It: Still at the Factory
As we came down to the date when our factory would close so its workers could return home to celebrate Chinese New Year, I got sick for four days with a nasty influenza that's been going around my family since the beginning of January. (I had gotten my flu vaccine and everything!)
This was the window when I'd have booked the shipment to get it out before the holiday, but it didn't wind up happening that way. So, all of the games are still at the factory, and will ship out first thing when the staff returns from the holiday and the Chinese ports reopen, sometime in the second half of February. (The factory is scheduled to re-open after the 14th, but most facilities will be operating on reduced staffing until the end of the month.)
✅ Pledge Manager: Now Is the Time
The pledge manager has been live for about a month, and about 88% of backers have completed it. (Well done!) If you're one of the 12% with that task still on your agenda, please have a look. We can't ship your rewards without your address or your shipping payment.
If your invitation email went missing, you can go in the front door at lumberjackgames.backerkit.com. Alternately, email us (address in the footer) for a unique link tied to your account.
🐧 Don't Miss Out on Jewels for the Emperor Penguin
Today is the final day of our Kickstarter for Jewels for the Emperor Penguin, plus Frozen Shines: The Emperor Penguin's Nephew and our plush mountain-climber penguin. If you like board games, penguins, or both, join us!
Backers are currently in the process of choosing a name for the campaign's plush. From 64 name submissions, we're currently down to the semifinal round of just four possibilities.
👙 Did You See the New Lure Help Pin?
Two weeks ago we released a new collectible pin featuring the art from the Flapjacks & Sasquatches card "Lure Help." Available on our website now! Snag a three-pin combo pack for 20% off.
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Thanks for backing, lumberjacks!
If you ever have questions or concerns, send a Kickstarter DM or email ([email protected]), or leave a comment here, and we'll give you a hand.
📓 Early January Progress Report
4 months ago
– Mon, Jan 08, 2024 at 03:22:16 PM
TL;DR
We've received digitally printed physical proofs, and all three games are being printed now
The pledge manger is built and in review
Our next Kickstarter: Penguins!
📥 Physical Proofs
Before they begin to print, the factory we work with sends digitally printed copies for review. These are cut to shape, include most components, are fully assembled and shrinkwrapped, but do not yet have final coatings (e.g., varnishes) or color fidelity. They do, however, provide a last chance to avoid many possible issues before thousands are produced. Let's have a look!
Standard Edition
There were a number or minor tweaks to communicate back to the factory on the Standard Edition proof. The leatherette patch on the zipper pouch is not quite centered, and after seeing the body color for the logging dice, we decided to go with pure white instead of cream, which came out a little more yellowish than we wanted.
The tricolor pearlescent color stretch goal for the Sasquatch Die looks great! This die will be a little larger than shown here when the mold is finally made. The die you see here was made with a stock mold for more typically sized eight-sided dice.
Finally, the wooden nickels will be about 50% thicker, with a natural wood appearance under the sasquatch emblem rather than a white paint coat.
Deluxe Edition
The dice tray turned out great! We ordered some extras, which we'll offer in the pledge manager. As with the Standard Edition, the wooden nickels here will have a natural wood appearance.
You don't see any logging dice here because the Deluxe Edition dice are being specially made by a different factory. We haven't held these in our hands yet, but here are factory photos of how they turned out. Pancakes!
These have been shipped from our friends at Foam Brain to our main factory and are all ready to be assembled.
The sales material you see in the bottom of the Deluxe Edition box in the video is a retail backer sheet. When assembled, it will be shrink-wrapped to the back of the box (printed side out, obviously) so the Deluxe Edition can be displayed in stores. The sheet can be independently discarded so you can use the wood texture of the flipped-over box base as the sawmill — the area where you keep unused dice and wooden nickels — during play. It's also just a lot nicer to have a visually cleaner box on your shelf if you're going to pony up for a Deluxe Edition.
Lumberjacks with Rocket Launchers
Everything here's just as hoped and expected! Hooray!
Squatch & Seek
Another proof with nary a change or explanation required.
Pancake Polyhedrals
Here's a photo of the final RPG dice with pancakes inside, which many of you purchased as add-ons. They're on their way to the US now, where they'll be assembled into some final packaging at Foam Brain HQ before being shipped to us.
With our feedback on these proofs back with the factory, everything's now being produced! (With the small exception of the Collector Edition cases and wooden nickels, which don't need to start quite yet because they don't need to be shipped across the ocean to get to our main fulfillment hub in the US.)
We remain on track to ship to backers in April. If we were going to get derailed from our timeline at this point, it would be if our games don't manage to get out of China before the month-long Chinese New Year holiday begins in February. We've been in touch with the factory with this specific concern in mind, and all indicators are that they'll be done in plenty of time, but you never know for sure until your cargo's on the water.
🏢 Pledge Manager Update
We just finished entering all of our data, images, and details into BackerKit, our pledge manager, and submitted it for review today. One of the things that keeps us coming back to BackerKit is this service, which has helped us spot issues before launch on past campaigns.
BackerKit promises review within two business days. After that'll we'll send a "smoke test," which invites about 5% of backers across all tiers to fill out their surveys and give us the info needed to collect shipping costs. The smoke test process is used to further test the setup. Assuming it's all smooth sailing through these two steps, expect that you'll receive your pledge manager invitation by the end of the week.
As a reminder, since we know there are a fair number of backers on this campaign who are new to Kickstarter, there are basically three purposes for having a pledge manager. The first is so you can wait to pay your shipping costs until closer to the time of shipping. The second is so that we can collect your shipping details — your address, and so on — closer to the time of shipping to avoid more missing parcels due to house moves. The last is to give you one last chance at add-ons, and for folks who plain missed the Kickstarter one last chance to get on board.
If you plan to fill out your pledge manager by February 12, that would be great. We expect to charge cards for shipping costs on February 15.
🐧 Up Next: Jewels for the Emperor Penguin
Our next Kickstarter launches in just over a week!
It's called Jewels for the Emperor Penguin. It's a medium family-weight board game about joining a penguin guild, climbing icy cliffs and finding gems you can trade in for the jewelry that your liege, the Emperor Penguin, covets.
Like the Lumberjack Games campaign, this one also includes some extra goodies. In this case, a card game called Frozen Shinies: The Emperor Penguin's Nephew, and a penguin mountain climber plush with a flannel earflap hat and adorable little backpack. There's only one stretch goal, to create a reskin of Lumberjacks with Rocket Launchers called Penguins with Rocket Launchers.
