Kickstarter

Creator clemens 1 day ago

True ;) I am curious what the 'core manufacturing cost' for this game (or Cthulhu Wars for that matter) would be...
Still,it would seem all the company has to do is adjust the numbers on the little sticker on the box (the one where customs checks the amount they charge me in VAT) and I would save some money... Apparently all legal as well. It doesn't hurt to ask :)

Creator Jonathan Watts 1 day ago

@clemens - One problem with that: based on previous updates, the "core manufacturing cost" is pretty darned close to the retail value!

Creator clemens 1 day ago

I obviously did not refer to the shipping from EU but the declaration at core manufacturing cost...

Creator clemens 1 day ago

Just saw this in another KS project... would it be possible to do this for OGRE as well (might be too late... but it would really save me and others some money!!) ??

" After consulting with several logistics companies, we are happy to announce that we will be able to help you save money on import taxes. Because pledges on Kickstarter are explicitly for the "funding of a project in a pre-retail environment," we can ship our products to you with a declared commercial value equal to the core manufacturing cost, rather than your full pledge amount. This should save a lot on any VAT taxes which may apply. We are also exploring other options which could potentially provide additional savings, including manufacturing and distribution from within the E.U. "

Creator Doug Houseman 2 days ago

I too got to see the set at Origins - WOW! - thank you Daniel for letting me take pictures with measuring devices laid against the boxes and the pieces.

I will get them posted somewhere in the next 48 hours for people.

The box is HUGE - I did not realize from the prior pictures how HUGE!

The maps, pieces and box look wonderful.

Creator Craig H 5 days ago

I saw the game today at Origins...Oh my....it's big... October can't get here fast enough ! A lot more 3D counters than I expected. Looks really, really good.

Creator Don Hanson 7 days ago

Launch party - here I come! Ogre 2013 will be bigger than The Longest Day (4'x3' game board). Can't wait to crush cowardly infantry underneath my Ogre's treads of death! ;-)

Creator KevinR on June 5

@Javawarlock -- for address changes, Brandon has asked people to email him at kickstart@sjgames.com. Asking there about changing shirt sizes should get you a response, at least.

Creator Javawarlock on June 5

Glad to see that there is a ship date, and really looking forward to the game to arrive. I am wondering if we will be able to change the shirt sizes ordered, in the year since the order was placed I have managed to shrink myself by at least one size and the size I ordered will feel ogre sized =)

Creator Andrew Gelbman on June 4

I'd liked to have had it sooner (as would SJ no doubt) but I am glad we have a firm ship date - can't wait to get my sweaty paws on this!!

Creator David Heiligmann on June 3

If we're getting multiple copies, can we get all our copies at the launch party?

Creator James Cameron on June 3

As a backer, I expected this would take longer than expected given how it grew and grew and grew, and I haven't minded the delay at all. Steve said it would be the ultimate Ogre, the Ogre he always wanted to create, and that's something worth waiting for.

For me, Ogre is a touchstone to when I started gaming back in Junior High, and a flimsy paper map and cut-out counters became a world of incredible life-or-death battles. That's a memory worth waiting for.

Steve, you gave so many of us a gateway to somewhere else, way back before 'Catan' was even a word, and for that, much thanks.

Creator Julia Gosztyla Ziobro on June 3

Once this project topped $100k, I added 3 months to the estimate delivery date. At 300k, I added another 3 months, at 600k, another 3 months, and at $900k, I thought the printers in China might have a massive failure of some sort, or that they might run out of containers, or something like that, and I added SIX more months... I figured we would see this in spring of 2014. The fact that we will get it before Thanksgiving 2013 is flat-out amazing. Well done, SJG!!

Creator John H. on June 3

Thanks for the status update. Looks like shipping will start sooner than I had expected, which is good for everyone.

Creator Daniel D. on June 3

I don't think it is possible, but is there anyway to still add another kickstarter copy onto an existing pledge with a different shipping address?

Creator Joshua G on June 3

Nice to see a final 'it will start' date for shipping. Really looking forward to see my copy arrive :)

Creator Philip Reed on June 3

@Tim Williamson - We're still pushing to make sure backers get the game before distribution. That plan has not changed.

Creator Tim Williamson on June 3

@Phil One of the stretch rewards (actually 2 separate ones $150k and $250k) was that we the backers would get our games at least a month before Gen. Distribution copies went out. Is this still the plan? Or because of the much longer than expected delay happened, has this been decided as not going to happen?

Creator Philip Reed on June 3

@Galvin the Wanderer - Thank you! One very positive comment like yours can help wipe out many, many of the less positive comments and e-mails.

Creator Galvin the Wanderer on June 3

Hey SJG - just wanted to drop in here and thank you for the updates/responses in regards to the delivery dates and whatnot. It must be very frustrating for you folks and I just wanted to say thanks for keeping us informed.

Creator Philip Reed on June 3

@David Dodge - The game as been in production for months and went into manufacturing before the start of this year. But a game of this size -- and with the demands we're making of the factory -- requires a lot of back and forth and checking and rechecking. But we've signed off on roughly 95% of the hand-crafted samples and have a manufacturing and assembly schedule now.

Creator David Dodge on June 3

cool october is fine with me. Its just nice to know its very close to production etc.

Creator AstralWanderer on June 1

@Tony Bedsaul: "Sometime in the mid 80's, back when a list of all SJG's products could fit on a flyer the size of a pocket box, I mailed in an order. This was back in the 6 to 8 weeks days, when you stuck your order form and money order in an envelope, dropped it in a mailbox and forgot about it..."
And now with Kickstarter, we're back to order-and-forget, but waiting 6-8+ months instead. How things change. :)

Creator Philip Reed on May 31

Minis - We expect to have a limited supply of minis this summer. I personally do not expect the minis to last long, but if possible we will get more in the fall.

Delivery - I now have a set of dates for the trip to China. That will be assembly; the game should reach our Austin warehouse in September. The launch party date should be announced soon (an October launch looks realistic at this time).

Creator Poi on May 31

Has there been any progress on bringing back the minis?

Creator Teodoro Alonso on May 31

Delivery Schedule?

Creator Tony Bedsaul on May 30

Here's my experience with SJG.

Sometime in the mid 80's, back when a list of all SJG's products could fit on a flyer the size of a pocket box, I mailed in an order. This was back in the 6 to 8 weeks days, when you stuck your order form and money order in an envelope, dropped it in a mailbox and forgot about it.

I don't remember all of what I ordered but it wasn't a lot of stuff. I think it was the original Autoduel PC game and a couple of AADA t-shirts.

About three or four months later I find the receipt from the money order and wonder what ever became of it. So I sit down and write a letter, fully expecting to get no reply.

One day, a couple of weeks after that, I find an extremely large box sitting by my front door. Inside the box is pretty much the Car Wars related contents of the SJG catalog, along with a very nice letter attached to my (thoroughly mangled) order form. The letter explained that they received my order but it got lost and mangled somewhere along the way, apologized for the delay and explained that they were sending me a bonus to make for it. I still have that letter.

My point is, there are very few companies that get my trust explicitly. Steve Jackson Games is at the top of that list. If you start to get worried, back up to the front page and look at those pictures. Those aren't guys in suits, sitting in a boardroom somewhere counting their stock options. Those are guys who make games because they like games. Those are nerds. Those are good, old-fashioned grognards, just like us. (I hope I'm not ruining anyone's self-image here)

They'll do it, and they'll do it to the best of their ability.

Take your time guys. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. (and maybe remember me on the errata sheet, because, hey, nobody's perfect ;) )

Creator Gregory Pratt on May 29

I'm still looking forward to the game. Take the time to get it right. And don't do it at the expense of keeping SJG running and in good shape. The company needs to be in (and stay in) good shape. I'd rather see SJG (or any company) do things at a manageable pace instead of going down in flames because they devoted too many resources to the wrong thing. I actually appreciate that they aren't bowing down to pressure to devote more resources - that is an indication of good management to me.
And that is also important to the future. I suspect that Ogre is going to be a walk in the park compared to the other promised Kickstarter looming in the distance.

Creator AstralWanderer on May 25

@John H. "I believe that a big chunk of that printing cost is due to lot size of 10k vs 6k."
Given that unit prices drop as print runs increase, I doubt your statement very much. Yes, the bill would be less for 6K units, but not by 30-40% (using an arbitrary definition of "big chunk"). And selling to distributors has far fewer overheads than dealing with customers directly (less postage, less handling, less staff time answering queries, etc).
@John H. "Had SJG cut their losses by treating Ogre DE as POD, with no more than 5% to 10% excess, they might be in better shape."
And where exactly would SJG find a factory offering POD at anywhere *near* the same price and quality? With the Maelorum gamebook KS, POD would have cost $60+ *per book* - see http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/314653974/maelorum-reprint-an-epic#faq_58499 - there's no way any POD operation is going to handle a 25-pound 1,200+ counter game at a reasonable price.
Delays are frustrating but SJG have done an adequate job (in my view) of keeping us in the loop. If you feel differently, you've been offered a refund multiple times so perhaps you may wish to spare yourself further aggravation and take it up?

Creator Philip Reed on May 25

@John H - I think you dramatically underestimate the scale of this project. We are late, yes, but we are working on the game. Once Daniel finishes proofing the sample the Ogre Designer's Edition is out of our hands and firmly in the manufacturing process.

Your request for info is not unreasonable. BUT we also need to focus on our core business. Daniel and Brandon have been working on Ogre when and as possible, and each time an Ogre Designer's Edition job has needed in-house resources we have directed our staff as necessary.

But we cannot -- and will not -- devote 100% of our staff to this project. It's just not necessary at this time. The constant back and forth with the factory has been so that we can get the details right; the size and complexity of this project makes it unlike our usual games. Combine the game's difficulties with issues we have no control over -- labor problems in China, for example, are out of our control -- and it's going to take time to do it right.

It will take time. Lots of time. But I fully expect games to have shipped (and reached many) before November, 2013.

If you do not believe in our commitment to this project then I am sorry. We have done the best we can without sacrificing the quality Steve demands.

Creator John H. on May 25

@Astral Wanderer, I believe that a big chunk of that printing cost is due to lot size of 10k vs 6k. Had SJG cut their losses by treating Ogre DE as POD, with no more than 5% to 10% excess, they might be in better shape. Certainly, they would be looking at a proportionally shorter production duration, shipping costs, etc. Probably less warehousing and distribution costs. SJG's decision to print an extra 4k copies for retail sale lies solely with SJG.

Creator John H. on May 25

@Phil - Again, you misunderstand. I want to know what the hell you've been doing, when you'll be done, and when I might reasonably receive the goods that I paid for. That is NOT an unreasonable request, and I do not believe that I am alone in this request.

Also, I note that months ago, you repeatedly and emphatically claimed that Ogre would not be a year late. I think you're wrong, and the only way to prove that is see this to the end.

Besides, I primarily backed this for the Ogre Miniatures support and relaunch that you promised. How are we doing on that?

Creator Philip Reed on May 24

The bag will be in the shipment with the game.

Creator Aaron Tate on May 24

I haven't heard news lately about the giant canvas Ogre carrying bag included in the $150 and above pledge level. Is this still on track to be delivered with the game?

Creator AFrag on May 23

Thank you Brandon!

Creator Ron Olszewski on May 22

Scroll down, answer was five days ago:

"@Rob - Thanks for your patience. We aim to have an update on delivery timing soon. We think we're close to being able to confirm a timeline, so it makes sense right now to wait until we have something concrete before making an announcement. ~Brandon"

Creator DropDeadCriminal on May 22

This game was now funded more than a year ago. It is 6 months beyond the original delivery estimate. How about an update on the timeline.

Creator AFrag on May 20

Thank you Brian! Found the email. Have all of the KS exclusive add-ons been posted to W23 for those of us who supported originally yet?

Creator Brian Rayburn on May 20

@AFrag- The sheets that are being pre-ordered now, such as Barbarians at the Gates, Nihon Empire, and Nightfall, were not available at all as extras during the KS campaign. You should have gotten a confirmation email shortly after the KS ended listing what exactly you pledged for.

Creator AFrag on May 20

@SJG - It has been so long that I have now forgotten what add-on's I selected. Is there a way for me to find that out, so I don't double order any of the exclusive counter sheets that are now available? Thanks.

Creator Stephen E Brown on May 19

AstralWanderer and Brian Rayburn, thank you both for phrasing that much more constructively than I would have.

Creator AstralWanderer on May 19

@John H. "Not even an acknowledgement that they've been sitting on backer money for a year now..."
A quick calculation should show that SJG will be lucky to break even on this. 10% goes on KS/Amazon fees (leaving $830K). Brian has mentioned the printer bill ($548K according to update #64) and shipping to overseas backers *alone* is going to cost over $200K ($110+ per package, over 200 EU backers). That leaves just $80K to cover shipping from China, delivery to the 5,000+ US backers, other merchandise (shotglasses, T-shirts, wooden models) and delivery of extras.
The one thing that may stop this project from turning into a net loss is the sets sold to distributors. SJG have mentioned 10,000 boxes being printed which means about 4,000 going to the trade - however even if they're able to persuade them to buy at a higher margin than usual (say 40% rather than the 35% mentioned in update #75), the $160,000 extra that would raise could still easily be swallowed up by other expenses.
So no, Evil Stevie is not rumbling towards a CP built of money with this - it's a labour of love (though possibly rather masochistic by now) which virtually anyone else would call business madness. Let's be grateful we're likely to benefit from it. ;)

Creator Brian Rayburn on May 19

Sitting on backer money? Do you really think Steve had all $923,680 made into a giant throne of cash? I seem to remember an update from a while back that mentioned them sending $500k+ to the printer. I'm certain that Phil, Daniel, Brandon, and the rest of the SJG employees have been getting paid for the work they are doing on this game. Lord knows there are several butt loads of people and companies involved in this whole thing, and I doubt they are doing the work involved out of the goodness of their hearts. Yes, there have been delays. Early on, there was less information released than there could have been. But let's not forget one fact: WE are the reason the damned thing is so late. If Steve had said, "Let's get this to print now", we would probably have had it by September or so of last year. Instead, they used KS to gauge interest, and in doing so the project ballooned past any reasonable expectations of a timetable. Personally, it is going to take God and seven angels to pull my boot out of Steve's ass if it goes past the first of January 2014. Until then, I'm good.