Surveys Delayed a Bit - Sorry Guys, I'm Learning a Lot About Crowdfunding Campaigns
almost 5 years ago
– Sun, Jul 14, 2019 at 12:40:13 AM
Hi all! Thank you for being patient with me as I learn how to transition from a Kickstarter through the delivery phase.
I've learned through BackerKit that it's highly advised that I wait to send the backer surveys until after the funds finish processing - they stress that numerous times on their page, stating that it cleans things up, as sometimes people have life events come up and have to drop out of a campaign after it finishes. I've got the surveys generated at this point and am awaiting their QC approval - I'll send them out as soon as funds clear (probably next weekend, or shortly thereafter).
I apologize about the delay - up until I started making the backer surveys I thought it would be best to send the survey as soon as the project ended. I've learned a lot, and my next campaign will be considerably tidier.
On a good note, I've established communication with several factories and have finalized sourcing on most of the packaging materials I need to make your dice! I have several manufacturing quotes now, and just need to verify that the product they produce is the quality that I demand.
Thank you all for your patience!
WE DID IT! Huge Thanks to All 1298 of You Awesome People!
almost 5 years ago
– Mon, Jul 08, 2019 at 07:57:34 PM
Thank you all for believing in me and supporting my product launch! It's been an utterly insane month, and I'm sitting here in shock right now that the campaign is over. I never would have been able to bring this product to market if it wasn't for you awesome people, so thank you again!
The very next step is finishing the backer surveys. Expect to see them by Friday at the latest - hopefully earlier. I've been working on them, but this Kickstarter has grown beyond my original expectations and I'm restructuring them a bit to make fulfillment easier. I'll be using BackerKit to send the surveys - which actually will allow you to add items if you wish, or will allow anyone who missed the Kickstarter to still get their hands on these dice. I'm keeping stretch goals open through the BackerKit run, also, so we'll see if we hit the tokens as well! If we do, one will be sent to each backer when I send your dice out.
After backer surveys are out, I'll be spending some time buying raw materials, contracting out items like the cards, and scheduling factory visits. I've learned a LOT about the dice manufacturing industry in the past month, and from my conversations with a few key players in the industry I'm absolutely convinced that inspecting the factory myself is mandatory. I'm planning a trip to China in about five weeks to do just that. While I'm there I'll finalize the contract for dice manufacturing, inspect the mold, and QC the initial batch from the mold - I want to make sure these dice are as good as the ones I make by hand.
If all goes well, I should have the manufacturing going by mid-to-late August or early September. Assuming a 6-8 week cycle (which fits the companies I've talked to), that should ensure delivery to me by October or November, which means the dice should be in your hands by Christmas. I'll keep you updated with where we are on the process here and on my Instagram (@thearcanistsarmory).
Thank you again for being such an incredible group of backers! Keep your eyes open for my next dice project - development for it is about 40% complete at this point, and I plan to announce it in detail once I begin fulfillment of the Healer's Dice. I've also got another really, really big project that's been in the works for about a year-and-a-half now - not dice, but also tabletop RPG related. It's blown the socks off everyone who's seen it so far!
In short, stay tuned for exciting things in the future, and thank you all for supporting my ideas!
$40,000 With 11 Hours to Go! New Stretch Goal Unlocked!
almost 5 years ago
– Mon, Jul 08, 2019 at 02:21:53 AM
Hi everyone, we did it! We've passed the $40,000 mark! With this, the "10" tablet will be added to each and every dice set, allowing for all healing potion values to be represented. Thank you all for all your support! I'm completely blown away by the reception this project has received, and am looking forward to delivering your dice!
I have several additional projects in the work, and am already well into the designs for the next Kickstarter. Stay tuned - it's going to be awesome! I'll announce that one as soon as I begin fulfillment for this one. I want to ensure these dice will be delivered before I launch my next big project.
If You Haven't, Check Out Dice Envy - Their Owner is Fantastic!
almost 5 years ago
– Sat, Jul 06, 2019 at 10:45:51 PM
Hi all,
Before I proceeded with the design on these dice, I did a lengthy patent search to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes. Little did I know that Dice Envy actually had a patent for the infinity-edge shape working its way through the slow workings of the US Patent Office (it's practically impossible to find information on pending patents).
David, the owner of Dice Envy, has reached out to me, and very graciously granted me express permission to use the infinity edge design, which is patent pending by Dice Envy. He didn't have to do this, and I am extremely grateful to him for it.
Long story short, work on these dice is proceeding smoothly. This whole process has been a serious learning process for me, and there is a lot of work still to be done. Going from zero to one is considerably harder than going from one to two - I have a lot of systems to build over the next few months. Once they're in place, it shouldn't be too hard to keep creating new things.
Happy (Belated) 4th of July! Stretch Goals Unlocked!
almost 5 years ago
– Fri, Jul 05, 2019 at 11:36:03 PM
Hi everyone! First, happy belated 4th of July! I ended up spending most of yesterday offline as a day to "recharge" a bit. Who knew managing and advertising a Kickstarter would effectively be a full-time job? (Well, it's apparently common knowledge, now that I've read a bunch of articles about it).
In any case, I wanted to announce that we've hit two stretch goals! Both gold and silver ink for the dice have been unlocked! Thank you all for being an incredible group of backers!
The white die pictured above is the first good prototype I pulled from the initial caduceus die mold. I use Alumilite White (a.k.a. Amazing Resin) to test molds and to replicate my initial master dice, as it cures in about 15 minutes. It's really hard to get all the bubbles out of, though, as it only has a 2-3 minute working time. I inked this one in red just to see what it would look like.
