BackerKit Update
about 5 years ago – Mon, Mar 11, 2019 at 02:20:40 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Dispelling a Few Confusions...
about 5 years ago – Sat, Mar 09, 2019 at 01:40:13 AM

Already, already 42% of you have filled in your BackerKits!

Two clarifications:

1. You can't actually lock your pledge, that is a process we must do from our end. I mean that for those that complete their surveys by Monday, we will lock them and send out what rewards are available. You can always revisit the pre-order store and add more items if you missed something later, or contact us if there is something in particular.

2. A clerical error meant that many of you saw (and added) the Medical Pack listed as 0 SEK. In fact, as it stands on the Kickstarter, the correct value should be 100 SEK. This has been automatically updated in the system, and may have increased your amount due by 100 SEK. If you do not wish to purchase the medical pack at this price, you should go in and change your pledge.

BackerKit Live!
about 5 years ago – Sat, Mar 09, 2019 at 12:06:42 AM

Well guys, despite being sick as a dog, we made a successful test sending out 5% of our surveys, and although they want you to normally wait 24 hours, I have already sent them out to everyone.

So, watch your mailbox!

The mails will be coming to the email address you have registered with Kickstarter. Please allow a full 24 hours before asking where your BackerKit survey is.

What's Next?

I will reiterate what I mentioned in my last update:

• You will get a mail from BackerKit in the next 24 hours inviting you to login to the BackerKit and confirm your order, selecting your add-ons and letting me know your country of origin for tax purposes (don't worry, I will absorb these costs, not place them on you). Once you get your pledge locked, you are on the delivery list.
• PLEASE OBSERVE: You will not receive any rewards until you lock your pledge!
• We will start the first wave of deliveries (late) on Monday (assuming everything goes smoothly and that my health improves enough), so if your order is locked by then, you will get a mail out from DriveThruRPG.com with the currently available files (all base ships and models from past Kickstarters).
• Thereafter, we will release new items on a weekly basis, usually on the Friday (including next week). For the first week or two, we will send out deliveries to additional locked pledges on a daily basis. Thereafter, you can expect longer response times.

As I previously mentioned, I was hoping to have one of the ship minis printable by Monday, but as I have been ill (and anticipate being down the rest of the week), this will get delayed until sometime during next week.

2nd Dynasty and Bottlenecks

As I mentioned, I have been sick this week (and still am) with the flu. This has perhaps highlighted the fact that although I get a lot of help and support, for the most part, 2nd Dynasty is a one man show. It's just me in the company at present. I do have the help of Lise-Lott at the moment on a part time basis, and Theodor is contracted and in the same building to make his contributions to the complex/manifold.

So it is fair to say that I am the main bottleneck for 2nd Dynasty. I run the business, take care of the books, pay the bills, and it will be me designing the vast majority of the parts and making them complex/manifold for 3D printing. While I am seriously considering finding someone to take on full time to assist me, this will not be happening in the immediate future, and will involve a learning curve for the lucky individual.

Consequently, at times like this, we do lose a bit of time. I try to be transparent when this is the case, hence why I am bringing this up.

DriveThruRPG and Iterative Deliveries

So back to the questions at hand, how will things work with the delivery? I have mentioned several times that we will be doing staggered deliveries. What I essentially mean with this is that you will get a "product" on Drivethrurpg.com. This will not be visible on the site, only on your account if you redeem the link sent to you.

This will represent the pledge (and any add-ons outside of the pledge package)

What Needs Doing On Each Ship Before Monday?

The shuttle and scout ship are ready to go. They could use a little bit of organisational love, and more material will be made in the future to make print lists easier to read, but on the whole - you can start printing them on Monday when you get your links. This will happen without question. The same is true of items from previous Kickstarters.

However, I would say that the Transport is less ready; whilst technically printable, we made quite a few modifications in our livestreams to the back end of the ship to accommodate engineering and the access to the ramp. I technically could release the ship completely "as is" but is seems a waste when it will only take a small amount of work to update the files from the prototype to the production version.

So, if there were to be any delays with this delivery, they lie with the Transport. Having said that, I think provided I am well enough, Monday is entirely possible for this delivery.

Important Notes!

• Stretch goals, including the miniature versions of the ships WILL NOT be ready on Monday. These take time and will be implemented in order in the coming weeks.
• Nothing will be delivered until AT LEAST late Monday.
• DriveThruRPG links are notorious for ending up in Junk mail boxes! Before you send a mail telling us you have not received your product links, be sure that you. a. have checked the right email address (the one registered on Kickstarter) and b. check your junk mail folder to ensure that the mail has not ended up there. 

So that's the latest, please fill out your BackerKits when you get them, and you should be good for the first wave of send outs late Monday!

On Track, BackerKit in the next day or so
about 5 years ago – Wed, Mar 06, 2019 at 10:56:24 PM

Hi everyone! 

Although I have been hit hard by a cold (I am typing this through a haze of serious manfluenza), I have fortunately done quite a bit of prep work. I am happy to report that the funds have finally arrived today, and that I have been able to pay BackerKit, and am putting the final touches making sure that new backers will be able to select their pledges.

I should be able to get things live for tomorrow, although I am having a little trouble staying conscious.

You will get a mail from BackerKit in the next 24 to 48 hours inviting you to login to the BackerKit and confirm your order, selecting your add-ons and letting me know your country of origin for tax purposes (don't worry, I will absorb these costs, not place them on you). Once you get your pledge locked, you are on the delivery list.

PLEASE OBSERVE: You will not receive any rewards until you lock your pledge!

We will start the first wave of deliveries on Monday (assuming everything goes smoothly), so if your order is locked by then, you will get a mail out from DriveThruRPG.com with the currently available files (all base ships and models from past Kickstarters).

Thereafter, we will release new items on a weekly basis, usually on the Friday (and probably including next week). For the first week or two, we will send out deliveries to additional locked pledges on a daily basis.

I was hoping to have one of the ship minis printable by Monday, but as I have been ill (and anticipate being down most of the rest of the week), this will get delayed until sometime during next week.

Theo has been working hard however, and has started test printing Turret Pack I. He will increase the detail before he is done.

Stay tuned!

...We're all still waiting...
about 5 years ago – Thu, Feb 28, 2019 at 12:38:53 AM

Hi guys! 

I am waking up from cold sleep after having had a bit of time off to recuperate while we wait for Kickstarter to send through the funds. 

I know many of you are patiently waiting, but in case anyone is still uncertain of why the delays and the order of delivery, let me clarify again:

• Hopefully I should hear back from Kickstarter tomorrow or on Monday about the funds being on their way.
• Usually, the funds take around 3 business days to get here, although such a large international transfer might be flagged by my bank. Hopefully not.
• I have set up BackerKit, but unfortunately, until the money arrives, I cannot afford to pay for the BackerKit (which takes 2-3% of the campaign funds), which is 13-18K SEK. I am trying to sort out a solution, but at the moment, I need to wait until the KS funds clear to go live with it. 
• I anticipate that with any luck, the BackerKit will go live at the end of next week. Or the beginning of the next one.
• The BackerKit will send you out surveys. These surveys will let you switch pledges, assign add-ons (if you increased your pledge for add-ons, the difference between your pledge and the amount you pledged will be store credit for the add-ons), etc. 
• You will not receive any files until you have finalised your order. We will wait a few days with delivery to do as many orders in bulk as possible. Most people finalise their order within a few days. We probably will not close the BackerKit any time soon, but will process orders as they come in.
• Each pledge will be available and delivered through Drivethrurpg.com. We anticipate sending out the first links the week of March 11th.
• The pledges will contain the base models that are currently printable, and any stretch goals we have completed by then to a printable state. All models from past releases (the first two Kickstarters featured as Add-ons and in the Collector pledge) will also be available at this time.
• NOT ALL OF THE FILES WILL BE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD. We have a long process ahead of us of converting the variant concepts into practical, STL printable models. This is a longer process that will take several months, hopefully being completed by the end of May.
• We will stagger releases weekly, as models are completed and reach a printable state. The order in which we complete them will follow the Stretch Goals in order of funding goals.
• We do aim to have several miniatures completed by release so that every package has something in your hands.

I will let you know when the funds are on their way and update on my progress. At the moment, I am fighting off a cold, but anticipate getting back in the fight soon.