Blood on the Sands - First look at the Wargames Atlantic gladiator sprue

[wkeyser]

Great that will really help those that want to late pledge.

[wkeyser]

Any time line on opening up the pledge manager, so those of us who missed the Kickstarter can jump in?  Also the updates are still locked which is kind of annoying.

Thanks
William

[wkeyser]

It still amazes me that the updates are for backers only, I think this is the only board/miniature game I have seen on Kickstater  that has this shitty feature. Really defeats the idea of getting more backers if you are going to do a late pledge.  The only time I have seen this is when some times the Kickstaters have the rules downloadable for backers only.

I am probably not the only one who would like to jump in on the kickstater but you are really making it hard to want to be involved.

I backed Fjord Serpents another Australian Kickstater and due to not allowing the backers to see the rules before the Kickstater closed I did not get as many of his fantastic ships as I would have liked, I only backed the original pledge. So when I got the game and read the rules and found to my delight that they where quite good and really fun I want more ships. So I ordered more and the shipping and customs to Denmark doubled the price of the ships, well never again sorry Australia. However, the price thru the kickstarter with the EU hub was really reasonable and this is kind of what I am hoping for here, but I will not order from Australia again unless I can get into a kickstater that has a EU Hub.

So please please unlock the updates so those that are interested can see what is going on and read the updates about the game which so often gives more insight into the game and campaign than the Campaign page of the Kickstater.

It cannot be that hard to unlock the updates!!!!!

[wkeyser]

With lack of communication you have to wonder if this a doomed Kickstater? Would be really nice to hear something from the producers!

[jon_1066]

They said in May it would be several months.  I take that to be at least 3 if not more.  So you should probably chillax and wait for them to release updates as and when rather than replying to your self and spreading rumours and accusations about the kickstarter.

[Furt]

We have made the decision not to open updates to non-backers - a decision governed by the current state of global uncertainty, more than anything else.

Sorry if this doesn't suit you but that's our decision. 

There will be a way to make a late pledge in the next week or two, along with an updated quick-start document available for anyone to download.

The news of this will be posted on our Webpage and across our social media for non-backers.

With lack of communication you have to wonder if this a doomed Kickstater? Would be really nice to hear something from the producers!

We’ve kept the people who need to know in the loop and are working hard behind the scenes. Please don’t jump to conclusions or post baseless comments—it doesn’t help anyone.

If you don’t trust the creators, it might be best not to back the project.

I’ve already addressed this in a previous post, but to clarify why the pledge manager hasn’t opened as expected, here’s the full (and rather boring) update we shared with backers on May 1st.

Ave, citizens!
Short version of the below: the pledge manager will be delayed for several months to minimise any risks arising from uncertainty in the current state of global trade. Work on the game is continuing apace, and we will have a revised set of 'quick start' rules for release fairly soon. There is no anticipated delay to the production timeline, and everyone will still have ample opportunity to purchase additional copies of the game and various add-on items during the (later) pledge manager. Thanks for your patience!
 
We know you have been patiently waiting for us to announce the launch of the pledge manager, and we wanted to give you a quick update on that front. As you are all no doubt sick of hearing, global trade—especially Chinese manufacturers and international shipping and fulfilment companies—has been rocked by ongoing political actions in the U.S. and elsewhere. As a result, we have given a lot of careful thought to the best way to proceed. We have decided to delay the pledge manager launch until later in the production process, in order to minimise any potential impacts.
 
Right now, it is actually instability in national decision making—rather than a specific tariff or additional predicted expense—that is the main threat affecting our ability to launch a pledge manager, confirm shipping rates and import duties, and make other important decisions regarding production and fulfilment. There are signs things may be normalising, but production is still some months away, and it is harder than ever to predict what might happen between now and then. Companies are issuing quotes with incredibly short validity and a bevvy of caveats at the moment, so any decisions we took at the moment could be rendered irrelevant by the time we proceed to production and shipping.
 
So, we are going to do things a little bit differently. We are going to take some time to evaluate our production options again, discuss our shipping and import decisions with potential manufacturers (we have had a shortlist for months, of course), and work with our fulfilment partners to establish the best way to proceed.
 
Ordinarily, Kickstarter projects tend to move fairly quickly from the conclusion of the campaign to some sort of pledge manager, using platforms from companies such as BackerKit or Gamefound. As these third-party companies continue to refine their tools and policies to respond to the current situation, we are seeing creators respond to the current challenges in a variety of different ways. As supporters of various Kickstarter projects, we have found some of the messaging a bit inconsistent or hasty. Our feeling is that patience is the best course of action.
 
That is to say, we will all benefit from simply waiting and seeing how the coming months unfold. It is entirely possible that tariffs or other factors affecting us might become better, then worse, then better again in a short span of time—we would prefer to make an informed decision when we need to, rather than speculate now and put backers through a rollercoaster of changes, or make a long-range guess and be burned as the shipping date approaches.
 
As such, we will likely wait until the games are in production to launch a pledge manager, to ensure that we can make the best possible decisions regarding fulfilment. At that time, you will be able to confirm your Kickstarter pledge, purchase additional add-on items, and see accurate shipping charges that we will work to keep to a minimum.
 
We are able to take this time in part because of your generous support in Kickstarting the project (i.e., because we have collected funds in advance), and in part because we continue to receive a lot of interest in Blood on the Sands from distributors around the world. We have no concerns about the overall viability of the project, and in fact feel very positive about our prospects moving forward.
 
In the meantime, we are going to shift our focus to finalising the design and layout of the game, and commit to providing you all with an advance copy of our revised Quick Start rules. This PDF will include everything you need to play some simplified, 1-on-1 games of Blood on the Sands, and will be beautifully laid-out in the same style as the complete rulebook, giving you a taste of the artwork and design you can expect in the finished product.
 
Rest assured, we will keep working nonstop through this period of uncertainty, and we will make hard decisions if and when we have to—but we pledge to be well informed and deliberate in doing so. We will get high-quality, beautiful games to each of you in due course. Thank you again for your faith in us, and your patience as we confidently navigate troubled waters.
 
As always, feel free to reach out to us directly if you have any questions.

[Furt]

They said in May it would be several months.  I take that to be at least 3 if not more.  So you should probably chillax and wait for them to release updates as and when rather than replying to your self and spreading rumours and accusations about the kickstarter.

Thanks jon_1066 - appreciate your level-headed response.

[Furt]

We are excited to announce that Blood on the Sands is now available for general pre-order! We have teamed up with Helios House Press to process pre-order sales of the retail edition of the game, which will be fulfilled immediately after all Kickstarter orders are sent out. Pre-order customers will be added to our pledge manager once we launch that closer to the shipping date. As with the Kickstarter, shipping fees will be charged later. All other details are on the product page, so please read those closely.

https://www.helios.house/bloodonthesands

[wkeyser]

Well thanks for the reply. It is interesting to me how producers will reply when you hint at something not going well, oh well at least I got a response after a month of asking.

I have a question on April 14th you posted this. ”The pledge manager will be opened soon and you will be able to make a late pledge.”

So are you only offering a pre-order with only the commercial boxed version or can one we do a late pledge and get the benefits from joining the Kickstarter, add-ons and the stretch goals?

[Furt]

Well thanks for the reply. It is interesting to me how producers will reply when you hint at something not going well, oh well at least I got a response after a month of asking.

I replied when I saw your comment. I don’t check LAF as often as I used to. The Kickstarter is on track – the only delay is opening the pledge manager, which depends on current uncertainties around tariffs.

I have no idea why you’re implying something isn’t going well, but I don’t appreciate the trolling and false assumptions. If you want accurate information, contact us directly like everyone else.

So are you only offering a pre-order with only the commercial boxed version or can one we do a late pledge and get the benefits from joining the Kickstarter, add-ons and the stretch goals?

The answer to your question is in the link above.

[wkeyser]

Ok I implied something was wrong as it was a month of me asking when you said you would post here and for most Kickstaters that is some times the only way to get the producers to respons.  No big deal.

My Question was are you going to open the pledge manager so we can do add-ons and get the stretch goals or are you just opening up pre-orders for the Commercial release of the rules.

It is impossible to tell as you have kept the updates secret which makes no sense but hey you think it is a good idea so fine.

[wkeyser]

Well "Furt" was logged on here on the July 2nd but i guess he does not want my money! At least he cannot respond to the question about the Late pledge/pre-order! 

And they do not even seem to respond to their own backers on the Kickstarter for over one month.

Boy I guess I need to chillax a little, because I am sure they will respond, they must want my money right?

[Mikai]

Well "Furt" was logged on here on the July 2nd but i guess he does not want my money! At least he cannot respond to the question about the Late pledge/pre-order! 

And they do not even seem to respond to their own backers on the Kickstarter for over one month.

Boy I guess I need to chillax a little, because I am sure they will respond, they must want my money right?

Isn't the answer at their website, like he wrote?

This [pre-order] item is being offered at an introductory pre-order price, which will increase when the product is available for retail sale. This pre-order is for the Retail Edition of Blood on the Sands. It does not include the Kickstarter-exclusive items indicated on the Kickstarter page. Please note that website pre-order customers will not receive Kickstarter backer updates.

At this point I am not sure if you are trolling or what you are up to...

[Furt]

Thanks Mikai - you've perfectly summed up any response I would wanted to have made.

[Elk101]

Can we please keep away from accusatory language and not expect instant responses from people. It is starting to get a touch uncomfortable and we have had a few reports on the tone.