Champions of the Hundred Halls: A Coop Strategy Card Game

We're in Production!! Rough Schedule and Next Steps...
about 2 months ago – Thu, Jul 11, 2024 at 11:22:49 AM

Production & Rough Schedule

Good news!  We moved into production this week.  We had another delay when the manufacturer realized the deck dividers didn't fit in the box.  They weren't done at the time of the prototype so it wasn't until they verified final fit was the issue found.  The good news is that Hero Time took care of the problem for no extra charge.  The box is a few millimeters bigger than we originally planned, but that shouldn't affect anything.  

The rough schedule looks something like this:

• Production complete (~30 days) - early August
• Shipping to US warehouse (~60 days) - early October
• Shipping to US/CA locations (~2 weeks) - mid-October
• Non-US/CA locations will be roughly the same as they'll be shipped directly from Hero Time in China to their final destination

Those were the conservative estimates, so hopefully we'll be slightly earlier than planned, but unless something unexpected happens with global shipping, we'll meet our original goal of October 2024.  

Next Steps

Right now I'm waiting for the shipping quote from Hero Time and then I'll update the shipping costs in BackerKit and we'll move to charge credit cards.  The rates should be roughly the same as what we listed on the campaign, but it will be slightly different for each location due to the intricacies of logistics and geopolitics. 

I'm guessing we'll make the update to shipping in the next week.  If you moved or anything else has changed, make sure you update your information in BackerKit.  I will let everyone know the final "Lockdown" date for BackerKit at least 5 days before we do it.  

That should be everything for now!  We can't wait to get the game in your hands.  It's been an exciting journey.  :)

All the best,

Tom & Rachel

A Quick Update on Champions Progress
3 months ago – Mon, Jun 10, 2024 at 03:09:53 PM

I was hoping to give a more detailed update this week, but we're still waiting on a few things to arrive.  As of right now, we're waiting for the re-shipped sample which will include the double-sided tokens, the dice, and the deck dividers.  They should be arriving this week, though we are traveling a bit so it might not be until next week that we can approve them.  

Once we know when production/shipping is scheduled, then we'll lock down the orders on BackerKit and charge for shipping (once we get current rates from Hero Time).  I will give a few days warning before then so you can update addresses or add to your orders.  

Also, if you haven't received any of your electronic rewards (eBooks, audiobooks, or lore packet), please let me know and we'll get that sent to you when we get back.

That's it for now, but if you have any questions, please let us know!

Tom & Rachel

Unboxing Champions!
4 months ago – Thu, May 09, 2024 at 09:56:22 AM

Champions of the Hundred Halls - Unboxing Video

Hello!  Yesterday we received the prototype version of the game.  I was so excited to see it and hold it with my greedy hands.  The manufacturer, Hero Time, did a great job with it.  The next step is to go over the cards and all the other pieces and give feedback for production.  Then they'll put the game into the production schedule, which should be soonish.  As long as nothing changes, we should beat the original October arrival date by a few months.  But I can't 100% commit to that yet until we've had discussions with the manufacturer.  

If you'd like to watch the unboxing video, you can go to my YouTube channel or see it here. 

A couple of points from the prototypes that you might be interested in:

• The deck dividers and the dice didn't make it in the prototype but they will be a part of the game.
• The box is longer than the original specs, so those of you who were interested in sleeving your cards, there should be room now.
• The tokens are one-sided in the video, but I've inquired about two-side tokens for easier game play (having to flip them over sucks if they're on the wrong side).  I'll let you know which way at the next update.  

Lore Packets, Books, Surveys, and Lock Down

Everyone should have received your eBooks, audiobooks, and paperbacks.  This includes the Lore Packet.  If you haven't please let me know so we can get those to you right away (but first check your spam to make sure the email didn't end up there).  

We're still missing about 10% of the surveys.  If you haven't filled yours out, please do so right away so that we can get your game shipped as soon as it's available.  If you don't have the survey anymore let me know at [email protected] and I'll get you a new link.

With the game heading into production , and the surveys almost done, we'll be locking the orders soon.  This means your cards will be charged.  I'll send out another update before lock down, but if you need to change anything, or want any additional games or add-ons, that window is closing.  

That's it for now!  Let me know if you have any questions.  If not, the next update should have the production and shipping schedule.  I can't wait!

Tom & Rachel

The Books Are Here!!
5 months ago – Wed, Apr 24, 2024 at 07:46:46 AM

Hello Backers!

We've been busy behind the scenes getting all the files for the game ready for printing.  Everything has passed the initial review step and is moving to the next phase, so that's good news for getting the game to you even sooner than we had originally planned.  We expect to have the first prototype made in the next few weeks.

Even better news is the Lore Packet stretch reward and any ebooks/audiobooks ordered are waiting for you in your BookFunnel library!  To get your ebooks, just log in to the BookFunnel app or my.bookfunnel.com using the email address you provided in your survey (or your Kickstarter email if you didn't fill out the survey yet). If you log in and your BookFunnel library is empty, log in to BookFunnel using your other email address to get your ebooks.  Most times people have difficulties finding their books it is due to using the wrong email address for login.  Make certain it's the address you provided Kickstarter or Backerkit.  If you still don't see them, please let me know as soon as possible and we'll get it sorted out.

If you didn't order any books through the campaign, but would like to dive into the lore, you can find any of my books for sale directly from me here.  If you have any questions or just want to talk books or games, please reach out to me here or at [email protected].

Happy Reading!

Thomas K. Carpenter

Surveys, Books, & Production News!
5 months ago – Mon, Apr 15, 2024 at 09:24:52 AM

The Surveys Are Out!

If you didn't see the previous update, the surveys for the Champions of the Hundred Halls game are out.  Currently, 82% of the backers have responded, which means we only need 60 more to be complete so we're ready for all the fullfillments! 

Update on the Books

Speaking of the fulfillment, our plan is to send out any of the book rewards (eBook, Audiobook, Paperbacks, and Lore Packet) next week starting on Tuesday, April 23rd.  So make sure you've filled out the survey so we can correctly send the rewards to you.  If you haven't filled out the email address portion of the survey by then, we'll use the one associated with your Kickstarter pledge.  

And don't worry if you see this too late, and it's the wrong email address in Kickstarter.  We can always send them again if they went to the wrong place, but we want to try to get them all done at once.  If something doesn't reach your inbox, just email me ([email protected]) and we'll get it fixed right away.  I'll send out another update a few days after we've sent the electronic rewards, so you know if you've gotten them or not (probably the Friday after which is April 26th.)

Exciting Production News!

Today we uploaded the last of our production files to our manufacturer, Hero Time.  They still have to do file checks, and then we have another round of electronic verifications, but assuming all goes well, they should be printing the initial prototype by the end of the month.  

Once we receive the prototype and verify everything is correct, the game will go in the production schedule.  One of the reasons we chose Feb/Mar timing for the campaign was to get ahead of the busy summer schedule for our manufacturer, which we're looking to achieve. This means that we should be able to beat the original October timing for backers receiving the game, but I'm not ready to announce any dates until we're further along in the process.  

Once we're placed in the schedule, we'll have one more chance to verify the game, and then it will go to full printing.  At that point, we'll let BackerKit know to charge for shipping, and then we should be able to give a pretty detailed schedule on when to expect your copy of Champions of the Hundred Halls.  

I don't know about you all, but I'm excited!  Knowing that we're getting closer to seeing a final version of the game in our greedy little hands is palpable.  

That's it for now.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.  

Tom & Rachel