September 2023 - MORE IMPORTANT INFO - PLEASE READ
about 1 year ago – Thu, Sep 21, 2023 at 11:33:18 AM

Hello everyone and happy September! I have some important information regarding shipping and fulfillment. Please read this entire update.

SHIPPING FEES

By now you'd all seen the email notifying you about the upcoming shipping charge. The charge will go through tomorrow, September 21st. Below is what to expect for shipping fees to each region:

USA - $17.50

Austria - $18.00

Australia - $30.00

Belgium - $17.00

Canada - $23.50

Switzerland - $17.00

Germany - $14.00

Denmark - $19.00

Spain - $18.00

Finland - $21.00

France - $18.00

United Kingdom - $12.00

Ireland - $17.00

Italy - $18.00

Mexico - $30.00

Netherlands - $17.00

Norway - $39.00

Poland - $18.00

Puerto Rico - $30.00

Singapore - $30.00

Thailand - $30.00

IMPORTANT NOTES

1) Preorders and Combined Charges: If you made any preorders or add-ons over the last year, you might remember that you weren't charged for them yet. That is happening now, in tandem with the shipping charge. So, if you you have any outstanding preorders or add-ons, this upcoming charge will be larger than just the above shipping fee. If you have any questions or need an explanation of the charge, please message me and I'll help clarify or resolve any issues.

2) Local Pickup: If you are local to the DC / Maryland / Northern Virginia area and would like to do local pickup from Fairfax, VA, put in "Local Pickup" for your address and "N/A" for the rest of your fields. Once the bulk order arrives in Virginia, you will be notified to schedule a time to come pick up your copy.

3) Address Change: This will be the final chance to update your shipping address, so if you've moved, please make the updates now.

4) Anything Other Issues:  If you didn't preorder or purchase an add-on and your shipping charge is higher than the above cost, then there's something wrong. Please reach out via kickstarter or by email ([email protected]) so I can correct the problem.

Thank you, and looking forward to completing this journey with you all soon!

Mike

August 2023 - IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFO - PLEASE READ!
over 1 year ago – Wed, Aug 16, 2023 at 06:25:45 AM

Hello everyone and happy August! A quick, but important update this month to let everyone know that the games have arrived at the UK hub and will be arriving at the US hub over the next two weeks. The last leg of fulfillment is soon and we will be locking orders at the end of this week!

That means that we’re finalizing addresses starting today. If you've moved, will be moving, or just want to double check your address is correct, please follow these steps:

1) Go to unition.backerkit.com

2) Enter email you used for the Kickstarter campaign. Backerkit will email you a link to your personalized order survey.

3) Click the link, scroll down to edit Shipping Info

This is also your last chance to purchase any add-ons or additional copies before we shift into retail pricing.

If you’re having trouble with the process above, please feel free to send me a message on Kickstarter with your new address and I’ll go in and make sure it's updated. You can also email [email protected].

Again, all orders and addresses will be locked by the end of this week.

Thanks so much. I'm so excited to be getting you your copies of Unition soon!

Mike

July 2023 - Freight In Progress
over 1 year ago – Fri, Jul 21, 2023 at 08:02:45 AM

Hello and happy July! Hope everyone's been keeping cool in this hot weather.

Freight

Not a terribly exciting update this month. Everything now hinges on freight-- getting the Unition and Lore Book copies from the factory out to the fulfillment centers in the UK and the US.  The details:

The UK shipment went out without a hitch. That boat is currently on the water and should be arriving at port on July 30th.

The US shipment hasn't been so smooth. It was originally set to depart July 14th, and then delayed to the 19th, and then delayed again to the 21st (today). As of now it looks like it has finally been loaded and departed, set to arrive August 14th. '

The delays for the US shipment was frustrating, but it's the nature of freight and shipping. What often happens is that ships overbook containers, and then contents get 'rolled' if they can't fit them on the ship. (A lot like what airlines do with passengers if I'm understanding it right.). We've been rolled twice.

Something that I learned is just the sheer amount of boats and shipments out on the water at any given time. Some perspective:

It's a crazy industry, and so while minor delays like what we've experienced are frustrating, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise. I hope to report next month that the boats have arrived at port. From there, they need to get to the fulfillment centers, and then the fulfillment process begins. More on that in our August update.

Fulfillment

I've decided to hold off on charging the final shipping costs till we're ready to fulfill. This way the costs are accurate and it also minimizes the need to update shipping addresses. Again-- hang tight.

That's about it for this month--getting closer and closer to the finish!

Mike

June 2023 - Manufacturing Complete!
over 1 year ago – Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 09:32:03 AM

Hi everyone! Bunch of great news coming your way this update.

Manufacturing Complete!

Yes, we're finally, FINALLY finished with production and all copies of Unition are printed and packaged up. There was, of course, a snag that delayed the production date (and this update). The games were completed at the end of May, as originally scheduled, but there was an issue with the box tops. The inner cardboard that gives the box its structure is "scored" (that is, partially sliced) to allow sides to fold down crisply. However upon inspection, we learned the scoring had actually sliced too far through the inner structural cardboard, which would lead to weak edges and collapsing box tops. This was unacceptable, and so they were sent back to be remade. This delayed things a bit, but now they and the rest of the components are looking great. 

Freight Begins

So now comes the process of getting all pallets shipped out from China and over to our two hubs in the US and UK for fulfillment to all of you. We're in the final stages of getting that arranged now, and once it starts, it can take anywhere from 30-45 days to complete. I'll post another update as soon as it goes out letting you all know. I was really hoping to share that they've already shipped out in this update (another reason I'm posting later than usual) but it should be any day now. Home stretch, folks!

Errant Arcanity

What's Errant Arcanity, you ask? It's the official title of the lore book that is finally complete and off to printing. This project ended up blossoming into a much larger effort than I ever thought it would be. What started as some fun backstory Instagram posts has become a 6x9 52-page story on the history and current state of Unition's world, Disserei. Every base and clan member in the game makes an appearance, with some important backstory of one specific character in particular. All of the card and game artwork is included, as well as a bunch of new exclusive sketches and illustrations. And there's a common thread weaving through it all that hints at some future plans for Lumohedron Games once Unition is in your hands and out in the world. I'm excited to see who will be able to figure out the puzzle. 

For those who ordered them, the lore books will be shipping out with your copies of Unition when they're fulfilled. And for those of you who have not ordered them, if you like what you see, you can still add them to your order in Backerkit here.

Fulfillment Shipping

I know I said last month (and the month before that) that shipping would be charged any day now, but I needed to wait for final metrics on the game before I could get shipping prices to charge everyone. Now that the weight is locked in and I've received pricing, I'm working through setting it up in Backerkit. It's an involved process. Hang tight.

Print and Play

For those of you who purchased the print and play, a new version is available with the updated cards, art, and instruction manual that mirror the finished game. They've been pushed via backerkit, but please let me know if you didn't receive the update and I can send it to you directly.

That's all for this update. More to come soon!

Mike

May 2023 - Manufacturing Started!
over 1 year ago – Fri, May 05, 2023 at 02:37:07 PM

Hello everyone and happy May, and Happy Cinco de mayo!

I’m here early with some good news. Manufacturing has begun! Last week, all final files were signed off on and we locked in final options for the order. Everything has been sent off to the printer, and we have a projected finish date May 23rd. There's always the possibility of further delays, but given the hiccups we’ve already experienced, they’re going to do their best to stick to that date. I was able to get them to move the completion date forward 10 days (it’s usually 35 days) so we will see if they can keep their promise.

Shipping & Fulfillment

This also means that we have final weight and freight information so we’re working through a shipping plan with our fulfillment center as well. We'll be charging for shipping as soon as we get the numbers in. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please go in and update your address in Backerkit and Kickstarter. I know there have been some folks who were looking to do local pickup-- that might not be possible since we won't be shipping them out locally, so please update your address as well, just in case.

Lore Book

Lastly, the final lore book text and illustrations are complete, and it's almost 12,000 words. We're in the middle of layout now, and I hope to share a bit of a sneak peek very soon. As a project, it's definitely grown a great deal larger than I thought it would be at the start, but it's been a very enjoyable process and I'm happy with the result. If you like the setting of Unition, you're going to love this journey further into the world. They're available for preordering in Backerkit now.

Preorders

Speaking of preorders, the discounted preorders for both Unition and the lore book will be ending soon, so if you have any friends or family who want a copy (or extra copy) of either, get your orders in soon. Prices will be going up once the game ships.

Lastly, as always, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who left positive comments and messages after last month's update, despite the disappointing news. Your support and encouragement really does mean a lot. I always hate being the bearer of bad news, but your responses have made the stress of the last month much more bearable.

Looking forward to sharing more as everything takes shape! More soon.

Mike