Galen's Games

June 2025 Update: Freight Delays, GenCon, and more.
9 months ago – Thu, Jun 19, 2025 at 09:22:48 AM

I would like to have waited to make this update when I had a little more information, but let me catch you up .  Starting with:

All Games were on the water the first week of June. And then......

....I got an email that my manufacturer had the US-bound cargo turned around and returned at their expense.  Why?

You may remember from a previous update that there was an issue with Dice Clash where the tin was not staying shut.  The original solution was to add some tape to keep them shut and to keep the dice screens separate afterwards.  What my manufacturer discovered after the shipments went out was that the tape wasn't holding and that this concerned them enough to have the shipment turned around at their expense.  

So what happens now?

I am reducing the size of the dice in Dice Clash to 10mm dice.  This will allow everything to fit in the tin without issue and won't affect gameplay in any way.  This is a better solution than the initial one, and I wish we had arrived at it sooner!  Of course, this means paying for the replacement dice and replacing them in 2000 games.  Currently, my manufacturer is working on this.  I am reticent to promise, but games should be back on the water next week.  

The UK bound shipment left earlier and is still on its way.  I will be air mailing the replacement dice there and the fulfillment team will replace them before the games go out to backers.  

Timelines:

Here's how it is currently looking:

• Asian Countries without Super Snipers in your order: Your games will ship directly from China once the replacement of the dice has finished. You will be the first to get the games (even before me)!  I'd expect them in early July.  If you did add Super Snipers, they will ship out with the Rest of the World other than the US, as I don't have Super Snipers stock in China currently.
• Everywhere else not in the US:  Spiral Galaxy will be handling your fulfillment.  Games are slated to arrive there August 3rd.  The replacement dice will be there waiting for them. Fulfillment should start within 1-2 weeks of arrival, but I will keep you posted.  
• US:  Quartermaster logistics will be handling your fulfillment.  Original arrival estimate was July 30th.  Given that, and assuming the games get out again next week, I'm estimating games will arrive there around Mid-August.  My hope is that fulfillment will start soon after. I will keep you updated.  

Late Surveys, Errored Credit Cards, Address Changes:

As of today, the vast majority of you have completed your surveys in Backerkit and paid your shipping fees.  Thank you.  There are stiil:

• 60 of you that haven't completed your Backerkit Survey (many are $1 backers)
• 12 of you with Credit Card Errors that need fixing.

The good news with the freight delays is that I am still able to add backers to the fulfillment lists for the initial run.  I will be updating them soon with the 13 or so names that didn't make it in time for the initial lists.  If you get to this late, I will still get you your games, but it may be a bit later.

For all backers:  you will be able to update your address and request holds  with the fulfillment company servicing your region.  Expect emails from them about a week before fulfillment for confirmation.  

GenCon! And an important question for all of you:

Galen's Games will be heading to GenCon!  I will have some space at the AEGIS: Combining Robots Booth #2438.  Please stop by and say hello.  The Mint Tin games will be getting teaches/ events via Double Exposure.  And I will be showing off and testing the next batch of Mint Tin Games at the First Exposure Hall on Thursday and Friday.  

And now the question:  How would you feel about me selling a limited number of the mint tin games at GenCon before they are fulfilled?

Here's the situation:  I already arranged to have 40 copies of each game and 24 copies of the accessories air mailed to me before GenCon.  Before the issue described earlier in this update, I'd expected GenCon and fulfillment to nearly overlap and this was to assure I would have stock in time for the show.  Now that fulfillment is delayed until at least late August, I have a bit of a conundrum that I do want your input on.  Here's how I see it:

Pros of selling them at GenCon:

• GenCon is the biggest selling convention of the year for me by a longshot.  It is also the most expensive to attend as a vendor.  Brand new games, and especially these mint tin games, will sell very well and help me recoup my costs as well as the unanticipated costs of this campaign.  
• I've already arranged and paid to have them demoed at the convention so it would be ideal to have them for sale for interested buyers.  
• I've already arranged the air mail and associated costs.

Cons of selling them at GenCon:

• This can be a feel bad moment for backers.  You guys made this possible and you should be the first to reap the benefits.

What I'd like from you:

How do you feel about this?  You can comment here, or message privately.  While having them available is important financially for me, backer trust is more important.  I'm not looking for a vote or a majority.  If you are all supportive of me selling this limited amount at GenCon, thank you!  If any of you would feel strongly against this, I will respect that and wait.

Please note that I cannot do any fulfillment at GenCon either way.  

And a quick something cool.

Lots of stuff cooking for Galen's Games!  I just wanted to share this amazing piece of art for an upcoming expansion to Dice Clash by artist, Hwa Siang:

This is one of the new solo opponents that will be part of the expansion.  Maybe my favorite character art so far!

Thanks all.  Happy Juneteenth!

Galen.

Quick Update
10 months ago – Mon, Jun 02, 2025 at 08:27:10 AM

Orders Locked and Cards Charged this Morning.  63 of you had an issue with your card being charged and should see an email from Backerkit to that effect.

US Backers: I will be exporting my US backer list to Quartermaster Logistics this Wednesday afternoon.  Please fix this problem before then.  You can still fix it after that, but it will delay the delivery of your games.

Rest of the World:  I don't yet have a deadline for my backer list for games going out from Spiral Galaxy, but please update your info as soon as possible.  

Thank you!

Galen

Locking Orders and Charging Cards Monday!
10 months ago – Sat, May 31, 2025 at 05:18:03 AM

Quick Update:

• I've extended the time to make any final changes or updates to your order until Monday morning, June 2nd at about 8am EST.  You will be getting an email from Backerkit with a 48 hours notice to this effect.
• Last chance to sign up for local pick up if you decide to go with that option.
• I forgot to add to the last update that I only need to charge sales tax to folks in my state (New York).  Sorry, New Yorker's!

I missed this.  What do I do now?

• Reach out to support@backerkit or me.  If it's just an address update, it shouldn't be a big deal.  If it's an issue with your credit card, it may delay the delivery of your games as I need to get a final list to the fulfillment companies very soon.  Updates that are made too late for this first wave will get shipped out after normal fulfillment completes.
  
  
  That's it for now.  Thanks!
  
  Galen

Quick Update: Shipping FAQ, Dice Clash miscalculation.
10 months ago – Fri, May 23, 2025 at 05:27:37 AM

Hello.  I've been getting lots of questions on shipping so I wanted to do a quick update.

• Where can I check my pledge, my address, my credit card info, and what I will owe?  I'm using Backerkit as the Pledge Manager for this campaign.  You can go to their website (or check your emails) to see and make any updates you need to.  Just click on the silhouette icon in the upper right and select "Your Pledges and Surveys" to find this project.  If you are stuck or having issues, you can reach out by email to [email protected].  Or message me through Kickstarter.
• I owe a balance, how do I pay this? On June 1st, I will be locking down the pledges and charging your credit card on file.  As long as your credit card info is in there and accurate, there is nothing else you need to do.
• What happens if I don't get my info in time, my credit card fails, I need to change my address? Reach out to me and we can solve the issue.  There is the possibility that it will delay the delivery of your games though so please get them done.

A few other notes:

• I may have cheaper shipping rates for Australia and Asian countries.  Looking to ship your orders directly from China.  This also means you will probably get them first (even before me!).  I will credit your accounts the difference in shipping and message you when I have this finalized.
• If you want to do Free Local Pick Up for your games, please update that in the pledge manager ASAP. After I lock orders, shipping will be charged.  

And, a small mistake / miscalculation:

You may remember that after the campaign ended, I added Dice Screens to Dice Clash.  You may also remember that my production proofs only had 1 of those Dice Screens and the Character Reference Sheets were missing.  What has been discovered after fixing these errors and the manufacturing completed, is that having both Dice Screens in the tin makes it not stay shut properly:

My sincerest apologies for this error.  The games will ship with a small transparent sticker to keep the lid shut.  After that, you will either have to remove the Dice Screens for it to stay shut, or use a small rubberband to keep it shut with everything inside.  This is not ideal, but it was discovered after manufacturing completed.  If it helps, think of the Dice Screens as an extra gift (they were added post-campaign) that doesn't quite fit in the box.  Again, sorry.  

A Big Thanks!

I received a very kind donation from Syracuse's own RetroGameCon to cover the tariff costs of my production proofs.  Thanks!

Thanks again for all the support and kind words from all of you.

Sincerely,
  Galen.

May Update - IMPORTANT INFO! Lock Order Dates, Production Proofs, Tariff and Shipping Costs
10 months ago – Tue, May 13, 2025 at 12:57:44 PM

We will start with business, but make sure to read the whole update to also see the fun stuff!

Production and Assembly Finishing at the end of May!

That's right.  Games and accessories will complete manufacturing and assembly around May 25th.  I am working on finalizing the numbers going to the different distribution hubs and booking freight.  I will continue to update you as I get more information, but games should be on the water in June!  With the 90-day reduction in Tariffs, it is all systems go to getting these out the factory door.

Shipping Costs and Tariffs finalized.  Locking Orders on June 1st.

Shipping Costs:

Shipping costs increased from my estimates an average of $2 for each pledge level.  These final amounts are still subsidized.  Shipping costs are calculated by weight and destination. Please check them as you will be charged for shipping when orders lock on June 1st.  

Local Pick Up is FREE, so be sure to select that option if you can make it work.  Details on date and location still TBA, pending a better estimate on when the games will be arriving.

For everyone that only ordered a single game, I set the shipping costs as follows:
US: $8
UK: $7
CA: $10
EU: $8
Rest of Europe:  $10
Australia: $10
ROW: $12
Local Pick-Up: Free

I don't love these numbers, but these all represent substantial subsidies of what it costs to fulfill the games.

Tariffs:

As you may have heard, tariffs have dropped to 30% for a 90-day window.  US backers will be charged tariffs through Backerkit and you can go in and see what that amounts to for your order.  Tariffs are a percentage based on the manufacturing value of the product.  For the Mint Tin Games it amounts to $0.45 a game.  If you are not in the US, you will not be charged tariffs.  Apologies for the constant back and forth on how this issue will be handled.  I've ultimately decided on this route as the fairest way to handle it.  I really, really appreciate all the support backers have shown throughout this ordeal.  

Orders Locked And Credit Cards Charged: June 1st.

I had previously said that I would give a 30 day warning for locking orders and charging cards.  I unfortunately need to shorten that timeline as I need to collect these funds to cover the freight costs and I only just learned when I would be able to start the freight process. If you recall from the last update, I was looking at holding games in China while waiting for the tariff situation to improve.  Well, it has improved and I need to be able to move a little more quickly than that.  If this causes an issue for you, please reach out and we will figure something out.

There are still about 10% of you who haven't completed your order yet.  Please do that ASAP!

For the rest of you, please make sure that your address and credit card info is correct and that you've added any add-ons you want.  

Sales Tax:

Please note that I will need to charge sales tax to US based customers.  I am meeting with an accountant tomorrow to determine the exact details of that, and will update Backerkit within the next week.  If you look now, sales tax is not yet in the system.

Retailers:

I sent all of you an email with information specific to you. Reach out if you have any questions.

Okay, now the fun stuff!

Production Proofs:

On Friday, I received production proofs of games and accessories!  I had to pay $118 because of tariffs (bad timing there) but it was worth the joy it brought to unbox these and have them in my hands!  Check it out!
 

Overall, I am ecstatic with how these all turned out!  A couple of notes about things that will be addressed before they get to you:

Dice Clash:

• Copies will include 2 Dice Screens
• Copies will include the Character Reference Sheet

Mint-Tin Monster Mash-Up:

• Cubes will be replaced with proper sized 10mm cubes 

All Games:
It might not be apparent in the video (and I didn't notice until later), but the rulebooks were folded incorrectly, and that will be correct in the final versions.

Intrigued?

If you haven't already, it's not too late to add to your order!  

Get Them Early Backers:

I will be sending out your copies this week!  Please double-check your address is correct and reach out ASAP if not (I've emailed you to confirm).

That's it for now.  Thanks!

Galen.