TLDR: Happy Anniversary All!
A year ago, we closed out our successful Dogs BOND Kickstarter campaign and we couldn't have done it without our big-hearted backers.
1. SHIPPED AND RECIEVED: Stickers and Autographed Cards
2. SHIPPED AND RECEIVED:Custom Illustration Cards
3. The Dogs BOND shipping saga continues. The games are on the ocean and we will update as soon as we learn more.
4. TAKE ACTION AND UPDATE/CONFIRM YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS. We made a step-by-step guide for you to help! We are unable to take emails / Kickstarter messages / or DMs for address updates starting today.
5. Our Freight Overage invoice will come due as soon as the ship arrives to port. Chip-in if you can!
6. Alex was chosen to speak at the Game Developers of Color Expo! Check it out Sept 23-27.
7. Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend Gen-Con 2021. If you know of any virtual conferences or awards we should apply towards please let us know.
One Year On
We have been continuing our hard work in the background and finalizing and finishing out some things as we can get them done. Thank you again to all of our backers for your kindness and patience in the process.
1. Stickers and Autographed Cards Shipped and Received!
It's been a long time coming, and we really tried to time out our production and autographing of the cards as best we could to coincide with delivery of the board games. Finally, we just couldn't wait and we have sent out the stickers and of course the autographed cards to you - the backers!
Big thanks to sister Tiny, and brother Brian who helped with the sorting and mailing!
Autograph and Sticker Booth! Is this what Sarah and Kiki feel like at cons?!
2. Custom Cards Delivered!
I had the distinct pleasure of handing some of our backers their custom illustration cards directly. Of course, they'd all seen it when working with Sarah but it hadn't really hit home until we could finally put these cards into their hands. I snapped a candid photo of some of our backers admiring the hard work and dedication that went into being able to get their dog into Dogs BOND.
A Candid Photo of Backers Receiving Custom Illustration Cards
3. The games are on the ocean and we will update as soon as we learn more.
Fortunately for us, no news is good news. We expect to learn more after the US Holiday and hopefully be able to give our backers a more updated timeline soon! Still targeting to have delivery by late summer of 2021.
4. TAKE ACTION AND UPDATE/CONFIRM YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS.
We made a step-by-step guide for you to help! We won't be able to take emails / Kickstarter messages / or DMs for address updates starting today. Please make sure your address is up to date no later than September 24th, 2021!
5. Our Freight Overage invoice will come due soon. Chip-in if you can!
At the time it felt like a knee-jerk reaction, maybe a little bit over-eager, and definitely a gamble to pay up front for a 250% surge in international shipping pricing. Well, at this point we can confirm it was absolutely the right move. Several new reports and videos detailing the international shipping crisis have proven out that we absolutely had to make the choice we did, when we did.
The bill will come due when the ship arrives in port, whose date is still somewhat in flux. Again, no obligation to chip-in, but we'd be very grateful for any support you could send us.
6. Alex was chosen to speak at the Game Developers of Color Expo! Check it out Sept 23-27.
Excitingly enough news! Alex was chosen to record a 10-min talk for solopreneurs and small teams about using Fortune 500 Program Management skills towards a board game and passion project. It was a lot of fun to record and hopefully some new creators will be inspired!
7. If you know of any virtual conferences or awards we should apply towards please let us know.
It was a tough decision, but due to the spike in delta and the fact that none of our team live in Indiana we decided not to attend or booth at Gen-Con 2021. It is the biggest board game convention in the USA, and they are doing a great job of minimizing vectors but ultimately it was not something our team could commit towards.
If anyone is going through listing of other virtual conventions, online awards, or other media that you think Dogs BOND would be a good candidate towards, we'd love to hear about it. We'll be spending more time focusing on building your game and brand in the next few months so please help us keep eyes and ears and hearts open!
As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions. We're nearing the finish line and cannot wait to get these games into their forever homes!
Alex