Smoke Test 62% done! Surveys out on Friday!
5 months ago
– Tue, Jun 25, 2024 at 05:09:35 AM
Hey all!
We are all back and recovered from our busy convention schedule this past week. Short update today to talk about the progress of the smoke test.
Bob has been keeping an eye on the smoke test, and everything is smooth sailing so far. We have answered 62% of the smoke tests. As long as there are no issues, and we get close to 80% of the smoke test completed, we will send out the surveys to everyone on Friday!
That's all for now. Talk to you all on Friday!
-Dave and Team DMDave
Smoke Test Today! Surveys Coming Soon!
5 months ago
– Sun, Jun 23, 2024 at 05:43:29 AM
Hey all!
We've been approved by Backerkit to proceed with our smoke test for the survey! Bob will push this out today before heading to the last day of Origins. Here's some information about the smoke test and general information about the surveys that is important for everyone to read.
Smoke Test
A smoke test will be sent to about 5% of backers today. It is used to see if there are any issues with surveys that we or the Backerkit team might not have caught. If you do not receive a survey, do not fret! The remaining surveys will go out by the end of the week. We typically want at least 80% of the smoke test to be completed and resolve any issues we might find before we push the survey to everyone. If there any delays for issues, or to wait for the smoke test to be completed, we will let you know!
Surveys
Backerkit is a survey platform we use for our post campaign management. We use it to gather physical addresses for those who ordered books or the ammo box. We also use it to distribute digital content, like PDFs. Anything you are receiving from the campaign will already be in your cart, with the amount you paid on Kickstarter already applied. You may add on any additional products you'd like, or even change your pledge tier! Quick reminder: Everyone who pledged on this Kickstarter (excluding the $1 tier) will receive a free copy of the MekBorg Alchemy VTT pack. Additionally, those who pledged within the first 72 hours of the campaign will receive a free MekBorg pin. Both of these items should already be in your carts, if applicable. Surveys will stay open for a few months, and we will notify you when cards will be charged for any add-ons + shipping + taxes. We still need everyone to fill out the survey as quickly as possible to ensure we gather accurate product counts and shipping data to prepare for manufacturing and fulfillment. Even if you complete your survey, you can change your order (like adding more products or changing your address) until we lock down orders and addresses. We will communicate and give plenty of time before both of those happen. If you have questions about your surveys, you can contact Backerkit support using the "Contact Us" option at the bottom of your survey screen or email us at [email protected].
Quick note for backers who sign into Kickstarter with their Apple IDs: Backerkit cannot communicate with Kickstarter and gather Apple ID email information. If you have signed in with an Apple ID, we need to have your correct email entered for the surveys to be sent to you. You can either follow this helpful support guide by Backerkit or email us at [email protected] to assist.
Shipping
This is a reminder that we will fulfill this campaign from our store in Norman, Oklahoma, US. This means we are handling everything from quality control to packaging and dropping off at the carrier. We want to see this project through from start to finish and are prepared to handle the fulfillment aspect of this project. We have a ton of experience fulfilling domestic US orders from our store, and USPS makes it easier for indie publishers like us to get books and games to backers in the domestic US.
On international shipping, Bob worked diligently, talked to several vendors, and landed on the best solution we could find. Most international backers will be covered with DDP (duties and taxes paid), meaning the only charges that may occur would depend on your country's import tariffs, regulations, and a few other variables that are different between most countries. We were able to beat our original shipping cost estimate for most countries, but some costs may be higher than we estimated (depending on where you live).
The shipping environment has significantly changed in 2024. We are doing our best to make the best possible shipping solution for everyone, and we greatly appreciate your patience as we did our research. If you have any questions on shipping, let us know directly at [email protected] (skip Backerkit support for these types of questions).
Pre-Orders
The Pre-Order page for MekBorg and Steel Psalm is now live! Those of you who missed the campaign can now go here to pre-order, or use the "Pre-Order Now!" button on the campaign page. We are excited that so many people reached out after the campaign wanted to do late pledges. Now is your time to get in on the action. Pre-orders will remain open until the project is closer to being fulfilled.
That's all for now! Thank you so much for your support. If you are at Sooner Con or Origins Game Fair, make sure to stop by and say hi!
-Dave and Team DMDave
Backerkit (pledge manager/survey) has been submitted for approval!
5 months ago
– Tue, Jun 18, 2024 at 04:35:46 PM
Hey all!
Here's a super quick update today. We are packing and getting ready for the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, and Sooner Con in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We will be there starting tomorrow through Monday, but you can still reach us here or at [email protected]. We'll be at booth #213 at Origins and in the exhibit hall for Sooner Con. Stop by and say hi if you're attending! We also have some more Borg family projects at the end of this update. You can skip that section if you do not wish to see the project.
Backerkit submitted for approval!
Bob worked hard the last few weeks to find the best rates possible for international shipping. We've landed on a decision that beat our estimates in most countries! Those rates have been entered in, the pre-order page has been built, everything is ready for Backerkit staff to review. Once we are approved (they give an estimate of 24-48 hours), we will send a smoke test out to 5% of backers. We expect the smoke test to last a few days to make sure we do not have any major issues with the surveys. Then, we push it out to EVERYONE! Bob will have a more detailed update about shipping, add-ons, and the surveys in general in the next few days. For now....we wait for approval!
Discord and rules teaser
We have not forgotten about the Discord or rules teasers! We will have some more details soon as we get the Discord cleaned up and the rules balanced out and formatted.
More in the Borg family!
A good friend at The Mad Network is currently running Fold-Å-Freak. A random monster generator compatible with ALL THE BORGS! We've been excited for this project for a while, and who doesn't love random generators? You can check out the project here.
That is all for now, thank you all for your patience and the support!
-Dave and Team DMDave
Pledge Manager/Pre-Orders opens soon!
6 months ago
– Fri, Jun 07, 2024 at 05:49:14 AM
Hey all!
Here's a quick update today.
Pledge Manager/Pre-Orders
Bob is close to done with the pledge manager and pre-order page. We are waiting on one more quote that should be ready by Tuesday. Bob will make a rate decision from there and finish up the setup. As mentioned, shipping internationally has significantly increased in 2024 and does not just affect our industry. Bob is trying to find the most cost-effective rates for shipping from the US both domestic and international. Once shipping rates are locked in and the pledge manager is built, we have to wait for approval from Backerkit (usually takes less than 48 hours). Once approved, we will send a smoke test out to roughly 5% of backers to see if there are any issues with the surveys. Once the smoke test is done and any final changes are made, surveys will go out to everyone, and we will open the pre-order page! The pledge manager is where you'll set up your shipping address, get add-ons, and make any tier changes you want. Remember that our shipping is set up by order weight, so if you add any extra books or ammo boxes, your shipping cost will likely increase. We expect the pledge manager to be ready for approval either by the end of next week or, at the latest, early the following week. Then we will get that smoke test sent out as soon as we are approved.
Discord
We do have a DMDave Discord. Our admin team is working to clean up some channels and work on new member onboarding. We will have a discord invite sent in the next update!
That is all for now, thank you all for your patience and the support!
-Dave and Team DMDave
We're back from BGG.Spring!
6 months ago
– Fri, May 31, 2024 at 12:34:30 PM
Hey folks!
We are back from BGG.Spring and settling back in. This is a quick update today to let you know where a few things are at. At the end of this update, we will have two Borg family projects to plug. You can skip that last section if you do not want to see any promotional information, but I will be doing some writing on one of those projects so that is cool! As always, if you need anything for us, you can message us here or email at [email protected].
Pledge Manager/Pre-orders
Bob is currently building the pledge manager and pre-order page. We are also waiting on quotes on international shipping to see if we can get any better rates than we estimated. Shipping internationally has significantly increased in 2024 and does not just affect our industry. Bob is trying to find the most cost-effective rates for shipping from the US. Once shipping rates are locked in and the pledge manager is built, we have to wait for approval from Backerkit (usually takes less than 48 hours). Once approved, we will send a smoke test out to roughly 5% of backers to see if there are any issues with the surveys. Once the smoke test is done and any final changes are made, surveys will go out to everyone, and we will open the pre-order page! The pledge manager is where you'll set up your shipping address, get add-ons, and make any tier changes you want. Remember that our shipping is set up by order weight, so if you add any extra books or ammo boxes, your shipping cost will likely increase. We expect the pledge manager to go live either next week, or early the following week.
Package Theft
Due to the nature of shipping, we are advising now that any packages that arrive at their intended destination but go missing will not be refundable. This rarely happens, but it has happened to previous backers. We will have plenty of communication once we get closer to fulfillment beginning, so you'll have plenty of notice and a tracking number to keep an eye on your package. If you have any questions on this. feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. If you are worried about shipping in your country, you can downgrade to the digital-only pledge in the pledge manager and be refunded any remaining credit.
Mech Construction
We've seen requests for clarification on the rules for mechs. I am working on proofing the math now, and will be able to post a short update on some of these rules. But, as with any borg, you can do whatever you want within reason! Once I get through this next proof, I will get you some more details. Thank you for being so patient on this!
Other Borg family projects!
I will be writing for Vast Grimm's latest project, which is happening on Backerkit right now. We are good friends with the creators over there, and I am excited to be writing for the latest supplements! Vast Grimm is a stand-alone, art-filled, punk-fueled OSR role-playing game about the few humans remaining in a universe becoming infected by growing parasitic würms. You can check out the campaign here. 
Our friends at SeveredToys are running a Kickstart for Mörk Borg action figures! There are plenty of other Mörk Borg-compatible ZINES and accessories as well if you are short on content. You can check out the campaign here.
Thanks again, everyone. You make these projects come to life, and I can't thank you enough for your love and support!
-Dave and Team DMDave
