ARE WE THERE YET? A Flamecraft Delivery Update!
over 3 years ago – Sat, Oct 01, 2022 at 02:29:45 AM

Hello Flamekeepers!

Apparently, we spent our Daenerys reference, "WHERE are my dragons?" one update too early. There's been an absolute hoard of dragon deliveries and pictures and awesomeness, and sharing and posting and then also... there's the waiting, refreshing emails, checking front doors and general wondering about WHEN exactly will it happen. We totally get it! The excitement for these dragons is frankly what made us want to create this game. We're going to pack this update both with exciting new pictures and at the same time we're going to try to answer all the burning questions about dragon delivery and WHY you don't need to worry just yet - your dragons are coming! 

DO DRAGONS LIKE NUMBERS AS MUCH AS TOAST?

We hope so! We have some cool numbers to share. First - there are 30,916 backers who ordered something from Flamecraft, including late pledges - in 70 countries! These numbers still fire us up - thank you! How many copies are out to backers so far, you wonder? According to our calculations, we believe somewhere around 18,941 backers have been SENT a package in the mail worldwide in August and September. Yes, almost 19,000 games in the mail or delivered. That's just an estimate with the latest info from all fulfillment centers - about 61%. In the Americas, it's over 10,000 packages out the warehouse door and on their way! This does however mean there's thousands and thousands of Americas and European packages still to go, and some of the most complex orders. We're not done yet! While it's absolutely wild to think of the quantity all over the world, we do know that all that matters is when that ONE certain package will finally arrive to YOU. We hear both the squeees of delight and also the sighs of "not yet!" daily, and we know how much these dragons mean to everyone - THANK YOU again for your support of this game, and we're working on all games to all backers.

For anyone who needs to hear it... you WILL get your pledge! While it may seem long, hundreds each day are packed, hundreds a day are shipped, and this means .... hundreds arrive every day on doorsteps! We'll keep updating in October and November with the latest. We'll announce clearly via Kickstarter when each region is finished, so you don't need to worry you've missed anything. And no matter what, we will solve any and all delivery issues that arise. We will make good on any loss/missed package or other error. We say this in the hopes that it brings some relief during the waiting game. Put on some tea, hang with friends and family, play games if you've got them and some day the dragons will reach your tabletops!

We're really excited that not many dragons have been damaged in shipping, and very few packing issues have happened overall. Below we'll list some of the most common questions on games. But first let's discuss some specifics on timing by region. 

 SHIPPING UPDATE

While some regions are wrapping up, some areas are a few weeks into it. Admittedly, there was also some confusion on when "the clock started" in each region because of early locking address emails, advance address confirmation emails, first pictures online and our August update. This makes it seem longer, although it's largely moving along on time and as planned. It's just - a LOT of orders. Orders started going out in USA on Sept 1, and in Europe on Sept 5. So it's been about 4 weeks in these regions, and we're over 60% done (more info by region below). Our fulfillment centers are now adjusting their final estimates based on digging into complex orders, and getting packages returned and sent back out, but they are still sending thousands a week. Keep up the hope - for some it may still be some weeks, but for others it will arrive today!

DRAGONS OF THE AMERICAS

•  OVER 60% SENT: 10,000 packages sent, approximately 7,000 to go. The simpler orders by largest group are done, and we're about to enter a free-for-all stage of sending any and every package, regardless of plush/books/language etc. The latest estimate is that this will continue to the end of October, with all packages shipped in October. Keep in mind that FedEx has their own timeline, so we'll be chasing some packages into November.
•  Replacement parts for this region are possible without slowing down the main shipping team, so we're handling this as we go!
•  CANADA REMINDER: About 3% of shipments see an incorrect FedEx customs fee charged. If they do charge you, the best thing is to pay to get the dragons received and then send support ticket to us at: https://cardboardalchemy.com/support/ an image of the bill and your PayPal info (if possible) and we will coordinate with Greater Than Games for a refund of the charges. We apologize for the inconvenience.

DRAGONS OF EUROPE

•  ABOUT 65% SENT: Around 5,200 packages sent, and 2,900 to go! Spiral Galaxy puts out a regular, weekly update on their Facebook page. They've been saying mid-October from the beginning, and they confirmed again, this is largely the case, with a few stragglers coming in just after that.
•  Spiral Galaxy says: please do not contact them about individual orders, inquiring on your ship date. They can only respond to shipping carrier issues on sent packages, because every other email they answer delays more packages sent. We all want the rest of the packages sent ASAP, so thank you for helping and waiting to hear in a future update when it's time to ask about yours.
•  Replacement parts in this region would slow down the packing of orders going out, so we're holding on most replacements in Europe until fulfillment is complete.

DRAGONS OF OCEANIA

•  DELIVERY COMPLETE!*: Aetherworks has sent every game package, with only a few remaining things to solve that have either our original coasters (just now arriving in port) and replacement Chinese language components. This means that if you are in Australia or New Zealand and you don't have your Flamecraft pledge - now is the time to tell us. Please send us a support ticket at https://cardboardalchemy.com/support/ 
•  Replacement parts: are now being handled for this region! 

DRAGONS OF ASIA AND THE WORLD

•  13 COUNTRIES DELIVERED: VFI has all the packages out the door, although there's a variety of lengths of shipment journeys for our dragons. Here's an updated look at where we stand:
•  Brunei, China, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macao, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam - these packages should be delivering now or fully delivered! 
•  Philippines - estimated soon, checking with VFI for further details.
•  India, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa  - arriving in hubs from late October to late November, various timelines.
•  Brazil dragons! Our partner in Brazil, Galápagos estimates towards late November for copies to arrive.
•  Replacement parts: are now being handled in this region. We're also still aiming to get corrected Chinese decks and send to all affected backers and regions in October after production finishes. 

Hot Questions:

In what order are these shipped? We get this question a lot. Backer number? Country? Random dice roll? It's not random, it's not by order backed, and there are systems in place - some of which we are privy to, and others solely worked out by the fulfillment center with their other jobs. This can vary by region and fulfillment center. For example, orders fulfilling from Asia are sent packed entirely by region in full to hubs. It takes longer to arrive but when it reaches the hub, all backers in a region receive packages within the same week or two. Meanwhile, for our Americas location, shipments are not sent by state or province - they dispatch by groups of "same orders." This allows this large quantity to start immediately with less chance of error - thousands of backers get games week 1 and 2. By doing same-item groupings, they reduce errors that can arise from every order changing. For example, 3,900 people ordered exactly the same thing in our campaign. That's an easy dispatch to get done and teach volunteers about products without changing too much yet. Other orders are a double handful - all unique items, all different amounts of those items, and these are going to go slower on the line. Every package is just as important as the next to us, and we want as many as possible to get it right on the first time shipped!

Are stores allowed to sell Flamecraft? Yes. As of October 1, Lucky Duck Games editions ordered with this Kickstarter may become available to game stores (exact timing depends on region). Our deliveries were started first in each region where games will be sold, as we appreciate as much as possible giving you, our backers, a chance to get dragon goodies first. Of course, shipping logistics and our large amount of products have made these two events similar in timing, but we are still delivering right now. All Kickstarter editions include backer extras from the campaign that are not offered in retail. These include your promo shops (Spice Tower and Flamestarter Statue), 6 Alternate Starter shops, Mini Art Prints with Sandara's signature, a set of bookmarks, sticker sheets and a Fancy Dragon enamel pin, as well as access to limited items too. We kept Fancy Dragon miniatures, coasters, plush, books and more for Backerkit. Only retailers that backed the campaign directly could order these extras. Our sincere hope is that these perks are worth the wait and that sharing the dragon delivery window with our friendly local game shops is shared engine building. We hope you'll take pride in seeing this game which you made possible on the shelves of your local store and everywhere in town.

MISSING/BROKEN PARTS

PLEASE USE THIS FORM FOR ALL ISSUES: https://cardboardalchemy.com/support/ and we'll confirm right away that we have your information. Please be aware that the exact timing of replacements depends on region in the world and their capacity to take on replacements at the same time as fulfillment. (see above per region).

COMMON ISSUES:

Missing a heart token in the Deluxe game? These are stored BELOW the wooden dragon tokens in your game tray. Also, they tend to get loose during shipment, so you'll need to check every corner - in the mat, tucked behind other parts. Most of the time, these hearts ARE IN THE BOX, and you just have to give it a good look. Of course, we're happy to replace missing hearts that don't turn up.

My promo cards or alt starter shops have names in English? Yes, this is correct and by design. As mentioned during the campaign, there were a few logistics reasons, but there was also meaning lost in translating Spice Tower, Flamestarter Statue, and the stretch goal named starter shops on Kickstarter. We made sure to make all gameplay translated - so the promo card abilities are per language and the starters are completely language independent. Nothing is wrong - unless you were sent a German box but Chinese promos - then you might want to reach out.

Where does the pink dragon store in the Deluxe game? Ahh, the fancy dragon has a special spot. Lying down of course, relaxing and living the good life near the mat and goods. We found this picture online and it's a great shot capturing this somewhat elusive position in the box where the fancy dragon fits just so: 

FREQUENTLY ASKED RULES QUESTIONS

We've made a BoardGameGeek (BGG) post here, and we'll be adding the most common rules questions asked. If you're not on BGG and looking for help, we'll also start posts on Facebook in our Flamecraft Fan Group, and on the Cardboard Alchemy Discord. Many helpful fans of Flamecraft are around to help you all over the world!

CARDBOARD ALCHEMY AT SPIEL

Cardboard Alchemy joins Lucky Duck Games at Essen in their booth in Hall 5, 5D115 for the release of Flamecraft at one of the biggest board game shows in the world - International Spieltage in Essen, Germany. Will we see anyone there? We are thrilled to witness the reaction to the game and to say hello to anyone who backed Flamecraft. For anyone not able to make it, we'll share some pics in the next update - it's going to be wonderful to see the dragons debut at this huge board gaming convention!

We're excited to join Lucky Duck Games in their booth AND to announce that we'll be doing this at select shows going forward too. While Lucky Duck Games is focused on spreading great games far and wide, this partnership allows us us to show sneak peeks and demos of our future games - in fact at Essen we'll have our latest game, Andromeda's Edgeon the table in the mornings. We aren't selling anything at the show that was limited or exclusive to this campaign (and it's not our booth), although at future shows we may allow some Cardboard Alchemy items to travel with us to a Lucky Duck booth.

DICE TOWER - SEAL OF EXCELLENCE

All dragons want hoards of goods and coins sure, but sometimes they also just want to be noticed for all their Flamecrafting. :) We were delighted that the Dice Tower crew looked at Flamecraft and awarded it their Seal of Excellence - a special distinction and something that can really help a board game reach a larger audience. You'll have to see for yourself which member of the Dice Tower liked the game the most! 

We can't wait to hear from each and every backer about your dragons! We hope that this update helps answer questions about timelines. We'll aim to be back mid-October with more news on the latest, and celebrate more dragon deliveries all across the world! Thanks to everyone for highly anticipating this game, sharing your stories and pictures when you get it, and for being amazing to each other on the comment walls. This community is special and we are thankful to you for your support of Flamecraft.

Cheers,

Peter, Brad, all of us at Cardboard Alchemy and our Flamecraft team!

WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS? - A Flamecraft Arrival Update!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Sep 09, 2022 at 03:35:55 AM

Dragons are never late. They arrive precisely when they mean too. Or is that wizards?

In any case, tiny artisan dragons are indeed arriving all around the world and we are proud dragon folk enjoying every bit of the Flamecraft on tabletops! And it's heating up - we're climbing up on the Boardgamegeek Hotness and there's still a bunch more games to find homes! Is that a knock on the door? Dragons are coming for tea and biscuits!

Ok that's nice... But when is it arriving to ME? :) We thought you'd never ask! (also, we're not asking for you to ask at this time - it is coming - trust us!).

SHIPPING UPDATE!

DRAGONS OF THE AMERICAS

•  SHIPPING HAS STARTED! As of last week, dragons are finding homes all throughout the Americas. United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Columbia - it's your turn. THOUSANDS of packages have already gone out. Over the next several weeks, MOAR DRAGONS!
•  CANADA - IMPORTANT! EXTRA FEES CHARGED WILL BE REFUNDED. Some of you have found an unexpected charged from FedEx on your order. We have verified with the fulfillment company that for Canadian orders the carrier should not be charging the customer for customs/GST/fees, but that occasionally they make a mistake and do so. If they do charge you, the best thing is to pay to get the dragons received and then send an email to [email protected] with an image of the bill and your PayPal info (if possible) and we will arrange a refund of the charges. We apologize for the inconvenience.
•  PLEASE BE PATIENT - There are over 17,000 games for just this fulfillment center, so please bear with us as we get all the games shipped! In just the first week, Greater Than Games boxed and created labels for 5,000 packages - over three times the total backers on our last campaign! We are super thankful, and amazed by these speedy dragons! That said, as they get more complex orders that are all different, it will slow down a bit and take a few weeks to finish. You may see someone in your state or down your street who has already received their backed copy. Nothing to worry about - your dragons are coming! 

DRAGONS OF OCEANIA

•  ALMOST ALL SHIPPED! Aetherworks has been steadily sending dragons to Australia and New Zealand - to a crowd of just over 1,500 dragon fans! We're happy to report they are almost done sending all copies out and expect to have all games in the post by next week! We aren't sure what the overall shipping time is to each address, so we still believe there's a couple weeks before any concern if you don't have dragons on your doorstep just yet. 

DRAGONS OF EUROPE

•  SHIPPING HAS STARTED! The Plush dragons looked to give us a bit of trouble clearing customs, but the cuties had their paperwork ready and off we go. Spiral Galaxy confirms starting this week with over 700+ packages out as of Tuesday! Game on!
•  CONFIRMED DELIVERIES to Germany and UK have been posting on the wall already, and we know packages are out to the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium too. This is just the beginning, of course! There are at least 37 countries ordering games, and Flamecraft backers have approximately 13 languages in Europe. As a result, this whole process is a multi-week fulfillment. Per our last update, stay calm, let Spiral Galaxy work their magic!
•  Réunion - Your package is shipping from Spiral Galaxy in the next few weeks. Stay tuned along with the French dragons!

DRAGONS OF ASIA AND THE WORLD!

•  CHINESE EDITIONS - all Chinese copies have an artisan deck reprint that is in progress, and will be sent hopefully this month. We've contacted all backers receiving a Chinese Edition and are not holding games from delivery so that play can begin! We sent games first (or will be sending in the case of Americas/Europe) and will then also be sending the replacement deck to follow, hopefully no later than October arrival.
•  VFI has sent thousands of packages to various regions, and is doing well with their full list of 20 destinations with 28 different Flamecraft products. Here is a rough update per region on where we stand in fulfillment.
•  China, Macao, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan - these packages were sent out and should be fully delivered!  
•  Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand - these packages are clearing customs or have just cleared customs and are shipping very soon from corresponding hubs!
•  India, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Qatar  - just shipped or shipping this month, some to hubs and some direct with various timelines. 
•  South Africa, Viet Nam - shipping in October. We are working on getting more details on ETA from VFI.
•  Brazil dragons! The boat is coming finally, arriving in end of October. Our partner in Brazil, Galápagos estimates towards late November for copies to arrive. 

Some of these dragons are on a longer journey, but we will be excited with each and every dragon finding their home! 

MISSING OR DAMAGED PIECES? 

We're in love with all the photos and arrivals, although we know that with this many orders, some dragons will take a detour or get banged up on the journey despite the best efforts of our fulfillment centers and shipping partners. We have a quick and easy form for any and all missing or damaged items!

MISSING/DAMAGED PARTS FORM - Cardboard Alchemy site - please submit a picture if relevant for your issue and we will be happy to help!

• https://cardboardalchemy.com/support/

SOME KEY NOTES:

•  Score markers (wooden hearts) like to move about during shipping in the Deluxe boxes. (They can barely contain their love to arrive at your home!) You'll find these hearts do have a spot under the wooden dragons, but if you have less than 6 there, do check all the crevices -tucked in by the town mat and in the corners. If still missing a heart, let us know.
•  Now with more toast! Gameplay may use up to 35 of each good, but we included a bonus 36th bread, meat, plant, potion, iron and crystal token (cardboard for standard and wooden for deluxe) in every copy to handle that one piece of meat or potion that gets misplaced. That said, if you are short more than that upon arrival, we'd like to know!
•  The Fancy dragon mini (and meeple/heart) was sold separately. Some may think it is missing in the Deluxe game, but you needed to solve the puzzle or add it to your cart. If you solved a puzzle but did get this mini, please reach out to us about it. If you missed via miscommunication about it, please also let us know and if we have more at the end of fulfillment, we can let you know.

For any other issues (or just to tell us about your awesome dragon delivery stories), please email us directly - [email protected]

HOW TO PLAY, SOLO MODE AND OTHER VIDEOS!

We visited YouTube content creators Quackalope and BoardGameCo in August for fun and games - oh, and to make Flamecraft videos! (which was also fun and games!) We even made a video about Cardboard Alchemy where we share a peek into upcoming games. 

HOW TO PLAY:

SOLO MODE:

CARDBOARD ALCHEMY BONUS ROUND:

MOAR PHOTOS!

Thanks to Eupheria on the Cardboard Alchemy Discord for posting about the perfect sleeves for the jumbo cards in the Deluxe tray. Where there is a will (and an organized dragon fan), there is a way! 

And painting has begun on dragon minis! 

Of course, the minis are ready to go either way!

What's this? Another dragon exclusive - this time made by a Flamecraft fan. Cheers, Swarf!

A Sandara doodle ends our update, and captures our joyful mood as delivery is underway. This drawing was inspired by a Discord chat and also by some fan made music being shared!

Thank you for supporting Flamecraft! We can't wait to see every picture and post out out there. Share the tiny dragons and love with everyone you meet!

Cheers,

Peter, Brad and the Flamecraft team!

It's an enchant turn - FIRE UP ALL THE DRAGONS! Flamecraft!
over 3 years ago – Sat, Aug 27, 2022 at 05:12:22 PM

On August 10th, 2021, we launched a little game called Flamecraft!

Then, EXACTLY ONE YEAR LATER - on August 10th, the first ever photos of backer received copies were posted online. We are beyond excited - the 2nd game from Cardboard Alchemy is a real thing, a produced game in many many languages - made possible by you! THANK YOU!

KEY SHIPPING INFO IN THIS UPDATE! and SPOILERS: warning, incoming pictures that are not yet at your house and cats that don't come in every box...

So copies have arrived in China, Hong Kong and Korea! But.. but.. what about MY COPY, you ask? Well, here's the latest!

NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA DRAGONS

Both boats arrived at port (ahead of our last projected timeline), and have made their way via rail to St. Louis! It's off the rails - well one of the containers is, and the other is expected to arrive to the warehouse soon. This is big news! Greater than Games is ready to START. Here's what you can expect, in order:

•  We're going to lock all addresses - NOW. Yes, right now after you read this. You'll receive a notice from Backerkit with 48 hours to lock in a final final address change, if any. 
•  Greater than Games will begin to ship games - as early as next week or the week after! Not just for USA, but this is for Canada, Mexico, and most of South America (Brazil, see below)
•  Shipping will proceed for 4-6 weeks. (Please note, there are a lot of Flamekeepers out there). This means that while you get a Backerkit notice right now, you might not get your game instantly. What? We know... All the different package sizes and configurations will take time. We also don't have information about what packages will be in what order, and we cannot change or investigate specific deliveries so please just know that your is on its way. The next exciting moment will be when you receive an email that your shipping label has been created. When that happens, it is time for dragons to take flight! 
•  Brazil update: We're working with Galápagos on the timeline for these copies. It turns out that it is a bit complex to get packages to Brazil (which we knew, and will solve), but there's a few paperwork and boat steps to go here. When we have a better timeline, we will share it.

OCEANIA DRAGONS

The boat has landed in Sydney! It's hard to say if the backers tracking this boat had more fun than our Europe destination, but our Facebook group and the Cardboard Alchemy Discord have been full of exciting posts about ship tracking. We all had a false start while the Ital Universo stopped in Melbourne, but that was not our final port. As we all cheered the boat on - jokingly in our office we wondered if in calculating wind resistance, we might not have taken into account weighing down the bow of the ship with giant plushies?? Kidding aside - your ship has come in, and it's time for dragons!
Aetherworks is ready to START! They have begun to send out emails to all backers with a confirmation of your address! Check your email and respond right away if there's any address change. Shipping should commence shortly after. Shipping will take a few weeks depending on your distance from Sydney, but expect that the Artisan dragons are now on their way!
 

EUROPE DRAGONS

What is this? Spiral Galaxy has just sent out the email confirmations! Why just have some email confirmations today when you can do ALL THE CONFIRMATIONS. :) The tracking of this boat is still in progress, and it looks really close. We've just heard an updated timeline of 8/26 in port at Southampton, UK. Spiral Galaxy is ready to START! There are a few things to note:

•  TIMING - While addresses are being confirmed now (Yay!), please keep in mind though this is being done early in order to help get ready but it does not mean anything is shipping just yet. It will take into the first week of September to get all cargo into the warehouse and going out. 
•  Lots o Packages! There are thousands and thousands of Flamekeepers under the expert care and guidance of Spiral Galaxy. Spiral Galaxy reminds everyone to not ask during this longer dispatch for an update of "where's my parcel" - because every email they need to reply and look into is one less game packed as quickly. This process will take a few weeks, into October. Your dragons are coming!
•  SPAIN AND CANARY ISLANDS: We sent out emails to backers asking for your DNI numbers, as Spiral Galaxy needs this to send your package. We don't have word from everyone on our list. If you are in this region and have not confirmed via email, please reach out to us: [email protected]
•  CONFIRMATIONS: Spiral Galaxy notes that if everything looks good on your confirmation mail, you do not need to contact them back. However, if you have any changes, they ask that you respond right away when you get the email - do not wait until the last minute! 

ASIA DRAGONS

We are so excited to hear from you - CHINA, HONG KONG and KOREA have games arriving! It's exciting times! We also know that copies are out to Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand as well. You can track VFI status for your region on their website here: http://vfi.asia/hubs/. As games and accessories are packed and shipped to hubs, these dates will be updated.
Note for Japan backers - we tried to expedite copies because we know our partner in Japan will be launching retail orders soon. Our "faster boat" canceled on us and now we are hoping the next boat will get to the VFI hub around mid September - at the same time that pre-orders for retail might start. Your copies are still the most special and full of the most goodies, but we wanted to let you know about this timing.
  --
Note for backers receiving Chinese Edition games (all regions) - we notified all backers in China (having delivered already) of a misprint in the artisan dragon deck where the starters are mismarked on the back. The game is still playable, but of course we're fixing this as soon as possible. If you have a Chinese version coming in another part of the world, we hope to have the replacement decks deliver with your copy.
 

PLANT DRAGONS ARE STANDING BY TO HELP YOU!

•  I FOUND A BROKEN/MISSING PIECE! Say it isn't so! We do know this can happen with many copies fulfilling. We have a form on the Cardboard Alchemy website: https://cardboardalchemy.com/support/ and we'll be getting to all replacements after fulfillment for each region. We understand this may be some time in a few places as games will take time to ship, but we will make every effort to solve all issues promptly.
•  I WISH I ORDERED....  a Fancy dragon? Art book? Pin set? We totally understand this, and know that more interest in these rarer items will continue. Thank you for loving the dragons. We did produce a few extras although honestly it was very close production numbers on all limited items. We may be able to sell a few of these on our site in the future. Be sure you are signed up on our newsletter, as we'll post that info there first.
•  ADDRESS CHANGES - At this point, all fulfillment centers are taking address changes, and we will not be handling these on Backerkit as we proceed. If you have an address change, please reach out to the fulfillment center that confirms your final address. Of course, if there is an issue for some reason in delivery, we will still continue to help you. Any new surveys/pledge managers completed or further address changes will be added to the queue after wave 1 of fulfillment.

SPECIAL THANKS! If you've asked to change your address, or asked a question on the wall on Kickstarter, in our Flamecraft Facebook Fan Group or Discord, you've likely gotten a near immediate answer from our customer service dragon, Judy, who is amazing! We are lucky to have her helping - like a plant dragon she gives the gift of pleasant and prompt replies in inboxes, and we wanted to shout out about her. If YOU have gotten a great reply, please comment on this post to let her know about it! If you have any issue for us at Cardboard Alchemy you can write to Judy and us at: [email protected]

QUACK!

While this is not the sound that dragons make usually, it does match the squeals of delight from the duck focused channel, Quackalope, on YouTube when they saw and covered FLAMECRAFT. We spent a few days filming with them, and we have 4 exciting videos to share coming up. The first video to share is an unboxing! You might want to look away if you want to have your own unboxing magic - but if you want to peek, here it is: 

More videos coming up! Stay tuned for a setup and teaching video of the game with Peter and Jesse, a play through with Jesse, Shira and Professor Meg of Instagram in the style of "Celebrity Poker Showdown/Tabletop" - where players talk through their moves in mini interviews before, during and after the game. Finally, we recorded a solo game preview, setup and full play for you - Peter hosts a game of dragons - will he emerge successful in dragon town or will he need your help to become master of flame??

TAKING THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!

We recently flew to Gen Con - one of the largest board game conventions in the world to demo our next crowdfunding game, Andromeda's Edge (launching in January on Gamefound!), and while we were there, we also spotted our cute dragons in the wild!

Firstly, Lucky Duck Games was there showcasing the English language editions with a pre-order. On top of this, Board Game Geek found us arriving and asked if they could put Flamecraft in the HOT GAMES room! (seemed fitting). We did, and many players checked out Flamecraft at the show!

Then, in Korea following our game delivery, our partner Asmodee Korea brought Flamecraft to the largest Korean convention of the year. Not only was the con huge for them and this title, but they also really went huge in presentation. We were blown away by this epic version of the box. (Now we want one at the MEGA size, not gunna lie)...

NEXT - the international debut of Flamecraft at Spiel in Essen! We are headed there to join Lucky Duck Games at their booth, as they are publishing French, Polish, Italian and taking on English versions worldwide. We also hope to see booths all across the fair with Flamecraft in many languages, and we will hopefully capture this magic and share here in an update and in our Facebook and Discord channels. 

-

Thank you all so much for making this game come to life in a big way. We'll be back soon with more shipping news as games continue to deliver! 

Cheers,

Peter, Brad and the Cardboard Alchemy team

 

Dragons have taken flight... uh, SAIL! A Flamecraft Fulfillment Update!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Jul 29, 2022 at 02:24:15 AM

Hi Flamekeepers!

The start of August marks the beginning of dragon delivery season and any day now the first backers will be receiving copies of the game! We are so excited, and we hope you are too.

ARRIVING AT PORTS THIS MONTH!

Specifically, here's where things are landing at the moment:

AMERICAS* - boat #1 of 2 has ARRIVED at port! Boat #2 COSCO KAOHSIUNG is on the water, expected soon in port! You can track the boat online! Keep in mind, there's travel by train and more steps after docking, and at least a month of fulfillment to go for our 17,000 backers in the Americas, but this is great progress! We have partnered with Greater than Games to deliver all these goodies to you! *Brazil backers - your copies are headed to local publisher Galápagos. We'll report on their boat and timeline in the next update.

EUROPE - all containers jumped on the same boat, (just like friendly dragons in shops), and this boat,  CMA CGM KERGUELEN - is on the water too, expected in port on August 22. You can track the boat online! The final destination of the containers is Spiral Galaxy headquarters in the UK, and from there, dragons will spread all over Europe!

ASIA - All copies are in VFI headquarters and about to begin fulfillment! Timing varies per country here - VFI is helping us deliver over 28 products to 20 different countries. Backers in China, Hong Kong, Macao, Korea and Taiwan should be first here, but all fulfillment to Asia is in motion. 

OCEANIA - It's just a hop, skip and a jump over from China, right? That's what we're hoping for the ITAL UNIVERSO which set sail and is tracking to arrive in early August now. You can track the boat online! Aetherworks is ready to go to get these copies to all backers in Australia and New Zealand!   

ADDRESS CHANGES AND OTHER REQUESTS 

Addresses are all locked now except for North America, but we know changes can still happen. The main thing to keep in mind is - we're here to help everyone get their copies and dragons, not to worry. Here are some specific steps for each region if you have a change:

• For those in North America - you can edit your address if in same state/province in Backerkit: https://flamecraft.backerkit.com/ AND the fulfillment center in North America will confirm before shipping too.
• For backers in Europe and Oceania, know that these fulfillment centers will email right before shipping. You can still alert us of your change, but there's nothing to change in Backerkit anymore - you should be able to wait for confirmation of your shipping.
• For Asia, any address changes should be sent to us at Cardboard Alchemy: [email protected], so we can alert VFI immediately. 

Any backers who have not yet filled out the pledge manager will be handled in wave 2 after we get the first packages out. No matter what your case is, we will get you your Kickstarter pledges! 

WHILE YOU'RE WAITING... 

•  You can play the game online! Per our last update, Flamecraft has a special backer release on Tabletopia right now. Our friendly Discord often runs games and helps people out to learn the game. You can join us here: https://discord.gg/2pYk3TT 
• While you're on Discord, you can vote for your favorite artisan dragons! There's an informal poll going on until the end of the month in the Flamecraft main channel. Right now, Deathfang (crystal), Elderberry (potions) and Skewart (meat) are in the lead, while Patina is just ahead of Rusty in the iron race. Herb and Lotus are tied up for plants, and Cookie and Loaf are tied up for bread. Special thanks to Twenty5Origami ❤️ on Discord for the fun poll. More fun can be had in the #fanart channel too!
•  Say hello on our FACEBOOK! Yes, it's the Flamecraft Fan group - all artisan dragons, all the time. We also see some fun DIY projects that are dragon related here from time to time. We expect this group to be a hub of pictures when the game reaches tabletops!
•  Join our newsletter! We just awarded a signed Flamecraft art print in Q2, and there's always prizes to be had if you are following Cardboard Alchemy! Stay tuned for more Flamecraft and other fun games coming up!

Thank you all so much for your continued patience, as we head into the final weeks of delivery. We cannot wait to see the pictures and hear the excitement online and see the game shared worldwide. We know that when the first pictures are shared online, there will be many of us checking the mail boxes, perhaps daily. Let's support each other in the meantime, in town and in the comments. Dragons are coming! 

Cheers - Peter, Brad and the Flamecraft team!

Dragons by planes, trains and automobiles. Oh, and BOATS
almost 4 years ago – Sun, Jul 10, 2022 at 03:26:37 PM

Hello Flamekeepers!

It's a holiday here in the United States, and we're getting ready for fireworks. Of course, we have fireworks for our own to share, of the exciting production news variety. So this is happening right now:

 ADDRESSES LOCKING IN SOME REGIONS!

We're locking in addresses now worldwide, as our fulfillment partners need your address to begin preparing for the arrival at ports. Our fulfillment partner handling the Americas has elected to not lock just yet, and wait until the week of shipping. If you live in North America and South America (except Brazil) you can still edit your address until you get a notification from Backerkit that you are locked in. If you live in another region and your address is locked and you have a late minute change, please write us at [email protected]. Most backers will also get emails from the fulfillment center when packages go out with a final final notice and an opportunity to update one last time. (Aetherworks, Spiral Galaxy and other fulfillment hubs do this extra step). 

THE TIMELINE

As Flamecraft finishes assembly and begins to pack in cartons and pallets for every region of the world, we have a glimpse into the latest timeline. It's several waves of boats and trucks to make this happen.

Backers in Asia are now expected to start receiving games in mid-August! This will still vary by individual country. The first public release of the game should be by our Korean partner, Asmodee Korea at the yearly fair Board Game Con, making its big return in 2022. We're working as fast as we can to get Korean backers their copies, as well as backers in China, Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore, with more and more countries coming next! 

As we enter September, more and more places will receive games, likely starting with Australia and New Zealand. Most other regions are expected to receive games starting in late September and into October. Lucky Duck Games, and many of our publishing partners will be hoping to show Flamecraft at The Spiel game fair in Essen!

As for those BOATS we mentioned - in the next update we'll look to get information about exactly which boats our dragons are on, and ways you can follow along until they reach port.

PRODUCTION FINAL TOUCHES

Eastar sent us two more awesome videos of components in production, and we were thrilled to see more about how the game is produced. One is a short video about making the box lid, and the other is a longer 7 minute video traveling down the production line with an art book! We hope you enjoy seeing these:

and now the art book in production:

TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO PRE-ORDER FLAMECRAFT!

Have a friend that missed the dragons? Lucky Duck Games has launched a pre-order site for the standard edition of the game as well as a chance for your friends to get some of the minis, coins and wooden items that are part of the limited Deluxe Edition.  The retail edition still includes the awesome neoprene mat, a ton of unlocked artwork, bonus game elements like companions, extra enchantments plus all the Fancy dragons too! Help us spread the word. Friends don't let friends miss cute dragons! 

PLAY FLAMECRAFT WHILE YOU WAIT!

In anticipation of the games coming soon to tabletops - we released an online appetizer of the game just for you! That's right - Flamecraft is now privately on Tabletopia, and any of our backers can host games with friends and share the game. We'll keep this version online while you wait for your physical copy. If you want to host a game, you can visit our Discord to chat with other players and join a game: Cardboard Alchemy Discord server: https://discord.gg/2pYk3TT or if you're not on Discord but you fancy a game, you can use this link to play FLAMECRAFT ON TABLETOPIA: https://tabletopia.com/games/flamecraft-8n2ekk/play-now

Thank you to everyone who entered the Game Trayz Y-Trayz poll in our last updateto vote on colors and configurations for their future tray designs. We're already using Y-Trayz Flamecraft samples in our Andromeda's Edge prototypes, and they are super handy for either dragon crystals or space crystals. :)

Stay safe and game on! Dragons are on the way!

Peter, Brad and the Flamecraft Production team