The End Of This Kickstarter. Something puzzly coming up?
over 3 years ago – Mon, Dec 07, 2020 at 10:36:52 AM

All packages we've gotten addresses for have been mailed as of writing this update. 3 packages didn't make it to their recipients, (which isn't bad all things considered, namely *2020*) and have had their labels reprinted to send again tomorrow. 

As we approach the end of the Chiseled Kickstarter, there's a few things I'd like to ask of you in the coming days or weeks:

1. Rate the game on BoardGameGeek.com. More ratings means more visibility, and also lets other people know that folks are excited to sculpt their decks!

2. Reach out with pictures and your winning scores on Twitter. Tag us with @copperfroggames #chiseledgame and we'll retweet ya!

3. Tell your friends that they can get Chiseled from copperfroggames.com and at their local game stores. We won't be doing our usual conventions this year, so word of mouth is the best way to get folks aware of this game that you helped create. With the help of our partner Grand Gamers Guild, we're excited to keep spreading Chiseled across the US and internationally. Someday you may see us at a game convention again!

What's Next

Finally, stay tuned for our next project: we're aiming to run a #Make100 campaign in January for some adorable little jigsaw puzzles and gamer-themed bags, which we hope will excite you and help us get through 2021. Again, a lack of conventions has made it very hard for independent game designers to raise awareness and funds, and we want to celebrate our first few years as a company with these puzzles featuring art from Pigment and Chiseled. Look for us in the Puzzles section of Kickstarter in late January!

Thanks Again...

These are only a few of the myriad players, critics, and manufacturers that helped get Chiseled out the door. You rock.

For providing their likenesses on the Critic Cards:

• Bob LeBlanc (graphic designer for Pigment)
• Wendy Epstein (graphic designer for Chiseled)
• Breeze Grigas (art director for Pigment)
• Tatiana Quigley (modeler for Chiseled)
• Ali Swei (illustrator for Chiseled)
• Emily Hancock (illustrator for Pigment)
• Jason Martin (lead playtester for Pigment and Chiseled)

And myself, I suppose (lead designer for Pigment and Chiseled)

For providing playtesting and advice:

• Duncan Davis
• Jason Martin
• Jeff Johnston, Jaime Barriga, and The Boston Game Makers Guild

For putting up with me-as-art-director:

• Ali Swei
• Jason Butera
• Nate Brisotti
• John Anderson

Thank you again for making this campaign a success, and for bringing Chiseled to the world. I will post here again only if there are future game Kickstarter updates that I think you'd be interested in. For all other news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and via our mailing list.

Sincerely, 

Michael Epstein

Copper Frog Games LLC

Delays. Oof. (But some good news too!)
over 3 years ago – Mon, Nov 02, 2020 at 07:46:13 AM

Hi Backers! TL;DR, North American games are still en route.

The games arrived safely in Atlanta at PSI last week, but I'm still waiting for confirmation that the pallet for KS fulfillment is being shipped to me. I will be reaching out more earnestly this weekend, and will try to put a comment on  this update when it arrives. 

That said, 2 other fun things of note:

First, I finally got to hold a copy of Chiseled! VFI Asia sent me 24 copies from the leftovers from Asia/Australia fulfillment, and I am pleased with the quality and feel. I see what folks mean about sleeved cards being a squeeze; I think if the Waxed Marble cards weren't there,  it would be much better,  but I wanted to ensure that you got that additional content in the core box. The other thing is that there is apparently a print error on the box! You may not have noticed, but below the barcode it says "Made in  China by"... and that's it. There was originally a logo for Gameland, our manufacturer, directly below that, but for some reason the factory removed it between the proof copy and the final printing. We're not sure why, and my manufacturing representative didn't know why either,  (nor did they catch it before the games shipped),  but it doesn't make any  difference in the game's content, and is very minimal in  its appearance anyways. So, that'll be a first edition specialty item! 

From those 24 copies, I fulfilled the top-tier "Patron of the Arts" backers' games, as well as a few of the retailer pledges. Check out "Pete's Nerd Emporium" in Franklin, MA  and "Knighthood Games" in Cookeville, TN if you're in the area!

Second, all backers in Europe, Asia, and Australia should have received their games by this  point. North and South America will be shipped by me when that aforementioned pallet arrives. The last retail order went out this week from PSI directly, but we should still have all your games to you before the official retail release. If you're in those regions and have NOT received your games yet, please send me a message through Kickstarter. I want to ensure everyone gets what they pledged for!

Official retail release date for Chiseled: 11/18/2020

Thank you all for sticking with us, and for helping make this game a reality. We couldn't have done it without you.

Sincerely,

Michael Epstein

International Shipping Has Begun! Plus, Train Games?
over 3 years ago – Wed, Oct 07, 2020 at 05:09:47 PM

International Backers! 

VFI Asia and D6 Publisher Resources UK have both received backer lists and copies of Chiseled, and all copies should be sent or being sent by the end of this week. Watch your email for any updates there, and once you receive the game, send me pics! I still haven't gotten mine yet. <.<

North America Backers!

Chiseled landed safely in the Port of Los Angeles a few days ago, cleared customs, and last I heard the pallets are on a train headed to Atlanta, GA. Choo-Choo! Train Games! 

This is good news! It means the games should be arriving at PSI in the next day or two. From there, one pallet will be shipped to me directly to fulfill to you all, (with leftovers being sold locally and at conventions, when we get to do those again), and the rest will be going into distribution! 

On that note, ask your local game stores to stock Chiseled! Show them your copy! This is the best way to ensure the success of this game!

The next update will hopefully have pictures of a pallet o' games sitting on my driveway. 

Until then,

-Michael

Shipping Delays
over 3 years ago – Thu, Sep 10, 2020 at 09:24:29 PM

Hey all! Thank you for getting your surveys  done for Backerkit. We've closed the hosted preorder store, but that's only because it'll be available "for realsies" very soon! You can also check out the Grand Gamers Guild preorder store for Endangered: New Species, which is going live soon on PledgeManager. They'll have it as an add-on with their game and expansions!

Shipping Delays

Chiseled is at the port! In fact, it has been for a couple days. The recent typhoons in Asia have caused a backup at the port, but it should be setting sail tomorrow. North and South American backers will be waiting a bit longer as a result of this delay, but it should still arrive in your hands by October.

For Asia and Australia, games have arrived this week at VFI Asia, and should be shipped to you directly very soon. Since we didn't get many Australian backers, we will be shipping direct from China, rather than through a hub. As such, while there will be VAT, we deducted a significant amount from the shipping cost to get it to Australian backers, which we hope makes up for that slight extra charge.

For European backers, we are shipping a few cases directly to the UK warehouse for D6 Publisher Resources from VFI Asia, and those should arrive by the end of this month at the latest. VAT will be covered for European backers, since we're shipping to a European hub and covering it there, and the games should be delivered shortly thereafter.

Thank you for your patience! We're almost there!

-Michael Epstein

Shipping Update, plus pics!
over 3 years ago – Sat, Aug 22, 2020 at 01:16:57 PM

Manufacturing Update

Hi hi! So, I just got confirmation that the games should be done being printed August 30th. This means that shipping to the US (which takes 6 weeks including loading/shipping/customs/unloading) will get the games to The Warehouse by September 16th (I'm going to say it's going to be the 16th just to deal with any delays). From there,  I am having 1 pallet's worth shipped to me in MA, (another 5-7 days) which will be used to directly fulfill backers in North America. It shouldn't take more than  2-3 days to pack and ship all the games that need to go out, thankfully, so expect your game in North America by the end of October. A bit later than anticipated, but for good reason.

Pledge Manager Update

We will be closing down the Pledge Manager and collecting shipping and late pledges from all backers on Monday August 24th. After that point, if you haven't completed your pledge manager survey, then it's gonna be very tough to get you your rewards,  if any. Even if you didn't back for more than a dollar, we'd appreciate if you  closed out your survey in Backerkit before we close it, since that helps us keep everything organized.

The Co-Publisher, Revealed!

As mentioned in the last update, Chiseled has picked up a co-publisher! We have partnered with Grand Gamers Guild (of the highly successful Endangered: New Species Kickstarter going on now) to bring Chiseled to the world via retail and conventions that Copper Frog Games can't attend next year, such as Essen Spiel, Origins Game Fair, and more. This is AWESOME news, and means your friends who didn't back the Kickstarter can go to their local game store, tell them, "Hey, I want you to stock this cool deck-sculpting game Chiseled!", and they'll be able to get it through wholesale distribution. For an indie publisher like me, that's great as it means I can reach a much wider audience. The box back features their adorable logo now in addition Mr. Frog, and we're thrilled to bring this to you together.

Production Photos

Next up, we've got photos from  production! The new box insert is especially nice,  as it will hold sleeved cards  better, but you can also see what the boxes and boards look like uncut and flat. Check out the images below!

So there you have it! Under a month's delay from our hopeful delivery time during a pandemic isn't bad, and you'll still have it well before the holidays! We're working hard on games still while fretting over every tiny detail of this project, so we hope you appreciate the work everyone's put in on Chiseled once it arrives.

Our next updates will be posted when we get pictures of the games at PSI, and then when we ship! 

Excited as always,

Michael