Mid-November Fulfillment Update
over 1 year ago – Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 11:51:18 PM

Hello backers!

Here we are, midway through the first month in our estimated fulfillment schedule. How are we doing? Let's take a look and find out.

Key Takeaways

• Shipping has not begun yet, but is likely to begin next week, getting heavier as the end of the month approaches.
• Production is off to a good start, and we're starting to get solid, ready-to-ship product to inventory. Most SKUs are going well, but we're a bit behind on the panels themselves. I'll discuss these a bit, in the interest of transparency, but I want to be clear: these aren't major issues, and we've either already solved them or are in the process of doing so. These are just issues that forced us into a slower start than we'd have preferred.
• We reverted a prior adjustment to the channel in the top of the GM Screen panels; initially, acrylic manufacturer tolerances had forced us to widen the groove to ensure the Initiative Trackers and Brass Turn Tracker stayed upright. However, we found that the Brass Turn Tracker fit too loosely in the new, wider channel. We considered a redesign and reorder of the brass pieces, but first we checked the acrylic we had received, and found that the vast majority of pieces we've tested are in line with our original specifications, with only a few that were thicker than that. As a result, we've gone back to our original spec, which ensures a better user experience with both products. Of course, if you have any issues with the fit of your Initiative Trackers, simply let us know and we'll be happy to help.
• The second issue with the panels involves finishing. We are constructing a new finishing area in our Massachusetts facility which mirrors one that our Pennsylvania facility has up and running. It's not yet complete, which means that we need to transport the GM Screen panels to our Pennsylvania location for finishing, and then back to MA for packaging and shipping. That's not as bad as it sounds - we have a truck that moves between campuses weekly for various reasons - but it does mean there's some non-negotiable time added into the panel production process for the time being.
• Both of these issues have made us slow off the line in terms of panel production. However, we should be able to catch up and get running quickly - the impact to fulfillment should ultimately be little to none. The impact comes down to a slower start than we would have liked.
• Samples of the shelves and drawers for the Storage Tower have arrived, and were perfectly to our specifications, with no adjustments needed - which is great news! With these approved, we'll get the order moving, so these are on track to be ready for January. This also means we can finish up development of the Storage Tower, with approved versions of the shelves and drawers in hand.
• The gemstone inserts are on their way to us now, with the first batch of on-spec inserts due to arrive in days. We hedged our bets by sourcing these from two manufacturers, splitting the necessary quantities in half. We'll adjust the timing as needed to ensure the gemstone inserts don't delay things any more than absolutely necessary. These should be on track for January, as well.
• Regarding the GM bags, I have finished samples from our manufacturer of 5 of the 6 combinations on hand. These are all displayed in the update below. They differ slightly from the mockups we had in BackerKit, so I wanted to be sure to show them to you, now that we've got physical samples of the real thing on hand! Given the slight variation, if you're interested in switching your color choice after seeing these, I'm going to make that option available to you. Reach out to let us know your new preference within the next 5 days (through Friday, November 18th) and we'll change your selection for you. The final order will be placed on Monday, and they'll arrive in the coming weeks, on track for January. The only bag not on display is the white. That one didn't arrive with the others, and is still on the way. However, there should be no surprises in how the white bag looks, so I didn't want to hold up this process on account of that bag; if you ordered the white one, you don't have to worry about the final product looking different.
• Once again, I'd like to remind everyone that if you're going to be moving at any point during the fulfillment -  anywhere from now until July of 2023, regardless of which fulfillment  wave you're in - it is vital that you let us know, so we can flag your order accordingly. We need to know, ideally, when you'll be moving and where  you're moving to. If you don't have your new address yet, that's okay -  still let us know you'll be moving. We don't want to risk sending your  order somewhere you aren't going to be. Thank you for your cooperation on this!

GM Bag Photos

Below are the GM Bag approved samples; these are representative of the final production versions you will receive. As stated above, if you don't like the color you chose, you have until this coming Friday to let us know which color you'd prefer, and we'll make the change for you; just send us a direct message, and we'll do the rest! Most are quite close, and I think they all turned out great, but I wanted to extend this offer all the same due to the differences that emerged from the mockups/prototypes.

By The Numbers

Below are the total number of backers in each fulfillment  wave, as well as the number of shipped/pending status backers in each.  Note that the total number of backers in each wave will change as we  begin each new round of fulfillment, due to backers who have  failed to respond to the survey being rolled into the next wave. Pre-orders remain open.

 Wave 1: November - 450 backers

• 0 shipped, 450 pending
• 0.0% fulfilled

Wave 2: January - 661 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 3: February - 839 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 4: March - 960 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 5: April - 913 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 6: May - 1,761 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 7: June - 316 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Pre-orders - 332 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Fulfillment Ho!

You're no doubt anxious to get your GM Screens, and I'm certainly anxious to get them to you! Our next check-in, at the start of December, will be a brief one as I let you know how November has gone and the overall state of fulfillment, and then we hit "pause" for a moment to allow us to deal with our holiday season. This is always a very taxing time for us, so we generally avoid scheduling Kickstarter fulfillment during the month of December - there's such a thing as biting off more than you can chew! But that doesn't mean we won't ship any GM Screen orders during December - if we have inventory available to ship, and the shipping bandwidth to do it, we'll get orders out the door.

After December, we'll pick things up again, and I anticipate a smooth, solid fulfillment of the project overall. Thank you for your support, and I'd like to extend best wishes for a good Thanksgiving to you and yours, should you observe it. I'll be back to let you know how November turned out in a couple of weeks - until then, have a good one!

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Wyrmwood

November Fulfillment Update
over 1 year ago – Wed, Nov 02, 2022 at 03:57:51 AM

Hello, everyone!

November is here, and that means the first month of fulfillment is upon us at last. Typically, the format would be a video, where I then rundown the key points in text below, but I'm going to be skipping the video portion this go-round. The video portion will return on the 15th. Nonetheless, let's dive in and see how things are looking!

Fulfillment Update

• In terms of our production, nearly all the ducks are lined up, and we've been pushing through products to verify specs and iron out the final kinks. We're waiting on our product boxes to arrive, and still polishing a few rough edges, but across the board, things look good. The GM Screen project production has no major issues at this time. 
• Now let's talk about third-party suppliers - this is where our problems lie. We've discussed these three items before: bags, gemstone inserts, and the Storage Tower drawers and shelves. Let's tackle these one at a time.
• We're still expecting to approve the shelves and drawers for the Storage Tower within the next week or so, and then mass production on those will begin. As anticipated, these will be delayed for November.They should be back on track for the January wave, and remain so.
•  We're awaiting physical prototypes of all the GM bag colorways, which are currently on their way to us. Unfortunately, the samples were delayed a bit due to a COVID incident at the manufacturer. Still, they should be here within the week. While I'll be reviewing and (hopefully) approving these the same day they arrive, I don't think it's realistic to expect the order to be produced in time for November, so these will be delayed, as well. Once they're in, I'll show the physical samples in an update - hopefully the mid-November update - so look forward to that!
•  The gemstone inserts are looking good, though also running behind. The reason is that the initial batch we sourced was not made to spec, making the entire shipment useless. We have sourced these from a second manufacturer, and the manufacturer is doing much better; the inserts fit the panels and look great. We're getting in an order with them, while the original manufacturer remakes the inserts. Between the two, we'll have the whole Kickstarter covered. Unfortunately, due to the issue with the first batch, these are also going to be delayed for the November wave.
• But it's not all bad news! We've received the MagPlates, Brass Turn Tracker and Initiative Trackers, and these look good. These components are ready to ship.
• So, with all that out of the way... when do we expect to begin shipping? Well, we haven't started yet. I expect that we'll begin shipping in the latter half of the month. In my mid-month update, which you can expect around the 15th, I'll be able to give you a better idea of when the first orders will go out - if they haven't started moving by then.
• While most of this update has been about the problems, they're mostly minor in nature. Truth be told, things generally look very good. The groundwork has been laid, the production is winding up, and while there are some hitches in our timeline with external vendors, the impact of these is limited to the first wave. None of the issues we're seeing have the potential to cascade, so we should be back on track for the January wave and remain there for the rest of fulfillment. Of course, I'll be able to speak to this with more certainty once we're actually shipping everything out, so stay tuned!
• As we move into fulfillment, it's crucial that you keep your address up-to-date with us. If you're going to be moving at any point during the fulfillment - anywhere from now until July of 2023, regardless of which fulfillment wave you're in - please let us know, so we can flag your order accordingly. We need to know, ideally, when you'll be moving and where you're moving to. If you don't have your new address yet, that's okay - still let us know you'll be moving. We don't want to risk sending your order somewhere you aren't going to be. Thank you for your cooperation on this!
•  Up to date addresses are important due to our fulfillment system. The system looks at all the demand for the project, and assigns priority in order of backer wave. So, November items are the highest priority for production, followed by January, etc. The shipping side, meanwhile, looks at all of the orders, and tries to fill orders using the products in inventory. This is also done according to backer wave. However, if a given item in inventory isn't needed for any November orders... the system will find it a home in a later wave. This means that later waves can have their order ship early, IF the items they ordered aren't needed for an earlier wave. For example, if November backers ordered a total of 100 Cherry Display Panels, and we made 120... the system would try to assign those extra panels to other orders. So if a January backer ordered only 3 Cherry Display Panels, their order would come up as ready to ship, and go out early. And if no one in January ordered a Cherry Display Panel, the system would assign them to an even later order. So, no matter where you are in the fulfillment order, you should keep your address with us current, just in case your number comes up sooner!

Campaign Timeline

Here again is our estimated fulfillment timeline. It remains accurate, with the exception of the known delays in November wave that I covered above.

By The Numbers

Below are the total number of backers in each fulfillment wave, as well as the number of shipped/pending status backers in each. Note that the total number of backers in each wave will change as we begin each new round of fulfillment, due to backers who have failed to respond to the survey being rolled into the next wave. Pre-orders remain open.

Wave 1: November - 475 backers

• 0 shipped, 475 pending
• 0.0% fulfilled

Wave 2: January - 752 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 3: February - 1,019 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 4: March - 1,195 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 5: April - 1,196 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 6: May - 2,353 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Wave 7: June - 444 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Pre-orders - 273 backers

• Fulfillment not started

Fulfillment Begins!

It's exciting to be here, at the start of fulfillment. This project, despite being one of our largest, has a very aggressive timeline, and it's certainly a challenge, but it's one we're looking forward to meeting. Thank you for your support of the project, and I look forward to shipping you your orders as soon as possible. I'll check back in on the 15th, and let you know how things are going!

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Wyrmwood

The Wyrmwood Modular Desk: LIVE on Kickstarter Now!
over 1 year ago – Wed, Oct 19, 2022 at 07:50:58 AM

Hello, backers!

You can expect your regular update to come on the first, announcing the beginning of our fulfillment period and going over what's in store, but there's just a little bit longer to wait before that. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know about the latest project from Wyrmwood - one we've been working on for some time.

The Modular Desk is the latest furniture design from Wyrmwood, and features our trademark US craftsmanship, solid wood construction, and is packed with innovative features to change your relationship with your desk. Whether you use a desk for work or play, the Wyrmwood Modular Desk can meet your needs - and transform your space. It's live now, and strictly limited to 5,000 pledges. Don't miss out! Click here.

~ Wyrmwood

October Fulfillment Update
over 1 year ago – Sat, Oct 01, 2022 at 11:04:58 PM

Hello everyone!

As promised, here we are on the 1st, and here is your first regularly scheduled fulfillment update. So what's going on? Let's dive in and see!

Key Takeaways

• Update schedule: this is the only scheduled update for October. Next month, in November, you can expect us to pick up with an extra update on the 15th of the month in addition to the one on the 1st. This twice-monthly format will continue through the rest of the project, ending when fulfillment is wrapping up in 2023. 
• RPG Tracking System pre-orders are available - but only for a limited time. The Player Tracker, Monster Tracker and Legendary Foe Tracker are new additions to the RPG Tracking System, but there are a lot of tools to enhance the 5E experience for players. Pre-orders are still available, but will be closing down in just two weeks on October 15th, so if you do want in, there's not much time left.
• As mentioned before, the shelves and drawers for the Modular Storage Tower were likely to be a potential holdup in our fulfillment. I can confirm that these are looking like they'll arrive in December, meaning we won't be able to ship the Modular Storage Tower orders in November. This is disappointing, but not a huge surprise; due to popular demand, we added this item to the project late in the game, and so it was always starting from behind. Still, it should be on track for January and beyond.
• As mentioned in previous updates, we opened up several new colorway options for the GM bags. We have requested physical samples of these to verify the colorways, after there appears to have been some communication issues with the manufacturer. This could result in a delay of shipping for handbags, similar to the issue with the storage tower. Hopefully not, but ultimately this is important enough that we need to take the extra step and verify these colorways are going to come out right. If there is a delay, as with the storage tower, it shouldn't be a big one - just a matter of weeks, not months. We're going to make sure the colorways come out as you (and we) expect based on the photos.
• Finally, we've received our order of gemstone inserts, but have noticed sizing issues. Currently, they're all a bit too big. We have samples on the way from another manufacturer, but again, November may see a delay while we resolve the matter.
• While delays are always disappointing, I hope they're tempered by the knowledge that we're working hard to get you top quality products. In all these cases, the delay comes from us holding our suppliers to a high standard and wanting to ensure the products work and look as intended. In the end, I think this is a lot more important than hitting our estimated fulfillment deadline for the first month. If you're going to be disappointed at all, I'd rather it be once for a couple of weeks while you wait a bit longer than you expected, rather than being disappointed every time you pull out the sub-standard product you got on time!
• Infrastructure progress is being worked on, and continues at a good pace. This is mostly, honestly, pretty boring stuff. But we're working hard to get all our stations set up and all the processes ironed out this month so we can roll into solid production. One silver lining you'll notice - all of the issues I've mentioned above concern items we are not manufacturing directly. In terms of our facility, raw materials, etc, we're in a good place and while we haven't begun mass production yet, we're poised to do it this month and be ready to hit the ground running towards month's end, and on into November.
• As a reminder, Wyrmwood has maintained a policy for several years of issuing WyrmwoodGaming.com gift certificates to backers whose orders ship late through no fault of their own. We will continue this with this campaign, meaning that should any of the aforementioned backers' orders ship out past the end of November, they will receive a $25 certificate with their order as a courtesy, to make up for the minor delay.
• So where does all of this leave us? Generally on pretty solid ground, even if it doesn't sound like it. We don't have any major issues, but a handful of minor ones could lead to delays causing a portion of November wave orders to ship late. If you're in November and ordered gemstone display inserts, the Modular Storage Tower, or a handbag, you should be prepared for the possibility that your order will ship a bit later than expected. Officially, we are not fulfilling during December, to allow us space for our holiday shipping, but we will ship late November orders during this time. There is no official change to the timeline at this time.

Campaign Timeline

Just a Few Weeks Until Fulfillment Begins!

This is one of our biggest campaigns, and it's also one of the fastest to move from funding into fulfillment! It's a big challenge, but we're working hard to keep on track. The external challenges are frustrating, but we're going to do all we can to minimize them, and make sure not to drop the ball internally in the meantime. No matter what, we'll see you through fulfillment. Thank you all for your support, and I'll be back on November 1st to let you know how things are looking. Until then, all the best!

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Wyrmwood

Surveys are in, orders are being charged! What's Next?
over 1 year ago – Thu, Sep 15, 2022 at 07:18:56 AM

Hello, everyone!

Well, yesterday was the big day. In accordance with the timeline, we locked down and charged orders - about 75% of backer surveys were turned in on time. Big thanks to those of you that were able to get them in - we rely on this information to place our orders for materials, and we need to do that ASAP if we're going to be able to keep to our tight fulfillment schedule - remember, the first month of fulfillment begins in just 50 days!

But what happens now? And what if you didn't get the survey in on time? Let's answer those questions... and maybe a few others.

Late Surveys & B Tier Fulfillment 

We are continuing to correct problem email addresses for some backers that were prevented from filling out the survey on time. The vast majority of backers got their invitation link email without issue, but there were some problems and customer service has been working through them during this time. In addition, a number of charges failed to go through and were declined for one reason or another. Either way, you should have gotten an email letting you know the status of your charge - if it failed, please update your card as soon as possible so we can process your order and lock it down.

As the deadline has passed, I've gone ahead and created additional pledge tiers for each fulfillment wave in BackerKit. These are called "B" Tiers, and will consist of the backers in each wave that didn't get the survey in on time. These orders will be fulfilled as close to the estimated fulfillment month as possible, but they will get lower priority than the on-time orders. The reason for this is simple - we have to base our material ordering and production projections on estimates. If those estimates were off because a late survey response is different from what we projected, that could cause us to miss the estimated fulfillment timeline for some orders. By prioritizing the on-time orders, we insulate them from the impact of that bad data. Of course, we could miss the fulfillment estimates due to other reasons; the surveys that are in now give us perfect information on which to base our orders, so if we miss the fulfillment window on those, it's on us.

B Tier Grace Period

I will not be shifting anyone into "B" tier status until tomorrow, so if you get your survey filled out today, you'll still be in your original assigned wave. You'll know once you arrive at BackerKit what wave you're in, as it will say "B" in the reward title if you've been moved.

Of course, it's worth mentioning that we're pretty good at our estimates at this point, and if we do end up shipping B tier orders past the end of the estimated fulfillment month, it's usually not by much - just a week or two. So all is not lost if you don't get it in on time. But please, do fill it out if you haven't, and get any payment issues cleared up as soon as you can so we can lock your orders and move them forward to catch them up with the main group of orders.

Addresses Locking

We'll be shifting your orders into our fulfillment software almost immediately - that's going to happen tomorrow, as well. One part of that process is locking down the addresses in BackerKit. This is why I've been stressing the importance of always having correct addresses.

If you are moving at any point between now and the end of your fulfillment month - or close to it - please let us know immediately.

We need to flag your order correctly and make sure it gets to the right place. If you let us know of your moving plans as soon as you know about them, we can take the appropriate steps. If we end up shipping your order to the wrong address and need to re-ship or redirect the order, there may be additional fees you'll be subject to, so please let us know in advance so we can make your fulfillment go smoothly.

We can change your address whenever necessary, right up until we ship your order - but you'll have to contact us to get that done. And, one more note - please give us your new address when you contact us to request the change. Doing that will save customer service and you the hassle of an additional email, and get the change processed faster. :)

What Happens Now?

Let's take another look at the campaign timeline:

As you can see, once surveys lock and orders are charged, we're headed into the "ordering materials" and "production" phases. We'll settle into our normal update schedule, of sending an update on or around the 1st of each month, to keep you appraised of our progress, but honestly - it'll probably be pretty boring. And that's good! It just means things are going according to plan and there isn't much to report.

Once fulfillment begins in November, we'll switch over to a twice-monthly format, with a second update coming out around the 15th of each month, to give a more frequent check-in on our fulfillment progress and the state of the current month's ship-out.

Moving Forward

And that's it for this one! Thanks again for your help getting the surveys in quickly. To summarize:

• If you didn't fill out the survey, or there was an issue with your payment, you can correct it by tomorrow to avoid the B tier change.
• B tier fulfillment, for late responses/payments, is effectively the end of the line of each month, with lower priority in fulfillment than on-time responses. Every effort will be made to still get them out in line with original estimates, however.
• We'll be locking addresses and importing orders into our fulfillment/shipping software tomorrow, September 14th. Address changes are still possible, you'll just need to email us to do it.
• If your address needs to be changed or will need to be changed, email us the details as soon as you know about it to avoid mishaps. It's okay if it's months away, or even if you aren't sure where you're moving yet - we can still flag the order in the system to avoid shipping it to the wrong address.
• Now that the initial phase of the project is wrapping up and orders are finalized, there will be less relevant information, and thus updates will be less frequent. You can expect regular updates the 1st of each month leading up to November, the start of fulfillment. Additional updates outside of that schedule may occur if there's relevant information, especially if it is time-sensitive in nature.

Thank you for your support, and I hope you're all having a great September!

~ Ed Maranville, VP Crowdfunding Fulfillment for Wyrmwood