Arenaverse: Homeworlds Project Update #25 & 26 - Printers and next steps...

Robert's words: I'm filling in for Jason just to provide an update.  So the next step given the name and licensing change is to get more visibility to the game.  This means more videos on youtube.  More reviews on the differences between ophidian and Areanaverse, more play thoughts, more how to play videos, etc., etc.  In order not to confuse the crap out of folks we need new prototypes made that don't have the "ophidian branding" on them.  We have contacted gameland (The producer for our light and shadows relaunch and they will be making up 4 complete kits (at least two of which will go into the hands of youtube reviewers, while the other two will be used by us) to create videos showcasing the game in hopes of getting more visibility and hopefully more folks to pledge on backerkit when we release it in a few months.  So at this time, we are just waiting on the end of Chinese New Year so that Gameland can get to producing our prototypes.  So realistically, it will still be a few months until we get prototypes and get them into the hands of reviewers (both paid and unpaid), and get new vids out.  I know no one wants to hear about delays, but if we don't get more visibility then it will be impossible to get the game into distribution, and it will end up being just a special print of a game only a few people will have, which will make finding players difficult if not impossible.  So we are asking for everyone's patience while we work on making the best game possible. Where are we? It's been quite a year for everyone, and it has presented a lot of challenges.  We've had to find a new fulfillment partner, a new printer, and more.  2021 is looking a lot better, but we still have some things to accomplish before printing the game. Backer Counts Let's face it... our backer count is low.  In order to make this the best game possible for everyone, we need to get some more backers!  We're going to be promoting the pledge manager (BackerKit) page, but we also need to get some fresh/new content out there, and that means we need some reviews by channels with high subscriber/viewer counts.  (If you have any suggestions/connections, please let us know!) To help, we're printing some additional prototype sets to send to review channels.  The trouble is, our printing partner can't start printing the prototypes until late March at the earliest.  We're tried to find alternative arrangements, but we ran into other challenges, as noted below. State of the World So... things have changed in the last year, and we're not just talking about the pandemic itself... but the effect it has had on costs and availability. We've received emails from two different factories, both telling the same story... raw material prices have been on the rise for the last several months, and continue to increase.  The USD exchange rate is also dropping... and the combination of these two events are making game production more difficult. This is for just about every material... PVC for plastic parts (21.4% higher), grey board for game boxes and punchboard (29% higher)...  Factories are trying to make things work, and are cutting their margins, but even with that this is what we're seeing across the industry: Boxes, game boards, punchboards cost increases by at least 8%. Cards material cost increases by at least 8%. ABS plastic pieces cost increases by at least 10%. PVC plastic pieces cost increase by at least 6%. Plastic Blisters, wooden pieces, metal pieces, rulebook costs... all up by at least 5%. As you might know, the margins on game production can be very thin, often relying on volume to make a project work.  (selling more copies at a lower profit is better than overcharging for fewer copies)  Paired with high order minimums, and we've had to take a long look at our production process and unfortunately it does mean more delays. Long(er) Road It's been a long journey, we've learned a lot, and we've appreciated your patience and understanding.  It's not like us to have delays like this, and we are focused on getting you the best product possible. THANK YOU. Preview One Last Thing... If you're feeling up to it, and you're a fan of the game/engine, please post some comments below about the game that we can use to entice reviewers and buyers :)  Feel free to tell us about things you like, and even things you don't like... because it's never too late to slightly adjust course if enough people want us to! Thanks again to you all.