We here at Common Man Games are trying to push the envelope about SPEED!
Speed in relation to…
How fast can a publisher actually deliver on a Kickstarter promise?
Good Question!
Do you remember the Dominos Pizza commitment to always deliver in under 30 minutes?
Well…
We like the sound of that!!!
We want to see if that is possible!
Want to learn more about this story?
If so, read on…
BASIC INFO
DETAILS
30 MINUTES!
What exactly is our goal?
It’s to start delivering Kickstarter rewards into the hands of backers within less than 30 minutes of the campaign ending.
DOMINOS
The Dominos guarantee of deliver in under 30 minutes was ground-breaking when it happened. Are we making that same commitment to our backers? NO!
That would be crazy, games are different than pizza (slightly), and keep in mind that even Dominos eventually had to back-off of that promise because it was even too hard to pull off with Pizza. Credit where credit is due, they did change the world with this commitment! they inspired an industry to re-think how fast things could be done. In fact, they inspired every industry to look at speed!
We don’t think we will change the world to that extent, but can we have some impact?
We think YES!
In a time where delayed deliveries of Kickstarter Rewards are almost standard practice, maybe some news about the other side of the spectrum could be welcomed.
This is not to mention the problem of NON-deliveries, which is a whole other subject.
CLARITY
No, we are NOT trying to deliver ALL rewards right after the campaign is over, JUST the ones that do NOT involve the 2nd Edition (the base-game). This primarily involves The Kits (which include The Heat, Rioting Gangs, etc.).
Furthermore, of the ones we ARE going to deliver right away, we are not trying to get them ALL delivered in under 30 minutes. We DO want to deliver the 1st one in UNDER 30 minutes, and the rest ASAP.
For ALL the details on this, see the “Schedule” section below.
OPTIONS
We have a whole section below that details what backers can do if they want to take advantage of this opportunity to get rewards early. To learn more, see the “Options” section below.
10 DAYS
We are proud of a recent accomplishment in the area of SPEED, which is…
With regard to our Kickstarter for The Heat (a Police Precinct Expansion), we were able to ship rewards to backers in 10 days flat!
This is the fastest delivery of rewards in Kickstarter history (to our knowledge).
And, now we want to beat our own record…
That campaign for The Heat was the one that got us so focused on this idea of getting rewards out fast. The reason is that Christmas was drawing near and we wanted to give the backers a little touch of Santa. As it turned out, we were able to ship in time such that most backers did get their rewards in time for Christmas.
USA vs EU
Q. – Is this new plan to deliver Kits before the 2nd Edition is ready just for US Backers?
A. – No! We are going to handle the non-USA backers fast also. This applies to Canada, EU, and all over the world! Since you-all are outside the USA, getting your stuff will of course take longer than it will for the US backers, but you will have it WAY before December 2014 (as was originally planned). Exactly when is hard to say at this point, as international fulfillment is a complicated puzzle with many pieces. Suffice it to say, we predict that this will be the fastest Kickstarter reward you have ever received!
BOARD GAME BREAKFAST
To see Tom breaking the news about this whole topic, Click Here!
SCHEDULE
The following is how we hope things play-out…
CAMPAIGN BEGINS: This was a long one, it started way back on Wednesday November 27th 2013 (60 days in length).
CAMPAIGN ENDS: .
FIRST “EARLY” KIT DELIVERY COMPLETE: Sunday January 26, 2:29pm MST
50 MORE “EARLY” KITS SHIPPED: Monday January 27th, 9:15am MST
ALL REMAINING “EARLY” KITS SHIPPED: Tuesday January 28th, 9:15am MST
FACTORY SHIPMENT ARRIVES: Wednesday 29th, 2:00pm MST
This shipment is — ALL of the remaining Rioting Gangs copies. — These come LTC (Ocean), and will arrive at the CMG facility in Denver (they are following the ones sent via air). Arrival of this shipment allows for us to complete fulfillment of everything that is meant to go out now.
REGULAR KITS BEGIN SHIPPING OUT: Wednesday 29th, 3:00pm MST
REGULAR KITS FINISHED SHIPPING OUT: Friday 31st, 5:00pm MST
PACKAGE DEALS SHIPPED: (Rewards involving BOTH 2nd Edition AND The Kit) December 8th 2014
2ND EDITION SHIPPED: December 10th 2014
* Note: We are choosing to make a very safe estimate on the delivery of the 2nd Edition. This is part of our “Under Promise / Over Delivery” stance. For details on this stance, see the bottom section of the Stretch Goals page by clicking here. Truth be told, our hope is to release these games to backers at, or well before, Essen. Stay Tuned!
MORE DETAILS: This page focuses more on the details of the early shipments (Kits), and on explaining what exactly will be a part of that early wave (and how to make sure you get in on it if so desired). For more detail on the rest of the timeline, see the section of the Kickstarter paged entitled “Release Schedule.”
OPTIONS
Backers have two basic options…
DO NOTHING
This is a perfect option for most backers. Especially those who fall into these common profiles…
PATIENT “KIT” BACKER
If you backed the Kickstarter and pledged at a level to get JUST The Kit, AND you are feeling relaxed about when you get your Kit, then you should do absolutely nothing. Nothing except smile because we are now telling you that your Kit will arrive MUCH faster than was originally forecast (the better part of a year early). To be clear, you do NOT need to take any action, and YES your Kit will be coming to you VERY shortly after the Kickstarter ends.
NON-USA “KIT” BACKER
If you do NOT live in the USA, and you DID pledge at a level to ONLY get the Kit, then you’re in luck because your Kit will be arriving WAY before the original estimate AND you do NOT need to take any sort of action to make this happen. In fact, there is no action you could take to speed things up, your Kit will simply arrive early. It’s time to celebrate!
PATIENT “ROOKIE”
We are using the term “Rookie” to denote someone who does not (yet) own the base-game. So, if you are a rookie, and you ordered the Kit along with the 2nd Edition base-game, then likely you are content to wait for your Kit. If that is the case, do NOT take any action. All of your rewards will ship at one time when they’re all ready. You can smile also because you know that you are saving money. Anyone who “takes action” to get their kit early will pay $24 for their Kit, where-as you get yours for $19 (these statements are based on USA resident prices). So, smile away Rookie!
TAKE ACTION
In theory, no one really needs to take any action here, because…
If you are a 1st edition owner, then all you would want is The Kit, and it will be shipped to you FAST (no worries, and NO action required).
On the other hand…
If you do not yet own Police Precinct, then you would likely have no reason to want or need the Kit anyway, since it is full of expansions for a game you don’t yet own.
That said, we have thought of a few people who might have motivation to take some action, and they are…
GOT 1ST & GETTIN’ 2ND TOO
This will really only apply to a thin slice of 1st Edition owners as follows: If you are a 1st Edition owner who loves the direction we are going with the 2nd Edition, to the point where — YES, you are getting a copy of the 2nd edition via this Kickstarter, AND you want the Kit, AND you missed the 1st Kickstarter this fall (for The Heat), then YOU might be a logical choice to want your Kit ASAP. If so Click Here!
AN ANTCY USA “KIT” BACKER
The Kit is really cool, and we can understand why most backers would want to get their hands on it ASAP. So, if you live in the USA, and backed this Kickstarter at the level to get ONLY a Kit, AND…
You are NOT feeling overly patient, and really do want your Kit FAST, then…
You can take immediate action (while supplies last) to reserve your copy.
(doing this will only speed-up your delivery by a week or so)
Here’s how:
Switch pledge levels to the “Early Kit”. This is a new pledge level that we added to the Kickstarter page. By making this switch, you are ensuring that you will get your Kit as fast as is humanly possible. We are listing delivery of this level as February of 2014 (as apposed to December, which was the original estimate). Some backers at this level will get their Kits in January 2014. If you do NOT take this action, you will still get your Kit in February, but just a little later in the month is all.
AN ANTCY “ROOKIE”
This will really only apply to a very thin slice of the backers of this project, as follows…
If you are a Rookie (don’t own the base game yet), and you just can’t wait to get your hands on the Kit, then you can take action to get it sooner by clicking here.
Some people might be asking…
“Why would a rookie want a Kit early?”
Well, we DO see several possible reasons. One such reason is that you may know others in your gaming groups who have Police Precinct, but who did not pick up the Kit yet. OR you might like the idea of going to larger boardgame gatherings (conventions, etc.) and bringing your cool expansions with you (while trying to find someone who has a copy of the basegame).
Whatever the reason, if this is something you want to do, we want to do what we can to help you do it!
Note: In an effort to keep complications low, thus fulfillment costs down, if you take this action you will be getting a Full-Kit which includes the 1st Edition Revised Rulebook (for details on what is included, see the $24 pledge level listed on the Kickstarter page).
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
It’s easy!
And…
Best explained on the “Kit” page. Click here to go there now!
STORY
Want to hear the rest of the story?
Here’s a few last bits of info to complete the tale…
HOW?
How can a game can be delivered so fast anyway?
Well, several things need to come into play…
MADE IN THE USA
Most games sold in the USA (or anywhere in the world) are NOT made here. They are either made in China or Europe, BUT…
We wanted to make The Heat right here in the USA. We printed the Revised Rulebook here too.
Making many of the components of The Kit here in the USA has been costly, but does make it possible to ship rewards fast!
IN-HOUSE FULFILLMENT
In order to make sure things get done right AND done REALLY fast We have had to take the job of fulfillment in-house. We may not do this with every Kickstarter and in-fact we may not do it for phase-two of this Kickstarter either (when the actual 2nd Edition is done and ready to ship out to backers).
We can say with NO question whatsoever that doing this in-house has made it possible to get rewards out faster. Had we not done this, there is NO WAY we would have been able to pull off the feat of getting the rewards for The Heat Kickstarter out to US backers time for Christmas.
CAREFUL PLANNING
Many details had to be attended to in order to make it possible for us to send rewards so fast. It took very careful planning and a lot of hard work, but…
It was VERY rewarding and fun to do!
Will all rewards for all of our Kickstarter campaigns be sent out FAST!?!
It is not possible to deliver rewards with this speed every time, but when we can pull it off, we will.
Stay Tuned!