Shipping Update | Dice Tower Seal of Excellence | New Ryan Courtney Project Reveal Incoming
12 months ago – Wed, May 03, 2023 at 09:11:50 AM

Summary

• Trailblazers Shipping Update
• Trailblazers Receives the Dice Tower Seal of Excellence 🥳
• Next Ryan Courtney Project Reveal Incoming!

Trailblazers Shipping Update

Hello fellow blazers of trails!

Here is a shipping update for all regions:

USA - We are expecting the container to reach the warehouse this week. Backers will probably see shipping notifications as early as today, however, it might not be until next week that games start leaving the warehouse.

Canada - Once Allplay gets our container in Lenexa, they will make a shipment to Amazon Canada. From there Canadian Fulfillment will begin.

Australia / New Zealand - The games have arrived at Aetherworks. We are waiting for them to be checked in and then fulfillment can begin. Sometimes there is an extended waiting period during this step.

Europe - The container is set to reach Logistico, our Germany Warehouse, on the 16th. Typically the games will begin to ship 2-3 weeks after that.

Asia & South Africa - VFI, our Asia fulfillment partner, should be picking up the games and they will be in the warehouse there sometime next week. VFI prefers to leave the games at the factory until they are ready to begin fulfillment, which is why they are just now picking up Trailblazers. That said, it can take multiple weeks for games to start reaching backers once VFI begins fulfillment.

Trailblazers receives the Dice Tower Seal of Excellence!

We are pleased to report that the game headed to your doorstep was not only Recommended by Shut Up and Sit Down as “one of the best new small-box board games,” but it also received the Dice Tower Seal of Excellence! We are thrilled to see Trailblazers receive such acclaim! A huge congrats to artist Seth Lucas and designer Ryan Courtney for their hard work and success. 

Next Ryan Courtney Project Reveal Incoming!

Speaking of Ryan Courtney making killer games, we are very close to revealing our next exciting project from the inventor of Trailblazers! While this is a very different style of game (with not a single puzzly pipe or trail to be found!), I’m already of the opinion that it is one of the best in its genre (assuming we don’t bungle the production!).

If you haven't already subscribed to the Bitewing Games newsletter, then you can sign up here to receive the big news when we email out the grand reveal.

Thanks again for helping us to make these great games possible! We’re stoked for you to receive Trailblazers soon.

Fulfillment Update | Trailblazers gets the SUSD Recommends Badge!
about 1 year ago – Sat, Apr 22, 2023 at 11:04:44 AM

Summary

• Trailblazers Fulfillment Update
• Trailblazers is labeled “One of the best of the Best New Small Box Board Games” by Shut Up and Sit Down!

Fulfillment Update

Things are moving along! Here are the port arrival dates for Trailblazers:

Australia - April 24, 2023

United States - May 9, 2023

Germany - May 30, 2023

Regarding delivery of your rewards, that means the following:

Australia/New Zealand - Fulfillment will begin in May and continue through June. Most backers should receive their games by July.

US - Fulfillment should be finished by early June. Backers should receive their games by mid-June.

Canada - Fulfillment will begin in June. Backers should receive their games by July.

Europe - Fulfillment will begin in late June. Most backers should receive their games in July.

Asia - Fulfillment will soon be processed through VFI Asia. More news to come once we have a concrete schedule from them.

Trailblazers is labeled “One of the best of the Best New Small Box Board Games” by Shut Up and Sit Down!

We air freighted a few early copies directly from the factory to some reviewers, including Shut Up and Sit Down, and they’ve recently featured it on their Ten of the Best New Small-Box Board Games video! We’re thrilled that Trailblazers has received the legendary Shut Up and Sit Down Recommends Badge! 🥳

Trailblazers has left the factory! | Expected Delivery: May & June | Photos!
about 1 year ago – Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 10:11:15 AM

Summary

• Trailblazers has left the factory!
• Expected Delivery: May & June
• Photos!

Trailblazers has left the factory!

Hello fellow blazers of trails!

With the final assembly finished up last week, our factory confirmed to me this morning that the games have since been picked up. That means that they have now set sail across the ocean to our various fulfillment hubs. Assuming there are no significant freight delays, it’ll take 1-2 months for the games to reach these hubs.

Expected Delivery: May & June

For all backers, we estimate your games will arrive in roughly May or June (of course your delivery is subject to local shipping speeds). We’ll have a better idea of timing once the cargo reaches our fulfillment hubs. 

In the meantime, feast your eyes on the final boxes for Trailblazers!

That’s all for this month. If you need to change your address, please be sure to email me at [email protected] ASAP and we’ll try to make the change before your package gets sent out.

We’ll be sure to keep you all up-to-date on any fulfillment progress, but at the very least I’ll be back in a month with another update!

Shipping Addresses will be Locked In Soon | Manufacturing Update | Expansion #3 Teaser
about 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 22, 2023 at 12:17:57 PM

Summary

• Shipping Addresses will be Locked in less than 48 hours
• Manufacturing Scheduled to Finish in Mid March
• Stay Tuned for Even More Trailblazers

Shipping Addresses will be Locked in less than 48 hours

Hello again fellow trailblazers! With manufacturing finishing up soon, we need to lock in addresses so our fulfillment partner can begin preparing shipping labels. So if you have moved recently (since completing the pledge manager) or expect to move between now and May, please be sure to update your shipping address in the pledge manager so your game gets sent to the right address.

Today, you should have received an email from Backerkit (probably titled “Last call to update your shipping address…”) which will allow you to change your address. Please note that if you need to change your address to a different country (or state, for those in the US), you might need our help to manually make the change for you. If Backerkit will not let you change your state or country, please email me at [email protected] and I will help you out.

Manufacturing Scheduled to Finish in Mid March

Here is the latest update on Trailblazers manufacturing from our factory (received last week):

“Due to this game involves so many wooden and plastic parts, it takes so much time.

“Now clamshell case fabric has arrived at the supplier's factory. We are making them now.

“Wooden pieces are also being made.

“PVC cards are being printed and are expected to arrive at our factory on 2/17. Then the printing workshop will print the paper according to the color of the PVC cards.

“The production department assesses that the ready date of Trailblazers is 3/15.”

Trailblazers is a fairly unique production in that it requires the coordination of multiple factories to provide all the needed components. Board game manufacturers such as ours are not equipped to produce clamshell cases and PVC cards in-house, so they work with third party factories to accomplish this. I know our factory has working very hard in supervising these third-parties to ensure that all components meet our standards of quality. But the good news is that the games should be ready to pickup from the factory in mid March which still keeps us on track for a Q2 delivery for most regions (assuming there are no ocean freight or shipping delays).

Stay Tuned for Even More Trailblazers

If you follow our Twitter account, then you might have seen that we teased out a card for the next Trailblazers expansion. If you didn’t see it, then take a look below!

Who is this mysterious Fuzz? What’s he doing blazing trails around here? These questions and more will be answered soon enough when our next Kickstarter campaign launches this summer (after you receive your copy of Trailblazers). Stay tuned for more info, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things Trailblazers and beyond.

Manufacturing Continues | 2 Improvements | Our Next Project Launches!
about 1 year ago – Wed, Jan 25, 2023 at 08:58:26 AM

Summary

• Manufacturing Continues, With Some Delays
• Two More Improvements
• Our Next Project, Zoo Vadis and Gussy Gorillas, is Now Live!

Manufacturing Continues, With Some Delays

Hello again fellow trailblazers! For this month’s update, there isn’t too much new to share (as we are still in the manufacturing phase). But I asked for a progress update from our factory before they entered the current Chinese New Year and here is what they shared:

“Regarding the ready date, actually, there was indeed a wave of epidemic peak in China in December, and the government no longer took any isolation measures, so most people were infected, probably 80%. The current stage is that almost all workers have recovered, some have returned to work, but some have directly returned hometown for CNY, as you know, the Spring Festival is coming soon. Therefore, the production capacity must have declined, not only our factory, but also other suppliers. What is more, production capacity will not recover immediately within one month after the Spring Festival, so it is conservatively estimated that Trailblazers will be ready in March.”

So in other words, progress is slower than we had hoped due to factors outside of our control, but it looks like manufacturing should wrap up by March. After that, it generally takes a few months to get the games transported across the world and into your hands.

Two More Improvements

Now for some good news! Some of you, like us, noticed that the resized moose token resulted in a more faint screen print. Granted, it did look better in person than it looked in the last update’s photos, but we’re not opposed to sprucing things up where possible ;)

I’m pleased to share that we were able to address this concern and give our beloved moose a bold new print:

Some of you have also previously asked if any kind of insert or divider would be included in Trailblazers (Standard or Deluxe Edition). Initially, we weren’t sure if it was even necessary.

For one, the box already contains an animal tray which acts like an organizer for the animal tokens and a divider for surrounding components. For another, the clamshell case (in the Deluxe Edition) functions as another component organizer and divider. Finally, we’ve found that having most components organized into plastic bags is the fastest and simplest method for organization, setup, and teardown. I imagine most of us have encountered inserts that were more trouble than they were worth — where it takes forever to slot specific tokens into specific spaces and then the next time you open the box the components are scattered all over anyway.

Our general philosophy for inserts and organizers is KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid 😆. But to elaborate a bit more, we want an organization system that:

1. Protects and secures the components during transportation and storage
2. Makes setup & teardown quick and simple
3. Isn’t unnecessarily wasteful

So with all that in mind, we found a simple solution that allows for cards and wood to be stored in plastic bags and further secured with a simple divider. Please note that the prototype photos below feature some outdated components (like the clamshell case with the wrong colored logo) and are missing other components (like the rulebooks). But this should give you a good idea:

This simple divider will give the cards their own protected space while helping to keep the animal tray and other components snug in the box. The divider is also flush with the animal tray, giving the rulebooks and solo sheet a platform to rest on top of.

Notably, there’s also still enough wiggle room for us fit the upcoming third Trailblazers expansion in the base box. 👀

Our Next Project, Zoo Vadis and Gussy Gorillas, is Now Live!

While Trailblazers manufacturing and fulfillment draws closer to completion, our hunger to create and share phenomenal games is ever insatiable. Just yesterday, we launched our next Kickstarter project for Zoo Vadis and Gussy Gorillas! You can check it out here. Between Trailblazers and these two titles, it’s going to be heck of a year for Bitewing Games releases. Thanks for your support!