A servant-focused expansion for the award-winning thematic Euro
+ 2nd printings of the sold out Obsession base game & Wessex expansion
Latest Updates from Our Project:
This Update is Way Too Long
over 3 years ago
– Sun, Aug 30, 2020 at 12:21:39 AM
As much as I love you all, I didn't want to come back from Glacier National Park (Montana, US)...
...but when this bighorn stopped my car at dawn to ask where his pledge was, I knew I had to return. Thank you for being patient with my spectacularly ill-timed vacation!
Communication
With 1/3 of the fulfillment done, I am learning some things. Let me kick off this update by asking everyone who has a query* to contact me directly at [email protected]. The Kayenta Games customer service, administrative, custodial, and QA staff (me) has, in the last week, received messages from Kickstarter messaging, Facebook, Email, Text, Messenger, Kickstarter comments, BackerKit, QML, and YouTube; the lazy staff occasionally misses something from these scattered sources, but never from that main email address. Thanks!
*query = missing parts, complaint, rules question, praise for Duchess Lilo, advice, anything at all.
Error Rate
With about 4,000 games shipped (counting the individual games), I have maybe a total of 15 issues, half of those shipping related. Only maybe 7 or 8 where parts aren't correct in the games. That is an extremely low error rate, and I mention this because the comments are usually the place where these errors first show, and it's deceptive. The quality so far is very good. And, if there is an issue, I will fix it ASAP.
One backer did get a whole mess of Useful Men, thereby ensuring his estate will be absolutely immaculate, in perfect repair, and needful of nothing at all.
Which is a better situation than the backer who got 1/2 of a Housekeeper.
Let the bidding begin for this rarity! I will open at £20.
Fulfillment Update
North America, it's your turn! Asia and Australasia are done, and all the European games have shipped; note that there will be some outlier geographies that may have not yet received games (Asia via some VFI in-country partners, European locations that are more removed from the UK fulfillment point), but I am always happy to check on pledges, if you're concerned.
For North American (and other ROTW locations), I have reviewed the QML fulfillment backer database with them, and they are preparing the orders as we speak. I will do a dedicated Update for the remaining backers once those games begin to flow (expected next week).
Strong, Bossy Advice for First Time Players
I've offered this advice before, but I want to stress that if you've not played Obsession before and you have all the expansions/promos, please please please play the base game a time or two before adding in the other elements. There is a video specifically to get you going with just the 2nd edition base game:
The addition of the Upstairs, Downstairs (UD) servants after knowing the base game will be so much easier. I would ask anyone who has followed this sequence (1st edition owners who've played UD servants, 2nd edition owners who played the base game first, etc.) to join the discussion in the comments in support of my nagging.
Videos
I have a number of support videos to finish; hopefully I can get to one tomorrow and a couple in the upcoming week. In bold font are the support videos I've yet to complete (this list with links is located in the description of the 2nd Edition + Expansions video [https://youtu.be/rabh-V9sCjw]—the ones with a YouTube URL are finished, of course):
Please feel free to vote for a particular video or two to be next in line (in the comments).
Retail
The requests for retail are voluminous. A good sign, but my focus is on this fulfillment, which must finish with 2880 thrilled backers. For anyone inquiring, I have US fulfillment set to go in early October. The rest of the world is more complicated, and there will likely be nothing available until early 2021. Any questions, please email me at [email protected].
I have more, but I am going to mercifully stop now.
Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games
CRITICAL UPDATE
over 3 years ago
– Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 02:24:35 AM
I hope that got your attention!
Upstairs, Downstairs Integration Information
Panda Games said this was one of the most complex projects they did all year, and at times it seemed the two of us had 100 balls in the air. Given the complexity of cards and colors and alignments across games, I am ecstatic with the quality and accuracy of the final components. I've identified only three very small errors, and they do not affect gameplay. Given the big things that are just perfect—the storage boxes, the integrated organisers, the way everything fits, the color matching, the UD meeples—and I couldn't expect more.
However, an integration instruction sheet got left out of the Upstairs, Downstairs box, and that has created some confusion as to what to do with certain components. Notice that I cleverly used passive language ('got left out' rather than 'the idiot developer left out'), but I am entirely responsible for this error (not Panda). I tell the story at the end of this video if you're interested, but the purpose of the front end of this video is that YOU MUST WATCH IT WHEN EVALUATING THE CONTENTS of Upstairs, Downstairs, or you will look like the gentleman above. Huge thanks to the Australian 1st wave for sniffing this out ahead of the main fulfillment.
(The cliff notes version of what happened? I had the integration info on the back of the UD rulebook, but the rulebook kept growing. I removed the integration info from the rulebook with the plan to add it as a separate sheet. That never happened. My apologies. I will have a PDF of that up in the next 10 days or so, but I am headed to Glacier National Park tomorrow for 6 days, so I banged this video out as an interim measure.)
Kayenta Games Quality and Spare Parts Policy
With over 11,000 games, there will be some issues. A damaged box, missing component, torn card, wrong count. So it is important to put my policy regard correcting these issues out at this time.
Ha, got you.
My policy needs no flowchart...it can be summed up in one word: Perfection. If ANYTHING is not to your satisfaction, contact me immediately at [email protected], and I will correct it until we reach that standard: perfection. There will never be any cost, any argument, any headache, or any delays in correcting whatever was damaged or missing or unsatisfactory from your games. These are, IMO, collector's items, and deserve to be perfect.
And they will be.
Vacation
Having just beat my chest about taking care of any issue, I do have to say I will be almost off the grid from Saturday through Wednesday of next week, which will be the meat of the European fulfillment (when I get back to my lodge, I will check email and BGG mail daily). So when I say there won't be any delays responding to questions/issues...I of course meant starting 8/27.
Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games
Fulfillment Update
over 3 years ago
– Fri, Aug 14, 2020 at 12:36:06 AM
Container Ships
Last month, I took a vacation to Tybee Island, just south of Savannah. I greatly enjoyed watching the container ships at dawn easing towards the mouth of the Savannah River headed for port. This is my pic from about 3 weeks ago:
RIGHT NOW, that is exactly (at the time of the post) where the Seaspan Raptor is located!
Mind blown.
All container ships have reached their destination.
Asia (VFI)
Fulfillment is complete in this lane. Again please keep in mind that VFI partners with local games stores in many Asian regions to provide customs friendly shipping, which takes a few extra weeks to arrive. They will keep updates on their Hub Status page as the shipments get booked to the local game stores, so feel free to keep tabs there.
Australasia (Aetherworks)
All games have shipped in this lane. Aetherworks states on their Facebook page that Upstairs, Downstairs is complete. The last of the games just recently left their facility, so there is still a final leg of the journey for many in the region. But the wait should be short: there are several reports of games already in hand.
Europe (GamesQuest)
European fulfillment begins today! I have been in contact with QML, and, after consultation with GamesQuest, I decided to invest in a sturdier box than had been planned. The set of games is rather heavy ( > 4.5 kg), and we want these babies arriving pristine. Here's snapshot of their packaging:
You should receive emails from GamesQuest before the package arrives, but this is a fairly large fulfillment and sometimes the game beats the email...
North America and ROTW (QML)
You got a preview above that 26.2 tons of games are now in American waters! QML is a well-oiled machine, but that many games takes some prep, so a little more patience will be necessary. Right now, shipments are scheduled to begin in the 1st week of September.
Addresses
All address changes are closed, even late changes, except for the next 36 hours for QML (US, Canadian, and some ROTW backers). Last call!
New Video
I have a new concept video here showing setup for all games:
The support videos referenced in the main video (and the description) are not yet done, but this will be MY WHOLE WEEKEND! I hope to have all the support videos done by Sunday, maybe next week at the latest. I will add the support videos as I finish them...be sure to check back!
I want to reiterate that if this is your 1st time playing Obsession, PLEASE play the base game 1st before adding in the expansions. This is so important to absorb the elegant core of the game before new, bossy servants arrive at the back entrance of Alderley Hall. The setup for just the base game is found here:
Thanks!
Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games
Fulfillment Progress and New Video
over 3 years ago
– Sun, Aug 09, 2020 at 05:10:30 AM
Shipping Update
Asia (VFI): Games have started to arrive! I have multiple reports of games being received (please recall that VFI partners with local games stores in many of the Asian regions to provide customs friendly shipping in their native languages. This will spread out the fulfillment timeline a bit. VFI sends consolidated freight shipments to certain geographies, which takes 2-3 weeks, but produces a much better experience for those backers).
Australasia (Aetherworks): I am waiting on the latest from Aetherworks, but they've had the games for two weeks, so prep should be wrapping up. I expect to hear any day of games arriving. If you are in Australia and have received your game(s), please let us know.
Europe (GamesQuest): The CMACGM GEORG FORSTER left England yesterday after dropping off 5.4 tons of games for Europe. I would expect about two weeks of prep time to get ready for fulfillment, and then the UK backers (appropriately) should be the first in Europe to receive their copies of Obsession!
North America and ROTW (QML): The SEASPAN RAPTOR is off the west coast of Mexico about three days out form the Panama Canal. That should put it on the east coast of the United States in just more than a week. I will update the fulfillment timeline when it nears Florida.
Videos
As promised, I have started a series of videos in support of the whole family of Obsession games. The first one below is a setup video for the Obsession 2nd Edition, just the base game. For those of you getting the expansions who have not played Obsession, I strongly recommend that you play the base game first a couple times before adding in the Upstairs, Downstairs servants. STRONGLY. It will give you a much needed perspective on how the two sets of servants function differently. This video is setup just for a three-player base game:
There is a brief discussion of the rule changes between the 1st and 2nd editions; however, I will have a dedicated video on that topic. This video is a little long for a setup video (as will be the one adding the expansions), but most videos I have planned for the next two weeks will cover a specific small topic and be < 10 minutes, perhaps < 5.
Thanks!
Dan Hallagan, Kayenta Games
Fulfillment Details
almost 4 years ago
– Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 01:00:25 PM
QML (and partners) Communication
All four QML fulfillment centers (QML, GamesQuest, Aetherworks & VFI) will send emails (to the pledge/pre-order address on file) containing tracking information when the packages ship. Review the timelines below (and future updates), and, if you are concerned that you haven't received this email, contact me at [email protected]. Please leave a little cushion time, as the exact shipment date for any given backer will vary.
Asia (VFI)
QML is expecting VFI to begin fulfillment next week or the week following. Packages in China & Hong Kong will go out shortly after fulfillment commences, and the packages for backers in the rest of the Asian regions will be prepared for shipment. Please note that VFI partners with local games stores in many of the Asian regions to provide customs friendly shipping in their native languages. This involves VFI sending consolidated freight shipments to the different regional partners, which takes 2-3 weeks, but produces a much better experience for those backers.
Australasia (Aetherworks)
Inbound shipment arrived to Sydney port on Saturday, so Aetherworks expects warehouse delivery by end of the week. QML believes the mid-August estimate for beginning fulfillment is on schedule. QML has reached out to Aetherworks to confirm this timeline.
Europe (GamesQuest)
Inbound shipment ETA to port is 8/1, so QML expects warehouse ETA to be 8/7. Fulfillment is estimated to begin in late August based upon allowing GamesQuest to receive the shipment, process and book the inventory, and then to prepare for the fulfillment. QML will be able to tighten up this time frame once the shipment has arrived at GamesQuest.
North America and ROTW (QML)
Apologies to the largest contingent awaiting the game! We are furthest away. :(
Inbound shipment ETA to Orlando, Florida port is 8/11, so QML is expecting to receive that inventory in their warehouse on 8/18. Fulfillment is estimated to begin in early September. Once the shipment has arrived and inventory is confirmed, QML will tighten up this time frame.
