Soltera: Convergence of Dragons Collectable Playing Cards

Production Update
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 14, 2024 at 09:56:06 AM

Elderwood Deck Boxes Update

Hello Friends!

Here is a brief update on our progress. First, Elderwood has completed the production of the Treasure Chest deck boxes, and they are currently en route to our headquarters. I requested some "glamour shots" to share with you before they shipped, and they look absolutely STUNNING! I cannot wait to see these beauties in person. Additionally, they have added a protective layer of felt to the interior levers that elevate the decks when the lid is opened, providing extra protection for the decks during the opening and closing of the lid.

We still have a few extras of these Treasure Chest deck boxes available so for anyone interested in grabbing one, you can adjust your order in Backerkit. If you need assistance with this, reach out to us directly.

As a reminder, these Treasure Chests will hold (4) decks, (4) dice, and 50+ Soltera coins.

The Elderwood Deck books are almost done as well. We are still waiting on a handful of Backers to complete their surveys so that we can determine the final counts of each design. So if you haven't done so yet, please complete your surveys ASAP so we can get those final counts. 

Dice Production Update

Leah of Green Leaf Geek is still working hard on the dice production and informed us this week that she is about halfway done with handmaking the 300+ dice that were ordered. This is a laborious process, but she's still on track to having all of the dice done in time for fulfillment.

Decks & Coins Update

We have successfully finalized all the card files for printing and are now in the process of finalizing and preparing the tuck box designs for print as well. I anticipate that everything will be ready to send to the printers for proofing within the next week or so. Once those files have been submitted, we will initiate the coin manufacturing order. We already have test prints of the coins and are pleased with their design and quality, so that part of the process will take no time at all to complete. 

Backers Please Fill Out Your Surveys

There are still over 100 Backers that haven't completed their Backerkit Surveys. If you've already completed yours, thank you! If you still need to complete yours, please do so ASAP so we can get the final production numbers needed for the Elderwood Deck boxes, Dice, and coins. If you need help with this, just reach out to us directly and we can send you a direct link to your survey. Thank you!

That's all the updates we have for now. As always we will share new information as it comes along. In the meantime, please enjoy your weekend. And for our US Friends and Family, have a wonderful Father's Day weekend! We will be taking some time off this weekend to celebrate the holiday, so we may be slow to respond until we return back on Monday.

Cheers!

-Michael & Kim

Project Update
almost 2 years ago – Fri, May 31, 2024 at 08:35:11 AM

Hey friends!

Quick update for you all. I meant to post this a few weeks ago, but Kim and I both got COVID, and Kim even had a relapse (back to back, yeesh!). Needless to say we've been out of commission for a bit, but things are still moving forward! Let's get started!

Decks: In Pre-production 

We were about to send the card files for proofing when we discovered our printer has specific requirements for the metallic inking process on all the card pips. So, we've been working through all 220+ cards. Three decks are done, and we're partway through the last one (Deck #1: Gold Dragons vs. Red Dragons). We should have this wrapped up in the coming weeks.

Given the advanced printing techniques (metallic inking, gilded edges, foiling, etc.), we'll request physical proofs of each deck to ensure quality and coloring meet our standards. This will add a few weeks to the process and about $3500 to our costs, but we want everything to be perfect before full production.

All that is to say that we are still on track to deliver these decks months ahead of schedule!

Coins: Ready For Printing

We're all set with the coins, both the Soltera Silver Coins and the Limited Edition Gold Coins. Once we're closer to starting deck production, we'll give the green light for minting the coins. This way, we can avoid storage fees since minting doesn't take as long. That and we are still awaiting the final numbers from the Backerkit surveys so we know how many to print for the Silver coins. 

Dice: In Production

We’ve made the deposit and given Leah from Green Leaf Geek the initial quantities based on the Backerkit surveys. Dice production has started! We’re still waiting on 130+ Backers to complete their surveys. Once that’s done, we’ll give Leah the final numbers and update you all.

Soltera Card Playmats - Completed!

Production on the card playmats is complete, and they look stunning! The quality is top-notch. For those who ordered one, you'll be very pleased. We still have some available, so if you haven't grabbed one yet, now's your chance. Once they sell out, we won't produce more.

Elderwood Academy Deck Boxes - Pre-production

We've provided Elderwood with preliminary quantities from the completed Backerkit surveys and made payment. They've ordered all the materials and are ready to go. Initially, I thought production had started, but Quentin (the owner) informed me they decided to wait for more precise numbers. It's more efficient for them to complete all the boxes at once rather than to start and stop production, which makes sense. In any case, the deck boxes should be completed around the same time as the decks.

Oh! In case you missed it from a previous update, we have the final design for the Treasure Chest deck box and it's going to look epic! Once Elderwood starts production will send over some pictures of what they look like.

Libris Arcana Dice Subscription

We have the 1-month dice subscription codes from our pals over at Libris Arcana and will be sending those out sometime next month once we have more of the Backerkit surveys completed. As a reminder, this was a free reward for any Backer who pledged $89 or more.

International Shipping Costs

We completely sympathize with you on the increase of International shipping costs. It's just insanely expensive to ship internationally these days. We did our best to estimate costs, but international shipping has become quite expensive due to factors beyond our control. The Red Sea and Panama Canal crisis, ongoing geopolitical tensions (Russia/Ukraine conflict, Gaza conflict, etc.), container shortages, and port congestion are all affecting trade routes. Additionally, rising fuel prices, labor shortages, and environmental regulations have increased shipping costs considerably over the last 6 months. 

As a small company, we can't absorb the bulk of these increased shipping costs, so we had to raise international shipping fees, unfortunately. If costs decrease or we find a cheaper method (though unlikely) before fulfillment starts, we'll pass the savings on to you as a credit/refund. If you're struggling to cover these additional fees, contact us directly, and we'll do our best to help find a solution.

Backerkit Surveys - 130+ Backers Still Need To Complete Their Surveys

About 86% of you have completed your Backerkit surveys—thank you! If you haven't yet, please do so ASAP. We need final numbers for dice, coins, and deck boxes to start or complete production. Check your spam folders or visit www.backerkit.com directly to complete the survey. If you need help, contact us, and we'll send you a direct link. Thank you!

Thank you for your continued support!

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

Michael & Kim

Backerkit Surveys Launched!
almost 2 years ago – Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 10:37:24 AM

Backerkit Surveys Launched!

Hello Friends!

I'm happy to report that we passed the Smoke Test and have launched the remaining Backerkit Surveys to the rest of the backers. Yay! The survey email invites go out in batches to help keep them from landing in your spam folders, so if you don't see your email invite wait a hour or so and try again.

 ** Please check your spam folders just in case your invitation landed there. **

Have an issue with your order?

If you have any questions or see an issue with your order, please send us a direct message here through Kickstarter or via our email address mysticdragongm AT gmail DOT com. We'll be able to help you more quickly through these methods as we don't always get notifications when you leave comments/questions in the updates or comment sections. 

Limited Quantity Items

Many of you have inquired about adding additional items to your original pledge. Once you sign in to your Backerkit Survey and answer the Survey questions you will be taken to the Add-on page where you can add whatever items you would like there. 

Keep in mind that some items have limited quantities available so make sure you don't wait too long before filling out your survey. 

Here's the list of items that have Limited Quantities:

• Limited Edition Gold decks - Limited to a max of 1000 for each deck design.
• VIP Gold Collector's Coin - Limited to a max of 500.
• VIP Wild Card - Limited to a max of 500.
• Handmade Dice - Limited to a max of 250 total.
• Soltera Card Playmat - Limited to 100. 

Handmade Dice

If you aren't able to get your hands on these dice before they sell out, we hope to be able to add them to our website later (after fulfillment has been completed). It all depends on Leah's bandwidth and availability. We'll keep you posted as we move along.

Soltera Card Playmat

In the event that our inventory of Playmats is depleted and there is significant demand from our customers for additional units, we are willing to place another order, provided that there is sufficient interest to offset the expenses.
 

Treasure Chest Deck Box Updated Design

We are excited to announce the final version of the Elderwood Academy Treasure Chest design. The layout below details the laser engravings that will be on the top of the box (top rectangle area) and the front of the box. This is going to look epic! 

Elderwood has or will begin making these very soon. If you missed snagging one during the campaign, don't worry! You'll be able to add one to your order in your Backerkit Survey. 

We will continue to give you updates as they become available. 

Have a great week!

Cheers,

Michael & Kim

Backerkit Smoke Test Launched - Check Your Emails
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 12:02:15 PM

Backerkit Smoke Test Launched!

Hello Friends!

Just a quick update to let you know that the Backerkit Smoke Test was launched today. That means 5% of you should have received an automated email invitation from Backerkit on our behalf to fill out your survey. Please make sure to also check your spam folders just in case it landed there. 

Once at least 60% of the smoke testers have responded with no issues, then we will launch the remaining Backerkit Surveys to the rest of the backers.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDERS

Thank you!

Cheers,

Michael & Kim

BIG Update - Please Read
almost 2 years ago – Sun, Apr 21, 2024 at 07:33:53 PM

Backerkit Survey Update

Hello friends!

First let me apologize, as we were set to turn over the Surveys to Backerkit to review when we found out that it takes 10 days for the pre-order Indiegogo InDemand to clear before it can be combined with the Kickstarter surveys, so that set us back a couple of weeks. Normally this wouldn't have delayed us, but there were a number of backers that pledged both in the Kickstarter campaign and also in the Indiegogo OnDemand preorder page, which meant we had to wait for them to clear before proceeding.

With that completed here is the timeline for the Kickstarter Backerkit surveys to be sent out:

• Tuesday (4/23/24): We will turn over the Surveys for Backerkit review. This can take 2-3 days.
• Thur/Fri: Assuming all goes well, we will then launch the "Smoke Test." This is where surveys are sent out randomly to 5% of the backers to make sure everything is working properly.
• Monday (4/29/24): Assuming the Smoke Test goes well we will launch the rest of the Surveys to the remainder of the Backers.

While we were waiting for the Indiegogo InDemand preorders to clear, we spent that time finetuning and testing the Surveys thoroughly, so we are hopeful there will not be any issues.

Backers That Pledged In Kickstarter And On Indiegogo 

For those of you that made pledges both in Kickstarter and on Indiegogo, you will only be receiving one Survey. We combined your pledges all into one pledge in the Backerkit for your convenience. If you log back into your Indiegogo account you will see that your pledge there was canceled and then moved over to your Kickstarter pledge manager, which you'll see once you have access to your Backerkit survey. 

Card Printing Update

We are just about done going through all 200+ card print files so that they are ready for printing. Once that is complete we will send them over to the printer for review and start the manufacturing process. I expect this to take a few more weeks, but we will continue to keep you posted as we move along. Exciting!

Dice Update

We received the first 40 custom d6's from Leah this week and they look amazing! Can't wait for you guys to see them in person. Leah did a fantastic job with them. We've asked Leah to hold off on making more until we get the exact numbers from the Backerkit Surveys.

Soltera Card Playmat Update

The playmats arrived safely from the manufacturer and they look fantastic. We only have a limited quantity available left, so if you didn't snag one the first time around I highly recommend you snagging one when you get your Backerkit Survey because I have a feeling these will go fast!

Elderwood Academy Deck Box Update

Elderwood is ready to rock and roll, as all of the wood and leather supplies have been ordered. Once we are able to provide exact style numbers for the Book Deck Boxes, which we will have once we have the Backerkit Survey results back. In the meantime we've been working on finalizing the Treasure Chest layout design and once we have the final version ready we will share it with you guys. 

Other News

Although we've experience some unforeseen delays, we are still on track to fulfill this Kickstarter project many months ahead of schedule. Yay!

On a side note, today Kim and I are celebrating our 7th Wedding Anniversary. We enjoyed some Japanese country food (yes, apparently its a thing) and went on a haunted house tour of downtown Denver to celebrate, but I wanted to take some time to give you guys all an update before the weekend was over (with Kim's blessing). Did you know that there were several horror/scary movies inspired by the hauntings in downtown Denver? Poltergeist, Poltergeist 2, and The Changeling were all movies inspired by several haunted houses and locations in Denver. Spooky! 

Have a great week! 

Cheers,
Michael & Kim