UC KS Watchdogs (A strategy for tracking delays)

[rousselle]

With February's report, I get to start the list of Kickstarter and other non-store decks and deck-related items I've received for 2018.

January saw the arrival of the NEO decks (originally anticipated November '17) and Golden Age (December '17), so those two projects drop off the list. One project arrived just yesterday (February 2nd), before I could even add it to the list (it was originally expected to arrive in February, funny enough): Thirdway Industries' Lunatica. That said, February sees another 6 decks added to the list, bumping the running total back up to 13. Oh, my!

Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including February, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Venexiana Dark (February '15) -- As noted previously, I've received all of the items for this project except for two uncuts. Lotrek and I agreed to a substitute item, which requires some special attention because it is outside the runs he already has scheduled. These should be included with the next shipment of other Halfmoon/Oath projects (which he had indicated on another thread here at UC should be soon.)
• Icons Imperial Edition (May '15) -- I have a last remaining item from this complicated order (also an uncut). Lotrek and I have agreed to a replacement item for this one, as well, to be shipped with the next batch of decks.
• HANA (September '17) -- Steve posted at the end of January that production has completed, and the decks will soon be on the slow boad to Mintyland, California for fulfillment to begin late February or early March.
• Jetsetter in Restricted Red (November '17) -- At last word, production had completed and the decks were shipping via the slow boat to Massachusetts, with an estimated arrival stateside of January 29th. Anticipated fulfillment to begin soon.
• Iron Horse (November '17) -- In a recent post, Jody said that the decks have arrived at the fulfillment center (GW) and shipping to backers should begin soon.
• TCC Rainbow (January '18) -- As of January 7th, TCC reported the project has been added to the queue at USPCC, and production should begin soon.
• Muertos (January '18) -- As of the most recent update, decks are in production.
• TCC New T (February 18) -- An update posted recently said fulfillment should begin in the middle of the month.
• Fibs (February 18) -- As of the end of January, artwork for the cards had been finalized, and for the tuckbox was soon to be finalized.
• Ambassador's Players Edition (February 18) -- As of the end of December, artwork had been finalized and cards were expected to go into production soon.
• Oculus (February 18) -- Decks are on their way from the port of LA to the GW fulfillment center in Texas, and should be shipping out to backers Real Soon Now.
• Maiden (February 18) -- Physical proofs have been approved, as of a week ago.
• Metropol NOX and LUX 2017 (February 18) -- Decks have arrived in Canada and are on their way to Ontario for fulfillment, which should then commence soon.

So, that's 13 projects, several of which show signs of arriving soon.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-traditional outlets?

[rousselle]

Wow. February was an awesome month for receiving decks and playing-card-related goodies.

With regard to Kickstarter, I received a bunch of projects *exceedingly in advance* of when they were originally anticipated. Rainbow Unicorn Special Edition cards (originally anticipated in April '18) blew their deadline out of the water. The Guard (March '18), Hobo Coins Series II from Chris Ovdyenko / Dead on Paper (March '18), and Pike and Clover (March '18) each beat their original projected arrival by a month.

Projects that were eagerly anticipated to arrive sometime before or during the month of February that made their way to my mailbox included The Iron Horse (November '17) and Jetsetters in Restricted Red (November '17). And, arriving on the last day of the month, Occulus (February '18) landed exactly on time.

Thus, four projects drop off the list before they could even be added to the list, while three others drop off the list since last month's post. As we roll into March, we see another two decks added to the list, bumping the running total back up to 12. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including March, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Venexiana Dark (February '15) -- As noted previously, I've received all of the items for this project except for two uncuts. Lotrek and I agreed to a substitute item, which required some special attention because it was outside the runs he already had scheduled. Not sure where things stand at this point.
• Icons Imperial Edition (May '15) -- I have a last remaining item from this complicated order (also an uncut). Lotrek and I have agreed to a replacement item for this one, as well.
• HANA (September '17) -- As of yesterday, shipping has commenced in batches. Some batches may ultimately be sent out by a fulfillment house, but in the meantime, Steve is shipping out what he can.
• TCC Rainbow (January '18) -- In an update posted yesterday, TCC says that decks are expected to arrive at their facilities in China by the end of next week, with shipping to commence immediately thereafter.
• Muertos (January '18) -- Natalia posted last week that the physical proofs required some changes, which pushed back production. Ergo, decks are not available yet to ship.
• TCC New T (February 18) -- Decks are starting to arrive in several countries, but not yet in the US, where some snafu with the shipper has delayed fulfillment. The US-bound decks are now expected to be sent out next week or so.
• Fibs (February 18) -- As of a few days ago, production issues have caused a delay, and fulfillment is now anticipated to begin in late March or early April.
• Ambassador's Players Edition (February 18) -- According to a recent project update, a mix-up with one of the shipping partners delayed the tucks, which means the fulfillment is now pushed back to mid-March. Shipping to backers will be handled directly from Taiwan.
• Maiden (February 18) -- Production should wrap up soon.
• Metropol NOX and LUX 2017 (February 18) -- Shipping concluded as of this past Friday, so decks should start arriving soon. US backers such as myself should expect to see our decks arrive later this week or early next week.
• Elephant (March 18) -- According to a recent update, production is expected to wrap up sometime in March.
• Nouveau Gemmes (March 18) -- The cards are being produced at EPCC, and we should have news on the status of production shortly.

So, that's 12 projects, many of which show signs of arriving soon.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-traditional outlets?

[rousselle]

Well, March came in like a Lion and went out like Superman's mustache in the Justice League movie.

Four Kickstarter projects that showed up in my mailbox, mostly in the first half of the month, included: HANA (originally anticipated in September '17), TCC Rainbow (January '18), TCC New T (February 18), and Metropol NOX and LUX 2017 (February 18).

Thus, four projects drop off the list, while three Kickstarter decks are added to the list and one UC Deck Sales deck is being added to the list, keeping the running total at 12. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including April, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Venexiana Dark (February '15) -- As noted previously, I've received all of the items for this project except for two uncuts. Lotrek and I agreed to a substitute item, which required some special attention because it was outside the runs he already had scheduled. Not sure where things stand at this point.
• Icons Imperial Edition (May '15) -- I have a last remaining item from this complicated order (also an uncut). Lotrek and I have agreed to a replacement item for this one, as well.
• Muertos (January '18) -- Natalia posted in February that the physical proofs required some changes, which has pushed back production.
• Fibs (February '18) -- An update in early March said production was set to begin on March 14th.
• Ambassador's Players Edition (February '18) -- An update on March 26th said that production has completed and that shipping is likely to commence soon.
• Maiden (February '18) -- An update on March 12th said that production has completed and fulfillment is likely to commence soon.
• Elephant (March '18) -- An update on March 18th said that production is slated to complete in mid-April, and then the cards will take the slow boat to the US. Expect fulfillment to begin mid-May-ish.
• Nouveau Gemmes (March '18) -- Proofs look good, and production is slated to begin soon, with fulfillment to begin soon thereafter.
• Luna Moon & Helios Sun (April '18) -- An update a few days ago says all is humming along, and fulfillment will take place this month.
• Top Aces of WWI (April '18) -- In a recent update, Jody notes that proofs are on their way to him, but they are further behind in the production process than he anticipated. Look for fulfillment around the June time-frame.
• Draconian & Knights (April '18) -- An update last week says that fulfillment should be starting imminently.
• Dondorf Hundertjahrkarte restoration (April '18) -- Fulfillment has apparently begun, with some international backers already receiving their decks. Hopefully the US contingent will see theirs, soon, too.

So, yeah. 12 projects.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-traditional outlets?

[Gonzalo]

I won't repeat those projects rouselle has mentioned that I'm also waiting for (Elephant, Ambassadors, Aces of WWI, Nouveau Gemmes).

Those I'm waiting for:

1. The Brady Tarot (Dec. 17). Really beautiful tarot deck made from scratch by the artist Emi Brady using relief printmaking from linocuts. It's the artist first project, and it seems she was too optimistic on her progress. That, and several health complications, have pushed the delivery date to July 2018. Not too worried, though. All the cards she has shown so far are beyond gorgeous.

2. Jane Austen Playing Cards (Oct. 17). Another first-time creator, another optimistic deadline, another delay. His last update says the cards are going to start shipping by the end of May.

3. The Planets: Mercury (Dec. 17). A problem with the tuck foil of the Limited Edition has prevented the creator from sending those pledges that included at least a Limited Edition Deck, although I believe those that didn't include the LE are already shipped and in the hands of the pledgers. And the SE is being sold in several places.

4. Carnival At The End Of The World Tarot (March 18). "Cascading small issues" (the creators' words) have affected the whole thing. As per their last update, they're hoping for a late-May/early-June delivery.

5. A Dondorf Hundertjahrkarte uncut sheet bought from UC, not Kickstarter. Kickstarter pledges are being fullfilled (or have been, not sure), then the others will be (or are being, not sure) fullfilled.

[rousselle]

April. I acquired a lot of decks this month, but mostly from traditional outlets.

That said, on the last day of the month, one project from Kickstarter did make it to my mailbox: Brimstone and Knights from Randy Butterfield (originally anticipated this very month.) So, that was cool.

Also, there was a slight mix-up behind the scenes such that my Dondorf sets were sent in two separate shipments. One of those arrived, and the other is anticipated Very Soon Now. The one that arrived, however, also contained a very nice gift from Lotrek, such that I will remove the long-awaited make-ups for the Venexiana uncuts from my list.

Thus, two projects drop off the list, while three Kickstarter decks are added to the list, nudging the running total up to 13. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including May, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Icons Imperial Edition (May '15) -- I have a last remaining item from this complicated order. Lotrek and I have agreed to a replacement, and I'm guessing it will likely arrive this month. Woo-hoo!
• Muertos (January '18) -- Natalia posted in April that production delays have pushed back fulfillment to early June. However, she is going to throw in an extra deck per backer by way of a thank you for our patience.
• Fibs (February '18) -- A recent update indicated that production should be wrapping up in a couple of weeks, and fulfillment should begin soon thereafter.
• Ambassador's Players Edition (February '18) -- Lotrek reports that fulfillment has begun from LPCC's Hong Kong shipping house, and some backers are already reporting receiving their packages.
• Maiden (February '18) -- An update posted earlier today says that final assembly is anticipated to occur within the next few days, with shipping to commence shortly thereafter.
• Elephant (March '18) -- As of a few days ago, the cards have just begun the long, slow boat-ride to the fulfillment center. Expect shipping to backers to commence after that, so I'd guess the first half of June.
• Nouveau Gemmes (March '18) -- As of today: fulfillment for international pledges to commence this week, with US and Canada to commence after they've arrived at the fulfillment center (GW). I'm guessing a couple weeks before these start winging their way to our mailboxes.
• Luna Moon & Helios Sun (April '18) -- Production is wrapping up, and at latest word, fulfillment should begin this month.
• Top Aces of WWI (April '18) -- As of mid-April, Jody says he has approved the proofs and expects this project to be in the production queue soon.
• Dondorf Hundertjahrkarte restoration (April '18) -- As I mentioned above, one of my sets has already arrived, and the other was shipped out about a week ago, so this should be dropping off the list toute suite.
• Worst Deck (May '18) -- No updates as of yet.
• Outlaw (May '18) -- USPCC required Lee to make some changes because they didn't notice the first time around that some of the characters on the cards were flipping the bird. The re-design and a longer production-queue than usual means this project will likely begin fulfillment a little later than expected.
• Avalon (May '18) -- As of a month ago, art was turned in and the project was soon to enter production at USPCC. No indication that this project is running late.

So, yeah. 13 projects.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-traditional outlets?

[Gonzalo]

This month I haven't bought many decks, just the Hana decks from Steve Minty for which, for some reason, I didn't pledge during the KS campaign (although I'm sure it was a very good reason, because those decks are beautiful), and the "faulty" Arabesque from Lotrek.

Not adding the decks that are due in May, since technically they're not late yet. Added Apothecary 2, which was due in April.

Again, I won't repeat those decks rouselle has mentioned that I'm also waiting for (Ambassadors Playing Edition, Nouveau Gemmes, Elephant, Top Aces of WWI).

1. The Brady Tarot (Dec. 17). Really beautiful tarot deck made from scratch by the artist Emi Brady using relief printmaking from linocuts. It's the artist first project, and it seems she was too optimistic on her progress. That, and several health complications, have pushed the delivery date to July 2018. Not too worried, though. All the cards she has shown so far are beyond gorgeous.

2. Jane Austen Playing Cards (Oct. 17). Another first-time creator, another optimistic deadline, another delay. Last update (25/4) shows pics of the tuck. Very nice, but the decks are still supposed to ship by the end of May.

3. The Planets: Mercury (Dec. 17). Some pledgers in the USA have started receiving their decks. I'm still waiting for mine.

4. Carnival At The End Of The World Tarot (March 18). "Cascading small issues" (the creators' words) have affected the whole thing. As per their last update, they're hoping for a late-May/early-June delivery.

5. A Dondorf Hundertjahrkarte uncut sheet bought from UC, not Kickstarter. Kickstarter pledges have been fulfilled, hopefully the ones bought from UC are on their way.

6. The Apothecary 2 (April 18). Last update (26/4), besides the news that the decks have won the Gold in the A'Design Awards (way to go, Alex!), establishes the timeline for shipping "sometime later in May".

[rousselle]

The month of May saw a few of my non-traditional playing card projects hit the ol' mailbox. Lotrek's Ambassadors Players Edition (originally anticipated to be fulfilled in February '18) arrived in perfect condition from Hong Kong just as I was requesting the tracking number, which seems to be how these often go. Also originally slated for February, the Maidens from Joker and Thief arrived. Nouveau Gemmes (March '18) also landed, as did my second set of Dondorf Hundertjahrkarte restoration decks (April '18).

Also, Gio's Delirium decks (June '18) arrived before the end of May, meaning that they never even had a chance to get on the list!

BTW, I started compiling this at the very end of May, but am just now getting around to sending it out; I may as well add that the "make up decks" for my Icons Imperial Edition uncuts have arrived, so now THAT drops off my list, as well!

Thus, five projects drop off the list, while two Kickstarter decks are added to the list (and one gets removed before it can even be added), easing the running total down to 10. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including June, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Muertos (January '18) -- Natalia posted in April that production delays have pushed back fulfillment to early June. However, she is going to throw in an extra deck per backer by way of a thanks for our patience. An update in early June says she is still awaiting a determination on the fate of production.
• Fibs (February '18) -- A couple of weeks ago, they posted an update indicating that things are still held up at Cartamundi, but that they are in communication with them and they acknowledge and appreciate backers' patience.
• Elephant (March '18) -- Decks have arrived at the fulfillment center, so expect shipping to commence soonishly.
• Luna Moon & Helios Sun (April '18) -- According to a post from a couple days ago, fulfillment is commencing this week.
• Top Aces of WWI (April '18) -- As of mid-May, production has begun and should be completing by mid-June. Then, decks take the slow boat to the US for fulfillment (about a month), so fulfillment is expected to take place the second half of July.
• Worst Deck (May '18) -- No updates as of yet.
• Outlaw (May '18) -- An update just a few days ago indicates that USPCC is having some color calibration issues with their physical proofs; Lee has corrected the colors yet again and has decided that this will be the last go-round.
• Avalon (May '18) -- In a very recent update, Natalia says that things are going well with this project, but that there is going to be a little bit of a delay.
• De Novo (June '18) -- Decks are on the press now, and production is going smoothly so far on all of the campaign items. Rick hopes for production to be wrapped up by the end of the month.
• Oris (June '18) -- Production completed as of May 29th and decks should be on the slow boat to Texas Very Soon Now, if they aren't already.

So, yeah. 10 projects. I wasn't sure whether to include Arabesque on this list, but since official word is that they are already shipped, I guess we can go a month without having a Lotrek project being posted here.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-traditional outlets?

[Gonzalo]

Wow. The month of May has been a very busy one, decks-related.

Apart from several updates, I received many decks I've been waiting for: Nouveau Gemmes, Bicycle Stained Glass Phoenix (on time), Ragnarok (on time, as always with Nicolai), Jane Austen, and The Planets: Mercury and Venus (Venus, on time), although a replacement is on its way due to flakey issues with Venus. I also took advantage of the Steve Minty's "Secret" Sale and bought three Muertos-color decks and the Z-Deck. Very nice decks and very nice secure package, as can be expected from Mr. Minty.

Won't repeat those that Rouselle has mentioned already (Elephant, Top Aces) and won't name those I expect to arrive by this month of June. So, the list goes like this:

1. The Brady Tarot (Dec. 17). A 24th May update showed all cards already completed. A later update, on 30th May, announced the closing of the Backerkit survey and the confirmation of the July fulfulling.

2. Carnival At The End Of The World Tarot (March 18). An update from 20th May informed that the deck was finished mid-April and started the long journey by boat on 20th April. They're expected in New York by mid-June. The creators are ready to start fulfilling inmedeately after.

3. The Apothecary 2 (April 18). On his last update (6th June), Alex has told us that fulfillment has begun on all the pledges. I'm thinking it'll take at least a couple of weeks (if not longer; probably longer, now that I think of it) to arrive in Spain.

4. A Dondorf Hundertjahrkarte uncut sheet bought from UC. Talked to Mike, tried to talk several times with Lotrek (who I imagine has been and is extremely busy with the fulfillment of previous campaigns and the launch of the Arabesque Player Editions kickstarter), but still haven't received anything. Mike told me there have been some mistakes with some addresses; I hope everything is sorted out soon. Also, I received a second set of the Ambassadors Players Decks I'm more than willing to send back to Lotrek in exchange for the Dondorf uncut.

[rousselle]

June was kind of a quiet month. I received some decks I ordered from retailers, as I often do, and Arabesque arrived (oh, my!), but only one other non-retailer deck arrived this past month: The Elephant decks (originally anticipated this past March.)

As I write this on July 3rd, my USPS tracking app says my Apothecary decks should arrive later today, but other than that, not a lot of movement on my Watchdog list -- and, I had forgotten to add Apothecary as it is, since I'd ordered it post-KS-funding-period.

Thus, one project drops off the list and one arrived before it could be added, while three Kickstarter decks are added to the list, easing the running total back up to 12. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including July, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Muertos (January '18) -- Natalia posted in April that production delays have pushed back fulfillment to early June. However, she is going to throw in an extra deck per backer by way of a thanks for our patience. An update in early June says she is still working out production issues.
• Fibs (February '18) --An update a couple weeks ago said that production at Cartamundi has completed and the decks are now on their way to the US for fulfillment.
• Luna Moon & Helios Sun (April '18) -- The project creator reports that the packages are all shipped; many of us received tracking numbers that don't appear to work, but some backers are starting to report that decks are arriving, so hopefully, it's just a matter of time!
• Top Aces of WWI (April '18) -- Production has completed and the decks are now taking the slow boat to the US for fulfillment (about a month), so fulfillment is expected to take place the second half of July.
• Worst Deck (May '18) -- No updates as of yet.
• Outlaw (May '18) -- An update in early June indicates that USPCC is having some color calibration issues with their physical proofs; Lee has corrected the colors yet again and has decided that this will be the last go-round.
• Avalon (May '18) -- In early June, Natalia said that things are going well with this project, but that there is going to be a little bit of a delay.
• De Novo (June '18) -- As of June 21st, Rick reports that all is proceeding smoothly and he will be reaching out soon regarding fulfillment.
• Oris (June '18) -- In a very recent update, the project creators say that the decks are just now being loaded onto the ship that will carry them to the US for fulfillment. ETA in Dallas is at the end of July.
• House of the Rising Spade (July '18) -- Lorenzo provided a complete update on the status of each piece of the project earlier today; he is currently anticipating that fulfillment will take place in August, given delays at Cartamundi and USPCC.
• Sun Tzu (July '18) -- As of late May, the order had been placed with MPC, and so hopefully production is nearing completion if it hasn't already.
• NEO:WAVE (July '18) -- Fulfillment is anticipated to begin by the middle of this month. Photos included with the most recent update caused Chuck Norris to break down and weep.

12 projects.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-traditional outlets?

[Gonzalo]

Several decks reached my grubby little hands last month of June: Arabesque (can't find enough adjectives for this one. I don't have a Golden Oath deck, but this is probably the nicest Lotrek deck I own), Delirium (Insomnia & Ascension) and The Planets: Earth (Standard + Limited). And the Dondorf uncut. Need to frame that asap.

I won't mention those decks Rouselle is also waiting for (Top Aces, De Novo), nor those that are supposed to arrived in July.

1. The Brady Tarot (Dec. '17). A 06/29 update told us to expect a little delay. It seems the wooden boxes that come with the tarot deck need some extra time to be made. The new arrival date is late July-early August, although I understand that's for US backers. I expect them to arrive in Spain by the last two weeks of August.

2. Carnival At The End Of The World Tarot (March '18). An update on 06/22 said that they had received the decks and were ready to send them. They also added this: "We mailed some sample decks to check on shipping costs and of course us post office has raised their rates and additionally we got a surprise price hike with these new card decks because of the additional bonus cards are heavier than we expected so suddenly the orders for a single deck from outside USA are now costing us $23.50 to ship , not the $13 we were expecting. So if any of you single deck supporters from outside of USA want to help us out of a financial hole created by this difference , we will throw in the two extra cards from the fine art edition , 6 of Wands and High Priestess if you can PayPal is the $10 difference in shipping from what we expected it to cost to the reality of shipping to the rest of the world for a commercial single deck. It’s optional of course but it will make a difference for us getting through these giant shipping bills coming up next week".

3. The Apothecary 2 (April '18). Have received a tracking number that doesn't work. I have contacted Alex about this, and he said wait until next week and if the issue remained, he will contact the fullfilment center.

4. Elephant Playing Cards (March '18). Their last update said the decks were shipped to their warehouse. It seems that at least Rouselle has received them. I guess I'll receive them in the next weeks.

5. Bicycle Kasa Playing Cards (June '18). Their last update said the production at USPCC is finished and the new delivery date is mid-July for US-Canadian backers and late-July for international backers.

EDIT to Add: The following day I posted this (07/06), I received the Elephant Playing Cards. Sooo nice.

[rousselle]

I will note that the Bharata Series 2 has arrived at my doorstep in July. It was originally anticipated to be delivered in September. So, wow. How's that for arriving before it could even be added to the list?

[guru]

I will note that the Bharata Series 2 has arrived at my doorstep in July. It was originally anticipated to be delivered in September. So, wow. How's that for arriving before it could even be added to the list?

Thanks Allan for mentioning it.

I am proud to say that it has always been the case since Divine Art deck and the fastest time to market with the shortest lead time has continued in all the 4 decks GPCC has produced.

In my day job, I work with various teams comprising developers, engineers, designers, UXers, architects etc. coaching them in Agile ways of working and I apply the same Agile & Lean principles here too.

[rousselle]

July was surprisingly quiet at the rousselle mailbox. Three non-retailer decks/projects arrived this past month: Montenzi's NEO:WAVE (right on time, as it was anticipated to ship July '18), Luna Moon & Helios Sun (originally anticipated April '18) and Guru's Bharata Series 2 (which arrived a couple months before it was anticipated!)

Thus, two projects drop off the list and one arrived before it could be added, while four Kickstarter decks are added to the list, pushing the running total up to 14. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including August, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Muertos (January '18) -- An update June 3rd says she is still working out production issues. No word since.
• Fibs (February '18) --An update on July 21st said that they had received the bulk of the decks and that fulfillment would begin soon.
• Top Aces of WWI (April '18) -- As of July 20th, it took the manufacturer longer to ship out the decks than expected, and they weren't scheduled to arrive in Dallas until around the 29th of July. So, expect fulfillment to start the first half of August....
• Worst Deck (May '18) -- In a comment posted on the project on July 11th, the creators said that shipping should be completed within a week. So far, nobody has posted that they have received decks.
• Outlaw (May '18) -- An update in early July said that USPCC was beginning production, and that the decks should be completed by the end of July. From there, they ship to Art of Play for fulfillment. Lee posted a comment a few days ago that said shipping to backers should commence mid- to late-August.
• Avalon (May '18) -- On June 3rd, Natalia said that things are going well with this project, but that there is going to be a little bit of a delay. No word since.
• De Novo (June '18) -- In a recent update, Rick reports that there has been an issue with assembling the printed decks, which is resulting in a delay. More news to follow soon.
• Oris (June '18) -- In an update at the end of June, the project creators say that the decks are (were) expected in Dallas is at the end of July. No word since then but, theoretically, fulfillment should begin soon.
• House of the Rising Spade (July '18) -- Lorenzo provided a complete update on the status of each piece of the project a few days ago; the "Cartomancer" decks are anticipated to have production completed at the end of August. Everything else will be ready by then, so fulfillment should hopefully begin in September.
• Sun Tzu (July '18) -- As of late May, the order had been placed with MPC. No word since then.
• Arabesque (August '18) -- As of mid-July, printing of the cards has been completed.
• Honeybee Elite Edition (August '18) -- In an update posted July 31st, decks were shipping out from USPCC to Penguin headquarters, and fulfillment is expected to commence in the first half of August.
• Sisterhood of Blood, Vol. II (August '18) -- As of July 27th, decks are printed, tucks are being prepared, and final assembly should happen soonish. After that, they'll ship to the US for fulfillment.
• Essentia (August '18) -- In a very recent update, the project creators said that the decks should arrive any day now at GW for fulfillment to commence shortly.

14 projects, some of which appear to be just about to ship, but a few of which appear to be... orphaned (at least, for now). This is unsettling. This list was created in the midst of Eric Mana and others leaving a bunch of backers hanging in silence. We now have at least two project creators who appear to be doing the same thing. This is very disappointing.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-traditional outlets?

[PipChick]

gotta add Cabinet of Curiosities to the list; estimated delivery was announced for June, but it's been radio silence from the creator (Cellar Window) since late February. Although, two months ago (June 6th) Roman from NPCC commented that the cards were in fact in production at that point, we have yet to hear anything since...

[flyers3003]

July was a good month as I received:

• Day of The Dolls Burlesque Edition - Stephen Lewis (Expected Feb 2018)
• Apothecary 2 - Alex Chin (Expected Apr 2018)
• Luna Moon & Helius Sun - Kevin Yu (Expected April 2018)
• Angelarium Trilogy - Albino Dragon (Expected Jun 2018)
• Blackbeard - Bocopo (Expected Jun 2018)
• Constellations - Bocopo (Expected Jun 2018)
• NEO:WAVE - Montenzi (Expected July 2018) <-- On Time
• Bharata Series 2 - Sunish Chabba (Expected Sep 2018) <-- Early
• Exquisite Special Players Edition - Handlordz (Expected Nov 2018) <-- Super Early

That’s nine off the list

For those that I’m expecting this month or are already late:

• Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol.2 - Cellar Window (Oct 2017) -- Last update Apr 2018 asking for more patience as they wait for the cards to arrive. Apparently, per a backer comment, as of Jun 2018, the cards have been printed but EPCC is still awaiting payment.
• Fibs Playing Cards - Las Vegas Cardistry Co. (Feb 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• Top Aces of WWI Playing Cards - Jody Eklund (Apr 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• Sumi Playing Cards - Card Experiment (Apr 2018) -- Update August 1, 2018 - Shipping has begun - although no confirmations of received decks yet.
• OUTLAW Playing Cards - Lee McKenzie (May 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• Oris Playing Cards Limited Edition - Parama Playing Cards (Jun 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• De Novo Deluxe Playing Cards - Rick Davidson (Jun 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• The House of the Rising Spade - Requiem Team (July 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• VOODOO Playing Cards - Spielkartenshop (July 2018) -- Last Update July 2018 - Cartamundi has announced a delivery delay until August 20-24th (one month later than expected) to Spielkartenshop's warehouse.
• King's Game Playing Cards - Bona Fide Playing Cards (Aug 2018) -- Last Update May 26th, however latest comment was July 23rd saying that communication with EPCC is extremely slow.
• Sisterhood of Blood Vol.II - Playing Cards - Kirk Slater (Aug 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• Heroes of Japan Playing Cards [LIMITED] Premium Poker Deck - KardecK (Aug 2018) -- Last Update June 2018, however latest comment was August 2nd stating that shipping should begin mid-August
• DEVASTATION The Silver Edition Playing Cards - Jody Eklund (Aug 2018) -- Last Update July 2018 - decks should've arrived at Gambler's on July 29th and shipping should start in August.
• Honeybee Elite Edition Playing Cards - Penguin Magic (Aug 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• The Planets: Mars Playing Cards - David Goldklang (Aug 2018) -- Last Update July 2018, however latest comment was August 4th saying that GW should start shipping this coming Monday
• ARABESQUE playing cards - Player's edition by Lotrek (Aug 2018) -- See Rouselle's post above
• The Planets: Jupiter Playing Cards - David Goldklang (Aug 2018) -- Only update July 2018 with no estimation. I'm surprised that these were listed as August 2018 as Mars is shipping this month.
• Meow Star Playing Cards - Magic Square X BOCOPO Playing Card Co. (Aug 2018) -- Last two updates (July 2018) were for new decks. No update on shipping

That’s 18 projects I’m waiting on (not including Founders and Meridian - as I’ve counted these as lost). I really need to cut back on KS.

[rousselle]

August felt like a *lot* of decks came my way, although I'm sure that it felt that way even moreso because I ordered so many decks from retail outlets. Even so, a number of non-retailer decks arrived at the ol' rousselle mailbox: Top Aces of WWI (originally expected April '18) flew in, as did Oris (June '18), which I think were both part of a long-delayed slow boat from China shipment to the fine folks at GW. Two other decks arrived on time, as both the Honeybee Elite Edition and Essentia projects were anticipated for August. It's possible a project arrived early, too; I'll have to get back to you on that.

So, the tally thus far is: four projects drop off the list and three Kickstarter decks are added to the list, pushing the running total down to 13. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including September, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Muertos (January '18) -- An update June 3rd says she is still working out production issues. No word since.
• Fibs (February '18) -- I've been sent a tracking number, so these should be on their way shortly!
• Worst Deck (May '18) -- In a comment posted on the project on July 11th, the creators said that shipping should be completed within a week. No word since.
• Outlaw (May '18) -- A few days ago, Lee posted an update with news on all of the different pieces of the project. Looks like fulfillment is likely to commence mid-October.
• Avalon (May '18) -- On June 3rd, Natalia said that things are going well with this project, but that there is going to be a little bit of a delay. No word since.
• De Novo (June '18) -- A few days ago, Rick posted an update saying that production is back underway and everything is moving forward once more.
• House of the Rising Spade (July '18) -- A couple days ago, Lorenzo posted an update indicating that shipping is about to commence, and backers in the US should receive their decks by the end of this month.
• Sun Tzu (July '18) -- As of late May, the order had been placed with MPC. No word since then.
• Arabesque (August '18) -- As of early August, Lotrek ran into issues having the printed cards cut down (the company that was going to perform the cutting backed out.) So, Lotrek is in search of a solution.
• Sisterhood of Blood, Vol. II (August '18) -- A couple days ago, Kirk posted that production is complete... except, EPCC put the deck seals on upside down. He's in contact with EPCC to determine how best to resolve this issue.
• BlackTales (September '18) -- Ed posted a couple days ago that production is underway. There have been some delays, however, and it presently looks like fulfillment may happen in the second half of October.
• Stripy (September '18) -- A couple weeks ago, Baptiste updated the project to note that Cartamundi is backed up, but that production is now underway and that the decks should be completed later this month and fulfillment by AoP should begin sometime in October.
• Ecliptic (September '18) -- Chris posted a few weeks ago that production is underway.

13 projects, several of which look to arrive this month or next, while several others continue to appear orphaned (at least, for now). This is unsettling. This list was created in the midst of Eric Mana and others leaving a bunch of backers hanging in silence. We now have at least two project creators (possibly three) who appear to be doing the same thing. This is very disappointing.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-traditional outlets?

[PipChick]

Unfortunately, still nothing from the creator (Cellar Window) on the 'Cabinets of Curiosities' project nor any other recent updates/comments from Roman of NPCC who reassured everyone on June 6th that supposedly the decks were still on track with printing...

Also, not that I backed any of these projects, but I've been keeping track and the creators of these ones seem to have evidently gone MIA:

- Sideshow Wonders Deck (May 2018): no communication or updates since funding and creator's last log-in was 13/07/2018

- Galactic Destiny Deck (July 2018): no communication or updates since funding and creator's last log-in was 20/08/2018

- Bloom Botanical Deck (September 2018): no communication or updates since funding and creator's last log-in was 25/06/2018

Oh, but good news Allan, it looks like the creators of the Worst Deck did finally respond to you; according to their comment, they sent out half of the decks and are planning to send the rest this week... nice of them to finally come around to updating lol

[guru]

Also, not that I backed any of these projects, but I've been keeping track and the creators of these ones seem to have evidently gone MIA:

- Sideshow Wonders Deck (May 2018): no communication or updates since funding and creator's last log-in was 13/07/2018

- Galactic Destiny Deck (July 2018): no communication or updates since funding and creator's last log-in was 20/08/2018

- Bloom Botanical Deck (September 2018): no communication or updates since funding and creator's last log-in was 25/06/2018

That's spy stuff PipChick. Great to see you going extra mile & getting these details.

[Lughnasadhuk]

I received my •DEVASTATION The Silver Edition Playing Cards - Jody Eklund (Aug 2018)

[PipChick]

That's spy stuff PipChick. Great to see you going extra mile & getting these details.

well, ya'know how sketchy these KS creators can be... lol

just gotta be vigilant and keep an eye on those projects/creators that have raised red flags and/or look especially suspicious:



2 of those I'm not surprised by, but I'm am by the Bloom Botanical deck project and disappointed that the creator has seemed to have gone missing; granted, the project isn't due for delivery until this month, so there's still the possibility that the project will be completed and on time buuuuttt it never looks good when a creator, for whatever reason, just stops updating/communicating....

[Gonzalo]

August wasn't a bad month at all. I finally received tha Carnival At The End Of The World Tarot deck, and it's beautiful, although I think the impression could've been better. Also received Vanda's The Planets: Mars, which was as nice as all the previous ones (whhch reminds me that, as soon as I receive Nepptune, I'll have a complete LE for sale). But, for me, the absolute star in August were the two NEO: Wave decks by Montenzi. Holy crap, that double foil is gorgeous!

1. The Brady Tarot (Dec. '17). A 09/07 update told us the decks are somewhere in the Pacific, on their way to the U.S. Won't be shipped until October at best, it seems. If that's the case, I don't think the deck will arrive in Spain before the end of November.

2. Top Aces of WWI (April '18). I think these are shipped, as the 08/28 update said. I even received an e-mail from GW which I believe was about this deck, but I have no way of knowing for sure. And the shipment number is not traceable when the parcel goes overseas. GW usually does a great job, and they have helped me on other occasions, but their parcels take forever and a day to get here.

3. DeNovo DeLuxe (June '18). An update from 08/28 says "production back underway". No concrete dates. Looking forward to this.

4. The House Of The Rising Spade (July '18). An update from 09/07 announces "shipping soon". Another one I'm looking forward to.

5. Eneida Playing Cards (Aug. '18). An update from 08/12 said the coins were produced. Decks were still on queue for production and they announced more news "soon". Still waiting for a new update, but I'm not holding my breath; they don't seem too keen on updating regularly.

6. Voodoo Playing Cards (July '18). This deck was supposedly shipped some time ago. Now I don't know whether they're shipping from GW or from Germany. In any case, I haven't received anything.

7. Arabesque Player's Edition (Aug. '18). Shit happens. Dang.

8. The Planets: Jupiter (Aug '18). I expect this soon. Dave has been doing an incredible job with this year-long campaign (at least, that's how I see The Planets series).

[hsbc]

I got my Voodoo deck at the start of this week, I'm in the US

Edit: I also received my Jupiter deck today - sorry if I'm meant to just post twice!

[rousselle]

I'll post this here, now, in case I forget to mention it with next month's update: I just received Jackson Robinson's Olive Tally-Ho project yesterday. It was originally anticipated to be fulfilled in December of 2018. So... way, way ahead of the anticipated date.

[hsbc]

Ecliptic deck is still in production, shipping pushed back to late October or November

[hsbc]

Wow, I got my The Planets: SATURN in the mail today! (Standard edition only)

[Bradius]

My Saturn decks also arrived today. I didn’t know they shipped.

[hsbc]

I've gotten a few updates on KS Mint 2 will be delayed past November; Ephemerid is scheduled to ship mid-October; Casino Royale Elite Edition is delayed; Bloom isn't MIA anymore, production should start soon.

[rousselle]

Lots of playing cards arrived at the ol' rousselle mailbox, including some from non-retailers!: There was Fibs (originally expected February '18) and the Worst Deck (May '18), which arrived after a little bit of delay, while Stripy (September '18) arrived right on time and JR's Olive Tally-Hos arrived a few months *ahead* of schedule.

So, the tally for September is: three projects drop off the list, one arrives before it can even be added to the list, and six Kickstarter decks are added to the list, pushing the running total up to 16. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including October, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Muertos (January '18) -- An update June 3rd says she is still working out production issues. No word since.
• Outlaw (May '18) -- An update posted on September 22nd said that shipping was commencing, and some have already reported receiving their packages. My order included a coin, so it will be among the last to ship out (he was still waiting for coins as of that last update), but should be soon.
• Avalon (May '18) -- On June 3rd, Natalia said that things are going well with this project, but that there is going to be a little bit of a delay. No word since.
• De Novo (June '18) -- In a comment posted ten days ago, Rick noted that there is another delay waiting for Lotrek's work to come in, but that production continues in the meantime.
• House of the Rising Spade (July '18) -- I've received a tracking number, and others have reported already receiving their decks, so this one should arrive imminently.
• Sun Tzu (July '18) -- As of late May, the order had been placed with MPC. No word since then.
• Arabesque (August '18) -- Per an update about a week ago, Lotrek had additional production delays (varnish and cutting issues) which have been addressed, but now travel to the US for the 52+Jokers convention means that final cutting and assembly will have to wait until November.
• Sisterhood of Blood, Vol. II (August '18) -- The decks are on their way from Taiwan to the fulfillment center in the US, so hopefully shipping to backers can begin in about a month.
• BlackTales (September '18) -- Ed posted at the end of August that production is underway. There have been some delays, however, and it presently looks like fulfillment may happen in the second half of October.
• Ecliptic (September '18) -- Chris posted in mid-September that production has been slightly delayed for a change in artwork (for color calibration), and that fulfillment is likely to be late October or, more likely, mid-November.
• Thorns & Roses (October '18) -- Steve posted just a couple days ago to say that production is completed (except for gilding), and the cards are on their way to him. Expect fulfillment to commence soonishly.
• Odissea (October '18) -- In a recent post, Gio noted that shipping will probably start soon for most backers, and those who ordered the gilded decks (including me) will have a slight delay before ours ship.
• El Recuerdo (October '18) -- In a post at the beginning of September, Sviatoslav reports that fulfillment is on track for October... possibly, early November (per a later comment posted on the project below.)
• Muertos iluminados El Recuerdo (October '18) -- This project is tightly tied to the one above, so... same status.
• Chao (October '18) -- Alex posted five days ago in the comment section that production is humming right along, and fulfillment is still expected for October.
• Everyone Was Thinking It (October '18) -- Today, Amy posted that a minor revision to tuck artwork is pending, but the entire order should be submitted to production soon.

16 projects, several of which look to arrive this month or next, while several others continue to appear orphaned (at least, for now). This is unsettling. This list was created in the midst of Eric Mana and others leaving a bunch of backers hanging in silence. We now have two project creators who appear to be doing the same thing. This is very disappointing.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-retail outlets?

[Gonzalo]

Let's see; September has been a good month for arrivals: Voodoo deck arrived from spielkartenshop (although the first shipment never reached me, they were kind enough to send me a second one. Thanks, guys!), also Top Aces of WWI from Jody Eklund (Jody's designs are always a delight), Jupiter and Saturn from Dave Goldklund's The Planets (just two more, Dave!) and, of course, the House of Rising Spade decks from Stockholm 17. I'm speechless. More impressive when you have them in your hands, even though I had already seen all the pictures you guys have been posting since you started receiving them.

Decks pending as of 10/07:

1. The Brady Tarot (Dec. '17). Last update, from 10/01, said the decks should arrive in Denver "very soon". The creator asked the backers to double-check our addresses, as she'll be locking them down tomorrow 10/08. It seems the decks aren't yet in Denver.
2. De Novo DeLuxe Playing Cards (June '18). Last commentary from Rick, 16 days ago, said he was "waiting an update regarding timeframes" after "a few more issues in production". Dang.
3. Maduro Playing Cards (Sept. '18). An update from 09/22 told us the decks were "still on the water traveling to the States", and that Jackson didn't see "any reason why we shouldn't be able to fulfill the rewards in late October or early November, depending on when they (the decks) actually arrive". Can't wait to see these decks, really.
4. Eneida Playing Cards (August '18). An update from 09/13 announced that "cards were printed". Also, that "boxes are produced" and "double boxes are still in production", accompanied by several pictures of the decks and tuck boxes. They looked good.
5. Olympians Playing Cards (Sept. '18). There was an update on 10/05 saying that USPCC sent them an e-mail stating that the decks "would be finished print by next week".
6. Arabesque Playing Cards Player's Edition. Sigh. Good luck, Lotrek.

And that's it for this month.

[rousselle]

Happy Halloween!

I don't know. I really expected a lot more of my non-retailer decks to arrive this month (October). Several did, but... several that I thought would make it are still on their way. Alas.

That said, October ends with Halloween, and I'm happy to report that the KS project that arrived at Casa Rousselle on Halloween was Sisterhood of Blood, Vol. II (originally anticipated to arrive in August '18). I mean... how cool is *that* timing? The Outlaw deck (May '18) also rolled in this month, as did House of the Rising Spade (July '18). Three awesome projects. And... that's it for October.

So, three projects drop off the list, and only one Kickstarter deck is added to the list (woo-hoo!), pushing the running total down to 14. Here's the list of playing card-related projects that have had an anticipated delivery of up-to and including November, 2018 for which I am awaiting fulfillment:

• Muertos (January '18) -- Today marks the first update posted since June 3rd. Natalia says running multiple projects at once led to a mix-up in production, which in turn led to thousands of defective decks printed. She reports today that they have reached an agreement for re-printing the decks.
• Avalon (May '18) -- See above.
• De Novo (June '18) -- A week ago, Rick posted that production should wrap up in November, and we should expect news on the shipping and fulfillment process soon.
• Sun Tzu (July '18) -- As of late May, the order had been placed with MPC. No word since then.
• Arabesque (August '18) -- Per an update in late-ish September, final cutting and packaging are anticipated to take place in November.
• BlackTales (September '18) -- Ed posted a comment two weeks ago indicating that decks and coins have been sent to GW for fulfillment, and now he is waiting on word from them as to when fulfillment will begin.
• Ecliptic (September '18) -- Chris posted hours ago that USPCC has notified him that production is still in progress, and the decks should be finished the week of Nov. 12th. Once completed, they ship to Chris, and then he fulfills the project at that point. So, look for fulfillment in the second half of November.
• Thorns & Roses (October '18) -- Steve posted last week that there has been a production snafu with one of the add-ons (the lapel pins), so fulfillment is delayed until approximately late November. Other than that, the rest of the project is ready and waiting.
• Odissea (October '18) -- A couple of days ago, Gio posted that the final wave of fulfillment (including orders with gilded decks, like mine) is underway, and should complete this week.
• El Recuerdo (October '18) -- Three weeks ago, Sviatoslav posted that an issue with the varnish on the tuckboxes is requiring some re-work, but the new tuckboxes should be ready soon. The implication is that fulfillment can begin soon thereafter.
• Muertos iluminados El Recuerdo (October '18) -- These were not affected by the tuckbox issue that struck its sister project above, but those of us who backed both will have to wait for El Recuerdo to wrap up so that both can be shipped at the same time. (Even so, this project hasn't started shipping yet, despite the update in early October....)
• Chao (October '18) -- Production is underway, but is running slightly longer than expected. According to an update posted today, look for fulfillment in the middle of November.
• Everyone Was Thinking It (October '18) -- As of last Friday, decks have arrived, and fulfillment should commence Very Soon Now.
• Mint 2 (November '18) -- Production is humming along according to the most recent update, but because so many more decks were ordered than they originally anticipated, fulfillment is likely to take longer than originally planned. Scuttlebutt in the comments section indicates that fulfillment may happen in January, possibly February.

14 projects, several of which look to arrive this month or next, while one continues to appear orphaned (at least, for now), and two others show signs that maybe, just maybe, they won't be orphaned after all. Maybe.

And you? What deliveries are you currently anticipating from non-retail outlets?