Production Update #10 September
8 months ago
– Sat, Sep 13, 2025 at 08:43:02 PM
SHIPPING UPDATE
Dear Backers,
Thank you for your support and patience as we start shipping during these unpredictable postage and delivery conditions.
The process has proven to be highly challenging due to ongoing fluctuations in pricing, shipping schedules and geoeconomic trade policies. We are currently addressing the effects of the removal of the De Minimis exemption on small commercial shipments to the United States. A primary concern is that many countries have suspended postal services to the US because of this policy change. This is leading to a significant backlog of parcels awaiting shipment. The US processes approximately one million overseas parcels per day. With most countries having to suspend shipping for around one month you can start to comprehend the backlog that is now building.
Whilst this issue appears to relate to the US only the reality is that shipping logistics worldwide are potentially affected due to the backlog that is expected. This situation is expected to substantially impact freight movement, potentially causing considerable delays. Furthermore, as the year-end holiday season approaches, additional pressure on shipping capacity is anticipated.
However we will strive on, fight the good fight and complete our quest!
We have the following details for these territories:
AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND
Fulfilment Partner – Aetherworks / Sydney
Vessel / Voyage: ITAL USODIMARE V.0183S
ETD Shenzhen: SEPT 16, 2025
ETA Sydney: SEPT 29, 2025
ASIA
Fulfilment Partner – VFI / Fujian
Product has arrived at the fulfillment center, and we are in line for distribution. Current estimation is 3 weeks.
USA / CANADA / SOUTH AMERICA
Fulfillment Partner – Quartermaster / Florida
The freight is booked but we have not been advised the ship name. The carrier has informed us the arrival date to Quartermaster is 10 November 2025. Due to Quartermaster’s warehouse being situated in Florida the ship will take longer to reach its destination. Estimated total transit time is 47 days.
UK / EU
Fulfilment Partners – Spiral Galaxy UK / PTS France
We are yet to receive our shipping details for these territories but expect it to be locked in within a week.
THE BACKERKIT PLEDGE MANAGER WILL CLOSE SOON
The Backerkit Pledge Manger will close on:
AUSTRALIA - 12pm Friday 26th September (Western Australia Standard Time)
For your reference that is:
USA - 9pm Thursday 25th September (Pacific Daylight Time)
UK - 5am Friday 26th September (British Summer Time)
If you need to change any details (address, payment details and pledges) before this date please send an email to the following address and we will unlock your pledge allowing you to make any necessary changes: [email protected]
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE
What happens if I need to change my details after the Backerkit Pledge Manager closes?
After this date you will be able to update your details with the fulfilment center in each territory. Our fulfilment partners will be reaching out to you to confirm details before posting your items to you.
When will shipping be charged?
Due to constantly changing freight situation being faced by the world now and its impact on postage charges and timelines we are reluctant to process shipping fees and any applicable import taxes until our fulfilment centers confirm costs for us. We will keep you informed when shipping fees will be processed on a region-by-region basis.
Production Update #9 August
9 months ago
– Thu, Aug 21, 2025 at 11:32:00 PM
Greetings dear Backers,
SHIPPING UPDATE
Thank you for your continued patience during this final stage of delivering our project. Booking transport and coordinating all the shipping across the globe has proved to be a demanding task (see below regarding global communication!) and has taken a few weeks longer than expected but we are getting closer to putting Armello: The Board Game on the water and shipping to ports across the world.
When the ships depart we can expect these estimates by freight forwarders on ship travel times:
UK: 37-42 days
EU: 40-46 days
Australia / New Zealand: 16-22 days
US (East Coast): 34-40 days
Asia: 7 days
If we factor in the time for customs clearance and trucking to the final destination add an extra 10 days to the above transit time.
Once containers have arrived at the destination port and then been transported to the fulfilment centres, we have been advised that products are usually posted within 14 days at the very most.
Our fulfilment partners will be:
UK: Spiral Galaxy
EU: PTS (Publishing Technology Solutions - France)
Australia / New Zealand: Aetherworks
US / CANADA / SOUTH AMERICA: Quartermaster Logistics
Asia: VFI
As always we continue to update you on shipping progress and timelines.
UNDERSTANDING THE DELAY - A MESSAGE TO OUR KICKSTARTER BACKERS
A (probably) unnecessary, lengthy explanation of why in part we underestimated our delivery schedule on this project follows...
We want to reiterate our sincere apologies that by the time many of you receive our game it will be approximately six months longer than we expected getting it into your hands.
We are so thankful that most backers understand Kickstarter by its very nature is not a shopping mall, you don't simply click buy and collect it the next day. Rather you share the journey with the creator, the ups, the downs and yes, the delays.
This is our FIRST board game publishing venture!
With that in mind, we are damn proud of the game we have created, and we are very confident fans of Armello and board gamers in general will love the experience we have crafted.
In our case you helped a team of creators across the planet bring this beloved game to the tabletop. However, we experienced quite a few challenges in the games six-year development process! Thank you again for sharing the journey with us and your supportive comments mean the world to us as we round the corner and complete the last leg of this race.
We understand the delay on this project has come from a variety of challenges, external factors beyond our control and simply a learning curve on our part. Below is by no means an excuse. We want to provide some transparency regarding our project's delay, specifically addressing the unique challenges of coordinating a team that spans multiple countries and time zones.
Why Working Across Continents Presents Unique Challenges
The Global Nature of Our Team
One of the greatest strengths of this project is the diversity and expertise of our creators, partners, and suppliers. We are collaborating with talented individuals and reputable companies located in different parts of the world. This global approach has allowed us to bring together the very best skills, materials, and perspectives, ensuring a final product that meets—and hopefully exceeds—your expectations for Armello: the Board Game.
However, working across continents comes with its own set of logistical challenges, many of which are not immediately visible but has had a significant impact on our timeline. We want to walk you through some of these obstacles, so you have a clearer understanding of what has happened behind the scenes.
The Challenge of Multiple Time Zones
One of the most persistent hurdles we faced was the difference in time zones among our various team members and partners. Our creators are based in locations ranging from North America and Europe to Asia and Australia. While this global distribution enriches our project, it also complicates our ability to communicate quickly and efficiently.
Limited Overlapping Work Hours: With team members sometimes separated by as much as 12-15 hours, it’s rare to find a window of time when everyone is available. This means that questions, feedback, and critical decisions often must wait for the next business day in another country.
Delayed Decision-Making: When an issue arises—such as a design question, a production update, or a shipping concern—it cannot always be addressed immediately. If a component supplier is in China and our product designer is in Canada, a single question may take 24 hours or more to resolve, simply because their workdays barely overlap.
Coordination of Meetings: Scheduling virtual meetings becomes a logistical puzzle, requiring compromises on both sides. Sometimes, meetings happen at odd hours to accommodate everyone, which can affect efficiency and energy levels for the participants.
Email Delays and Communication Gaps
In addition to time zone hurdles, email remains our primary mode of communication with many of our international partners. While email is reliable and allows us to track important details, it is inherently asynchronous, meaning there is always a built-in delay between sending a message and receiving a response.
Response Time: Even in the best cases, it’s common for emails to go unanswered for several hours, as they are received outside of the recipient’s working hours. On weekends and holidays, these delays can be even longer.
Clarification Loops: Sometimes, an email will prompt follow-up questions or need clarification. Each additional message in the chain can add another day or more to the process. What could be a quick conversation in person or over the phone can stretch into week-long discussions over email.
Volume of Communication: Coordinating across multiple partners in different countries often means juggling several email threads at once. Keeping everyone on the same page and ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks is a time-consuming process.
The Compounding Effect
Individually, these delays may seem minor, but collectively, they have been a compounding effect on our project’s timeline. Waiting for responses, coordinating feedback, and aligning schedules all add up, sometimes in ways that are hard to predict at the outset.
Delays Stack Up: If even a single approval or confirmation is delayed, it can hold up the next phase of production or development. For example, a manufacturer may need final design files before starting production, but production can’t begin until those files are approved by both the design and quality teams, each operating in different time zones.
Unanticipated Issues: Sometimes, unexpected questions or problems arise that require input from several parties. Each new issue can trigger another chain of emails and scheduling, further extending the timeline.
So, there you have it, days become weeks and weeks become months and before you know it, we are late on delivering. ☹
Whilst we are extremely sorry for the game’s late arrival, we do hope that this explanation in part explains some of the challenges in global communication we have had to face!
RULEBOOKS!
On a more positive note, we have uploaded our rulebooks for your reading pleasure!
Please feel free to get the files here:
Armello: The Board Game - GETTING STARTED
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f7tlfcjrykm078dx7inra/Armello-The-Board-Game-GETTING-STARTED.pdf?rlkey=0sjfbyudt0ukkwsheunu3kj8g&st=7gjzmpee&dl=0
Armello: The Board Game - RULEBOOK
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wixhprhspr5t54nxl9ety/Armello-The-Board-Game-RULEBOOK.pdf?rlkey=06xdra9hllarjzwxt24ljtln7&st=4uo7nynn&dl=0
Production Update #8 July
10 months ago
– Wed, Jul 16, 2025 at 07:48:24 AM
Greeting Backers and welcome to our July Update.
Our production has officially finished, and we are now assembling all the games, assembly should be finished by next week!
This brings us one step closer to shipping to fulfillment hubs around the world.
GIFTS
We apologise that our project is running a little late and we know all the extra fuss concerning import taxes has been frustrating. We are including a small token of our thanks in each game.
All Backers will now receive the Alternative Art Guppy Squire Card
Collector’s Edition Backers will also receive a free Tuck Box to store your foldable dice trays. This allows you to neatly store your trays without having to disassemble them. (You can of course disassemble them after each game if you want to keep everything inside the one box.) 😊
LOCKING ADDRESSES
We will be locking addresses soon as we get ready for our shipping and fulfilment phase. Please confirm any address changes through your Backerkit Pledge Manager by 23 July 2025.
After that date any last-minute address changes will be handled by our fulfilment partners around the world, and you will be able to coordinate with them at a later stage. We will post more information on this as fulfilment commences.
If you need help accessing your Backerkit Pledge Manager, please contact Backerkit Support
[email protected]
If you can't find your Pledge Manager survey you can recover it at the link below.
SURVEY RECOVERY LINK HERE
If you know someone that may want to order the game, please share the link below before it is too late!
PREORDER ARMELLO HERE
SHIPPING
Shipping can vary depending on where you are in the world. Freight time to the USA can be as long as 6 weeks since the fulfilment centre is on the East Coast which means the ship has a longer journey to get to its destination.
We will be updating Backers more on shipping times once freight schedules have been confirmed.
IMPORT TAXES / TARIFFS - USA
Until our shipment is on the water we do not know the full impact of the current import tax and its cost. We will be updating backers as information comes to hand and will offer a refund to backers who do not want to incur any additional import fee.
We sincerely hope you will continue to support us!
Look out for an additional Production Update next week featuring an unboxing video!!
