Production Update #7 June
11 months ago
– Sun, Jun 15, 2025 at 03:07:55 PM
Dear Backers,
Welcome to the June 2025 Production Update. We had hoped to have a clearer picture of the tariff situation in the US but there is still some uncertainty as to what rate will be charged at the point the shipments arrives and how that will effect the final price if at all.
The production is in the final stages, with completion of manufacturing due in early July. By the time shipping commences we hope to have a clearer idea of what tariff will be charged but that still remains an uncertainty until the actual product lands in the US.
We have been informed that shipping has had some disruptions due to the stopping and starting of mass production in China as many industries come to terms with what the tariffs mean to them. Rising oil prices are also having an effect on shipping costs and logistics.
Notwithstanding all these external challenges we are still committed to delivering Armello: The Board Game (albeit a bit later than expected)
Unfortunately due to the entire production run being at the same time these factors will cause delays in all territories.
We are getting more up to date shipping estimate times in around three weeks and will update backers with a more accurate shipping schedule at that time.
Thank you again for your encouragement and kind words of support. These are annoying bumps in the road but we are getting ever closer to getting this game on your table.
We will also be reaching out in a few weeks to lock shipping addresses so we can send the address files to our fulfillment houses. However do not stress too much as each fulfillment center in each territory will also be double checking addresses are correct.
We will be in touch again in July!
Production Update #6 - April / May
12 months ago
– Wed, May 07, 2025 at 09:30:39 PM
Dear Backers,
Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate the final stages of bringing Armello: The Board Game to life. This Production Update (#6) addresses a significant external challenge impacting our project and the wider board game industry: new US import tariffs.
Whilst we are based in Australia, the USA market comprises almost seventy percent of our sales so whatever regulation changes occur in the US can have significant ramifications on our business. If you are not fully aware of how the new US import taxes are impacting our industry, we encourage you to read the many articles, statements and summaries from other games companies. We have provided many links below for your convenience.
King of the Castle Games is a small game company and Armello: The Board Game is our first board game release, a dream project made possible entirely through your support on Kickstarter. This crowdfunding model allows games like ours to exist, but it also means we operate without the large reserves of established corporations. Unexpected external factors, like these significant new tariffs (imposed while our production was in progress), present unforeseen challenges.
We are committed to transparency and finding the best path forward with you, our backers.
How does the new US import taxes affect Armello: The Board Game?
For the US.
Since the announcement of the new US import tax law on April 2, 2025 there have been many changes and amendments that are still ongoing. This uncertainty has made it almost impossible to cement a plan of action to ensure our US Backers the least possible impact from these developments.
We want to be very firm in reassuring our Backers that Armello: The Board Game will be shipped as promised. We have committed to and paid for production, our only unknown is to what extent there may be a delay on the delivery date of the game considering these challenges and how the cost MAY be affected.
Our current strategy, based on industry discussions, is to hold US-bound shipments for the next four to six weeks, hoping for clarification or positive changes in the tariff situation. Our goal is to minimize the impact of tariffs on our backers while ensuring the long-term viability of our company. We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we navigate these challenging times.
Next Steps for US Backers: We will monitor the situation closely. We commit to providing another specific update on the US shipping timeline and cost implications by June 15th, 2025, or sooner if significant tariff changes occur.
For the Rest of the World.
Due to the disruptions the US import taxes have caused the game industry there will be a slight delay on the game shipping to the rest of the world. In our Production Update #4 January 2025 we did inform Backers that due to delays in finalising editing and then missing crucial prototype deadlines before the Lunar New Year factory closures in China we were not going to be able to hit our estimated shipping month of April 2025 and were working towards an estimated shipping month of June 2025. With the current demand on our resources overcoming the trade tariff situation and how that affects the overall manufacturing consolidation and shipping logistics we are expecting our shipping timeline to the rest of the world to now be July / August 2025, but it may be sooner.
We sincerely apologise to our Backers for this extra delay of a couple of months and really appreciate your support and understanding. As a group of gamers who have personally backed over 180 games, we do truly know how frustrating it is to wait for a delayed game to arrive in the mail!! So yet again, thank you so much for waiting just this little bit longer.
Links to news on how the US import tax is affecting the tabletop gaming industry:
Cephalofair - The Gloomhaven blog post:
https://cephalofair.com/blogs/blog/tariffs-and-cephalofair-games
Greater Than Games
https://www.enworld.org/threads/greater-than-games-shutters-due-to-tariffs.713004/
Board Game geek summary of comments
https://www.enworld.org/threads/what-game-publishers-are-saying-about-the-tariffs.712717/
W. Erin Martin summary on Board Game Geek
https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/173369/tariff-updates-cmon-buckles-down-boardlandia-close
Steve Jackson:
https://www.sjgames.com/ill/archive/2025-04-03
Catalyst
https://www.catalystgamelabs.com/news/catalyst-and-tariffs
Chaosium:
https://www.chaosium.com/blogchaosium-statement-about-tariffs-4-april-2025
Kobold:
https://koboldpress.com/state-of-play-special-edition-kobolds-hate-tariffs/
Major Article on Washington Board Games:
https://www.geekwire.com/2025/washingtons-tabletop-game-industry-braces-for-impact-from-new-tariffs/
Production Update #5
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Mar 10, 2025 at 12:09:16 AM
Pre-production copies have arrived.
Production is imminent!
Welcome to our monthly update.
We have received pre-production copies and have been checking for any errors and ensuring that all the components pass quality control.
The game is looking stunning, it certainly demands attention and will admirably enhance any game table it graces!
There will be a few minor tweaks to polish some of the components as we gear up to begin a full production run over the coming weeks. The first item to be produced will be the range of miniatures for the game since they will take the longest to complete. We will be casting around 105,000 miniatures in total!
Photos!
We are still waiting for around 400 people to finish their survey...
Completing your survey will help us in our final steps to make shipping and fulfilment run smoothly. If you haven't completed your survey yet, hop to it!
If you have any questions or need help, we are always here to assist you.
If you are having any trouble at all or cannot locate your Pledge Manager login, please do not hesitate to contact BackerKit at the SURVEY RECOVERY LINK below.
If you are having trouble with Apple ID and your Kickstarter / BackerKit login, please reach out to [email protected]
If you know someone that may want to order the game, please share the link below before it is too late!
PREORDER ARMELLO HERE
If you can't find your Pledge Manager survey you can recover it at the link below.
SURVEY RECOVERY LINK HERE
Backerkit Pledge Manager closing soon!
about 1 year ago
– Fri, Feb 07, 2025 at 12:07:00 AM
The Pledge Manager is closing soon, so make like a Squire and complete your Backer survey!
PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR PLEDGE MANAGER
The Pledge Manager is closing on FEBRUARY 10, 2025.
Please make sure you have completed your survey before this date!
If you are having any trouble at all or cannot locate your Pledge Manager login, please do not hesitate to contact BackerKit at the SURVEY RECOVERY LINK below.
If you are having trouble with Apple ID and your Kickstarter / BackerKit login, please reach out to [email protected]
If you know someone that may want to order the game, please share the link below before it is too late!
PREORDER ARMELLO HERE
If you can't find your Pledge Manager survey you can recover it at the link below.
SURVEY RECOVERY LINK HERE
RETAILERS
We want to thank the many retailers that have expressed interest in supporting a Retailer Pledge. We will be reaching out to you individually mid-February to offer you a pre-order.
Production Update #4
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Jan 23, 2025 at 12:47:21 AM
Hello Backers!
PRODUCTION UPDATE
Thank you for your continued support, we know we are overdue for an update so we really appreciate your patience!
Unfortunately, we have hit a few frustrating bumps in the road that may cause some delay on shipping.
1. We commissioned three separate rounds of editing and proofreading to give us the best chance of delivering a game with consistency and accuracy. Going to this extra level of scrutiny and working with many time zones around the world added unforeseen time to this crucial stage of the game’s development.
2. This initial delay in our editing cycle has unfortunately had a domino effect further down the production and development line.
In board game publishing we usually have a stage where we inspect a full preproduction copy of the game before we press the big green button to go into mass production. The preproduction sample is essential to check the quality of every component ensuring that the game is ready to produce and test how it all fits into the box. We have just missed an important deadline to get this sample fully complete before the Chinese New Year. Because of this delay we will lose up to three weeks during which the factories are closed or in "go slow" mode.
There have been a few other minor delays along the way. In summary, we predict that at this stage we will ship around eight weeks later than expected. We fully understand that this is disappointing, and we desperately wanted to be one of those rare games that ship on time!!
We sincerely apologise for missing our projected delivery schedule of April 2025.
Fear not! The game will be better for it and the extra care gives us confidence that you will be very happy with the result.
PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR PLEDGE MANAGER
One upside of this delay is that the Pledge Manager will be open a little longer for those Backers that have still not completed their surveys.
The Pledge Manager will now be closing on FEBRUARY 10, 2025.
Please make sure you have completed your survey before this date!
If you are having any trouble at all or cannot locate your Pledge Manager login, please do not hesitate to contact BackerKit at the SURVEY RECOVERY LINK below.
If you are having trouble with Apple ID and your Kickstarter / BackerKit login, please reach out to [email protected]
If you know someone that may want to order the game, please share the link below before it is too late!
PREORDER ARMELLO HERE
If you can't find your Pledge Manager survey you can recover it at the link below.
SURVEY RECOVERY LINK HERE
RETAILERS
We want to thank the many retailers that have expressed interest in supporting a Retailer Pledge. We will be reaching out to you individually mid-February to offer you a pre-order.
ARMELLO CLAN SHIELD PINS
We are excited to share the samples of the Clan Shield pins with you!
