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Hello to everyone, yes, I have not written here for some time.
I want to inform you through this website, as an official means of communication that this month of March, as is obvious, it has not been possible to do any shipping. The reason is quite simple, the printed material has not arrived, due to a delay in the printed materials’ layout so the production has been delayed a little.
For our part we have ready almost everything, although there have been some minis that have given us more than a few unexpected problems, they have been solved and luckily we can say that it is simply, now, the ins in outs as we mass produce them.
The rest of the material is ready to start being pack and sent to their respective destinations, but of course, until we have the printed material, this cannot happen.
And how much will this delay be? Unfortunately I cannot give you an exact date, but an approximate time, we have been assured that in around of 4 to 6 weeks we should have everything here.
We know that this news will , in general terms, feel like a sack of rocks to the face. We understand that everyone wants the game now, and we are doing everything possible to have it in your homes as soon as possible. Your patience is helping us to ensure that this project, in which we have been working for so long, comes to fruition and therefore, WE WANT TO THANK ALL THE BACKER.
On the other hand, and because everything does not have to be bad news, even if the “Great Ork Boss” slices and dices me for what I am about to say, (bozz, no lookie az ziz) We are trying to push the timescale down , but there is no certainty we will be able to. I cannot tell you much more at the moment. I can advance, and as I have been asked many times, that in a few days we are going to upload a video on the subject of shipments and others things, this explanation will be very clear because we have asked some people who are very good at explaining and know a lot to get on it.
On this homestretch, I will try to keep you informed as much as possible, so stay tuned to this channel.
The wait is coming to an end, I ask for only a little more patience.
As long as that post isn't a pile of April Fools horse manure (and it would be an astonishingly bad one to do!), that's the best news to come out of this project, ever!
"...and special thanks to Judgedoug!" - Alessio Cavatore "Now you've gone too far Doug! ... Too far... " - Rick Priestley "I've decided that I'd rather not have you as a member of TMP." - Editor, The Miniatures Page "I'd rather put my testicles through a mangle than spend any time gaming with you." - Richard, TooFatLardies "We need a Doug Craig in every store." - Warlord Games "Thank you for being here, Judge Doug!" - Adam Troke
I wouldn't read too much into that. Gamezone evidently made full production run of any component they made the mold for when it was made. Its not an unsound strategy and isnt related to their failures.
Yes some boxes were filled with some components back in December 2015, and likely before even. However at the time they only had concept art for most of the items, let alone masters.
Now all the masters are done, because the exhibition show copies offer a complete set of miniatures. I think it is safe to say that therefore all the component pieces are done, and the rules are finally done. I don't have too much issue with that part being delayed as it made sense also to place the ruleset under review for all the while that the miniatures were being designed sculpted and manufactured.
it looks to me that the state of play is genuine, the game is complete with regards to components, and likely complete in terms of rules. Localisation may or may not be complete, but that is a minor issue. The issue is for manufacture of cardboard components, frankly I think Gamezone has run out of money to pay for the outsourced production, or the companies involved have gazzumped Gamezone and are holding out for a bigger % as they hold the better hand in negotiations. I cannot confirm that, but allowing for how business works nowadays it is not unlikely; it would also be easy to disguise such greed as good business sense, Gamezone is not exactly stable, this project has a poor reputation, and a printer may well demand payment up front, and at the same time raise their price well above standard.
Gamezone is piece of string length away from completing the game for backers, I would not be in any way surprised if it all now comes down to cashflow to pay printers, or they have been gouged by a third party for services for same. As a laid back enterprise Gamezone is wide open to being taken advantage of frankly. Dionisio is a nice guy who doesnt exactly look like the type to plan ahead from what I know from people who met him.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
Hello everyone, as the title of the post says, A promise is a promise, I promised you an update on things that have not yet been seen. So here are a few more things.
As the cards still have not arrived I want to show you the final design and layout some of them will have. As you can understand I cannot put them all here but I have posted a few so you can get a general idea.
We will start with cards from the basic set. A previous design version was seen at the expocomic in Madrid. Here you can compare them with the final design layout.
Next we have some cards from level 3. Up till now you have only seen working designs. Here you have the final layout of the Heroic , ill-fated , artifact , elemental spells , and primordial chaos spell cards.
I have left the best for last. For those of you who want to see hard printed material, here you have some. First we have a shot of the front of the game box:
And here is the backside, with the face of She who is waiting for us to enter her realm.
What could be better than seeing several boxes together? To see the size of the different boxes and the illustration of the sides.
Although the board has already been shown the final product is truly impressive.
After seeing one side of the board, time to see the other. The exterior is no less impressive.
If you want , you can make room fot the box, because i0’s measures are 58x40x15 cm, a good big box.
Well, that’s all for now, I hope you have liked what you have seen as much as I have. I will return shortly with more stuff and news for you. We hope it will continue to be positive.
The end is finally in sight, however it is possible that the boxes and board we see as printers preview and not production copies. However it looks like Gamezone is getting their product, or at the very least has settled on a print contract.
With a bit of luck they will get the cardboard components in their warehouse soon and then shipping will not be far away.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
Oh sweet! Dang, we may see it in a few months then!
"...and special thanks to Judgedoug!" - Alessio Cavatore "Now you've gone too far Doug! ... Too far... " - Rick Priestley "I've decided that I'd rather not have you as a member of TMP." - Editor, The Miniatures Page "I'd rather put my testicles through a mangle than spend any time gaming with you." - Richard, TooFatLardies "We need a Doug Craig in every store." - Warlord Games "Thank you for being here, Judge Doug!" - Adam Troke
I'm not 100% convinced by the lime green second side of the board or the style of some of the top batch of cards, but the rest actually looks brilliant. There's something about finally seeing a board for a boardgame that actually makes it feel real at long last.
Talking to my 'Bothan spies' at Salute yesterday I gleaned a little new information on the HeroQuest progress.
It was reported that Gamezone has run out of the backers money, but the project continues on the backs of sales of regular Gamezone products. Essentially Dionisio has channeled all the output from Gamezone into project completion. Cashflow is now the single biggest hurdle and Gamezone work on Heroquest as and when sales from Gamezone accrue funds. This shows desperation, but it also shows dedication. As it was exclaimed to me yesterday, if this project was abandoned it would have happened already, Gamezone are in fact channeling all their current profitability into completing Heroquest, and it is believed they were seriously trying to do so as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality.
Dionisio himself is very rarely available for contact, and not primarily due to avoidance (though I suspect that is also a factor) but because he relegates himself to factory duty to eliminate as much of the overheads as possible; and yes everything Gamezone themselves could achieve towards the project has now long been done, bar the final box packing and shipping.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/04/23 21:43:23
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
Would it be premature to start looking at the new Mantic dungeon terrain KS to help populate the dungeon?
Well as soon as I saw that post I searched for it, took a long look then backed it for three crates.
I cant have too much dungeon terrain.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
to me that means that those who have already fully paid for the product and shipping costs are basically waiting for others to give game zone their custom in order to fulfill that debt to the original backers.
I told myself long ago that I would buy this only once it hits the status of "now available for purchase", but I get the feeling if I order it from Spain that I am still taking a huge risk in not receiving it.
I know game zone has been operating for quite a few years now, so they aren't exactly new. But I don't have a ton of faith if I fork over my ducats that I would be receiving the game. So close, yet so far.
Preordering Heroquest is likely not the best move right now. However Gamezone do have other miniatures to sell, and are worth buying from.
I went to that particular stand a Salute looking to find heroes for my Dark Elf and Vampire Counts armies, I was not disappointed, and I could have had nice units too. they also do a very good range of Bretonnians but I bought all those that I wanted long ago.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
to me that means that those who have already fully paid for the product and shipping costs are basically waiting for others to give game zone their custom in order to fulfill that debt to the original backers.
I told myself long ago that I would buy this only once it hits the status of "now available for purchase", but I get the feeling if I order it from Spain that I am still taking a huge risk in not receiving it.
I know game zone has been operating for quite a few years now, so they aren't exactly new. But I don't have a ton of faith if I fork over my ducats that I would be receiving the game. So close, yet so far.
It's also possible that GZ will fulfill retail orders first (including pre-orders), only shipping to backers once they have enough money. Palladium did this with Robotech, to the point where some retailers were even selling product at clearance while backers didn't receive their shipment yet. IIRC, Retailers can obligate their suppliers to deliver product within a certain time period. Crowdfunding creators typically have no such (enforceable) obligation to their backers.
Another obstacle American backers may face is Moon Design's trademark on HeroQuest, and possible (though they have not acted) action by Hasbro to protect their IP, including "look and feel", such as the box cover art, board layout, and logo design. Lawyers cost money, and I doubt GameZone has much of it to defend its product in the United States. And, yes, even if they have a case, it will cost them money.
Only when the game appears on your store shelves or in the American OLGS catalog would it be safe to purchase the game, even if its costs more. You may also want to read reviews of the gameplay itself and its components before ordering it, since GameZone is not known for its game design, development, or playtesting. The Conan boadgame by French company Monolith had various translation errors in the rulebook and cards, and, while they offered a corrected rulebook, they have not offered the same for cards.
I'm well aware of the legal situation surrounding rights, trademark and copyright in the united states. Many armchair lawyers on bgg debated this ad nauseum.
To which I don't really care. And will have nearly zero effect on importing it, should a consumer so choose to purchase.
I'm more worried about the practical ramifications, rather than the legal. I import stuff from abroad all the time, even though it is deemed illegal due to agreements per country. They really do have little effect beyond making it inconvenient to purchase.
If you buy it from Gamezone you buy it in Spain, where the licence is legal and where you pay in Euros.
Licencing issues are NOT smuggling, so something that is infringing rather than illegal can be purchased from abroad and imported as your personal property.
However a retailer cant import the same way, as they will be reselling items where the IP is contested. This assumes Moon Design or Hasbro move on this at all.
So long as HQ25 is made of plastic resin and not cannabis resin, and are legal for sale in Spain, then the game is a civil IP francgising issue which only effects sale in the US, not ownership of personal copies by Americans.
It is however enough of a grey area that purchase in the US is risky. For those in the UK we are protected by EU law, for now, and have the de facto right to buy in Spain.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
Okay, let me know how the imports go. I'm perfectly willing to experiment with other people's money.
Also, of course, the shipments may be faster than any legal activity. I doubt Hasbro's going to care if GZ backers get their games or not. They'd be more interested about the IP itself.
ced1106 wrote: Okay, let me know how the imports go. I'm perfectly willing to experiment with other people's money.
I am not experimenting, US backers are. Even if Moonzone Design is just bluster and threat its dangerous bluster and the law is always a two edged sword, it also answers to the biggest chequebook more often than not, which means Hasbro ca get more 'justice' than the case may deserve.
I have never placed this in any category except 'highly risky' for US backers, and we have had this conversation before, back when you were assuming Gamezone were conmen.
However EU law is something else, it's more concrete and it involved de facto consumer rights. We know the goods are legal in Spain and the materials themselves do not infringe. so EU backers should be safe because of free trade rights. The Uk can pass criminal legislation banning products available elsewhere in the EU, but civil claims cant block sale by EU citizens from a member state wherein the goods are legally sourced. So if Hasbro objects in Uk courts that can effect retail in the UK, but not backers because we have a right as an EU citizen to do business in Spain. It also doesn't prevent end users from buying the game from Gamezone webstore from anywhere in the EU post release. It is technically risky for UK backers now because of Brexit, if the project is yet unresolved in two years, I cannot write that possibility off and it represents my only departure from my earlier position. However if this project is still unresolved in 2019 Brexit will be the least of the problems HQ25 backers have.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/01 00:11:28
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
The likelihood of imports to the US from game zone being embargoed are nearly non existent and would require the customs agents opening every single package from them to ensure no heroquest gets through.
And even then, one would simply purchase from another source that may have them available in Europe and customs efforts are for naught.
So practically impossible to effectively enforce. Like I said, there are always ways around these things, making it merely inconvenient for the end consumer to obtain, rather than impossible or even improbable.
This position is due to the legal source of the items.
The US companies opposing Gamezone can only claim they are grey market goods at best, assuming they convince the US courts they should be considered infringing at all.
However Moon Design have gone on record threatening backers, saying goods will be banned in the US and backers may face civil or even customs penalties.
This is also the 'official' line at BGG to the point that those who say different face repeated bans on thin technicalities.
Late Edit: careless typo 'UK' instead of 'US', corrected and highlighted in bold.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/01 22:40:15
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
If Hellfury or anyone else in the US buys this direct from Spain and it comes over in a cardbox box, it will have 'board games' or 'toy' marked on it. There is no way of stopping that from reaching the purchaser.
The only thing (which will be annoying as far as GZ, and fans of Heroquest, are concerned) is that it won't get a retail release and will reach so many fewer purchasers.
The threats against UK/EU backers are laughable, that guy needs to go and see a psychologist if nothing else.
Pacific wrote:The threats against UK/EU backers are laughable, that guy needs to go and see a psychologist if nothing else.
You may not see it in shops, but that's simply a matter of inconvenience for those who are determined.
*looks at polish version of Castles of Mad King Ludwig on my shelf with superior artwork to every other release made, that is supposed to be sold only in Poland because if licensing agreements*
Yeah, good luck stopping importation outside of domestic retail in shops.
Sorry, edited my above post. No threats against UK backers have been recorded, only US backers have been threatened.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
)
" - Rick Priestley "I've decided that I'd rather not have you as a member of TMP." - Editor, The Miniatures Page "I'd rather put my testicles through a mangle than spend any time gaming with you." - Richard, TooFatLardies "We need a Doug Craig in every store." - Warlord Games "Thank you for being here, Judge Doug!" - Adam Troke 
