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2014/05/08 01:31:28
Subject: Re:Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
May 8 2014
And we twiddle our thumbs...
2 comments
9 likes
Twiddle Twiddle...
So the manufacturing is in process. This means there is literally nothing we can do on the project except wait… and so we wait. This was when we planned to talk about how to store and generally look after your set and when we shoot that video we will post it here ;o)
We are mostly using the time to focus on the Fantasy range, this serves two purposes:
Gets us ready for the next KS so we can hopefully get a little more sleep (fat chance )
Takes our minds of the fact that a product that has never been attempted in such detail before is currently being manufactured thousands of miles away from us… Gulp.
We have had updates from China, but nothing to write about here, minor adjustments to tool settings, double checks of digital proofs and general questions about packing. Hum drum stuff really, but important never the less.
China have confirmed that they will be sending us a couple of finished boxed sets over by courier so fingers crossed we will have these set up at the UK Expo in May, hope to see many of you there. Also this means that we can do a full unboxing video for these updates and show you what you will be getting on your doorsteps D
Clips…
We did make one final adjustment to the clips just after we posted the 'Clips' update. It was the final cherry on the cake to make the clips even easier to use. We added a small curve right at the mouth of the prongs of each clip.
As the terrain walls are basically card, there is always the chance that you could snag the surface when slotting on the clips. We snagged our prototype many times and it has small marks where the clips slot on, (although I bet you never noticed in the KS video or photos). This is not a major problem as the clips essentially cover this up when assembled. However the small curve we've added reduces this risk massively as the curve guides the clip into position more easily.
notice the small curves at the mouth point, they guide the clips into place when assembling.notice the small curves at the mouth point, they guide the clips into place when assembling.
Just a little something to help the longevity of the card and terrain in general and it also make the assembly just that little bit flowing. )
Room Items Assembly...
Finally then (as with all updates) is the assembly video for the Room Items. This is a great sheet as it really brings the terrain to life.
That is for this rather short update, but hopefully we will have more news soon.
Glad to see there is still plenty of chat in the comments section and in the updates so thanks and keep posting your questions. We try to answer them all and if we miss any there are one or two of you guys that help us out… you know who you are… and so we thank you.
Update - watch the storage video from 13:30 if you want a preview of the fantasy range.
Project Update #59: Storage...
Posted by Battle Systems Ltd ♥ Like
Well we shot the storage video at the weekend and so now bring it to you in this update. It's a raw video with very little editing so bear with my ramblings. I'll summarise the basic details right here in the text. )
Storage Boxes…
The boxes we use for storing the sets are provided by 'The really Useful products Company'. They supply lots of useful storage boxes (funnily enough) and there are many sizes to chose from.
9 litre Clear x1 - This holds up to 52 assembled standard Walls or Doors.
4 litre Clear x2 - These hold all the floor tiles and assembled Room Items etc
Lipped Stationary Tray x1 - Good for Ramps, Clips, Railings and Room Items.
Hobby Tray x1 or 2 - Good for all the other Room Items and Struts etc etc.
The 'trays' listed above fit into the boxes. (see video)
If you have a standard Stronghold with stretch goals and a few extra add ons the above combo should be just fine for you. These boxes are not the cheapest, but are great value as they are strong and stack well. We have no alliance with them, these were just the boxes we used. We have been inundated with requests to explain how we store the sets and so this is what we used. There are lots of great storage boxes out there and we did no special research. We had a couple of these boxes lying around and found they worked perfect for us and so bought loads more. You can make up your own minds and I'm sure there are other great storage solutions.
Stacking the Walls...
You will see in the video that the walls are designed to be stacked in rows. Once you have a row of 7 Walls you can stack a further 6 Walls inside the row of 7, by turning them upside-down. This saves double the space and so saves on storage. It also keeps the walls safe from damage as they are supported. This is how we store all our sets.
The Walls can be completely disassembled of course by removing all the Ramps and Wall Clips, but this massively increases your setting up and packing away time. Just keep the Ramps on the Walls and adjust them as needed when you set up.
Video...
Thats the basics for you, check out the video to see this in action.
Assembly...
Finally we have the next assembly video for you. This time its the Hanger Bay (sheet number 5).
That's it for now, except to tell you that we have just had a couple of finished boxed products sent to us from our manufacturers. Expect a full unboxing video over the next couple of weeks. D
Late night inspections after a long drive back from London. It's nice to get home to parcels waiting for you )
Over and out for now
Colin & Wayne
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/15 19:35:00
2014/05/15 20:29:36
Subject: Re:Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
May 23 2014
Shipping update & first look at finished product...
2 comments
8 likes
As some of you already know we have received the final production samples. These are not actually samples, but the final finished product. Just five sets air shipped to us for testing and we have been very busy doing just that. More in a moment…
9 Chairs assembled from the Floor Tiles sheets9 Chairs assembled from the Floor Tiles sheets
Three of the V-Consoles, here you can see the alternate skins now includedThree of the V-Consoles, here you can see the alternate skins now included
… first of shipping. We are now in a much stronger position to confirm production timelines and with all the samples and feedback adjustments we have made we are looking at new dates...
Shipping
We have received our final production and shipping time lines from China and these are as follows. The product will be fully finished manufacturing on the 16th June, this is approximately 3 weeks later than the last adjusted date we expected. When the KS started we had originally expected the production to be finished mid May, but we then lost 3 - 4 days due to the time it takes to fully check samples our end in the UK and then 10 days due to other factors including Chinese holidays. Finally though it was the complexity of the production method that added the time. This means that it should leave China (all being good and well) on the 23rd June. It will take between 3 & 4 weeks to reach Felixstowe in the UK, then our shipper (a UK firm) will be taking it directly to the distributors in London. We will meet the product there and personally oversee the packing. We hope to save some time here as China will be packing and sealing the basic Stronghold sets in our boxes for us. Just like they would for a board game like Monopoly, Risk etc.
So earliest we will likely be sending out the goodies is the 24th July. This is based on the full 4 weeks shipping, up to 4 days in customs, although that is the maximum we are told, and then a day to transport to the distributors. Once we send out from the Distributors you can expect them to arrive within 3-5 days if you are in the UK or 5-10 days for the rest of the world... thereabouts. )
QC (Quality Control) is the main reason we are later on delivery. Normally a standard printing production has 1 or 2 QC checks, but for us it's 4 checks. Checks have to be made to colour, alignment, stamp cuts and uniquely for us the 1.5mm slots that are both our greatest feature and our greatest production complexity. China needed another few days to set up the new QC procedures so this also added a few days delay. Production will have started by the time you read this and so we are in the final straight for the product. Our biggest obstacle... "Can this be made to the quality we desire"... is over (see the unboxing video ), so we now just have to wait for the mundane work to be done.
The actual production time of the product was also extended, because the stamp (the process of pressing the blades into the card) has to be adjusted for each sheet. Normally this can be automated, but as our product has a visual assembly image (the artwork) as well as the physical assembly, extra care needs to be taken to fit the cuts into the small bleed lines. That adds a small amount of time to each sheet stamping as it is adjusted by hand to line up. Multiply this by the 100's of thousands of sheets and you can see how this adds up to many extra days of production time and checks. A product has never been made before to this complexity and so our manufacturers have developed the process for us as we have progressed. They have been great and will have a 'Battle Systems' production schedule and works plan for future orders.
As you can see, rather than just say "it's delayed due to production" we wanted to explain why. We now know whats involved so will adjust future KS production timelines accordingly )
We had hoped that we would not fall foul to the KS tradition of delivering later than the estimated date, but hope that you will not be too disappointed by the delay. The final product is really rather good and with care should last you a long time indeed. In fact if you take time to bullet proof it (as seen in some of our updates past and coming) you could make it last a long time indeed. Not bad for cardboard.
Close up of the Command Screen with some of the smaller cut areas made bullet proof with a touch of liquid glue. This can still be dissembled and reversed.Close up of the Command Screen with some of the smaller cut areas made bullet proof with a touch of liquid glue. This can still be dissembled and reversed.
Lastly while they were making adjustments we also asked for improvements in some areas of the product that we were already happy with (like colour) and they delivered. So in the end we have a really great looking product. )
Final Boxed product…
As mentioned in the opening we have the final product in our hands and have been testing it for days. So if you have to wait a little longer for the cool card to arrive we might as well show you what you will get when it arrives on your door step. We were not going to show you the unboxing video until the next update, but after the shipping news you need a treat so I've stayed up all night to give you the video you've been waiting for… if i look tired take no notice D
The set fully popped out and ready to assembleThe set fully popped out and ready to assemble
Assembled FloorsAssembled Floors
Closer look at the ready partsCloser look at the ready parts
Walls made up and ready to rock (my favourite, just sit and watch films while doing war games stuff )Walls made up and ready to rock (my favourite, just sit and watch films while doing war games stuff )
Hope you like it, as we approach delivery time we will also be putting together some more videos on how to care for the card and really make it last. This will include steps you can take prior to assembly and after. Also what you can do if you need to repair a torn surface. In addition we hope to bring you videos on how to customise the terrain to make blast holes, or add a new 3D aspect to items such as walls and doors.
Assembly Video...
Finally then... here is the next video of the assembly series. This week its the Turbine, yeah baby!
That's it for now, please leave your comments as always, we really do read every one. As of right this moment it's just gone 12:15 midnight so don't worry if I don't reply to comments right away, it's finally time for bed ;o)
I thought that may was pretty ridiculously ambitious, guess I was right. That's ok, it sounds like they're putting quality first and it's not like I had any pressing *need* to have this by a certain time. Just glad they're making it right and taking their time instead of rushing to beat the date. Thanks for sharing
2014/05/23 01:24:29
Subject: Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
Minor delay, doesn't bother me much but yeah as expected Grim hehe. Really happy they seem to have nailed the quality down and the communication has been great. This gon' be swooooit!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/23 01:24:49
2014/05/23 01:25:17
Subject: Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
At this rate, barring acts of nature, I should get my Battle Systems goodies, my Secret Weapon Tablescape AND the last of my Anvil Industry AFTERLIFE vanguard pledge all at the same time.
Perfect combination of stuff if you ask me. They'll jigsaw in together quite well I hope.
Personally the delay is fine with me, moving house in June so these should show up right when I've got everything nice and set up and can fill up a gaming table with the terrain
"...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
2014/05/23 22:18:27
Subject: Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
Holy balls! That stuff is excellent I like everything, though if those are supposed to be barrels in the last image... they need tweaked a little or something maybe. Otherwise, very much awesome, there goes all my monies.
2014/06/13 00:20:20
Subject: Re:Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
Jun 13 2014
Admin, Admin, Admin...
10 comments
15 likes
Its all very boring when it comes to paperwork, but it is crucial at this stage of the project. Here's a quick update of what we are up to.
Shipping...
The manufacturing was completed on 10th June (Tuesday just gone), I had the confirmation and it's now sitting in the factory. Tomorrow (Friday) we are having it all inspected by our independent inspectorate. We used these guys to conduct our pre-production inspection of the factory prior to manufacturing. They made sure that the machines were modern, in good working order, workers are skilled, production methods were minimum standards, workers are protected etc etc. The inspector has a sample of each of the sheets, the very same ones we did the unboxing video with and used in the UK expo show, so if there is any issues we are confident they will pick up on them. Once this is done the goods will be taken to the Chinese arm of our UK shipping company. Then the goods start their long journey on the open seas to the UK for packing. So (and here where we jinx it) we are still on time for mid July UK arrival so end of July / very early august shipping, hopefully sooner.
Your goodies packed up in china and ready for shipping. Last night at 6:45pm
Stock, Stock and more Stock. Packed items and sheets that are still being sorted
Admin...
We are finalising insurances, sorting HMRC stuff, transferring Duty numbers and EORI numbers for shipping and Customs and Excise etc etc. This is to make sure that we don't have any delays with the container when it arrives in the UK. We have a very good shipping company and they are really helpful and are guiding us well.
Other admin means website updates ready for stock of products, building the new KS page for the fantasy range, shooting videos, editing videos, costings for fantasy range… and another hundred tasks. Not very exciting, but it's what we are doing right now so we thought we might as well include it in the update
Admin heaven
Next KS...
oTo give us a head start on the next KS we have been asking you guys in the comments for what you will be using the Fantasy range for and have been making notes, (for those that are looking to jump in on a little dungeon fun). Lets now see what you would like to see furniture wise. We already have Tombs, Tables, Treasure Chests, Barrels, Bookcases, Thrones, Furnace, Well, and some other top secret stuff, but be good to know what you would like to see. This really helped us on the last KS and many of the suggestions made it to reality and are now… sitting in the factory waiting to be inspected )
So pop your ideas in the comments below and let us know.
That's it for this update, just remains for us to include the next Assembly Video - Clips
We are really looking forward to getting the sets next month and can't wait to then get them sent out to you. We are nearly there, figures crossed for the QC final inspection tomorrow and shipping in general.
Jun 20 2014
Da, da da, da da … Inspector Gadget...
2 comments
12 likes
Starting these updates is really hard as we always start by writing how busy we are and you must get sick of hearing it… However, we have been busy over the weekend and last few days with discussions, emails and general back and forth communications with the manufacturers and inspectors. It's really exciting times and now we have concluded the final stage of the manufacturing process….
… this means it's on it's way. It left the factory and is making its journey to the port yesterday (18th June). It will then catch the next vessel and we are waiting on confirmation of what date this will be. That puts us on schedule for end of July for packing and sending. D
The Shanghai side of our UK shippers have said...
我已经通知过我们目的港代理了，他们也同意了）- so everyone is in agreement )
Inspections...
On Friday 13th (we are not superstitious) we had our inspection and the results came out to us on the Saturday. We spent most of the weekend mulling over the results and making a list of questions. Then Monday to Wednesday we spent communicating with the inspectors and the manufacturers. This is no easy task as the inspectors are, of course, independent and so we can't all just sit on a Skype call and have a 3 way chat about the results. There were clarifications to be made and the down time between emails was most frustrating. lol
Some more shots taken by the inspectors of the goodies packed up and ready to ship Some more shots taken by the inspectors of the goodies packed up and ready to ship
The inspection itself was very good, in fact it was a little overkill for our product, but that's better than being too slack. As it's our first inspection (and a totally new product for all) the inspectors are learning too. However they are super professional in their field and conducted tests we had not thought of.
Sheets were measured against samples we had sent them. Such a simple test, but vital for a product like ours. Sheets were measured against samples we had sent them. Such a simple test, but vital for a product like ours.
With every product you can find small imperfections that do not effect the product in general use. They only found 3 in 500 samples and this is the sort of issue they found, which does not effect the product in use. lol With every product you can find small imperfections that do not effect the product in general use. They only found 3 in 500 samples and this is the sort of issue they found, which does not effect the product in use. lol
Sets were chosen at random and fully opened and inspected, above is one of the sets. Sets were chosen at random and fully opened and inspected, above is one of the sets.
Even the outer & Inner packaging was inspected for shipping to make sure it met shipping standards Even the outer & Inner packaging was inspected for shipping to make sure it met shipping standards
After all said and done, the results are very good. In particular the colour is nice and crisp and the cuts lines look very good. This has been one of the biggest learning experiences for us and we have made lots of notes for our next product run. The manufacturers themselves have also been really helpful here, even providing additional tests for us, by attaching samples of our sheets to machines that measure all sorts of things.
Crazy little machines for testing things )
Crazy little machines for testing things )
We are happy that the product is as good as the sets we have already (the ones that some of you good folks have seen at the UK Expo) and as it happens these sets, we have already, were actually part of the first batch off the press.
Just need to get this over to you now for some tabletop action )
In the meantime...
While it's all making it's way over to us we have lots more of that boring administration to do. Website needs updating to accommodate the new physical product/videos (as well as shooting some of those videos), credit card machines and payment methods need changing, KS page/video/graphics for Fantasy range as well as final costings so we can set the pledge levels, more insurance stuff and so on and so on…
Too little to late…
In lighter news we had ordered some hoodies, tee-shirts (for us), tablecloths and another banner for our shows. These all arrived in the nick of time for the UK expo with the exception of the hoodies, they arrived 1 day after the show. Grrrr… so we never got to show off our matching BSL street cred!!!
Wayne showing off the hoodies, what a stud!
Yes all those teddies are Wayne's, he needs them to help keep the nasty things away at bedtime. It's the polar bears turn tonight, that's why it looks so stressed )
Assembly Video...
Lastly then, here is the next of the assembly videos - Elevator/Window Wall/Wall Console Converter
Right so that's it for another update. Over & out for now… we are nearly there...
Yonan wrote: Ex-cel-lent. I love the detail in these updates, always nice to see.
Agreed, I think this is one of the best KS I have ever seen. I think once this is all done someone should make a list of everything they have done right to help guide future KS. I am constantly impressed!
2014/06/20 07:22:22
Subject: Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
Once product is in hand and we can confirm it's as good as we've seen, I'll 100% agree with that. Good product, good price, great communication, great people, good fulfillment time.
2014/07/05 02:18:30
Subject: Re:Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
We can confirm that your goodies were loaded from Shanghai and made their way to the docks on the 24th June. They were loaded onto the vessel named 'GUNDE MAERSK' and left the docks on the 30th June. Since then the Gunde has been working it's way through it's various ports over the last few days. If you want to track the ship simply visit one of the many ship tracking websites or smart device apps and search for the ship name. So far I've checked in 3 times, but wife is checking it 3 times a day, she's loving it lol.
We used this one https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/, but there seems to be a few. I know some of you have used these before, so if you have a favourite site or app please let us all know in the comments.
Here is our lovely vessel
There is lots of info available on the vessel tracking sites and we certainly don't understand half of it, but it's a jolly nice thing to watch as your goodies make their rounds
Well that was the big news and much awaited it was to, so have fun tracking and feel free to update everyone on the main KS comments.
Game mat…
While we had a couple of moments we grabbed a DeadZone mat and built a basic set up on top. In fact in truth we grabbed some assembled parts left over from different sections of the UK Expo show pieces and just cobbled them together… the terrain is good like that… and we were good to go in 5 minutes flat
Since we started the KS the comments and emails were full of happy DZ backers who were dying to grab some BSL terrain, but also wanted to see how it all worked with our stuff. The DZ mat is actually 600mm x 600mm, exactly the same size as our 9 floor tiles layout. Here are some photos of the set up so you can see the grid layout.
A full set up with the DZ mat A full set up with the DZ mat
Close up of a corner show part used grid square Close up of a corner show part used grid square
Aerial view 1 Aerial view 1
View 2, zoomed out a little. Yes we did not clip the bridge on we were tired.
Turbines fit nicely in a single square and generally everything works well. There are areas where you don't have a full square, but I guess this is just like having a part square that is full of cargo etc. The mat works really well and we looking at a game mat for the Fantasy range so this was an important test for us.
Assembly video…
We are compiling the last of the videos and will have these out to you before you receive your goodies, including an essential basic guide to remind you of the import things you need to do when you first unpack your set. We will stick this right here in the updates and also it will live on our website… It will cover set care, adjusting slots and similar and will be a short and sharp video, along the lines of a quick start guide.
Website…
Wayne has been chained to his chair working on our website. We are updating it to focus on the physical terrain and generally tidy it with new images and menus. Our website is already pretty nifty, but Wayne is a perfectionist - He did actually break the chains in a fit of web code frustration and escaped, so I built up an enclosure from the sci-fi walls and glued them. It's only card at the end of the day, but Wayne can't bring himself to break them (Colin is so stingy with the terrain I was delighted to get any at all even if it was as a prison - Wayne).
So the website will be ready for the product release.
Really excited to get my pledge. This update also convinced me to look more seriously into Deadzone as I always hear it's a well made rule set.
I was hoping to use my existing model collection and this fine terrain system. So I'd just have to buy the rules and the mat.
Unfortunately it seems the rules for the factions are only contained within the core box and the units themselves. Presumably to prevent the use of third party miniatures. (Which I find rather amusing given how Mantic got started)
BlaxicanX wrote: A young business man named Tom Kirby, who was a pupil of mine until he turned greedy, helped the capitalists hunt down and destroy the wargamers. He betrayed and murdered Games Workshop.
2014/07/05 03:03:31
Subject: Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
I've seen the rulebooks available for sale individually at discount games store in the US. I wouldn't be surprised if they showed up on mantics ebook store when the game is fully released in a couple months. ATM there's just a story compendium I think and Dreadball rules (Dreadball is also awesome btw).
2014/07/05 03:38:02
Subject: Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
Yeah, i think what *looks* like them being all proprietary about it now, is maybe more of a things not catching up. I'm fairly sure you'll see the rules go up on their site eventually, i know the kings of war rules are, could someone else comment on dreadball, i've never looked. The cards are a bit tricky, though i wonder if they don't offer spare/replacement decks eventually... if the never do, then you are right it's a bit odd of a move for them.
Really excited for this, gotta reign it in though since this being on the boat means we're still in for a fair wait. Quite pleased with how good it looks on the dz mat as well.
2014/07/05 06:58:08
Subject: Battle Systems Terrain Kickstarter - Updates thread
Haha yeah something like that. I used a not 100% square terrain feature in my last game of dead zone, I think a sparse layout of bs terrain would be pretty easy to use with out modification, the more of the mat you could see , the easier.
)
