Dice Production Issues | Production Update
11 months ago – Wed, May 24, 2023 at 12:34:08 PM

Hello Backer!

Shortly after our last update, I received an email from the factory with pictures of the finished dice. Unfortunately, the dice were not produced with the pearlescent effect nor were the symbols embossed and paint-filled on the dice. The dice were plain, solid colors and the symbols were printed on them. Here are some pictures:

After telling my project manager that the dice were incorrect, it quickly became apparent that we had a major miscommunication during pre-production. Fixing this mistake was going to cost an amount of money that I just simply do not have.

Even though I sent multiple pictures of exactly how the dice needed to be (pearlescent with embossed symbols) my project manager did not price them accurately. Instead, I was given the price of solid color dice with printed symbols and the difference in price was in the thousands.

After speaking with one of the company's American sales reps on the phone, I was informed that each project manager is supposed to include an English-speaking American employee in each email so that misunderstandings like this are caught before they become major mistakes in production.

Even though the factory has admitted that the fault is theirs, we have yet to come up with an affordable solution that will result in the dice being corrected. Not to mention that time is also a major factor in this situation. 

What's Next?

I must say that, even though we are still discussing possibilities, the probability of the dice being corrected is small. Spirit Duels is a passion project of mine. I am more than willing to do anything I can to make it all that I've dreamed of it being, but I simply can not afford to fix this mistake. The good news is that this doesn't affect gameplay at all and is a purely cosmetic issue.

I have been assigned a new project manager, who is communicating with me in a much faster manner than my previous one. As our conversation on the matter progresses, I will be sure to update you.

On a more positive note, production on the other components is progressing flawlessly. The paper components are still on track to be completed by the end of this month. Here is a video I was sent of a few of the Spirit cards:

Lastly, the plastic insert is going through (hopefully) one more round of revisions. The single flat wall needs to be a bit higher so that it is the same height as the outer walls. This will prevent any components that it contains from escaping.

I'd like to end this update by apologizing for this turn of events. I am trying my best to correct the issue in the fastest way possible. Again, I will update you as much as possible as things are progressing. 

See you in the next update!

- Daniel

Mass Production Has Begun! | April Update
12 months ago – Tue, May 02, 2023 at 12:45:04 PM

Hey there, backer! A lot has happened in the last month! I am a bit behind on posting an update because I was waiting on the factory to confirm a few things before I updated you. Let's jump right in!

I'm excited to announce that mass production on Spirit Duels has started! This includes playmats and all paper and cardboard components. After communicating with the factory, we decided bypassing a preproduction prototype and proceeding with mass production would be best. Since colors and sizes have been approved, there wasn't much left to review on a prototype. I have been given a tentative ship date of May 28th. This would be when the units ship from the factory overseas to distribution. I would hold this date loosely since the dice and the plastic insert still need approval.

They are currently producing the first proof of dice. I should receive some photos of those within the next week or so. Once I receive the photos, I'll either approve them for mass production or request revisions. Either way, I'll post an update and show them to you.

I have received photos of the first plastic insert proof! Here they are:

As you can see, there are a total of 12 cavities for storing cards. One for each Class (9), plus an extra 3 :) Then, there are two larger cavities for storing dice and tokens. I requested a single revision for this proof. The larger cavity's wall needs to be higher and it doesn't need to be concaved so that it can store dice and tokens without them escaping the cavity. 

That's all for this update. Hopefully, you will hear from me more often as production ramps up on the game. Again, once I receive pictures of the dice, I'll be sure to update you! I've also requested some in-production photos of the paper components to share too.

See you then!

- Daniel

Color Samples and More | March Update
about 1 year ago – Mon, Mar 20, 2023 at 08:05:17 AM

Hello! Another month has passed which brings in another update on Spirit Duels! I've got a few exciting things to cover this month!

Unfortunately, I still do not have a prototype in hand. In an effort to save time in the long run and reduce the number of potential prototypes that need to be made, we opted to have some color samples printed off before we shipped a full prototype overseas.

These samples allow us to ensure that each file's color profiles are correct and produce the desired colors. After viewing the first round of color samples, we made a few adjustments and the factory is now working on a new round of color samples. 

They are also working on a "white sample". This white sample contains all of the components cut to size without being printed. This allows us to check sizes and dimensions.

Again, both of these steps allow us to reduce the number of possible issues we may find in the prototype. 

And last but not least, the playmats have been approved for printing and are now in mass production!

Communication with the factory is slow, due to the differing time zones we are in, but things are progressing!

That's all for this month's update! See you in the next one!

- Daniel

A Quick Update | January / February Update
about 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 01, 2023 at 09:53:15 AM

Hello! As always, I hope this update finds you well and that you are remaining as excited for Spirit Duels as I am! Unfortunately, I do not have much to report as of now. However, I wanted to stop in and provide some insight into the past month or so.

Our goal was to have the prototype complete and on its way to me before January. We knew that once January hit, the Chinese New Year would begin and the factory would shut down for all of January as the employees enjoyed their vacation holiday. I was told that COVID had broken out in the factory in late December, sending many employees home and forcing us to miss our goal of having the prototype complete before the month-long vacation. 

Their holiday ends on February 4th and I am being told that the prototype will be completed soon after. I would expect to have it in my hands before the end of February. 

It's important to note that in our original production timeline, we did plan for a month of downtime due to the Chinese New Year holiday - so this isn't an unexpected delay. As long as we do not need to spend too much time revising the prototype, Spirit Duels should still be on track for delivery in the Summer of 2023.

Again, as soon as the prototype is in my hands, you will be hearing from me!

See you then!

- Daniel

Prototyping Begins (For Real This Time!) | December Update
over 1 year ago – Tue, Dec 13, 2022 at 05:33:35 PM

Hello and happy holidays! I hope you are doing well and enjoying this time of year! I only have a few things to report for this month, but exciting things nonetheless! Let's get to it!

Prototyping Has Begun!

I'm happy to report that every component has been finalized and sent over to our manufacturer for print! Whew! I didn't realize how tedious and time-consuming it would be, but here we are. I am told that a prototype should be finished and on its way to me in the next 10 days or so. Hopefully, this prototype will be "print-ready" - or close to it - and we can jump straight to mass production. 

If all goes pretty smoothly during the prototyping phase, we will still be on schedule for a July 2023 delivery - possibly sooner!

I am beyond excited to get this prototype in hand. I just can't wait to see all the components in person - especially the dice!

Box Art Update

At the last minute, we made a decision to update the art for the game box. As good as the art we had was, I just didn't feel like it accurately portrayed the art or style of the components players will find inside the box.  On top of that, we had to make some changes to the dimensions of the box that didn't work well with the previous illustration. Here's the new box:

What do you think? Still similar to what we had, but with extra effects and details added in! Douglas has truly done an excellent job bringing the world of Spirit Duels to life. We've also got a few surprises inside the box that I can't wait for you to see!

That's all for this month's update! As soon as the prototype gets to my door I will be posting an update with pictures and details! 

See you then!

- Daniel