Freight Update and Pledge Manager Closing Soon
about 1 year ago – Mon, Dec 11, 2023 at 03:37:04 AM

Greetings, Plague Doctors!

We hope you are all well and getting ready for the holiday season. Let's dive into this update!

Tracking Links аnd info for the ships

Please find below the updated ETA and tracking of all vessels that carry Pest items. 

US Ship Tracking - According to our factory, this vessel's ETA is 27th Dec. According to the tracking link, it is now bound for the Panama Canal and should reach it around 19th Dec.

EU Ship - According to our factory, this vessel's ETA is also 27th Dec, and according to the tracking link, it is now headed for the Suez Canal. 

UK Ship - Unfortunately, we don't have any updated ETA for this vessel (the first ETA was 18th of Dec), but according to the tracking link, it looks like it should make the first ETA.

AU Ship - Looks like this vessel is already docked at the Melbourne Port! This is great news, as we expect to be contacted by the forwarder company to arrange for delivery/pickup. 

All in all, it looks like all the ships should reach their respective ports by the end of the year, which is fantastic! We are also doing everything that needs to be done in cooperation with our fulfillment partners to ensure the smooth arrival of goods in the respective warehouses around the world. 

Pledge Manager Closing

With that being said, we are preparing to close the pledge manager this Friday (15th of December). We are closing a bit earlier to start preparing the fulfillment lists, so please make sure you complete your survey by then so you can receive your pledge. Thank you for this and for understanding!

If you need to change your address, please do so as soon as possible in the pledge manager, thank you.

Estimated Fulfillment Timeline 

We estimate that we can start fulfillment for the regions of US/CA, EU, UK, and some ROW countries in January/February, depending on the fulfillment queues of QML, Happyshops, and Spiral Galaxy Games.  

As for AU/Asia, we estimate that we can start fulfillment a bit earlier, but we would again say January is the most probable start. 

Please note that the above fulfillment timeline is estimated and may change.

As you can see, all of this puts us in a position to fulfill the game earlier than we estimated at the start of the campaign! Again, please note unforeseen delays may happen and if they do, you will be notified, of course, via our updates.

Support Email

If you have any problems with the pledge manager or other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. We will reply to you as soon as possible.

We are very happy to share news like this update because that means we will soon put your games in your hands! As always, we thank you so much for all the support and understanding during this project!

Until the next update!

- Archona Games Team

Manufacturing Completed + Sea Freight Schedule
about 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 09, 2023 at 01:09:27 AM

We are expecting to receive the tracking info for the ships soon, so as soon as we have them all, we will post them in another update. Stay tuned for this info!

Please note that the above schedule is for the sea freight of the games from our factory in China to our warehouses, not to your door. The fulfillment of the games to your addresses will start as soon as we have the games in the warehouses and we've done the necessary preparations for them with our warehouse partners. We will have more info for you when the time comes for this step.

PLEDGE MANAGER IS STILL OPEN

The pledge manager will be open most likely until the end of this year. We ask you to please complete it by the end of December or possibly sooner. If you can't find your pledge manager link, you can retrieve it here: https://pest.backerkit.com/

If you are having any problems with the pledge manager, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. We will reply to you as soon as possible.

As the end of this journey draws near, we are so excited for you to start receiving your Pest packages! As always, we thank you so much for all the support and understanding during this project! 

Until the next update.

- Archona Games Team

Manufacturing Update + Other News
over 1 year ago – Thu, Sep 21, 2023 at 09:47:58 AM

Greetings plague doctors! 

We hope you are all doing well! It's time for another update we hope you will enjoy, so let's dive in!

 MASS PRODUCTION ALMOST COMPLETE 

We are very happy to inform you that the mass production of Pest is nearly finished! Besides the final components, we are currently waiting to complete the re-production of some cards due to the identification of a manufacturing error. We hope the factory will resolve this issue quickly, and we will have the game ready pretty soon, probably in the next month or so! We hope to give you another update pretty soon.

MASS PRODUCTION PHOTOS

That being said, we have some mass production copy photos for you, and we are very happy to share them with you!

To see more photos, we kindly ask you to check out the latest post in our Pest Facebook Group here. We really hope you like what you are seeing here and are more than excited to get these items to your tables!

 Extra AU$2 Charging REFUND 

Many of you had written us about the extra AU$2 we charged for the Deluxe pledge. We hadn't realized this error until we launched the pledge manager, and many of you pointed it out. We apologize for this error. We want to assure you that this issue has been addressed, and we have refunded all pledges affected by this. So, this is all resolved now.

PLEDGE MANAGER IS STILL OPEN

The pledge manager will be open for an extra month or so, most likely until Nov/Dec. Don't miss your chance to join the wave, and complete your Pest pledge to join the rest of the plague doctors in curing the empire of the plague!

Just to reming you, if you can't find your pledge manager link, you can retrieve it here: https://pest.backerkit.com/

If you are having any problems with the pledge manager please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] we will reply to you as soon as possible.

Join us at Essen Spiel

We are also more than happy to share that we will be attending Essen Spiel this year! If you are visiting, make sure to stop by our booth 4-J108, and we will be happy to hang out and play a game or two with you!

If you want to support us further, please make sure to like all the games in the Spiel Preview list here, it would mean a lot to us!

Demonstrator needed

If you are by any chance interested in demoing our games at our booth, please check this link and make sure to apply! We offer paid hours and some other perks, described at the link. If you apply, we will contact you as soon as possible!

And finally, in case you missed the news...

Philharmonix Coming soon to KS

We are happy to say that our upcoming game Philharmonix will hit Kickstarter soon!

Manage your space orchestra as they perform in the orbit of beautiful planets. Acquire and train new musicians to reach their full potential. Please the patrons that sponsor these concerts with your harmonious performances and tour the galaxy to gain fans that love your music. 

Follow our Kickstarter here, and make sure you get notified when we launch this worker-placement game of space orchestra management for 1-4 players!

Stay tuned for more updates on Pest, and feel free to share your thoughts and excitement with us.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer support email [email protected] and we will be more than happy to assist you.

Thanks for your ongoing support!

- Archona Games Team

Pledge Manager FAQ
over 1 year ago – Fri, Jul 21, 2023 at 02:24:54 AM

Greetings, plague doctors!

Our team might be small, but we've been working tirelessly to ensure that every single aspect of the game meets the highest standards. That's why we're excited to bring you another update on Pest and the pledge manager.

FINAL RULEBOOK (ENG and DE)

The latest rulebook for Pest is now available for you to check out. We’ve put much effort into making it comprehensive, ensuring that every aspect of the game is covered. You can find the rulebooks here:

English Rulebook  German Rulebook 

UPGRADING YOUR $1 PLEDGE

We received some questions about how you can upgrade your pledge; for many of you, it seems like the button for upgrading is not there. If that's the case, here are a few simple steps how you can achieve that:

1. Click this button here:

2. You will see a pop-up window, then click on this button in the upper right corner: 

3. Now you can upgrade your pledge as you desire:

Can't find your survey link?

If you can find your survey link in your inbox or spam/junk folder, you can retrieve your survey link here: https://pest.backerkit.com/

Pledge manager end date

Please note that the pledge upgrade will be open until the end of September/beginning of October so we ask of you to complete your survey as quickly as possible. 

GERMAN VERSION OF PEST

For our German-speaking backers who are looking forward to the German version of the game, we are thrilled to offer it in your language. Please make sure to select the appropriate language option in the pledge manager to ensure you receive the correct version.

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing of Pest is going full speed ahead! For those of you interested in the manufacturing process, here are some photos straight from the factory!

SHIPPING AND VAT CLARIFICATION

In the last update, we mentioned that the costs for EU shipping have increased by $2-4. We made a mistake by claiming that particular increase of rate in that update, and we apologize for that.  Thanks for bringing that to our attention. The shipping rates in the pledge manager are all correct.  The correct increase of the EU shipping rate is +US$2 Pest pledge level / +US$12 for Deluxe pledge level from the Kickstarter estimation.

Please believe us when we say that this is the best we can do regarding shipping rates, and it is based upon quotes and estimations that we receive from our fulfillment partners. The game and other items (especially the deluxe pack) turned out a bit heavier than we expected, and that also affected the change.

Again, we truly apologize if this increase has caused you any inconvenience. If you don't want to accept the shipping increase and complete the pledge manager, we are happy to offer you a full refund on your pledge. For refunds, please contact [email protected]. Please note that because we've received a few more support tickets than usual, it may take a bit more time to respond. Again, thanks for your understanding!

Regarding VAT, please understand that we are working according to EU laws. This means that we have to charge VAT on the total order (including shipping). This is all according to the law. 

We are extremely grateful for your huge support so far and going into the pledge manager, and we really can't wait to get this game in your hands! Thank you for being true supporters throughout the whole journey!

Again, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Wishing you a great weekend filled with awesome games!
- Your Archona Games Team

Pledge Manager is now OPEN! (and something completely new)
over 1 year ago – Mon, Jul 17, 2023 at 03:01:32 PM

Greetings, esteemed plague doctors! We are about to have quite a long update, so make sure you stay with us till the end.

Pledge Manager is now OPEN!

We're absolutely thrilled to announce the launch of our BackerKit pledge manager surveys! Once again, we have partnered with BackerKit to ensure a seamless process for collecting the necessary information to fulfill your well-deserved rewards. We couldn't be more excited!

Here are a few tips on how the pledge manager works that provide you with some essential details you need to know. Keep an eye on your inbox, as you'll soon receive an email from us containing a direct link to your personalized BackerKit survey. In the event that you don't see it, we kindly ask you to check your spam/junk folder, as it may have found its way there.

We also kindly request that you respond to your survey as promptly as possible. Your swift action in providing the requested information is vital for us to fulfill your rewards without any delays. The survey itself should only take a few minutes of your valuable time to complete.

 FEW IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Creating a BackerKit account is not necessary to complete your survey. Simply click the survey link provided in the email to respond.
• Within the survey, you'll have the opportunity to specify your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and even purchase additional items if desired.
• It's worth noting that you can revisit your survey and modify your shipping address at any time before the survey closes and orders are locked in.
• If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can access your survey by clicking the survey link in the email or by requesting your survey link here.
• If you have used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, please note, the BackerKit survey will be sent to the email address associated with your Facebook account.
   

BASE GAME AND EVENT CARDS PACK LANGUAGE OPTIONS

 
As we previously mentioned in our update, we are delighted to fulfill our promise of providing Pest (and the Event Cards Pack) in both English and German for this campaign!

If you have selected a pledge level that includes the base game or the deluxe pledge, our pledge manager will present you with a choice between English and German versions. It is essential to pay close attention to these specific questions to ensure that each backer receives their desired language version of the game.

OUR OTHER GAMES AND EXPANSIONS WITH A DISCOUNT!

As valued backers, we are pleased to extend exclusive pricing on most of our range of in-stock products. This means you have the opportunity to enjoy special prices on additional items beyond your initial pledge. We believe this is a great way to show our appreciation for your support and offer you even more value.

Feel free to explore our available in-stock products and take advantage of the special backer prices in the pledge manager.

Please be aware that some items in our inventory have limited quantities. 

ATTENTION RETAILERS!

First of all, allow us to say that we love working with retailers! Thank you for backing this campaign as a retailer and for your interest in stocking your stores with the Pest products! If you are a retailer backer, we kindly ask you to reach out to us at [email protected]. You will receive a link to our special retailer portal webstore, where you can buy your desired items at what we believe is great pricing for retail stores. 

NEW PLEDGE MANAGER RELEASE!

We have been keeping this quiet for so long, but finally, the cat's out of the bag!

We are thrilled to announce the official release of "Light in the Dark," a travel-friendly, solo dungeon-crawler game set in the Pest world with game design by our very own Kai Starck, one of the designers of Pest! And the best part? It is now available in the pledge manager as a special pledge manager release, with 50% OFF the standard price and FREE SHIPPING!

Here's a short description of the game and some photos:

"In Light in the Dark, you are a plague doctor on a mission to heal a region from the plague while fighting monsters and bandits. Complete quests and gain powerful abilities to overcome increasingly difficult challenges. Will you succeed in bringing light to the darkness?"

We are more than happy to be sharing this new game with you, and we hope that you will enjoy it as much as you will enjoy Pest! 

ADDITIONAL SHIPPING RATE & CURRENCY INFO
 Due to the recent updates in shipping fees provided to us by our fulfillment partners, we are regretful to say that we will be adjusting the shipping prices in the pledge manager accordingly for the two pledges. 

Some regions, like the US will receive $6-8 increase depending on the pledge level. EU is going to be $2-4 more expensive and Canada will see increases of about $6-10 depending on the pledge. 

Again, we apologize for any inconvenience caused by this change. Unfortunately, we simply cannot sustain a lower shipping rate than what is actually provided by our fulfillment partners. As you know, we always try to be transparent as much as possible and we thought we should let you know about this firsthand. We always strive to provide the best service and ensure your orders are delivered promptly. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

Another quick heads up: As you know, we are an Australian registered company, and the pledge manager naturally is in Australian Dollars (AU$). So, when you're making your choices and finalizing your order, all prices will be shown in AU$. We apologize if this causes any confusion. 

And finally, as always, if you have any questions regarding the surveys or need help, feel free to reach out to us in the comments or at [email protected]. We will try to help you asap. 

We are one step closer towards the end of this journey with you and one step closer to fulfilling your games! Thank you so much for your support and trust you have given us so far! 

With much love and respect,

- Archona Games Team