Top 100 and Pax U
over 7 years ago – Thu, Nov 29, 2018 at 10:52:58 PM

Palm Island has been included in the 2018 People's Choice Top 100 Solo Games list. This list has some great solo games. I am honored to be included in this list. If you enjoy Palm Island as a solo game give it a thumbs up. https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/248275/item/6542870#item6542870

By this time everyone should have their game or be on our list to be resolved. There are still a few shipments who have been having issues with customs including customs agency strikes. I am sorry for these issues. We are doing all that we can to resolve these problems. If you have not received your pledge reward and have not contacted us yet please email [email protected]

Pax Unplugged This weekend we are out in Pennsylvania at Pax Unplugged. If you are at the convention please stop by and see us at booth 2155.

Most shipments complete.
over 7 years ago – Sun, Oct 14, 2018 at 02:11:24 AM

By this time most people have received their games. There are a few still caught in customs and on their way. If you have any issues with damages or missing pieces please contact me directly ([email protected]) and I will help to resolve these issues. 

Replacement Cards

I have ordered the replacement cards and they are being produced with my new manufacturer. I am very optimistic about this new manufacturer. They have had great communication and their samples look very nice. These will take a while to ship as I will be shipping by sea. 

I will post an update when I have more info on when they should be arriving but it is looking like we will get them in December and begin shipping at that time. 

I have also updated the Print and Play which most of you should have received an email from BackerKit are will be getting one soon. These files that were emailed have all of the cards for the full game. I have also prepared a few docs to save ink. 

All Updated Cards

Reference Card Only

It has been awesome seeing so many shares on social media and photos on BGG. I am thrilled with the response and so glad that so many of you are enjoying the game. The ratings on BGG. Since fulfillment started, Palm Island has climbed 2000 rankings and over 5000 plays logged on BGG. Thank you to everyone who has rated the game.

Once again thank you all for your support and your patience through this process. As a designer/artist/publisher I know there will be bumps along the road. As I develop more relationships with partners in manufacturing and shipping I hope to reduce these issues with my future projects (the next of which will have info very soon). However, I am extremely grateful for all of you joining me in this adventure and making this whole thing possible. 

Thank You,
Jon Mietling
Portal Dragon

The Last Shipments have Departed!
over 7 years ago – Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 12:47:50 AM

It is with great excitement that I can now officially announce that all shipments are on their way to backers. I received this email last night:

"A good portion went out on Saturday and the remainder went out today. I believe that all shipping information was also sent to all the backers today. " -VFI

This is so exciting after all of the delays. I wish I was able to make things move faster but it was out of my hands. This is all still a learning process for me. In fact, I expect to never stop learning and improving. I have been making more connections and found some good relationships to help with shipping and also my new manufacturer that is printing the replacement cards as well as the 2nd run of Palm Island has been very responsive and I am very optimistic there. I cannot promise that there will be no mistakes in the future but I am always committed to making things right with open and honest communication through the entire process. 

EU shipments

There has been some confusion with the shipping classes. We had two pledge levels that EU backers could use. The EU friendly shipping cost more money and shipped from within the EU. If you used this you should have your game by now. Otherwise, your shipment is on its way now. 

Replacement Cards

We are working on printing the replacement cards through our new manufacturer. The previous factory has still not responded to me about our refund so I will not work with them again and do not trust them to produce the replacement cards. This will cause a bit of a delay with these cards. We will ship them out as soon as we get them. The new manufacturer has told me that they will match the build of the previous cards. You will get these cards in a separate shipment from your game in order to get you playing faster. The cards will not keep you from playing the game. The errors mainly affect sorting. The reference card is the only that could cause an issue. Please refer to the feat cards themselves to resolve any problems with the reference card.

Issues or problems

If you ever have any issues or problems please contact me at [email protected] or message me through the Kickstarter. I will do my best to resolve any problems that may arise. I apologize for any comments that get missed. Sometimes these can get lost in the long chain of alerts I receive. Email and KS messages are the best way to get ahold of me. 

Thank you all once again for your support.
Jon Mietling
Portal Dragon

Shipping Progress Update
over 7 years ago – Thu, Sep 13, 2018 at 12:59:40 AM

This update is to all those who have not received their shipments yet.

If your pledge does not specifically say "EU friendly" then your shipment falls into this category even if you are in the EU.

I understand the delays are frustrating. Please understand that I am feeling frustrated as well. I have paid for products with a seemingly reputable manufacturer who was very responsive up until the point where I gave them the deposit on the job. From that point, communication dropped drastically. They delayed the project again and again with little to no reasoning given. When they finally finished the order they were supposed to prep 3 shipments. The two went out to the EU and to the USA and I still have no answer as to why the 3rd shipment did not leave at the same time. I received the shipment in the USA and found hundreds of damaged products. Spiral Galaxy reported the same issue. To add insult to injury we paid for expedited shipping on these damaged products. I reported the damages to the manufacturer and after they denied the issues and blamed it on the shippers they finally checked the shipment that the still had not sent (still no answer why it was still there). They found 30% of these were damaged as well. I finally got the shipment off to VFI for the 3rd shipment and they are packing the shipments up. I email VFI every day asking for updates. They report that they are packing but have not shipped yet. In addition to all of this, the manufacturer has sent fewer products to each location than were ordered. They are refusing to produce replacement cases for the damaged all-weather cases so I have been forced to find another manufacturer to produce replacement waterproof cases in a pinch. The original manufacturer is also refusing to refund me for the damaged products. I am still trying to resolve these issues with them. Needless to say, I will not be working with that manufacturer in the future. I have tried to be polite not using their name through this process to give them a chance to make things right which I am still waiting to see. I have a new manufacturer who is producing the replacement cards as I do not trust my previous manufacturer.

The replacements are a separate issue. This was a mistake that I made. Though they are minor I want everyone to have a complete copy of the game as it should be. On top of all the other issues, I could not afford to send the replacement cards free of charge to every backer. We are charging $1 but we only see $0.60 of that due to credit card fees. Even with this small fee, I am still taking a huge loss on the replacements. The orders for the replacements defined the quantity I needed to print. I am ordering many extras so you can still get them if you have not yet. I have found a new manufacturer, gotten quotes and samples. I have sent the files and we will be producing and shipping them as soon as possible.

I am available to all backers personally responding to every issue and question. I am doing everything I can to get these shipments moving forward. I understand the frustrations with the delays. I also appreciate your feedback. I do not want anyone to feel like they cannot express the way they feel through this process. I do want you to know the facts and that I am in no way ignoring or prioritizing backers. Though at this point another apology is redundant I am sorry and I hope my actions reflect that as well.

I hope to have more info soon.

Thank you,
Jon Mietling
Portal Dragon LLC

Shipping Info, Replacements, and Contest results.
over 7 years ago – Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 11:55:57 PM

"Rest of the World" Shipping update 

I just got news this morning that the Rest of the World shipment left on Saturday for VFI. I contacted VFI they have received the shipment, we confirmed all of our details and I hope the individual shipments get on their way very soon.

Many backers receiving delivery in the EU have commented or contacted me. Unless your pledge name says "EU Friendly" you should not have gotten an email notification or a package. This will be rectified soon.

I am very sorry for this as I know these will be some of the "longer" shipments as well. The original plan was to have these shipments on their way while the USA and EU were awaiting the air freight. This would have hopefully caused all shipments to arrive in roughly the similar timeframes. Factory delays and then a final reinspection of the shipment after reported damages in the EU and USA shipments delayed this further. Though they did find a couple hundred damaged units and kept them from being passed on to backers. All in all, I understand that it is very frustrating and I am very sorry for all the delays. I am very thankful for all the patience that has been shown by our backers and I am very excited that your games are one step closer to making it in your hands.

Replacements 

If you have been watching the comments or discussion on BGG you may have seen talk about card replacements. There are 5 cards that have minor errors. These mistakes do not hinder gameplay. The worst of these is the reference card. On the side that lists the Feats, there is one incorrect icon and another incorrect number. The other 4 card errors are missing icons that are only used during sorting. 2 feats are missing their unlock symbols and the chief cards are missing their villager icons. I am sorry for these unfortunate mistakes. As it stands we cannot afford a full replacement and shipment. The solution we came up with is a $1 replacement order. This is available through our website for those who are interested. For $1 we will ship the 5 replacement cards anywhere in the world. This does not cover the cost but will help with the shipping. This is available for Backers and Pre-Orders only. You must include your backer number or the email attached to your pledge as well as a paper or plastic card type in the order notes while checking out. You can order yours here: http://portaldragon.com/product/palm-island-replacment-cards/. I am working to produce these replacements now and the available quantity will be based on the initial response. In addition, I will bring these to cons to give to backers free of charge.

Launch Email Sign-Up Contest Results

We had 224 signups for the Portal Dragon Launch Email List. Thank you so much for all of your participation. Jose Perez Aranda and Matt Jones were drawn as the winners and will receive Palm Island water bottles. 

Thank you all once again,
Jon Mietling
Portal Dragon LLC