What has been happening since the Pledge Manager opened?
11 months ago – Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 03:07:47 AM

Hello everyone. It's been a few weeks since our last update; however, we wanted to give you plenty of time to complete your pledges uninterrupted. 

This looks to have worked as, so far, we have 560 completed pledges out of 656, which is 85% done. Thank you. Being this diligent provides us with a really good idea of how much product we will need to produce. Yes, it's a lot!

If you're one of the 15% who hasn't finalised your pledge yet and needs a reminder of what to do, check out the walkthrough provided via an earlier update which can be found here.

TOP FIVE MOST POPULAR BACKER CHOICES

The current numbers indicate the top five most popular choices, not including the new rulebook or tokens, are:

1. Citizens of Rome plastic box set

2. Mob 2

3. Starter Bundle Ganger Fighters

4. Vigiles Urbani with big sticks!

5. Vigiles Urbani halt!

NB: If the rulebook and tokens were included, they would have filled the number one and number two slot. 

 THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN UP TO. WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?

A lot of our creative focus has been directed towards finishing off the new rulebook. Although all the rules have been agreed upon and signed off, the manuscript needs to be finalised, along with lots of new photography. 

The core rules section is in the process of a final write-up and will be winging its way over to Steve Beckett in the coming weeks to be laid out. While he works on that section, we will be finalising the Advanced section.  

To get us to this point in the project, a lot of playtesting has been taking place, which has proven to be a lot of fun, and we are confident that you will appreciate how the version two rules play.  

One thing playtesting has revealed is a need to add an additional five tokens as general markers. Recently in our games, we have been using them to indicate dodgy building structures, but they have also proven to be handy if you need to highlight something to both players during a particular scenario that isn't an objective.

That's all for now. Don't forget the intention is to lock all completed pledges at the end of August, which means there is still plenty of time. Our plan is to charge extra card payments the following day, on the 1st of September, 2023. If you pay using PayPal, you will be charged immediately.

If you have any questions or need any help, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

- TEAM FOOTSORE (join the Gangs of Rome Facebook Group)

NB: Please remember that answering your survey promptly helps us get your pledge out to you faster. BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organisation, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process shipments.

PROPOSED TIMELINE

If everything goes to plan, this is our planned timeline for this campaign:

• March 2023 - Kickstarter Campaign
• May - August 2023 - Pledge Manager
• End of August 2023 - Lock Pledge Manager
• July 2023, August 2023 to November 2023 - Production
• End of January 2024 - Despatched for Delivery

Citizens of Rome - GoR Plastic Box Set
12 months ago – Tue, May 09, 2023 at 07:33:28 AM

Today's update provides an opportunity to share further information regarding the plastic box set and touch on PayPal, as a payment option, in the pledge manager. We also want to take the opportunity to say a big thank you, half of all backers have already completed their survey, which is fantastic.

CITIZENS OF ROME PLASTIC BOX SET

With the pledge manager going live, we felt we needed to be able to share what the new plastic box could potentially look like. The image below shows an initial version using a section of the fabulous Peter Dennis artwork. We think the final version will also show painted miniatures on the front, and therefore, we will be adding them.

With a large part of this Kickstarter being to fund the new plastics, we were able to push the go button when the stretch goal was reached. We are delighted to be able to share the following renders with you. The image currently shows all the "parts" that have been sculpted by Wargames Atlantic for this project. There will not be room on the plastic frame for everything, so we are currently choosing what to include.

This brand-new multi-plastic box set will have enough parts to make 30 miniatures, both gang fighters and mob members - it is your choice how they are assembled. The box will contain five plastic frames and 30x 25mm round bases. 

As part of the pledge manager, we have included a 3-box and a 5-box deal at a terrific saving.

PAYPAL - PAYMENT OPTION

There looks to have been an issue with PayPal when we went live. Although we connected it as a payment option, it appears to have been disconnected. If you have been waiting, it is now connected again, so if you want to use PayPal in the pledge manager, you can. If you have already completed your pledge using your card and want to use PayPal, you can pop back in and switch over. 

Remember, if using PayPal, you will be charged straight away. If you are using a debit or credit card, you will be charged the first week of September 2023.

If you have any questions or need any help, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

- TEAM FOOTSORE (join the Gangs of Rome Facebook Group)

NB: Please remember that answering your survey promptly helps us get your pledge out to you faster. BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organisation, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process shipments.

PROPOSED TIMELINE

If everything goes to plan, this is our planned timeline for this campaign:

• March 2023 - Kickstarter Campaign
• May 2023 - Pledge Manager
• August 2023 - Lock Pledge Manager
• July 2023, August 2023 to November 2023 - Production
• End of January 2024 - Despatched for Delivery

BackerKit surveys are coming! Get ready for your Pledge Manager email
about 1 year ago – Thu, May 04, 2023 at 04:07:25 AM

The good news is we are now ready to go. Kickstarter has completed its bit and transferred all pledge information into BackerKit, our pledge manager of choice. This update contains a lot of helpful information, so please read it. If you have any questions or need help, please message us. TEAM FOOTSORE are only too happy to help.

Kickstarter had an issue with eight backers being unable to complete their pledges. As we don't want anyone to miss out, we will be contacting each person individually to see if we can arrange something for them through BackerKit.

Over the next couple of days, you will be receiving an email from us, via the pledge manager, with a personal link to your BackerKit survey. It’s important to respond as swiftly as you can since we need this information to fulfil your pledge. 

To be able to send your pledge to you by the end of January 2024, we need you to have completed your survey by the 31st of August 2023.

 THE PLEDGE MANAGER SURVEY

When you receive and open your pledge manager email, click the button 'Click Here to Respond' to get started.  By doing so, you will be taken to the starter screen for your personal pledge survey.

Select 'Get Started!' to, funnily enough, get started, where you will be taken to the Questions screen. We haven't asked any questions here. We have taken the opportunity to thank you for your support and explain add-ons instead.

Next up is confirming any Add-ons you selected via Kickstarter. This is all done in the Add-ons section.

In the add-on section, you are also able to add extra items to your pledge, such as the new plastic box set.

We have also included quite a large selection of the current Gangs of Rome range. When you have finished, click 'NEXT', and you will be taken to the next screen and asked for your shipping address.

Enter your full name and postal address to calculate the correct cost of shipping. Shipping costs are based on pledge weight and shipping destination. Plus, all pledges will be sent using a trackable service.

Your shipping information will generate your postage and packaging costs and will be added to your pledge along with any extras for additional add-ons.  Any outstanding payment is expected on the 'confirmation' screen via credit/debit card or PayPal unless you have already added extra funds to your pledge amount to cover this.  

The final section provides you with the opportunity to confirm everything, pay any extra that is needed, and complete your pledge survey by clicking 'Place My Order!'

On 31st August 2023, we will lock completed backer pledges, which will be any that have completed all stages of the survey.  We plan to charge any extra card payments during the following day on the 1st of September, 2023. 

Locking pledges informs us of what we need to manufacture for the fulfilment, helping us to deliver on our goal of shipping all completed pledges by the end of January 2024. If you miss this end-of-August 2023 deadline, your pledge will likely be sent later than the end of January 2024.

Locking pledges also enables us to add all eligible digital freebies (STL file for the bases and the PDF of the rulebook), as, at this stage, we will be able to work out precisely what each pledge qualifies for.

We hope the above makes sense. If not, please ask questions, as we know, there is a lot to digest. Once again, thanks for all your support.  Stand by, and you will receive your pledge manager email in the next couple of days!

- TEAM FOOTSORE (join the Gangs of Rome Facebook Group)

NB: Please remember that answering your survey promptly helps us get your pledge out to you faster. BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organisation, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process shipments.

PROPOSED TIMELINE

If everything goes to plan, this is our planned timeline for this campaign:

• March 2023 - Kickstarter Campaign
• May 2023 - Pledge Manager
• August 2023 - Lock Pledge Manager
• July 2023, August 2023 to November 2023 - Production
• End of January 2024 - Despatched for Delivery

A Timely Update about the Gangs of Rome Pledge Manager
about 1 year ago – Mon, May 01, 2023 at 12:26:29 PM

As we enter into the month of May, you may be thinking, when will we get access to the pledge manager?

The good news is that it will be this week if everything goes as planned. The final step is to obtain approval from BackerKit, which we have asked them for today and can take up to two working days.

If you are not aware, BackerKit is the pledge manager we will be using and, in our opinion, one of the best, which is why we use it. BackerKit helps us to save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organisation, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process and keep track of your pledge shipments.  All pledge details you submitted during the Kickstarter campaign have been seamlessly transferred over and are already waiting for you. 

As soon as we get the green light, you will receive an invitation email sent to the same address as your Kickstarter email. This email will contain a private link to your pledge manager account. Logging in and submitting your responses is essential since we need this information to process your pledge.

If this is your first time, do not fear! On the day the pledge manager opens, we will send out a guide via another update explaining how it all works. It will include a detailed walkthrough, with images, explaining each step of the process. The Footsore Team will also be available throughout the entire process, with updates and on hand to provide individual help when needed.

So, in short, not long now until the Gangs of Rome pledge manager opens. We will notify you as soon as we are ready to go.

- TEAM FOOTSORE

6 days on, What Happens Next?
about 1 year ago – Thu, Apr 06, 2023 at 03:57:13 AM

Hello, everyone, we are almost a week on from the end of the Kickstarter, and we thought it would be helpful to send an update explaining what happens next.

KICKSTARTER COLLECTING YOUR PLEDGE AMOUNTS

When the Gangs of Rome campaign ended on Friday, the 31st of March, Kickstarter started collecting your pledge amounts, which they say can take up to two weeks.  Please check to make sure that your pledge has been collected successfully. You should receive an email from Kickstarter informing you if not. Currently, we have 8 backers with failed payments, so please check, as we would hate for anyone to miss out.

After two weeks, Kickstarter will transfer all pledge information over, enabling us to open the pledge manager. Until this happens, we all have to sit patiently and wait.

BACKERKIT: OUR PLEDGE MANAGER OF CHOICE

While Kickstarter does its thing, we are in the process of putting together the pledge manager. We think this will take about three weeks, so we aim to be ready by the end of April 2023.

If you haven't participated in a Kickstarter before, the pledge manager, when it opens, is where you check and manage your pledge, choose any extra add-ons/packs and spend any extra pledge money. It is like a self-contained Gangs of Rome Kickstarter website for this campaign.

When it opens, you will be given access via your Kickstarter email and be invited to confirm your pledge, which includes adding any extras. You will also be asked for further information we need, such as your postal address. 

Once you have made your final decisions and completed your pledge, the final cost of shipping will be calculated, based on total weight, and added. It's good to note that PayPal is a payment option within the pledge manager.

WHAT DO I DO WHEN EVERYTHING IS READY?

When the pledge manager is ready to go live, we will prepare a "How to..?" guide which will be shared as an update explaining how everything works. We will also be on hand for anyone who needs help.  If you want to contact us another way, not through Kickstarter, follow us on Facebook via our page, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/FootsoreMiniatures, you can message us directly there.

PREPARING YOUR PLEDGES

We will be manufacturing all the white metal miniatures ourselves and have already started to make production moulds. We want to be ready to start manufacturing in bulk as soon as you complete your pledges, enabling us to start shipping orders in a timely fashion.

We are in close contact with Wargames Atlantic regarding the Citizens of Rome plastic box set. As more news and views become available, we will share them as progress updates.

The contents of the new rulebook are currently being finalised and completed before handing over to Steve Becket (Miniature Giant) for layout. You will be able to follow progress via the future updates we plan to share with you.

That's all for now. While we wait, if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us.

- TEAM FOOTSORE