Hello once again, Energy Empire: Cold War backers :)
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Jun 25, 2021 at 05:05:02 AM

This is David from Grail Games again, just running through where we are at with Cold War's production and fulfilment.

Gaining access to your contact details...

This still has not progressed to completion. As the weeks start to slip past, we are looking at alternatives to gather everyone's details again. The main issue is that we will end up with tons of work if we want to offer late pledges/updates to pledges/changes to pledges as we don't have a system set up to collect and collate thousands of people's details and requests from different places (and be sure we've got everyone!), hence our reliance on Kickstarter and pledge managers. But we are actively looking into this and will let you know ASAP if we have decided on a plan other than just waiting for paperwork, etc., to be resolved.

The production files...

These are now 100% complete so we will be ready to print once we know how many to make etc. :) Once the above issue is resolved, things should move rather quickly.

Print-and-play version...

Because the print files are now ready we can look at releasing the promised pnp files to backers. I am not sure of the best format for this yet, nor what everyone is hoping for and expecting. If you have thoughts, please comment below. We will get this out to backers ASAP.

Contacting us...

I mentioned this a couple of updates ago, but if you missed it, please do not message us through Kickstarter (if you need to). KS have not given us access to direct messaging for this campaign (yet). Please comment or email [email protected]

Thanks a gain for your patience, I will update you again next week (if not before)! We'll get there... :)

- David

Grail Games

Progress update: June 8, 2021
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 07:41:07 PM

Hello again, Energy Empire: Cold War backers :)

This is David from Grail Games, just running through where we are at with Cold War's production and fulfilment.

Gaining access to your contact details...

As discussed at length last update, we still do not have access to the backer report (your details). Without this we cannot contact backers, deliver games to backers, nor confirm what you are expecting to receive. Kickstarter need to feel sure that Grail is now the owner of this data and that Minion Games no longer is. It is taking a while, but I feel their request is fair and it is a good thing that KS is careful with sharing private info. I will let you know when we have movement on this front.

The production files...

These have been checked by our terrific designers. They found a few small errors that wouldn't have affected gameplay but we have the time to fix these things so of course, we will. Once that is done, it's off to the printers for their checks!

In conclusion...

Again, I was hoping this week's update was going to be announcing the launch of the pledge manager but that will have to wait a little more. Please know that we are still here and still working on the game! Sorry for these delays. We are planning the pledge manager and will have it ready to go once we are able to launch it.

Thanks a gain for your patience, I will update you again next week (if not before)!

- David

Grail Games

Nearly done
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Jun 14, 2021 at 07:00:20 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

New Publisher
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Jun 14, 2021 at 06:59:48 PM

Backers,

Thanks again for your patience and kindness. We're delighted to announce that Minion Games has transferred publishing of Manhattan Project and Energy Empires to Grail Games!
Grail Games has completed many successful KickStarter projects (https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/grailgames/created) and will be taking over this KickStarter. Grail Games will be responsible for getting your rewards into your hands.
David Harding of Grail Games has been added to the project admin and will be posting his own update soon. Of course, Grail Games is just starting their journey with this project so I hope you'll provide them with more of your patience as they take some time to get into the operational details of printing and shipping before they can then provide you with an expected timeline for delivery. (I did ask David if he couldn't just time travel back a few years and then still get you the expansion by the original deadline, but apparently there's some pesky physics making that difficult.)

I want to thank you for supporting James' project and then supporting his family through your positive feedback as we worked through the process to get to this milestone. We have every confidence that Grail Games will complete this project and get the Cold Wars expansion into your hands. Thanks for showing how wonderful the gaming community can be.

Steve Wieck

Greetings from Grail Games!
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Jun 14, 2021 at 06:58:25 PM

Dear Energy Empire: Cold War backers,

My name is David Harding and I run the board game publishing company Grail Games out of Sydney, Australia.

If you have not heard of us, please check out www.grail-games.com for info on our titles. We do a mix of reprints and new games, and have been around for about 7 years. We have run 20 Kickstarter campaigns.

As you heard in the previous update, Grail has become the new manager of this campaign. We look forward to getting your games to you as soon as possible. We thank Steve and Jen for all their help during this transition, and for willing to work with us :) It has been a pleasure to meet them and we will do our best to continue the Manhattan Project story moving forward.

I have long been a fan of the Manhattan Project family of games and consider Energy Empire a terrific design. Cold War has been a long-awaited expansion for myself. I was gutted to hear of James' death - not just because Cold War was paused, but because he had been such a steady hand and helpful presence for the indie board game community. His posts and helpful hints had been important to me when I had started to publish games. So when the opportunity came to raise my hand and offer to help to get this expansion delivered, I did so. I am flattered and excited to now be a part of the Minion/Manhattan Project story, and want to get this terrific expansion to you in a timely manner.

As this change-over has only just occurred, I do not have a firm timetable for you yet - but this will come very soon. We need some time to go through the production files, speak with the factory, talk everything through with the designers... in short, we need to make sure we understand what is required to print the expansion and do it right.

Not only has Grail acquired the rights to print and fulfil Cold War, but the entire Manhattan Project line, so if you backed at a level that included the EE base game, we will be sending that to you as well :)

For now, welcome to the final chapter of this project's story, and while this has been a long time coming and you have had to show so much support and patience, I ask for just a little more time. We will soon have production underway.

Thanks for your kind words and comments in the previous update, and if you have any specific questions about the new situation, feel free to comment below and I will do my best to answer your questions ASAP.

We will update you again, soon!

- David Harding and the Grail Games Team