BattleTech: Mercenaries – CGL does a shipping booboo? Internet rages!

[limburger 21642xp 1]

The update posted by @jamescutts in discord (and copied&pasted by me in their kickstarter comments) shows how uninterested they appear to be in updating all of their backers.

Most kickstarters use the kickstarter site as the primary source for information, not as an after thought.

btw :
I did get an email from backerkit stating that digital content was available to download.
So at least something is moving forward.

I don’t know why they aren’t using OneBookshelf/DriveThruRPG for this though, because that is more convenient and future proof IMHO.

[tankkommanderParticipant 6411xp 0]

Indeed. They expect you to follow youtube, reddit, facebook, and tea-leaves but NOT kickstarter where they should be posting updates.

[jamescutts 6903xp 2]

It just strikes me as pretty unprofessional that they haven’t got any consistent and coordinated comms on such a large project.

If there putting this stuff out on other channels fair dos to them for at least communicating something but the number one source on a kickstarter should be the kickstarter updates.

As I’ve said previously the shipping booboo and the delays i dont have a issue with really, its to be expected but clear and consistent communication for all backers (not just the US ones) isnt that hard to do.

[limburger 21642xp 1]

And then we get updates from ‘Lords of Las Vegas’ (US based) which explain all of their issues with shipping in clear text.
Star Schlock … ditto.
No excuses. Just a simple update on where things are.

I simply cannot understand what is making things so difficult for CGL.
It’s not their first kickstarter and it’s not the first time it got really really big either.

I can only conclude that their back end support is done with bits of string and twigs that are held together by duct tape and prayer.

[dawfydd 11916xp 2]

I will cut CGL a little slack here, as I don’t know about you folks but I’ve backed enough projects – including this one – where a small yet vocal part of the backer base at like, frankly, over-entitled pricks and dumped vitriol on the creators, the projects and all over social media (and I want to be clear I don’t include any of you folks in that category as I consider you all passionate fans who are understandably irked by the situation). It’s led to a tendency in creators to be a bit gunshy when it comes to passing on bad news or just general updates if the news is not that of any real progression.

Could communication be better? Yes, absolutely. Do I think there is any malice or intent to annoy backers with the slow feed of information? Not in the slightest.

Admittedly I’m saying this as a UK backer who has seen the note that our rewards have cleared customs and should be moving to the warehouse.
But I’m also saying it after an intense few days of depression brought on by having my driving licence suddenly revoked due to one of my health conditions, so perspective, ya know?

 

[sundancer 42848xp 2]

Could communication be better? Yes, absolutely.

And that’s the key point that just adds “insult to injury” or “rubs salt in the wound” so to speak for most people. Had CGL really learned any lesson from the Clan Invasion KS it should have been: BE FLOCKING PRO-ACTIVE IN COMMUNICATION. And put out news first and foremost on the KS Update side.

Yes, RoW are just a minority compared to US backers but still it’s roughly a third of all backers. (23654 total backers, 7822 RoW backers vs 15832 backers) so nothing really to tag as “minor part of the success”.

And yes: there are way more important things in life than tiny stompy robots but at the same time some people are passionate about such things because it’s the only thing keeping them on this side of the coffin. Sometimes things like feeling “company is not taking me seriously” are just the straw that breaks the camels back.

(Sidenote: hope your appeal for your drivers licence is working in your favour)

[limburger 21642xp 1]

While it could be possible they are “scared” and don’t want to offend anyone … I’d say they’d be damned if they do and damned if they don’t anyway. So using that as an excuse for the lack of information just doesn’t work for me.

Heck … if companies are that scared of negative feedback then they aren’t fit to lead a company to begin with.

[tankkommanderParticipant 6411xp 1]

I don’t cut CGL any slack, because they are deceptive when they do bother to communicate.When you take my money on the promise of local shipping and that turns out to be a lie, I kind of feel entitled to tell you i’m not happy 🙂

[limburger 21642xp 0]

I’d argue incompetent instead of deceptive (not that the net result is any better … ).

In the ‘lords of las vegas’ update they mention that shipping costs (as paid by backers) is the ‘last mile’ shipping. The cost of containers and all the other logistics tends to be factored into the big blob of production cost already. As such there is never really any need to mention “local shipping” unless they don’t have any hubs to take the load of their own facility.

[phaidknott 7023xp 1]

As I’m looking at getting back into Battletech (last time I played was probably over 30 years ago, gawd I feel old typing that), I’ve been looking at buying singles of the more common IS mechs. Now there’s LOADS of eBay vendors out there selling off the unwanted Mechs from Salvage boxes, but the shipping from the US is horrendous. Does anyone know of a similar vendor (I’ve not been able to find one so far) here in the UK?

 

Now if I had a 3D printer I’d be spoilt for choice, not only could I buy Mechs like the Locust in all it’s variants, but I could also print them in various poses. Grrrrr getting harder and harder to keep putting off buying one, and I’ve no mates in my Wargaming group that owns one yet 🙁

[dawfydd 11916xp 1]

Ok, so outside of the Battletech UK Buy/Sell group, a quick bit of Google-Fu brought up Wargames Emporium and Lingster Games as UK sellers of singles from the CGL sets. You do also find the odd UK seller on Ebay. Best thing I can reccomend is checking back, especially when folks here start receiving their Mercccenaries rewards as that’s normally when a spike of singles has happened in the past….

[dawfydd 11916xp 1]

Scratch that, Lingster is US-based but fooled me by cunningly having prices listed in Pounds >_<

[jamescutts 6903xp 1]

I’m with sundancer here they just need to be more pro active in their communication and appear more professional and organised. As it stands the actual campaign via Kickstarter updates come across quite amateurish.

I don’t care really when it arrives as long as it does arrive, what I do care about is being well informed during the process about what’s happening.

At the moment I don’t, as a result I’ll be much less likely to back any future projects, and less inclined to shout out about CGL and BattleTech because I don’t feel the international community gets the respect it deserves. I’m much more likely to quietly pick up boxes as they hit retail a s play with select friends than proactively try and grow the community, that is bad all round.

[jamescutts 6903xp 0]

If your after singles wargame emporium is the way to go their local to me, however bear in mind, if you heavily buy one type then they will be less likely to restock it if the rest of the pack doesn’t sell as it’s just stock sat around for them. They are great for picking up the odd extras though.

If your after inner sphere mechs then the force packs are very good value, being slightly older they are often on sale on various sites.

[dawfydd 11916xp 1]

Plus individual sites pricing can be all over the place – I’m still finding the 2 Comstar Level II boxes from time to time for less than either an Inner Sphere Lance or a Clan Star. Not too shabby for a pair of boxes with 6 very, very good mechs in….

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