Fulfillment Final Steps & What's Next
11 months ago
– Fri, Jan 19, 2024 at 02:29:48 PM
Greetings, Radiants!
We're pleased to report that in the past two weeks, we've made meaningful progress on all aspects of Stormlight Minis Fulfillment. Today we have some solid updates to share on winding down initial fulfillment, processing reships, and backer feedback. We still have some orders to get out to the EU, AUS and ROW, but we are very much in the home stretch. Here's what we have to share...
Fulfillment Progress
We are getting so close! We're seeing less than 100 orders to process in the EU, about 300 more to process in AUS/NZ, and less than 300 to go in the rest of the world. If you've not yet received your shipping email, don't panic; it's possible your order is loaded up in the system but just hasn't been handed off to the courier yet.
Replacements, Reships, Mis-ships, and Damages
Our customer support team has been working around the clock for the last month on this project. Even so, they are getting about as many new emails per day as they clear, so responses are taking up to 5-7 days to get back to people. As always, if you do need help, please reach out to us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to reply as quickly as we can.
The good news is that we have started uploading replacement units, order problems, and other new shipments to Easyship and these will start to go out soon. We need to work through all of the initial orders before we can replacements our top priority, but that is close (see above) and we'll make sure every backer gets what they need.
What We're Hearing...
While there's no doubt that fulfillment has been a real challenge, once the minis do arrive, they've been getting glowing reviews. Here are some of the nice things we're hearing from backers:
“Well worth the wait!” - delanooch37 on Reddit
“I got my Miniatures today! They're so pretty.” - Jacko-roop on Reddit
“La espera ha merecido la pena, se ven alucinantes!!” - @abogadoscabrea2 on Twitter
“The figurines are so cool! The Knights Radiant have returned!” - @F_Campos_H on Twitter
“Completely deserved wait” - @peligros1996 on Twitter
“AAAAH! Las figuras del Archivo de las Tormentas me han llegado!! Y son PERFECTAS! Ha merecido la pena estar más de un año esperándolas ❤️❤️❤️❤️” - @jorgenlynch on Twitter
“The Clashing Storms statues looks amazing on the shelf” - Lilio Camere on Twitter
“The miniatures look great!” - @fantology_book on Twitter
“I unpacked these amazing items from my package earlier. I'm getting ready to prime the minis to start painting. An amazing way to end the Year of Sanderson.” - @BroodyGambit onTwitter
“The [Clashing Storms] statue is just a stunning addition to my cosmere shelf!” - @UnhingedRealm on Twitter
“Made my day coming home to a parcel from Brotherwise Games with my Stormlight Premium Miniatures and Call To Adventure game in 😍 Fantastic work on these and now I need to decide where they are going to live..... and if I open them” - @scottpulling on Twitter
“I don’t typically collect figurines but I love the Stormlight characters and this is awesome!” - @Devolark on Twitter
“I will never get sick of seeing my imagination come to life!” - @DarthFreddySE on Twitter
“They look fantastic, and I can’t wait to start painting them” - @patrickdiomedes on Twitter
“They look to be very high quality sculpts, excited to get into painting them” -@TicTacPbandai on Twitter
“These are even better than I hoped they would be. Beautiful” -@DarthFreddySE on Twitter
“They are absolutely beautiful. Thank you Brotherwise and Dragonsteel!” -@CaulinCox on Twitter
"The armor is great, like, every model of shardplate is detailed and perfect as can be. You can see someone fitting into these things easily and the little details of each set are wonderful. I have literally no downsides of the shardplate models. The designs themselves are amazing as expected. You can tell who each person is just by looking at the silhouette alone, and they make for some good table pieces.” - natman10252 on Reddit
“I am really happy with the figures. They’re made out of good quality plastic and are pretty sturdy…The poses are some of the most dynamic and complex I’ve seen in miniatures, and the scale and quality is comparable to the excellent Star Wars Shatterpoint line. One of the things I’m most delighted with are the bases for the figures—all are detailed and unique!” - mr-jaybird on Reddit
About the Clashing Storms Statue:
“The packaging is very nice. The weight of the clouds is nice and heavy. The details and painting on the characters is really quite nice. Great job.” - tcmeng on Reddit
“The unpainted minis look great with lots of detail and dynamic poses. They have a more realistic scale and proportion than many figures at this size. I'm going to struggle while painting the smaller details but I'm excited to paint 'em. The pre-painted ones look good too. The Szeth model looks great at that larger scale with the swooshing forms following his sword. I also splurged on the big statues and they look amazing. Kaladin is perfectly realized and they really feel like they are clashing together.” -kitchendon on Reddit
“Finally got my order a few days ago! Love them! Everything is excellent quality, especially the statue.” - Andrew via Kickstarter comments
“I just received my order today. Everything looks fantastic! It’s definitely worth the wait. Thank you so much!” - Jack via Kickstarter comments
“Got mine today, everything looks great! Thank you Brotherwise for staying on top of this, and your transparency through the whole process. Looking forward to the future projects.” - Joshua H via Kickstarter comments
“Acaban de llegar y son increíbles, la espera a sido larga pero ha merecido la pena, paciencia y ánimos para los que todavía están esperando las suyas. Gracias Brotherwise Games y animo para el resto de envíos que os quedan.” -Ibai via Kickstarter comments
“Received mine today. Everything was in good condition, no damage to the shipping box or items inside! Thank you very much the Miniatures look great!” - Steven via Kickstarter comments
“The transparency shown by Brotherwise is greatly appreciated, as are the constant updates. It is reassuring to know that my package was not lost in the chaos and is, in fact, going to get to me eventually.
Thanks guys. I know how much work goes into stuff like this.” -Syl The Seal via Kickstarter comments
“The posing is fantastic for the models, great dynamics and attention to flow.” -UKStormDragon via Kickstarter comments
“I just logged in to say I've received my order and I'm super impressed” -Kris M via Kickstarter comments
“I received my order last night and the miniatures are of amazing quality and I'm quite pleased.” -Giulianna via Kickstarter comments
“The minis are of very good quality, especially for being so small. It is unusual to see mass produced minis of this quality at this size. Both in the detail of the sculpt as well as the quality of the cast. So well done on quality.” - Troy via Kickstarter comments
“Got my figures today and they look amazing, especially the big statue!” - Kevin via Kickstarter comments
“Wow! I live in Canada and just got my miniatures. It’s all here and it ALL LOOKS INCREDIBLE.
Brotherwise, I know you’ve had to deal with a lot of grief with EasyShip, as we all have but now that I have them I’m extremely happy with the results. I’m REALLY excited to start painting them soon.
Thanks again and all the best in the new year!” - Tony G via Kickstarter comments
“Got an all in package today and everything is amazing! It’s 100% worth it! Thank you dragonsteel and brotherwise!” Jake via Kickstarter comments
“Excellent support from Brother Wise games, I was very happy with the entire process.
The minis themselves are awesome, can't wait to get painting.” - Jason B via Kickstarter comments
“Received mine today. Everything was in the box, all in great condition. Minis are sharply detailed. Very satisfied.” Corey B via Kickstarter comments
“just got my miniatures. worth the wait. they are amazing and i love all the extras. the statue is INCREDIBLE. well done brotherwise” - Jacob H via Kickstarter comments
“Just received my painted miniatures set. Love them.” - Adam D via Kickstarter comments
“East Coast US, I received mine and they are all in perfect order. I'm happy with the quality and the paint. and I have all the parts I ordered.
Thanks for all your hard work getting these out to us!” - Brandon SL via Kickstarter comments
“Everything looks good, and I'm happy.” - Ignitus Boyone via Kickstarter comments
“I just got my delivery and am super excited! Everything looks amazing.” - Elijah S via Kickstarter comments
“I have received my product! These minis look great, and I *LOVE* the little art prints as well.” - Matthew H via Kickstarter comments
“At a quick glance, the sizing looks good/decent and the figures look like a good quality. For some reason I'm always surprised by how small minis are and how small the box is but that's just how "minis" look lol. They packaged them like retail so they looked great right out of the shipping box.” -Michella H via Kickstarter comments
“For the price I think the set was a steal. Overall I'm very pleased with everything.” - William S via Kickstarter comments
“They look awesome! Thank you Brotherwise Games!” - Charles via Kickstarter comments
“Just received the minis. The images on the interent really do not do them justice. They look much detailed than any image I have seen.” - Brossy via Discord
“My package got here!! The statue is perfect and Kaladin looks awesome! Thank you so much ❤️” -Tony A via Discord
“Personally, I love the look of the painted minis. Very happy with the purchase, no refund requests from this guy!” -BikeMurns via Discord
“[The painted minis] look really good in person. They're bigger than I expected and they're done amazingly well with an insane level of detail. i'm beyond happy with them ” -strawberrymilk via Discord
“My daughter and I unboxed them after dinner. She fell in love with Shallan and we will start painting soon. She has her own full set and I have my own so she can paint them however she wants Thank you SO much Jillian, Matt, Johnny and Chris !You made a very happy daughter and dad pair this day!” -blackstarthegodkiller via Discord
“These are wonderful and I'm very glad I joined this Kickstarter. Kal's brands are incredibly impressive at this size” -dis_the_chris via Discord
“I finally got around to taking pictures of my Stormlight Archive painted mini figures and they are AWESOME. The detail is incredible on this small scale. I’m truly blown away” -naadiinee24 on Instagram
“I finally received my stormlight miniatures and I am OBSESSED - aren’t they gorgeous?!” -readbymoni on Instagram
“Stormlight Archives is one of my favorite book series, and seeing these characters come to life on the table will be awesome” -prehistoricpainting on Instagram
“They look so dope and the bridge was a nice touch!” -crowsnestcraft on Instagram
“[The Clashing Storms Statue] is INCREDIBLE” -stormlightmemes on Instagram
The clashing storms resin statue from Brotherwise Games Stormlight miniatures kickstarter came in yesterday and it’s BEAUTIFUL” - affleckreads on Instagram
“Well done Brotherwise and Dragonsteel. I am blown away by your creation from such an epic moment in the Stormlight Archive” -mahialorian on Instagram
The product is incredible but the support has also been incredible. Will definitely keep an eye out for future brotherwise campaigns!- Cody Robison vs support@
We purchased the retailer pack of the Stormlight Archives miniatures and they were received and are beautiful. - April Davis - Retailer
I want to begin by saying how pleased I am with the figures I have received, they are excellent quality and quite beautiful! - Garrett Lehmann
Thank You!
We deeply appreciate your support and patience during the challenging last steps of this fulfillment process. After the frustrating delays we faced for much of November and December, we're seeing consistent movement from our fulfillment partner and have confidence that the final shipments will proceed smoothly. In the coming weeks, we'll turn our attention to customer service and individual order responses.
While our logistics and customer service teams are still squarely focused on this project, the creative team at Brotherwise is hard at work on new projects. We just played the latest version of the Mistborn Deckbuilding Game with designer John D Clair, and we're thrilled with how well it's going. The core rulebooks for the Stormlight RPG are designed, playtested, written, and currently in editing. Every day we see new illustrations for both of those projects, and they're absolutely gorgeous. Those projects are possible thanks to the success of this one, so thank you again for your part in bringing the Cosmere to game tables around the world!
New Year's Update
12 months ago
– Fri, Jan 05, 2024 at 12:01:34 PM
A very Stormlight new year
As 2024 begins, we’d like to wish you a very happy New Year. It's been a challenging and sometimes painful last couple of months as we worked our way through fulfillment. False starts, missing stock, and holiday labor shortages all conspired to make this our most troubled fulfillment period ever. For anyone who’s been waiting and waiting while others got their packages, we sincerely apologize for the angst we’ve caused.
To anyone still waiting for delivery or confused by the notifications you’ve received, we’re very sorry. However, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we’re getting very close to shipping every last order. We’ll use this update to share a status update, next steps for anyone awaiting their delivery, and talk about how we’re working to make sure this never happens again.
Fulfillment Updates
In our last few updates, we’ve shared fulfillment dates as Easyship provided them to us. It’s now clear that their estimated dates were not accurate, and the number of shipped units/day was not moving at the promised rate. We’ve been pushing them every day for clearer data and faster fulfillment. Here’s our current assessment based on their latest data:
US: Earlier this week, Easyship reported that all units had been shipped out (though not all delivered). We were excited to hear that, but by working with customers we determined that ~400 backers had not even received shipping notifications. We’ve confirmed that those orders never left the warehouse, and we are working with Easyship now to expedite those orders to be shipped next week.
UK & Canada: Easyship has reported that all units have been shipped out, but we’re conducting the same investigation into missing orders.
EU: MANY (if not most) EU backers received false shipping notices some time ago that their order was on its way. Sometimes those notices even said it was delivered. This was an error at the EU shipping hub and those orders are NOW properly shipping. Fulfillment is back underway, but made almost no headway during the weeks surrounding Christmas. This week, Easyship promised that EU fulfillment would be complete by January 19. We communicated our frustration as the lateness of that date, and asked them to do everything they could (including weekend work) to speed that up.
AUS: We expect fulfillment in Australia/NZ to resume on Monday. Based on previous speeds at that fulfillment site, we're hopeful it will go quickly.
ROW: Rest of the world shipment is underway. ALL of those orders are coming from Hong Kong, so shipping could take a couple of weeks.
Damages? Shipment gone missing?
Given all the issues above, our team is working around the clock to make sure Easyship fulfills any outstanding orders. If you have not received your package yet, please know that we haven’t forgotten you and we are actively working to solve your problems.
If you are in the US and have not received a shipping notification by the middle of next week, you should reach out to us at [email protected]. (Please wait until then as we manually clear orders.)
If you are in the EU, AUS/NZ, and ROW, fulfillment is still happening and you should wait a couple weeks yet to notify us that you don't yet have your shipment.
If you have damages or missing items, you can reach out to us as the same address, but note that our customer service response time is currently stretching to 4-5 days, and it might grow after this update if we get flooded with questions.
Also note that regardless of when we log your service request, all damages, replacements, and missing items, will be imported in the following weeks after the main bulk of fulfillment is complete. This is a request from Easyship to help them clear out the initial orders, but we won’t let those requests go unfulfilled.
Lessons Learned
We're incredibly grateful for your patience and understanding as we've finished out this project, and we're thrilled at the reactions we've been getting from folks about the miniatures, figurines and statues. We set out to bring Brandon's world to life, and we're so happy with how the final products have come out.
Having said that, the challenges we’ve faced in the past two months have been highly educational experience and we’ll be applying those lessons to future campaigns. While our original schedule accounted for some production delays, we drastically underestimated the potential for uncertainty in the fulfillment and delivery timeline. In the future, we’ll be setting more conservative dates and providing more frequent fulfillment updates for those who want to know. We realize it's one thing to not have the product you expected, and another to not know why.
We’ll be making other concrete changes to our Kickstarter campaigns, including the Stormlight RPG campaign later this year. Originally set for spring, we pushed that back to the second half of the year – partially to make way for the Words of Radiance campaign on BackerKit, but also to ensure we’re close to production-ready at the time that campaign goes live. We already have fully drafted manuscripts for our two major hardcovers: the Stormlight RPG Handbook and the Stormlight World Guide & Art Book. We have allotted ourselves time to complete playtesting, artwork, and layout before that campaign even begins. Finally, you can be assured that we’ll be taking a different approach to fulfillment. Once this campaign is complete, we’ll share concrete next steps on that front.
Again, we are deeply sorry to everyone still waiting for your miniatures, but deeply committed to completing this journey as quickly as possible. There’s so much for Stormlight fans to look forward to in 2025: the Words of Radiance leatherbound edition, the RPG, and the release of Wind and Truth. We look forward to moving on to all of that excitement, armed with the knowledge and lessons of the past year.
Thank you so much for your trust, support, and patience.
Brotherwise Games
Shipping Updates and Character Guide
about 1 year ago
– Fri, Dec 15, 2023 at 01:36:16 PM
Greetings, Radiants! Chris here from Brotherwise Games. As we enter the holiday season, I'm writing to share an update on worldwide fulfillment and shipping of your Stormlight collectibles.
We know that waiting for these fantastic minis to arrive is painful, particularly given the time of year, but I'm writing today with lots of good news. Please know that we sincerely appreciate your patience and we are working daily to keep our fulfillment company moving as quickly as they can. This fulfillment job has been the biggest we've ever undertaken, and it is complex for more reasons than just the 22,000 backers involved. From folks who've received their orders, we're hearing glowing feedback about the quality and detail on the minis and figurines. From folks who haven't, we're hearing some understandable frustration. Here's what we currently have to share about shipping.
US Orders: Of the 15,000 US orders, about 8,700 have been delivered or are in transit. Easyship, in response to our repeated requests, has brought on new US warehouse workers and has them working overtime on the weekends. Despite the complexity of these orders, Easyship is processing about 750 orders per day now and after a rocky start, we're pleased with how much they've ramped up order processing. If you do the math, this puts US fulfillment completion very near to Christmas Day. That means that while most backers will get their orders before Christmas, some will arrive in the week after. We've urged Easyship to look for ways to get everything out before Christmas, but they are running pretty close to full capacity and we don't want to promise anything yet.
Canadian Orders: As of yesterday, Canadian fulfillment has begun! It looks like only about 75 orders (out of 1000) have gone out so far, but we are hopeful that orders there process quickly.
UK Orders: UK fulfillment began about two days ago and so far we're seeing 300 orders (out of about 1200) either delivered or in transit. Note that Easyship warned us their UK data was not as accurate as others, so the actual numbers may be a bit higher or lower.
European Orders: European fulfillment began today! Right now we're seeing 1150 orders (out of about 3000) listed as in transit or delivered. That seems very high given the amount of time they've been working, so it's likely overstated, but everything I'm hearing implies that orders are moving quickly.
Australian/NZ Orders: While fulfillment in Australia has begun and about 130 shipments are out the door, we've been informed that many of the remaining shipments will be delayed during the holidays and will not ship until the new year. We promise we are doing everything we can to expedite this, and will follow up with backers affected by this delay.
Asia, Latin America, and Rest of World: These are all shipping from a single hub and we expect product to be consolidated there very soon. We're hopeful that fulfillment begins before the new year, or very soon after.
Damages, Missing Items, Stolen Packages
Should your shipment arrive damaged, or with the wrong items, please contact us at [email protected] with attached photos of both the box it arrived in (to see if the box was damaged) and the contents (including close-ups of the damage). Please include your full name, current address, Kickstarter email, and phone number.
Should the delivery service list your package as "delivered" but you have not received anything, we recommend first filing a claim with the listed courier and then contacting us at the same email listed above. We find that a sizeable percentage of "stolen" packages turn up as delivered to a neighbor or even taken in by a family member, but either way, the first step is connecting with your courier to see if they can track it down. Once you've done so, let us know and we'll keep on top of the situation with you and determine if a reship is in order.
Character Guide
One of our favorite things about this project was the chance to collaborate with Dragonsteel to create canonical designs for so many Stormlight characters. We've compiled those designs in one PDF, which you can find on our website.
If you've already received your miniatures, the Character Guide could be helpful reference for painting those characters. If you're still eagerly awaiting your shipment, or if you're not a miniature painter, you might just enjoy flipping through these high-resolution images of the official character designs. Our sculpting and art direction team spent months on each of these character models, working closely with Brandon to deliver on his vision. It's very cool to see them all in one place!
Thank you again for your support, especially during this challenging final stage of the project. We couldn't be more grateful for the enthusiasm and positivity of the Cosmere fan base, and will continue working with our fulfillment partners until every unit has been shipped.
- Chris "Brother One" O'Neal
