[Warning: First World Problem gripe follows. I guess I am a Grognard “metropolitan elite” wargamer like James Buckley discusses in C3i Magazine Nr. 36…]
In the past week I took delivery of two new wargames. Arriving at Casa de Rocky were Archie’s War: The Battle for Guadalcanal (Worthington Publishing, 2023) and Carrier Battle: Philippine Sea (Compass Games, 2023). I am very glad they arrived as I had been watching the various forums and Kickstarter updates for news. That said, their actual arrival was a bit of a surprise to me.
Why? Neither had a shipping notice.
Yeah, I know. I have no “right” to a shipping notice. Worthington warned shipping would take time with 11 games arriving at the same time (and Archie’s War was LAST in priority).
Still, why no tracking number?
I know it’s not easy. But when even one-man-shop Jon Compton at Canvas Temple Publishing can do it why can’t others?
The trick is COMMUNICATIONS. Jon’s very honest about his process. Here is an update from the Kickstarter campaign for Boer Wars that is shipping imminently:
I will begin shipping out game orders as soon as I can, as fast as I can. Here are the caveats: I’m doing this ship-out almost entirely by myself, with occasional help from my kids. I still have a day job (which I cannot take time off from at this time) and family obligations, so this means that fast as I can is not necessarily very fast. Sometime this coming week I will begin printing shipping labels, at which time you will receive a USPS notification with tracking in your email. Please note that receipt of that email does not mean I’ve already shipped your game; several days or more could pass between printing, boxing and shipping. I do not print all the shipping labels at the same time (past experience has proven that to be a bad idea for many reasons, not the least of which that the stamps.com application has almost a 100% failure rate when I try to print large batches of labels, resulting in double shipments, or labels getting charged but not printed, etc.). I print the labels in small batches, so not receiving your label notification right away does not mean you were missed.
…
Also, I beg you, over the course of the next several weeks, please do not email me asking where your game is; I’ve got almost a thousand games to prep-box, and ship and it will take me some time to get through it all. Researching and answering such emails takes time away from the actual activity of shipping them.
Boer Wars Kickstarter Update #18
I get it; tracking numbers are another layer of bureaucracy and inefficiency for shippers. I also appreciate when a publisher takes that extra (needed?) step to help assure me—the customer—that all is right. That’s what makes a difference to ME!
Addendum: The box that Archie’s War shipped in had—you guessed it—a tracking number on it.
Feature image courtesy RMN
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Rocky Mountain Navy Gamer 
City of the Great Machine showed up the day before I got the email about the tracking number. Never got one for Brandywine or Misadventures
City of the Great Machine showed up the day before I got the email about the tracking number. Never got one for Brandywine or Misadventures