Store for Schlock Mercenary Big Dumb Objects Kickstarter
Created by Howard Tayler
256 glossy, full-color pages of Schlock Mercenary, plus a slipcase for books 12-16!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Project Odds & Ends and Our Next Kickstarter
over 2 years ago
– Wed, Sep 08, 2021 at 01:35:53 PM
Greetings Backers!
I'm a little later than intended getting this update posted (I thought it would land in late July instead of late August) but we've been very busy.
The shipping on Big Dumb Objects is complete and all of you (even international orders) should have received your packages by now. If you haven't, please email [email protected] so we can chase it down and make sure your items get to you. Due to changes in VAT law and how long packages get held for pick up, we've had a higher-than-we're-accustomed-to return rate on international packages, but we're happy to help you chase it down if your package has gotten caught in one of these loops.
We still have Schlock Mercenary: A Little Immortality in the works, but because of co-author scheduling, and budgeting, our current project needed to come first.
Our New Project: X-treme Dungeon Mastery Second Edition
Many of you have already jumped on board and backed this project. Thank you! For those of you who haven't heard of this before, Howard illustrated the first edition of this book twelve years ago. This time Howard is getting to exercise his writing chops along with his illustration chops. And so am I! I've done a fair bit of drafting for this book. We love it. We love the ideas we get to put into the book, the jokes we get to tell, and the joy in gaming that covers every page. We really want to get more copies of this book out into the world where it can spread that joy and make every game you play better.
1. If you want to know about our future Kickstarter projects, then login to your Kickstarter account and follow Howard Tayler or Sandra Tayler (or both) on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter system will alert you when we have new projects available.
2. If you want updates on Schlock Mercenary, Planet Mercenary, or things relating to Howard and Sandra, we recommend that you opt in to our mailing list.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns feel free to email [email protected] and we'll help you.
Thank you for backing our project and for your patience while we finally delivered things to you! The final update for this project will come when we launch the Kickstarter for Schlock Mercenary: A Little Immortality.
Sandra and Howard
Shipping Complete!
almost 3 years ago
– Fri, Jul 02, 2021 at 03:13:38 PM
Greetings Backers!
TL;DR
All the packages are in the mail except for the 7 backers who have yet to answer their surveys. If you are in the US, you should have your package by Tuesday July 6 at the latest. Packages to non-US locations can take up to a month to arrive.
Quick status report by Pledge Level
Total shipped: 1432/1439 (7 Unanswered surveys)
1 Book Sketched Batch 1: 200/200 Complete!
1 Book Sketched Batch 2: 199/200 Complete! (1 unanswered survey)
1 Book Sketched Batch 3: 271/275 Complete! (4 unanswered surveys)
Preorder: 39/39 Complete!
1 Print Book: 396/396 Complete!
No Reward: 1/1 Complete!
Just Watching: 21/21 Complete!
Stickers, Coins, or Pins: 14 / 14 Complete!
Escape From the Friggen Jungle PDF: 5/5 Complete!
Stickers only: 4/4 Complete!
1 PDF Book: 94/94 Complete!
Tiny Planet Mercenary PDF: 9/9 Complete!
Tiny Planet Mercenary in Print: 30/31 (1 unanswered survey) Complete!
If you are in a pledge level marked as complete and you haven't yet gotten your package, odds are good it is on the way to you and will arrive shortly. But if you are worried please email [email protected] We'll make it right.
Details on this week
Despite losing one day to a migraine and a second day to technical problems, Howard managed to push out the final sketches last Friday. Sandra and crew sent out the final packages last Monday. All that remains is clean up chores.
At the warehouse: we need to re-stack all of the remaining slipcases so that they are taking up much less floor space. Same needs to happen with the three pallets of books. We need to collect all the pallet wrapping, strapping material, loose pieces of paper, and other assorted garbage to haul to the dump. The piles of emptied cardboard boxes need to go to the recycler. And I need to rent a truck so I can haul off 17 wooden shipping pallets. (If anyone local to me wants shipping pallets, email me an you can have them!)
At the house: We've already partially dismantled the book sketching station. Now we need to return the dining room table to the dining area so that it can be used for eating. We also need to re-assemble our sectional couch so that we have comfortable seating for family movie nights.
What's next?
Howard has continued to stream art, he's now doing that from his office rather than the family room. You can catch livestreams by following or subscribing on Twitch. The streams are recorded and viewable for a couple of weeks after they go live, so even if Howard's streaming time isn't convenient for you, you can still watch the fun. Howard and Keliana's Split Screen Art Jam is a fun place to start.
We're hoping to run two Kickstarter projects before the end of the year. The first will run in August, but we need to finish some contracts before we announce it. The second will be for Schlock Mercenary: A Little Immortality.
Your next update will be when we have announcements for these two pending Kickstarters. Probably mid-to-late July.
Keeping in Touch
1. If you want to know about our future Kickstarter projects, then login to your Kickstarter account and follow Howard Tayler or Sandra Tayler (or both) on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter system will alert you when we have new projects available.
2. If you want updates on Schlock Mercenary, Planet Mercenary, or things relating to Howard and Sandra, we recommend that you opt in to our mailing list.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns feel free to email [email protected] and we'll help you.
Thank you for backing our project and for your patience while we finally delivered things to you!
Sandra and Howard
Shipping Update #7
almost 3 years ago
– Sat, Jun 26, 2021 at 10:15:05 PM
Greetings Backers!
TL;DR
Howard is running livestreams of him sketching in books on week days. You can watch the streams over on https://www.twitch.tv/howardtayler The best way to be alerted when they are happening is to subscribe or follow over there. Sketching will likely be completed by Saturday.
Sketches that are complete and possibly in the mail: Chinook, Espererin, Sashiko/Sosheki, Iafa, Landon, Schlock in Shackles, Yaeyoefui, Captain Kaff Tagon (Son), some Artist's Choice, Para, Commodore Karl Tagon (Father)
Sketches that are complete, but not in the mail yet: Sorlie, some Artist's Choice
Sketches that still need to be done: Katherine, some Artist's Choice
If any of your items are missing or damaged in shipping, email [email protected] and we'll replace them free of charge.
Quick status report by Pledge Level
Total shipped: 1344/1439 (7 Unanswered surveys)
1 Book Sketched Batch 1: 184/200
1 Book Sketched Batch 2: 179/200 (1 unanswered survey)
1 Book Sketched + Add books: 138/150 (1 unanswered survey)
1 Book Sketched Batch 3: 234/275 (4 unanswered surveys)
Preorder: 36/39
1 Print Book: 395/396
------------
No Reward: 1/1 Complete!
Just Watching: 21/21 Complete!
Stickers, Coins, or Pins: 14 / 14 Complete!
Escape From the Friggen Jungle PDF: 5/5 Complete!
Stickers only: 4/4 Complete!
1 PDF Book: 94/94 Complete!
Tiny Planet Mercenary PDF: 9/9 Complete!
Tiny Planet Mercenary in Print: 30/31 (1 unanswered survey) Complete!
If you are in a pledge level marked as complete and you haven't yet gotten your package, odds are good it is on the way to you and will arrive shortly. But if you are worried please email [email protected] We'll make it right.
Details on this week
This week had an assortment of work days that went as planned mixed with plans gone awry. We really wanted to get all the sketches done this week so we could reclaim our dining room table, re-set our house, and use next week to set up for whatever comes next. If today and tomorrow go well, we still might get to do that, but out of four sketching days this week, two of them went significantly awry, so...
Saturday 6/19: Did the weekly accounting, printed and sorted postage for a couple of hours. 2 hours warehouse clean up and preparations to mail sets
Sunday 6/20: Day of rest, church, and family
Monday 6/21: 3 hours of shipping packages. Howard had a migraine that mowed him flat and only streamed for a very short time.
Tuesday 6/22: 3 hours of shipping packages. Howard did a marathon 5 hour streaming session and completed all of the Sorlie sketches.
Wednesday 6/23: 2 hours of shipping packages and warehouse clean up. Howard does a short stream of some Artist's Choice and planning for Katherine sketches, but is still recovering from the marathon streaming.
Thursday 6/24: No big pile of packages to ship because I pushed the "48 hour notification to update your address" button on Tuesday afternoon. Mailed out regular store orders and hauled a car full of cardboard to the recycling dumpster. Howard planned to sit down and stream the remaining 68 sketched books in a marathon session, but a connection problem between our house and Twitch meant that 84% of the frames were getting dropped. There was nothing we could fix and the stream had to be canceled.
Friday 6/25: Wrote this Kickstarter update. Howard hopes to stream sketches today if the internet will cooperate. Sandra will spend today assisting with the stream, doing weekly accounting, and managing other administrivia. Ideally, Howard will finish the sketches today and tomorrow. Then Sandra and crew will get them all into the mail on Monday.
Your next shipping update will be Friday July 2.
Thank you for backing our project. We're so excited to finally get to deliver things to you!
Sandra and Howard
Shipping Update #6
almost 3 years ago
– Fri, Jun 18, 2021 at 10:31:10 PM
Greetings Backers!
TL;DR
Howard is running livestreams of him sketching in books on week days. You can watch the streams over on https://www.twitch.tv/howardtayler The best way to be alerted when they are happening is to subscribe or follow over there. Sketching will likely be completed by the end of next week.
Sketches that are complete and possibly in the mail: Chinook, Espererin, Sashiko/Sosheki, Iafa, Landon, Schlock in Shackles, Yaeyoefui, Captain Kaff Tagon (Son), some Artist's Choice
Sketches that are complete, but not in the mail yet: Para, Commodore Karl Tagon (Father)
Sketches that still need to be done: Sorlie, Katherine, some Artist's Choice
Note: Packages are marked as shipped as soon as the postage is printed. Because of how this week went there are currently 100 packages I've printed postage for, but not yet mailed. Details below.
If you are in a pledge level marked as complete and you haven't yet gotten your package, odds are good it is on the way to you and will arrive shortly. But if you are worried please email [email protected] We'll make it right.
Details on this week
Shipping did not proceed efficiently this week for lack of packing paper. I would really love to get to the end of next week with everything in the mail, but that is a big stretch, so we'll see if I can.
Saturday 6/12: We all aggressively rested trying to stave off repetitive strain injuries and restore mental energy.
Sunday 6/13: Day of rest, church, and family
Monday 6/14: 2 hours of printing postage, 3.5 hours of sorting postage to optimize for packaging. When printing postage we have to sort by postage type, but when setting up to actually put items into boxes we have to sort by physical size of package and contents of package. The postage sort is handled by software, but the second sort is a human physically looking at and sorting pieces of paper. Howard streamed for two hours and got the Para sketches done.
Tuesday 6/15: 3 hours of shipping in 100F (38C) heat. The interior of the warehouse doesn't get that hot, but it also doesn't have air conditioning. Toward the end we were running low on packing paper. I'd already placed an order for more and was hoping that it would arrive before the shipping scheduled for the next day. Howard streamed for an hour and figured out how the Commodore Karl Tagon sketches needed to go. Then he ran tech for Typecast RPG in the evening.
Wednesday 6/16: Woke up to a notification that the packing paper would not arrive until tomorrow. So I filled the day with errands and appointments that had been nibbling at my attention. Howard streamed several hours of sketching Karl. In the evening Howard was prepared to run tech for a Typecast RPG game that ended up not happening.
Thursday 6/17: Sandra crashed on this day. A small task in the morning went awry and sent me sideways in a way that demonstrated a need to take a break. Also the packing paper was still AWOL, so shipping was postponed again. Instead Sandra stayed home and assisted Howard run streaming for about five hours. We got all of the Karl sketches done.
Friday 6/18: Wrote this Kickstarter update. Around noon MDT Howard will be streaming as he figures out either the Katherine or Sorlie sketches. Sandra has business meetings today (scheduled weeks ago,) so shipping will happen either Saturday or Monday.
It is inside the realm of possibility that we could finish the sketching and shipping next week. I would really love to do that. Howard would love to do that. It would be nice to have a breather from the marathon of constant work. We'll see if we can make it happen.
Your next shipping update will be Friday June 25.
Thank you for backing our project. We're so excited to finally get to deliver things to you!
Sandra and Howard
Shipping Update #5
almost 3 years ago
– Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 09:25:10 PM
Greetings Backers!
TL;DR
Howard is running livestreams of him sketching in books on week days. You can watch the streams over on https://www.twitch.tv/howardtayler The best way to be alerted when they are happening is to subscribe or follow over there.
Sketches that are complete and possibly in the mail: Chinook, Espererin, Sashiko/Sosheki, Iafa, Landon, Schlock in Shackles, Yaeyoefui.
Sketches that are partially complete or in process: Artist's Choice, Captain Kaff Tagon (Son.)
Sketches that still need to be done: Para, Sorlie, Katherine, Commodore Karl Tagon (Father.)
If you are in a pledge level marked as complete and you haven't yet gotten your package, odds are good it is on the way to you and will arrive shortly. But if you are worried please email [email protected] We'll make it right.
Details on this week
We've entered the phase of shipping where the amount of packages sent out is dependent on Howard drawing sketches. As he draws, I create batches and hit the "notify" button so that backers get an email that they have 48 hours to update their address. The batch for early next week was created on Wednesday and contains 214 orders. On Monday afternoon, once Howard is done sketching for the day, I'll click a button to create the batch for the second half of next week. So potentially next week could send out lots of packages, but the shipping has to be scheduled around some important appointments and the physical limitations of my three person shipping crew. I'd love to send out 300 packages next week, we'll see if that is feasible.
Saturday 6/5: Everyone needed rest. Backs were sore and physical recouperation was necessary. Also we caught up on lots of house maintenance chores which had been neglected.
Sunday 6/6: Day of rest, church, and family
Monday 6/7: Shipping sent out about 80 complex orders with large package sizes. Made plans for Thurs/Fri shipping days. Created the batch to go out on those days and hit the "update address" button for that batch. Howard speed ran about 60 sketches so they would be ready for shipping later in the week. We've accumulated a lot of extra cardboard.
Tuesday 6/8: The shipping crew catches up on some personal care appointments that were deemed non-essential prior to vaccination, but which were seriously overdue (dentist, haircut, doctor, etc.) Howard draws a pile of Artist's Choice books. The book sketching stream set up takes over a third of our family room and is pretty impressive.
That table is our kitchen table which has been relocated to the family room for this purpose.
We took great care in setting everything up so that none of the cords traipse across the floor where Roomba can eat them. In order to make space for this streaming set up, we disassembled and relocated our IKEA sectional couch to a pile in the garage.
Also in the photo: A pile of uncollapsed boxes and items for donation, the scattered pieces of a cabinetry staining project, lumber and trim (against the wall) which will eventually be part of our kitchen, Lumber and flooring (laying flat) which has been removed from our kitchen as we began the remodeling. All remodeling projects are on hold while we work on Kickstarter fulfillment.
Wednesday 6/9: Howard streams sketches for 3.5 hours then streams digital art for Typecast RPG. I did three hours of postage printing and sorting. There were lots of business admin things related to upcoming projects. I made the batch for shipping out next week and pressed the "update your address" button.
Thursday 6/10: Howard runs streams for 3.5 hours and finishes all of the Kaff Tagon sketches. The shipping crew does 4 hours of shipping.
Friday 6/11: Wrote this Kickstarter update. Around noon MDT Howard will be streaming, not sure yet what sketch he'll be working on. At about the same time the shipping crew will go finish the packages for this week and get them all dropped at the post office.
It has been a pretty solid work week and we're lined up to have a similar one next week. Right now it feels like we'll have the last of the packages into the mail within about two more weeks. Getting close to being done!
Your next shipping update will be Friday June 18.
Thank you for backing our project. We're so excited to finally get to deliver things to you!
