We went into the Fire Sale with one main and three subsidiary goals. Our main goal of ensuring that Total War is released and delivered to everyone who ordered it is on-track given the generous support shown by the Europa Community’s participation in the sale. Of the three subsidiary goals, the first, to raise the money needed to complete the printing of the game has mostly been met (more on this below). The second, to raise enough money to ship the game once it is printed is being accumulated and looks likely to be fully in place about the time the printing is completed or shortly thereafter.
The third minor goal, to get 300 people to agree to take a $10 credit in return for their copy of the game shipping in a plain white box (roomier and sturdier than the original) has been less successful: 71 people have agreed to this. We needed this because only 1200 (out of 2500) game boxes were recovered from our fire-damaged warehouse, and 1500 boxes are needed to cover all the pre-publication orders for the game + the minimum of 500 copies for sales to stores to repay our secured investors.
Given that we have not met the 300 plain white box goal, our investors have required that additional boxes be printed to cover their 500 game minimum before funds are spent for other purposes. This may delay printing of some of the other components. However, we will be meeting with the local printer shortly to see if we can work around this by printing some of the non-box materials now, and some a little later.
Due to the extra costs for printing that we now face (for the boxes and because piecing work out some now and some later costs more than when everything goes in all at once), we have decided to extend and expand the fire sale. In addition to the website and email promotion done so far, this includes a direct mailing to a much larger wargamer audience that will go out in stages over the remainder of this week. We have also tweaked the fire sale a bit and lowered the prices on a few items – for the current details click on the “HMSFireSale5” link directly below this announcement.
For the current and final version of the Fire Sale see the HMSFireSaleFinal link under the HMS News – July 18, 20
I just printed out the order form and will be making an order. I have most of the games already, but the white box is fine with me…I didn’t understand the significance of it in the plan, but now I do. So I’ll order a storage box package and anything I don’t have.
One question on #18, number of sets of Total War counters at $5.00 each sent now; do you mean $5.00 per counter sheet, or do you mean we can order extra sets of all the Total War counters for $5.00 a set?
IRT Mr. Sweet – Thanks for the support! RE the Total War Counter Sets: We are not selling EXTRA sets of Total War counters at all. What we are offering is to ship you the counters from your previously ordered copy of Total War NOW + when you opt for this you get two bonus countersheets not normally in the game.
You can opt me in for the white box i am fine with that.
One possibility to get enough additional pre-pub buyers to agree to take the white box would be to print up enough color copies of the box cover art work and include one in each of the white boxes. Then those receipiants could apply the color copy to their box in whatever manner they choose. I know I’d be interested in this option if its offered.
IRT to Chet Willie: Thanks!
IRT to Steve Miller: Color photocopies of the box top and bottom for use as “lay-ins” against the white box – shrink wrap then holds them in place – is something we have looked into and will probably do. This is relatively inexpensive and improves white box quite a bit, but still not enough for store sales. Unless box is original printed box, stores won’t take it unless at huge discount. We have test run of color layins for our War of Resistance white box edition being done now.