Production

[Jason Roach]

Do you think these will be ready by WBC time??

Thanks,

-Jason

[kzucker]

Jason,

We've had more delays. There were problems with the die-cutting and delays in getting the rules and the magazine to the printer. Mark's graphic files for the cover and charts hasn't arrived yet.

[Jason Roach]

Hey,

Sorry to hear that. I am looking forward to getting my grubs on a copy.

Thanks for the post.

-Jason

[kzucker]

The disk from Mark Hinkle arrived today. (Dave Demko’s disk with the Magazine also arrived, but we were unable to open it. Dave is working on doing a file transfer electronically.) We need to take both disks plus the rules and displays to the printer on Monday.

I spent the last 24 hours polishing the rules, so they are now finished (version 3.2). Version 1.2 was sent to the playtesters on February 8th... 40 drafts in 5 and 1/2 months!

[kzucker]

Our die-cutter has the printed sheets but has been unable to schedule our job. So it's just sitting there. He says he has major long-running jobs in the shop (good for him, bad for us) but promised to be in contact again on Monday the 2nd.

[Jason Roach]

Kevin,

With him getting to it on the 2nd, how far does that put the game out in terms of when it will ship??

Thanks,

-Jason

[kzucker]

Jason,

There are several steps in die-cutting. First the sheets have to be trimmed (because of how they were laid-out on the press sheets), then folded in half (front to back). Then the cardboard is laminated between the printed halves. It takes three days for the glue to dry. Then the sheets are die-cut, and finally, they are trimmed down to 8.5 x 11." We are having 1100 Seven Days sheets made up, plus 100 Bonaparte in Italy and 100 Highway to the Kremlin. It could well be the week of August 16th before we have games to ship...

[kzucker]

Nothing new to report. I just spoke to the die-cutter and he's still working on the big corporate job. He promised to work our job in as soon as possible. I'll be talking to him later in the week. Will post here again soon ....

[kzucker]

Our diecutter has provided a firm schedule for delivery of the counters: August 26th. We will assemble games on the 27th - 29th, and start shipping games on the 30th.

Rules to the Printer on Monday the 9th.

[Jason Roach]

THat is good to hear. Look forward to getting the game ASAP.

Thanks for the update.

[kzucker]

The B&W Components went to the printer today:

1. Book of 32 pages -- a) Rules (28 pages); b) detachable Game Summary insert (4 pages)
2. Magazine of 24 pages (Wargame Design Nr. 8)
3. Cardstock items (5 one-sided and 2 two-sided cards) a) Austrian March Tables (2 cards, one sided) b) French March Tables (2 cards, one sided) c) Charts & Tables Card (1 card, two sided) d) Turn Record Card (1 card, two sided) e) Casualty Record Card (1 card, one sided)
Provided some last-minute corrections make it here we will look at proofs by Friday and then have the finished components to meet the arriving counters and boxes on August 26.

No more tweaks now ...

[Jason Roach]

Saw the box cover at WBC and some Demo Play. Box looks great, as would be expected.

Look forward to the complete game in hand soon.


-Jason

[kzucker]

Three elements are still holding up this project:

1. Player Aid Cards
These should have been printed in Baltimore by yesterday.

2. WDM Nr. 8
These are to be delivered to OSG on Friday the 10th.

3. The Rules Folder
We had to find a new printer at the last minute, as there was confusion at our first choice on a technical matter. Our new printer for the rules is in Massachusetts. They have committed to ship the rules to us on September 10th. Unfortunately that will not get the books to us until Monday the 13th. I have asked them to try and get them out sooner.

All other components are made-up and ready in our warehouse.

That's the best guess for now.

[kzucker]

The counters, maps and boxes are finished and in stock. The rules are printed and waiting to be delivered, along with Issue 8 of Wargame Design which is included in the package. The Tables are printed and all remaining components will be delivered on Monday 9/13. We will assemble starting on Tuesday and start shipping by the end of the week.

[kzucker]

Jason Roach, Forrest Speck and Dave Collins were here yesterday afternoon, to assemble Sun of Austerlitz, Highway, Last Days and Bonaparte, so that we will have stock of these items to send out to stores and overseas distributors along with their orders for the new title.

WDM Nr. 8 is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow (Monday 9/13/04). The rules are only being shipped from Mass. tomorrow. We'll receive them and the cardstock items later in the week, looking toward assembling the new game on Saturday 9/18.

[kzucker]

We just received the last of the game components and are set-up and ready to start assembling games. We plan on shipping all the pre-orders over the next two or three weeks, starting with the airmail on Monday.

If you'd like to give us a hand with assembly for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon you can walk away with a game of your choice.

[kzucker]

Hi

Thanks to Chuck Frascati (who decided to let his lawn grow instead and put in 5 hours) and Jason Roach (hey, he had a hard night) we assembled 256 games. We will do the same again next Saturday.

[kzucker]

We shipped about 40 games yesterday to the grognards who paid extra for overseas airmail postage. We are on track to ship 40 games per day domestic and overseas surface for the next seven days.

[Nicola]

Very good news indeed !!!

[kzucker]

As of today we have shipped last names A through Pi... We will complete shipping all the pre-orders this Friday, October 1st.

[Edgar]

Game arrived yesterday to Spain, at least to my home :D
I should deploy it and play, but at first sight is beautiful

[kzucker]

Hi Edgar,

I am glad the game arrived quickly. I am guessing yours was one of the airmail games shipped on the 21st. Did you find an opponent?

[Edgar]

I convinced my brother to play it after Sun of Austerlitz (now on our table), so I hope it to be soon. ;)

[Jason Roach]

Edgar,

When you get the chance, post a replay of your game. It would be one of the first replays for the game.

-Jason

[kzucker]

The last remaining 11 pre-orders for Seven Days of 1809 were shipped today. If you want to see if you were shipped a copy you can take a look at the file here ... http://www.napoleongames.com/preorders_20040904.pdf

If your name is on that list, and it is NOT in Gray or Red, you have a copy on the way. (See KEY at bottom of list for more information.)

[Jason Roach]

Hi,


This is a bit of a cross post on someting I posted at Consim. I posted an OOTW first look at The Seven Days of 1809, in the Out of the Wrap folder. It is post # "21760." It got burried this morning under a pile of off topic stuff and 4 word posts, but it gives a good overview of what comes with the game, as well as my first impressions.

Anyway, I thought I should cross-post it as a result.

Here it is:


OOTW: OSG's The Seven Days of 1809

This is the latest of the Day’s Series from OSG. I play-tested the game, and being from Baltimore, was able to get an advanced copy. It is a very impressive package.

Box: A rich dark blue box with a classical painting of Charles on the Front. The box has a “fancy” feel to it, with the robust color scheme and classical look. It is a Mark Hinkle design.

Map: One map, very nicely done by Mark Simonitch. It is clear, and crisp. The example on the OSG website is spot-on, but seeing the map laid out, it looks even better. The material is not super heavy, nor is it thin, but typical of OSG’s other games; should wear well.

Counters: The game has one sheet of 280 counters. The counters are very nice and now the leader counters contain pictures of the commanders/officers. Surprisingly, these pictures are very clear considering their size. The contrast of the colors is also good, and clear with all the values/numbers easily distinguished.

Charts and Tables: The charts and tables are printed on heavy card stock. Not glossy but they are very clear and I particularly like the CRT layout, which also contains all the results, shifts etc... On the back of the CRT is the terrain effects chart, which is rather clear and to the point.

Rules Book: The Rules book, which includes scenarios, historical notes by the designer, as well as scattered examples, totals 27 pages, with the actual rules pages numbering only 19 pages (including examples). The rules are double column, and are printed on what seems to be a rather sturdy good quality paper. It also includes a handy pullout section, with “don’t forget Notes”, and summaries of important issues, as well as a page for night movement orders that can be photocopied.

BONUS MATERIAL: War Game Design Magazine. This was included in the game. This is the first time I have ever read this mag (WD), and if the past issues were is good as this one, I have been missing out. . The print/paper quality is similar to the rules book, only it seems step above. (Perhaps it’s just me.)

The contents of WD are excellent, with 22 pages of articles and the like. As I started to read WD, I quickly noticed that this is a different type of game mag. There are 3 articles on design theory, one of which is an article from Mark Simonitch on the design aspects for GMT’s Ardennes 44. There is a special section for the Seven Days of 1809 containing design notes, and two articles from a historian's view, and a discussion on the 1809 OOB. There are also a couple of design project reports as well as an excellent editorial about our hobby by Michael Welker.

Anyway, great looking game. I hope that between work and finishing my masters, I can get a chance to play it soon.




-Jason

[kzucker]

All domestic and Canadian pre-orders for Seven Days of 1809 should have been received. Overseas airmail packages should have been received: they were mailed on Sept. 21st. Overseas surface packages went out in alphabetical order starting on Sept. 22nd, finishing by September 30th. Surface packages can take 4-6 weeks for delivery. That means November 11th would not be too late for some surface packages to arrive.