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Hi everyone!
I'm just back this week from a terrific family vacation amidst the wilderness beauty of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. After the medical procedure last month, it was really nice to get away and rest and recharge in such a magnificent, peaceful place.
Rested and refreshed, I'm now tackling what will undoubtedly turn out to be the biggest and most comprehensive overhaul of GMT operations in the history of the company.
The target: Massively improving operational scaling and efficiency and setting us up to handle 3-400% of the volume we service now. (ie. I don't want to have to do this again next year).
The reason: Rising order volumes (yay!) have completely overwhelmed our existing physical and digital systems and processes (Nooooo!).
You guys saw the tip of the iceberg of our problems evidenced with the long delays on our late April shipments. Unfortunately, I was dealing with health procedures early in that process, but once I got back to work, I started monitoring the warehouse and asking questions about every delay and every roadblock in our processes that I found. The answers I got were not encouraging. Below is just a small sampling:
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At our current shipping capacity, filling all these orders could take a month."
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Hiring more people MIGHT take a few days off that total - but then we'd have to train them...."
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Somehow this system doesn't talk to our other system anymore (due to an upgrade) so we can't batch process these shipping labels - we have to enter them individually." (ouch!)
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The UPS computer and our website aren't talking to each other."
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We need more UPS computers."
So basically, a bunch of wheels were falling off the cart all at once. My conclusion, after talking to all the people involved and analyzing our operations, is that we've finally reached the point where our continuing rapid growth has just outstripped our capacities and our existing systems, and we can't fix the problem with bandaids like hiring more people or upgrading exsiting software any more.
It's the kind of "good problem" that can kill you if you do nothing, so we have to fix this, and soon.
So I'm doing what I've done for 26 years when we need to solve a big problem. I'm looking outside our industry at how large companies solve similar problems, and then figuring out how we can use and scale their solutions to enhance our operations. Elizabeth, Samantha, and I are working with our shippers and enterprise-level software providers (integrated website/accounting/shipping solutions) to identify and install new systems and processes that will provide us a leap forward in both our capabilities and our volume capacity.
Along the way, we're going to try to solve some other nagging problems (like not having a freight forwarding option in Europe to cut costs, and decreasing our overall shipping costs, which we now heavily subsidize for our customers).
So we're going to be very busy over the coming months with upgrades and training to make this happen. We don't expect that we can do it overnight. It's going to take some time - a few months, at least - and a lot of money (so, please, keep ordering! :-) ). Fortunately, through the combination of Tony Curtis' excellent money management and the windfall that is revenue from the digital version of Twilight Struggle, it's something that is within our financial capacity to achieve. But operationally, as all of you know who've gone through these kind of operational transitions in your jobs, it's going to be a busy and challenging time.
I'm telling you all this because I try to always be open with you about what challenges we have, and this is a big one. And because I want to ask for your patience and consideration towards the office and warehouse staff over the coming months, as they're going to be learning new systems while still trying to keep your game tables filled with our games and make sure you are all happy.
We have also put together a set of "how to handle volumes better in the meantime" action items that we'll use to make sure that those groups of releases in late July and August go more quickly and smoothly than did the late April batch. (Fortunately, we only have two games with lower order totals to ship end of June, so we buy a little time.) As you might imagine, the new systems won't be up and running overnight, and the trick will be how and when to integrate the new systems while being able to keep up with existing orders and commitments.
One possibility is that we MIGHT have to just take a month off from the production queue - essentially pick a month when we'll bring all the new systems up and put off all the P500s planned for that month until the next month. We don't want to do that, but we will if it looks like the best way to do the integration. If that happens, I'll let you guys know in advance.
So, that's the elephant in the room that we're addressing. In fact, I'm trying to get this update finished and out to you early today because I have a joint meeting this afternoon with both shippers and enterprise software providers to try to hammer out a few more details. This is going to be "Job 1" for me for a while, even though it's going on in the background.
OK, I wanted you to know all that, as it may well impact your experience with us over the coming months. But now let's get back to "the fun stuff" - games!
We have some exciting games coming to your tables soon, and there is a lot of info about them in today's update, both in my column here and in the "Project Updates" section, below. So let's get to the game news!
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1846 Draft Rules Online
Two things here:
First, if you're a
18xx veteran and are willing to take a look at the rules and give Tom feedback in the BGG thread linked above, we'd all very much appreciate your help.
Secondly, for those of you who are new to 18xx, our rules include a 4-page example of play that should help you get a good sense of how the game plays. So I invite you to check them out and get a leg up on your 18xx rules learning.
Enjoy!
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Pericles is Victorious!
Thanks to all of you who have pre-ordered Pericles! This is game #2 in Mark Herman's Great Statesmen Series. Thanks to your support, it crossed the 500 order threshold in about a week and is now well over 600 and on the way to getting a production slot.
If you're interested in the development of Pericles!, check out Mark's Delian League Diary articles in InsideGMT:
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Digital Twilight Struggle News
Digital Twilight Struggle (Steam for PC and Mac) continues to do well for us, both in terms of sales and in bringing new TS players to the game. Although there hasn't been much in the way of public announcements over the past month, there has been a ton of behind-the-scenes work happening, and we're thrilled with the progress Playdek has made with the game. Personally, I am most excited to see the game on other platforms as well, as Playdek has the ports ready.
In that vein, although I am still under NDA and Playdek is a lot more reserved with giving out info that we generally are, they've ok'd me telling you to "look for a big announcement next week." As soon as Playdek makes the announcement, we'll make sure you see it through our various social media sites, so keep an eye out!
Twilight Struggle's creativity and elegance sets it apart from most of what's available on PC. It's a great strategy game, but one that behaves according to completely different logic than we're used to seeing. As a strategy game, Twilight Struggle is a revelation. On PC, it's one of the best head-to-head strategy games around.
If you haven't seen the Digital Version yet, or you'd like to learn to play Twilight Struggle (and this is a terrific way to learn the game), I invite you to check it out. When you buy the Steam version linked below, you get access to both the PC and Mac versions of the game for the $14.99 price. Enjoy!
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Twilight Struggle Collector's Edition Updates
Just a few things on the update front today:
1. The misprinted cards from the CE have been reprinted and shipped to us. We don't have a firm arrival date yet, but I can't imagine it'll be more than 3-4 weeks. Once we have them, we'll ship to all of you who have the CE, and will then ship decks to all KS backers who've ordered additional card decks.
2. If ANY Kickstarter backer of physical rewards (CE, Expansion decks, T-shirts, etc) has not yet received their items, please contact our offices (gmtoffice@gmtgames.com) as soon as possible. We're doing out best to make sure everyone is taken care of before we begin offering any of the remaining CEs to non-Kickstarter customers.
3. For those of you who want to know when we'll make the remaining TS Collector's Editions available for general sale, it'll be after #1 and #2 above arrive and are taken care of - hopefully by August.
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Solitaire Rules for Conquest of Paradise!
Designer Kevin McPartland has created a set of Solitaire Rules for Conquest of Paradise! Those rules and the components needed for them will be in the 2nd Edition of Conquest of Paradise, which you can P500 now. But we're also making them available to all of you as a free Print n' Play package for your enjoyment. The details are in Kevin's InsideGMT Article, linked below:
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GMT Digital Gift Certificates!
Just a reminder that we DO now have digital gift certificates available on our website.
PLEASE NOTE that Gift Certificates do NOT work for P500 orders, only for in-stock orders.
To purchase and send a gift certificate, just go to our
Gift Certificate Department and select "Email Gift Certificate." You'll then be able to choose from $10, $20, $25, $50, or $100 Gift Certificates. Then when you checkout, once you Update your cart and hit the "Checkout Now" button, our system will ask you to fill in the recipient's name and email address for each Certificate ordered (you can include multiple gift certificates on a single order). You'll also be able to include a personal note to the recipient.
We hope you enjoy this new addition to the GMT website and that it helps you with your gifting for holiday, birthdays, etc.
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This Month in InsideGMT!
Here's a look at our most recent InsideGMT articles:
And, in case you missed them, here are links to our previous month's InsideGMT articles:
As always, I invite you guys to head over to
www.insidegmt.com, check out the articles, leave us your comments, and tell us what else you'd like to see us do to make
InsideGMT even better!
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San Diego Historical Games Convention
The November San Diego Historical Games Convention (November 11-13, 2016) is now open for registration! This year brings a new venue utilizing the 5,200 square foot Shriner's Hall and sharing a parking lot with the Convention Hotel. This years special guest will be Mark Herman. Come join us in San Diego where it's 70 degrees in November!
http://www.sdhist.com/
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GMT Weekend at the Warehouse Oct. 13-16
We had a great time with about 90 gamers at our most recent GMT Weekend at the Warehouse on April 21-24. Thanks to all of you who attended and made the event so much fun!
We do have dates for our Fall Weekend, so come join us on October 13-16, 2016, for our 32nd (!)
GMT Weekend at the Warehouse! We'll spend the better part of 3 1/2 days, often long into the night, playing your favorite GMT (and non-GMT, if you'd prefer) games. This is mostly an open gaming event, although we do have tournaments from time to time.
The hotel has already blocked rooms for us, so feel free to go ahead and make reservations whenever you are ready.
If you'd like to attend, just call or chat with our office ladies and they'll reserve your spot.
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Keep up with GMT Online
Virtually every day, we announce new information or show off upcoming products or give you a peek under the hood of our new designs in our various online sites and forums. For you guys looking to keep up with us online, here's where you can find us. Drop in and start a conversation!
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That's it for the news bytes for this time.
Here's what you'll find in the rest of today's update:
- Charge and Shipping Update
- Production Outlook
- P500s
- Project Updates
- P500 Reprint Update
- Website File Additions
Thanks, as always, for your support of GMT!
Enjoy the games!
Gene
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Charging and Shipping Schedule
Charging
The next charges will start during the first week of July for the five July releases.
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Tentative Production Schedule
Here's our most current Tentative Production Schedule. As you can see, we have a packed schedule for Summer and Fall. It's going to be a busy year!
The schedule is fairly solid from last month, though we saw a slight delay that pushed
C&C Nappy Epic Napoleonics back a month to August. The biggest long-term move at this point is
Fields of Fire 2nd Edition, where it's taking longer than we anticipated to get all the final edits locked down. So we've moved it into 1Q 2017, until we get the edits issues resolved.
July, 2016
August 2016
September, 2016
Possible for 4Q, 2016
Twilight Struggle Deluxe Reprint
Possible Early 2017
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P500s
We have three new P500 additions this month. We have Volume IV in Mike Nagel's Flying Colors Series, adding some really interesting new ships and naval battles that I've never seen in a wargame before. And then there's a new WWII Tactical game from Mike Denson - The Last Hundred Yards. This is a really cool game - you guys who like tactical WWII games are going to love it!
We also have a new solitaire game from John Kranz at ConsimPress. -
The Hunted. This is "
The Hunters goes to late war," and it promises to be challenging and fun.
One of the cool "extra" things in The Hunted is that, even though it's a stand-alone game, you can
link careers between both The Hunters and The Hunted and try to be a U-Boat Kommandant through the entire war. I'm loving that!
Click on the links below to go to the game's P500 page for detailed information and to order.
The Last Hundred Yards
The Hunted: Twilight of the U-Boats, 1943-45
Recent P500 Additions:
1960: The Making of the President (GMT Edition): 672 Orders to Date
Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid: 517 Orders to Date
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Project Updates
In this section, we'll be passing along updated status on a variety of projects, generally direct from the designers or developers. We have several updates this time, but first I want to share with you some art samples of final components for several of our upcoming games, courtesy of Mark Simonitch and Charlie Kibler:
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Cataclysm -
Scott Muldoon
PROJECT UPDATE: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Cataclysm: A Second World War is a single-session global World War Two game over six years in the making. Players represent powers belonging to an ideology - Democracy, Fascism, or Communism - and steer their destiny through politics and war in the 1930s and 40s. A true sandbox experience, we have done our best to allow players the freedom to explore what-ifs and might-have-beens while remaining true to historical constraints and motivations. Every game is an outlier - and the narrative generated never fails to entertain.
Cataclysm has been on GMT Games' P500 list for over a year, and the development team has not spent that time idle. After overhauling the entire naval system and reorganizing the rulebook, we have spent the last few months playtesting the shorter scenarios for balance and fun factor. Our crack team of testers has been hard at work pushing cardboard and challenging the system, and we've made a plethora of adjustments thanks to their thoughtful feedback. After this last batch of comments, we feel the time has finally come to share the draft rulebook with the gaming public. A PDF of the rules is now available at GMT's website, as well as the game-specific pages at Boardgamegeek and Consimworld.
At this point the actual rules content is not likely to change, except for tweaks here and there. Of course, being a draft, we expect more rounds of proofreading to identify errors and tighten up ambiguous wording. No matter how much work is done before release, opening up the text to more eyes always uncovers more to be done! Anyone who wants to volunteer to help us with this process should contact designer Scott Muldoon at silentdibs@gmail.com.
Cataclysm needs about sixty orders to reach the magic number and earn a production slot. We hope a read of the rules will convince more of you that Cataclysm is not like any other WW2 game out there, and is one that would look good in your collection. Come visit us on BGG and CSW and join the excitement!
Designers William Terdoslavich and Scott Muldoon
Developer Kevin Bernatz
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Silver Bayonet 25th Anniversary Edition - Gene Billingsley
Mitch Land and his playtest team are wrapping up final testing and Charlie Kibler and Mark Simonitch are finishing the component art and layout, with an eye toward shipping this game in September. I've asked Rodger, who did the original box art over 25 years ago, to do the new edition box cover as well, and can't wait to see what he comes up with!
To give you guys a little "eye candy," here are some final map samples, from Charlie Kibler:
For those of you wanting a peek at game play, Mitch has authored several InsideGMT articles recently that are AARs of the game's smaller scenarios. Check them out!
Mitch and I want to thank all 930+ of you who have supported this game on P500 to date. We really appreciate your support and can't wait until we all have this new version of GMT's first game on our game tables.
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MBT - Jim Day (Consimworld)
MBT Leaders
Not to get to far out ahead of things, but the FRG and BAOR expansions will include the new Leaders rules and counters for the series. The US and Soviet counters will also be included in those expansions. -
Jim
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Time of Crisis - Wray Ferrell (BGG)
Just a quick post to let you know that things are going on behind the scenes. Brad and I have been reviewing/approving artwork and giving directions to the artist working on the map. Unfortunately GMT hasn't given us permission to show the art publicly, as it is still being tweaked, but as soon as they give us the green light, I will start posting it here.
Thanks, Wray
GB - Here's a link to the first piece of component final art we're releasing: A peek at the Event Cards:
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Wing Leader -
Lee Brimmicombe-Wood (BGG)
Another month, another update. There's been steady progress on all fronts, these past weeks. Testing has been focussed on the two scenarios going into C3i #30. We are delivering these for publication at the end of the month and we think we have a couple of good 'uns here. These will go alongside the counters, which will include the following:
* Variant counters for Royal Navy Corsairs, Hellcats and Avengers, in Pacific colours
* An additional Hurricane flight to help with downloadable scenario V25, 'Singapore Sling'
* Additional Ki-43 flights for a new scenario on the raid on Palembang
* Additional TBF Avenger squadron in late-war 'tri-colour' scheme for a scenario on a raid on Rabaul
A lot of the focus of the art this past month has been in planning the final countersheet layouts, alongside such issues as squadron ID schemes-trying to make sure that we have all the counters we need to play the scenarios.
I shall be taking a short break this month for some surgery, but otherwise I'm still on track to have the game delivered in the autumn. -
Lee
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P500 Reprint News and Tracking
Here's the current status of all the games on our P500 reprint list. Please help us determine what to print by pre-ordering any of these that interest you (you can click on the name link below to go to the P500 reprint page). Thanks for your help. Here's the current P500 Reprint list - with current order totals and a +/- order growth since last month:
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New Game Support Files, Vassal/Cyberboard, and Sneak Peeks
Here are new support files we've added to our website since our last update. Enjoy!
Game Support:
Vassal/Cyberboard/ZunTzu:
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Sincerely,
Your Friends at GMT Games
www.gmtgames.com Toll Free Order and Support Line: 800-523-6111 E-mail: gmtoffice@gmtgames.com |
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