Hey Backers,

We're almost at the end of the campaign! The shipments are heading to their respective fulfillment centers, getting prepped and packed into boxes, and, in some cases, they have already made it to backers. We've got news below for each region so please read!

US Backers
We have a few things on this front. First, if you were curious, Molly House will likely be hit with tariffs but frustratingly we still don't know yet. We were hoping to have the games land before any tariffs were imposed, but the shipping lane was slow and the processing at the port was slow. By the time we got the front of the line, there were new tariffs. The abrupt roll-out of these isn't helping, so there are still lots of questions to be answered as the games are currently in transit to hopefully arrive at the warehouse later this week or early next week. It will likely be a 20% tariff on the cost of goods once all our paperwork is finalized.

How will we respond to this? We'll will likely have to absorb the tariff hit and change how we plan to sell any remaining copies to retail stores to offset the tariffs across the board with MSRP increases. Especially for the metal pawns as our margins are pretty slim. We do our best to have contingency plans in place, but a relatively small crowdfunded project like this is certainly a more direct hit compared to other industries or companies that can react more quickly. How can you help? Play Molly House! Celebrate this game coming out and continue to support projects like this.

In happier news, Molly House is now in the United States and making its way to our fulfillment center in Wisconsin. US Backer shipment information has now been uploaded to our fulfillment partner's database! Depending on your address and the size + weight of the package, backers will have different carriers deliver their games optimized to daily rate changes and distance etc. Often, the final delivery courier is USPS, but you might have a tracking number with another carrier for the bulk shipment to the local USPS hub. You will receive shipping updates via email when we print the shipping label, when the game is in transit and when it is delivered. If you for whatever reason don't get a tracking email by the end of the month, reach out to us! [email protected]

Lastly, for US folks that ordered Pax Pamir Card Sleeves, we've run out of stock! You will be receiving 2 packs of Molly House sleeves to cover your Pax Pamir cards. You will have plenty of extra sleeves but apologies that I had the wrong stock counts in our US warehouse to fulfill those items as we're now fully out of Pax Pamir sleeves there.

EU / UK / International Backers
I'm happy to say the games just landed at Fulfillment Europe and Spiral Galaxy. FE will be handling all EU + all other international fulfillment while Spiral is handling just fulfillment in the UK. They now have the backer lists and the timeline for fulfillment depends on the other projects they have in the queue. I believe the games landed at Fulfillment Europe right when where we happen to be up next up for fulfillment so well timed! Shipping labels just started to get printed there and packed so packages will be coming soon! Spiral Galaxy has a small queue but things should start moving out in 1-2 weeks. I am hoping all tracking numbers will be out in just a few weeks! As always, reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions about fulfillment.

Quick note for some UK backers that ordered Pax Pamir or John Company items: your pledge will be shipped from Fulfillment Europe. It should not mean anything different for receiving your package beside that it will have traveled a further and can be in the mail for over a week. Given that Fulfillment EU is already starting on our backerlist, you'll get your pledges nearly the same time that UK shipments from Spiral Galaxy will go out too. Just a heads up!

CA + AU/NZ
Pick & Pack Logistics and Aetherworks have completed backer fulfillment in Canada and Australia/New Zealand! If you are in these regions and did not receive your package yet, please reach out to [email protected] so we can look into your shipment. Thank you to all our backers that have received your games and posted pictures. It's amazing to see Molly House out in the world!

SEA Region (VFI)
We work with VFI to ship help manage our fulfillment across lots of countries in Oceana. They work with several publishing partners to bulk ship games to another fulfillment partner that is local to the country of fulfillment. This means that SEA region fulfillment is often slower and more hard to predict since it can rely on lots of factors, but I'm happy to share some ETAs based on VFIs hub page.

Also, for some backers that have Pax Pamir and John Company items, you will be receiving your pledge from Fulfillment Europe. We did not have enough add-on stock of Pax Pamir and John Company items at VFI to fulfill your order from their hub. These orders will be shipped at additional expense that Wehrlegig will cover, to ensure you receive your items safely due to the error in stock allocation, and may even arrive before the VFI shipments too. This is not ideal, and if you have any issue receiving your shipment, please let us know [email protected] so we can process an appropriate claim.



Damages, Missing Items, Assembly Errors (Claims)
Regardless, nearly all of our shipments are insured so if there are any issues with fulfillment, please send us an email to [email protected] to start a claim. Please send photos and details (esp name and pledge number if possible) so we may look up and process your claim appropriately. Especially if there are any damages, sending at least 2 pictures significantly helps us process replacements. We will do our best to get to these as quickly as we can, but know that replacements will be addressed as soon as we can get through the majority of fulfillment!

If there is a missing component due to an error in assembly, you're also welcome to directly submit a request for a component replacement here at this link as well.

While Molly House will soon be coming to folks in the mail, it will soon be time to learn the game! Cole recently shared the final pdf of the rules on BGG if you want to start reading them now, and we've schedule a few video playthroughs to come out later this month. 

Heavy Cardboard will be doing a full playthrough video in a couple weeks and we are working with Good Time Society on a playthrough and how-to-play video. Those are still in the works and we'll post on our socials and our next update when they come together.


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Thanks for your patience and kindness. We're close to the end and we remain grateful with the amount of trust you have given to us to make this project. Thank you!

Drew

 
Happy Valentine's Day!

The first orders are beginning to go out to backers, and I am so excited to finally be in the fulfillment phase of the campaign. This is the beginning of the end and folks will soon be playing Molly House out in the world. It's been quite a ride, but it's not over yet. I'll be sharing some fulfillment updates by shipping zone below but first I wanted to share this essay that was posted earlier this week.

Dan Thurot wrote a preview piece on Molly House during the crowdfunding campaign and recently he shared a follow-up essay about his experience with the final game. It's a reflective and careful piece and i couldn't help but share this essay with you. You can read it here on his website. Please do. I think it's quite a special bit of writing.

US + EU + UK Backers: Each shipment is still en route to its respective fulfillment center (US in Wisconsin, EU in Leipzig, UK in Telford) . Given there still maybe delays since each has not cleared customs, I am still hoping for arrivals before the end of the month and for fulfillment to backers to proceed in March. We previously shared that we would be locking addresses next week, but as we need to get started with address validations a bit sooner, I am going to be sending out final 48 hour address confirmations for all backers today! You'll receive email tracking information info from your shipping center as expected. If you have any issues with your address confirmation or concerns, please reach out to us directly anytime [email protected] and we'll be happy to help. 

CA + AU/NZ Backers: We've started shipping in Canada and Pick & Pack will be done with fulfillment likely by next week! AU/NZ is shortly behind and should start up fulfillment at Aetherworks next week. Please let us know if there are any issues with fulfillment or your pledge. So far things have run pretty smoothly given some staff shortages, but let us know how we can help. And also please tag us if y'all play molly house!! We would love to see photos of it on your tables!

SEA / INT'L Backers: Many Int'l backers will be receiving their copies from our EU based fulfillment partner and many Oceania backers will be getting their games via a shipping partnerships with VFI Asia. I will be reaching out to backers in SEA that pre-ordered some items that I've recently found out are not available for delivery from VFI, so I will reach out and contact you shortly about those items. You will not need to pay for additional shipping though we may have to do a split shipment for some orders due to stock shortages of Pax/JoCo items. 

As always with every backer, please reach out if there is anything with your pledge over email as that remains the best channel for us: [email protected]

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Lots of new videos in the works, but in case you missed our annual live stream from last month, check it our below. Cole and I do a very quick, narrated Molly House unboxing and I show off a quick demo of Hell-raisers, our upcoming game about the labor movement in West Virigina in the early 20th century.

We are still working on arranging a full-playthrough videos and a how to play video. Hoping those will come out in March so I hope to share more in our next update. You can also check out the suite of videos our solo-designer Ricky made which include a detailed unboxing video and several on a his solo playthrough of MH.

Thanks as always for bringing this project into existence. The past few months and especially few weeks have been intense given the current state of the world that we are releasing Molly House into. We are so grateful to our backers that allowed us to unabashedly share this slice of queer history.

-Drew

All copies are currently enroute to their various fulfillment centers, and because of the wildly fluctuating world of international logistics, some of the shipments are moving faster or slower compared to others. I am happy report that the Canadian and Australian shipments are making great time, and they are expected to arrive at their respective warehouses before the end of the month. This means, I am going to send out address confirmation 48 hour notices to backers in CA/AU/NZ right now (I previously wrote it would happen next week and later on for CA)! Pick and Pack (CA) and Aetherworks (AU/NZ) often send their own shipping address confirmation emails just to triple-check right before they send packages, but I suspect all of their orders will be fulfilled in February. Wahoo!

Most other regions are still looking like the shipments will arrive in late Feb and fulfillment will take place across March. Slow and steady for the US/EU backers. Don't be surprised when address confirmations come your way in about a month's time.

As always, if anyone ever has an issue with their pledge or something is damaged upon receiving it, send an email with plenty of details over to us [email protected]

A few years ago, Cole and I started hosting an annual stream where we go over the projects that we are working on and games we are interested in for the coming year. It's become one of our favorite traditions, providing us with a little space for reflection and also an opportunity to pull back the curtain to show folks how we think about games very early in their lifecycle. This is also coming right at the 5-year anniversary leaving my museum education career and transitioning to Wehrlegig full-time. How time flies!

We'd love if you could join us for the live stream but we'll also record the stream to post to our YouTube channel shortly afterward. It should be a fun time and I'm excited to tell folks a bit more about Hell-Raisers too. I think we will drop the Molly House PnP files as well as an unboxing video soon as well!

Wehrlegig Year Ahead Live Stream - Wednesday, January 22nd @ 3 pm EST

We'll post again about it on our socials next week and you can always follow us on our Twitch Channel to get notified.  Again, the recording will be available afterwards, but hope folks come by to say hi when we're live! We have some fun news to share about Molly House and other things <3

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Alright, that's all I have. As always let us know if you have any questions but very soon the first backers will have their copies!

Drew

Hi everyone,

I'm happy to share the news that our manufacturing partner has just completed mass production of Molly House. Wahoo! All the games and add-ons are now getting packed and assembled onto pallets to get ready to be shipped across the world. This also means that we are now entering the freight and fulfillment phase of this project, so it will soon be time to verify your delivery address and receive your pledge!

We work with fulfillment partners all over the world that make our project possible. This project will be fulfilled on a rolling basis across Q1 2025, which means that there will be some timing difference in fulfillment and the final lock for delivery addresses for backers before fulfillment. Address confirmation emails are a 48 hour notice that reminds you what address we have on file and then let's you know that it is about to be locked.

Refer to the different sections below to learn more about your pledge. Like always, please reach out over email to [email protected] for any assistance on your pledge or if there are any issues with delivery.

US Backers
We ship our rewards out of a fulfillment partner warehouse in the Chicago-land area. They are incredibly -well setup to move as quickly and carefully though our orders as soon as we are ready to ship. We are are still currently sorting out how we'll bring things into the US with our freight partner right now. We are not sure still what any threatened tariffs might mean for this project, but we'll certainly keep you informed.

I suspect if things go smoothly we are still on track for the first shipments to be sent out sometime in early March. Given the constantly evolving state of the world, it is hard to say exactly when but we're going to just say that final US address confirmation emails will go out February 18th. We'll then confirm our shipping lists and upload to our freight partners so they can get right to it when the games arrive.

CA Backers
We will continue working with Pick & Pack Logistics for our Molly House fulfillment. We've worked with them on all of our crowdfunding campaigns for CA backers and they continue to do amazing work. I suspect a very similar timeline to the US, though it could be earlier or later since it is a different shipment and will be going through a different port of entry. Regardless, let's plan on final address confirmation emails for CA backers also go out on February 18th. Like with all of our regions, after we lock final addresses, we format and upload the shipment data to our partners' shipping platform.

AU/NZ Backers
Like with our previous campaigns, we'll continue to work with Aetherworks for AU + NZ fulfillment. They are fantastic and typically receive the games weeks earlier than our other fulfillment regions. I am hoping the first  AU/NZ bound copies ship out in February at some point, so let's plan on final AU/NZ address confirmation emails go out January 21st. I have not received confirmation about when we can expect fulfillment to start up, so there is a chance it won't be until March. I am hopeful it will start up before then.

SEA-Region Backers
Our wonderful China-based fulfillment partner VFI Asia will be the first to receive a shipment. They are responsible for all SEA-region fulfillment. VFI works with a bunch of local fulfillment centers in surrounding countries, so depending on the volume of games from their other publishing partners, delivery could be on a similar timeline to that of the US. It will be very hard to say when exactly your copy will be delivered. Please make sure you list an address that can work for a wide delivery window. CN/HK orders will certainly be first but others depend wildly, so please put an address that will be safe to deliver to anytime from January until late April to be safe. Many of VFI shipments won't go out until they have enough games to ship safely to their regional partners. It is slow and safe, but we're very close to local delivery, so I will need to lock in all addresses for VFI very soon! I will send out SEA-region address confirmations TOMORROW, Thursday December 19th. There is a chance VFI might be able to get local CN copies shipped out before Lunar New Year, but no promises yet.

UK Backers
For the first time, we are shipping to our UK backers via UK-based Spiral Galaxy! I'm really excited to be working with them. This hopefully means better turn around time for UK shipments and support. I suspect this lane will also be on a similar timeline to that of the US / CA / EU, which means I am optimistic for a march fulfillment for the campaign.  Let's also plan on final address confirmation emails for UK backers also go out on February 18th. This may be pushed up or back depending on the speed of the freight.

Europe + all other International Backers
And lastly, our Germany-based shipping partner Fulfillment Europe who handles all EU, Europe, and rest of world shipments for us. FE has been an incredible partner over the years and I'm very happy to work with them again on Molly House fulfillment. We'll put this fulfillment zone on the same address lock timing as the others, but know that it is also subject to be pushed up or back depending on when the games arrive. Also hoping for a March-April fulfillment for most of the orders. We'll do address confirmations for EU/Int'l backers  on February 18th.

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If you are planning to move into to a new apartment sometime in March or are confused about anything related to the delivery of your pledge, please reach out over email to [email protected] and we'll be sure to help.

And lastly, to round out this update, here are some photos from PAX Unplugged! We had a ton of fun demoing on final production copies that we air freighted for the convention. We leaned in heavily into the world of Molly House and had a great (albeit emotional) time showing off Molly House. It was just incredible to see folks react and experience the game in its final form really for the first time. Also, feeling humbled and grateful as ever that Jo and our volunteers were able to come to Philly so we could show off the years of hard work. A wonderful, exhausting way to wrap up a big year!



We're incredibly lucky we were able to share in the joy of this project, in no small part because of the support from backers like you! We were able to make this game a reality because of your generosity and interest.

I suspect our next update will come in January when Cole and I will do our annual Wehrlegig Year Ahead stream (date and time TBA) and hopefully will have news about unboxing, how-to play, and other video-related things for you! 

Thanks as always and talk to you again in the new year,
Drew