Preorder Oceans, the next game in the Evolution series, here! You'll receive all unlocked stretch goals from the game's Kickstarter campaign, including $39 of content that won't be in the retail version. In addition, you can purchase any of the campaign's add-ons, some of which won't be available after the preorder period closes (on August 5)
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Timeline update
about 4 years ago
– Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 03:17:33 AM
Please Expect Delays
As you know, the coronavirus is causing delays to most international commerce, so please take the following timelines lightly. They are only estimates. It is diffcult to get an accurate timeline because of this quickly changing worldwide pandemic. Thanks for understanding.
"Everything is possible to be delayed due to the current outbreak."
English and French copies have already been sent from VFI directly to backers via SF Express and should arrive sometime near the end of March.
Iceland, Geenland, Macedonia, New Caledonia, Seychelles
English and French copies have already been sent from VFI directly to backers via FedEx and should arrive sometime near the end of March.
Taiwan
English copies have already been sent from VFI directly to backers via EMS and should arrive sometime near the end of March.
India, Oman, French Polyneseia
English and French copies have already been sent from VFI directly to backers via Post Surface and should arrive sometime in the first half of May.
North America
All Engish copies should have been delivered by now. If you have not received your English copy of Oceans, or if you have customer service issues, please fill out this new form. This is a new form. Please fill it out even if you have previously filled out the other form. Thanks.
French copies are expected to arrive in Canada at the beginning of April. They should be shipped to customers within several weeks of arriving in Canada depending on quarantine measures that are in effect at hat time.
Germany
German copies have been delivered to backers Germany, and to backers in Austria who did not order add-ons. The add-ons are on a boat and expected to arrive in Germany around April 20th. After arriving in Germany, they should get to backers with-in a week.
France
French copies are expected to arrive in France around April 20th. There are delays in all major ports, so it might take several weeks to get through customs, and several weeks before getting packed and shipped to backers.
"However, please note that, as several countries, France is currently under severe confinement due to the Covid-19 situation, therefore we are all at home with a very limited access to a lot of our key assets... As soon as the games will be in France we will start to acquire the necessary packing stuff and sendings to the backers should occur roughly 15 days after this for a whole dispatch of about 15 more days. It should be reasonable to say that everybody SHOULD be served as per end of May. Once again, this will depend on the Covid-19 situation and we cannot do anything about this."
Australian & New Zealand
English copies are expected to arrive in Australia on April 6th. They are already packed out and should get sent to backers within 7-14 days of their arrival in Australia.
English Copies to UK and Europe
English copies are expected to arrive in the UK around April 13th and shipped out as soon as possible.
Singapore
English and French copies are expected to arrive in Singapore between March 29th and April 10th. They are already packed out and will get sent to backers from Team Board Game.
Thailand
English copies are expected to arrive in Thailand between April 10th and April 24th. They are already packed out and will get sent to backers by Battlefield.
Vietnam
English andFrench copies are expected to arrive in Vietnam between April 10th and April 24th. They are already packed out and will get sent to backers by Boaard Game VN.
South Korea
English copies are expected to arrive in South Korea on April 10th, or several weeks earlier. They are already packed out and should get sent to backers within a few days of their arrival.
Israel
The English copies of Oceans are expected to arrive in Israel around April 10th. Liam Games will be fulfilling those orders. He says
"First of all, I must say that the situation with the virus is changing constantly here so you must take everything I say with a grain of salt. Our next shipment from VFI is only planned for about 3 weeks from now - everything is still very much in the air so we are hoping that if we wait a bit the situation will clear a bit. once it arrives it usually takes less then a week to get it into the hands of the backers. Current department of health orders is stay at home unless critical need so I got to assume that everything (including delivery to backers) will be delayed until we can get a better handle on the situation."
South Africa
English copies are expected to arrive in South Africa between April 10th and April 24th. They are already packed out and will get sent to backers by Solarpop.
Saudi Arabia
English copies are expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia in the first week of May.
Philippines & Indonesia
English copies are expected to arrive in the Philippines and Indonesia in 45-60 days. I'm told that everything is on lock-down in the Philippines right now, which is why there is a longer than normal expected delay.
All but 20 of the wooden deckholders from DogMight have been shipped. This is from an email :
"The remaining 20 units are about halfway done. We're experiencing some disruptions in our supplies and higher then normal absences and it's causing delays in our production line. After talking to my team I think we can have them finished and shipped out in the next two weeks. I'm sorry for the delay and I'll keep you updated if we need to push out further. We're dealing with the COVID-19 crisis as best we can but it's beyond anything we've experienced owning a company.
If any of your customers have an issue with their product just have them email [email protected]and we'll take care of everything. The products are covered with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and we also cover all shipping costs for replacements."
Thank you for your patience. I am starting to get a handle on the fulfillment situation. It's very complicated, but I've slowly been reaching out to everyone involved and learning who is in charge of delivering which games. Many people are working hard to get your games to you as soon as possible. I'm sorry for all of the delays.
~ Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games & lead designer of Oceans
— Dominic Crapuchettes ♥️ Oceans 🐳🦑🐠🦀🐬🐙 (@DCrapuchettes) March 16, 2020
Live Twitch Stream
I'll be playing Oceans on TableTop simulator this Thursday with the HSG Podcast. Join us on Twitch if you want to learn how to play, of if you just want to hang out with us. https://t.co/oDPJXdLYm9
— Dominic Crapuchettes ♥️ Oceans 🐳🦑🐠🦀🐬🐙 (@DCrapuchettes) March 16, 2020
It is taking time, but we will deliver every order.
about 4 years ago
– Fri, Feb 21, 2020 at 01:56:23 AM
We are hearing from a lot of upset backers. The delays are frustrating, especially when copies of Oceans are being played and enjoyed by others. To make matters worse, Oceans is now available through a retail chain in Australia even though none of our AU backers have received their games.
This campaign was poorly conceived. We offered too many options for a company of our size. There are 41 different products in 5 languages manufactured in two different countries being delivered to over 50 countries. Simply put, we bit off more than we can chew and we overextended ourselves. To make matters worse, the people who setup the campaign are no longer with our company making it difficult to put all the pieces together on the back end. The corona virus has also prompted a mandatory shutdown of all game manufacturers in China. It's not a pretty picture.
I don't have much new information for this update, but I decided an update was necessary to calm people's fears. It's taking time to sort out the back end, but rest assured, we are committed to fulfilling all of the orders as quickly as possible. Please try to be patient. We are making progress.
Germany and Italy
The majority of backers in Germany and Italy have received their games. Please reach out to Schwerkraft-Verlag, or Pendragon Game Studios if you have a customer service issue.
Australia
VFI should have games out to our backers by mid-March. We are currently trying to track all of the games that have gone out to distributors in Australia and asking them to hold off on sending games to retailers. We apologize for allowing games to get into the hands of retailers before all of our backers have received their games.
Norway and Switzerland
Assuming no weather delays, deliveries to Norway and Switzerland should arrive in the first week of March.
France
The French games are still in China. There seem to be communication issues holding up the process.
DogMight
The DogMight deck holders will all be in the mail by the end of the week, and they should arrive sometime next week.
North America Customer Service
About 30% of the customer service issues have been addressed. If you live in North America and have a customer service issue, make sure you fill out the following form:
Although we're having a difficult time getting games to our backers in a timely manner, please be assured that Oceans will arrive, and that we did everything possible to make it fantastic. A small part of the delay was due to taking extra time to make sure everything about the product was refined. Here are a few reviews that came in recently:
I will post again as more information comes in. Please do not take silence to mean that we are not working. To the contrary, it means we're focusing on moving the process forward.
~ Dominic Crapuchettes
Customer Service Issues - North America
about 4 years ago
– Sat, Feb 01, 2020 at 02:21:27 AM
North American - Customer Service Issues
We hired a company on Monday to tend to all of the North American customer service issues. This includes missing add-ons, damaged components, extra add-ons, and missing shipments. If you live in North America and have an issue, please fill out this form. It's the same form that was posted in the previous update:
They will focus entirely on the responses from that form, so please make sure to fill it out. Thanks!
German Language Games
The German language games have arrived in Germany and are currently in customs. Carsten sent an email to everyone, so please check your Junk folder if you haven't seen it. He will start reaching out to you directly.
Italian Language Games
The Italian language games have arrived in Italy and are currently in customs.
French Language Games
The French games are still in China. The earliest they will be able to leave China is after the Chinese New Year on Febraury 9th. Unfortunately it looks like the Corona Virus is likely to push back the timeline.
Spanish Language Games
I'm not sure if the Spanish games have arrived yet. I will let you know when I hear more.
English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish copies to the EU
Spiral Galaxy is going to deliver games in the EU that are not being delivered by our partners. These games are still in China, which means the earliest they will be able to leave China is after the Chinese New Year on Febraury 9th. Unfortunately the Corona Virus is likely to push back the timeline even further which is why we don't yet have an estimate on when the games will be delivered.
English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish copies to other Countries
VFI was supposed to be closed untill Feb 3rd for the Lunar New Year, but now they are under a mandatory shutdown until Febraury 9th because of the Corona Virus outbreak. Additionally, some of VFI's key managers are trapped in their hometowns due to public transportation shutdowns. VFI asks for your understanding as they try and get their operations back on track.
Dog Might Deck Holders
Our goal is to give the updated backer list (wave 1 and wave 2) to Dog Might tomorrow so they can start shipping the wooden deck holders early next week.
Please be Patient
The Corona Virus is causing a timeline disruption throughout China right now. Additionally, our company is managing personnel changes, which is why I needed to hire a company to take over where Nick left off. It might take time, but rest assured we will deliver everything that was ordered, and we will tend to every customer service issue as quickly as possible. Thanks!
~ Dominic Crapuchettes
Timeline Update & What to Do About Missing Stuff
over 4 years ago
– Sat, Jan 11, 2020 at 01:29:50 AM
This update has a lot of information, divided into sections so you can scroll down to what is pertinent to you.
English copies to North America
All Canadian rewards are out the door.
All USA East rewards are out the door.
All USA Midwest rewards are out the door.
All USA West will be out the door by the end of today (Jan 10th)
------------- "Start Worrying" Date: January 21st -------------
Please do not contact us about a missing shipment until January 21st. That will help us stay focused on keeping everything moving forward for everyone. Thanks!
English copies to Other Countries
VFI has received the games and the final backer count. A big shout-out to Luke who put the spreadsheet together yesterday and today even though he doesn't work for North Star Games anymore! VFI will pack the games and send them to 1,200 backers after the Chinese New Year starting on February 3rd.
------------- "Start Worrying" Date: to be determined -------------
German copies to Germany
The games are on the water from China and will arrive in Germany on January 24th. Carsten says he will start updating the German backers as soon as he has the final backer spreadsheet. A big shout-out to Luke who put the spreadsheet together yesterday and today even though he doesn't work for North Star Games anymore! (seriously)
------------- "Start Worrying" Date: Carsten will let you know directly -------------
Italian copies to Italy
The games are on the water from China and will arrive in Italy on January 24th. They are hoping to ship the games out starting in mid-February. I will post and update once the games have gotten through customs.
------------- "Start Worrying" Date: to be determined -------------
Spanish copies to Spain
The games have been printed and the freight forwarder is in the process of picking up the games from the printers. The games will leave China before the Chinese New Year which is on January 16th. Expect another month on the water before the games arrive in Spain.
------------- "Start Worrying" Date: to be determined -------------
French copies to France
The games have been printed and are waiting in China for Fun Forge to provide a shipping address.
------------- "Start Worrying" Date: to be determined -------------
German, French, Italian, and Spanish copies to other countries
VFI has received the games and the final backer count. A big shout-out to Luke who put the spreadsheet together yesterday and today even though he doesn't work for North Star Games anymore! VFI will pack the games and send them to 1,200 backers after the Chinese New Year starting on February 3rd.
------------- "Start Worrying" Date: to be determined -------------
Dog Might
Dog Might is starting to send out the wooden deck holders. You can reach them at [email protected] if you have questions.
Missing Stuff
Fill out this Google Form if you are missing anything, or if you received something that you did not order. This includes add-ons, missing components, and damaged product. Having every customer service issue in one place will allow us to get to you as quickly as possible.
Too Much Stuff
A lot of people have reached out to let us know that they received games and items they did not order. Please fill out the same Google Form if that happened to you. We will try to figure out the cheapest and fastest way to get everything to the right people. Thanks!
Address Changes
Unfortunately, it's too late to change your address. I'm sorry.
Late Pledges - Wave 2 Shipments
We will not start on Wave 2 until our Kickstarter backers have received their games from the campaign. In North America, I expect to start on Wave 2 after January 21st.
Retail Release
Oceans will be released into North American retail on March 23rd, 2020. If a retail store has copies of Oceans before then, it is because they backed the Kickstarter campaign.
Unboxing My Kickstarter Package
I personally backed the Kickstarter for several reasons: 1) Quality assurance, 2) I wanted some of the add-ons, and 3) To support a product I love. Here is a video of me opening my Kickstarter package which was sent to Maryland USA.
Rules Questions
Here are a few helpful resources including a Reference Guide for every card interaction in the Deep. A huge thanks to Patrick Masterson (a key playtester) for putting this together.
You can post rule questions on the BoardGameGeek or on the Oceans Discord channel. Someone is likely to answer your questions within minutes. It would also be great if you could rate Oceans on the BoardGameGeek once you've had a chance to play it.
Social Media
I love all of the photos that are getting posted. It makes me smile everytime I see them, and it helps bring visibility to our project.
I hope this answers most of the pressing questions. I will post another update as I get again when I have more information from our partners.
~ Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games & co-designer of Oceans
Happy New Year!
over 4 years ago
– Wed, Jan 01, 2020 at 02:06:45 AM
English copies to North America
Here is an update from Gamerati:
All Canadian rewards are out the door.
All USA East rewards are out the door.
We anticipate USA Midwest will be done this week, with USA West done by the end of next week.
I backed the Oceans project because I want my own copy of the game, and also because I like to see how the game is packed for quality reasons. Here is an email I received on Friday 27th.
When I clicked on the link, I found out that the game would arrive on Monday January 6th.
If you live on the East coast, your game will probably arrive on a similar timeline.
"Start Worrying" Date: Still January 22nd
No New Information on Other Regions
I appologize that I don't have new information about games going to other countries. I was on vacation all of last week. I will post another update as soon as I have hear from our partners.
How to Play
I have started getting messages about rules questions on social media, and I know I won't be able to answer everything as ten thousand games get delivered in the upcoming weeks. If you have rule question, a great place to start is by watching this Man Vs Meeple video. Additionally, there is a community of playtesters (as well as myself) who are quick to answer questions on the BoardGameGeek.com.
Posting on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
If you post pictures, please tag NorthStarGames and @DCrapuchettes. I can't wait to hear about your experiences. This is very exciting for me.
Happy New Year from me and a dolphin in Florida!
~ Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games & co-designer of Oceans
And from my kids who got to ride the dolphin. I was very jealous.
