Well, we're near the beginning of a new month (welcome to August), so let's take a gander at the ol' Watchdog List.
In July, 3 KS projects came off my Watchdog list: Rattler Gorge (originally anticipated for fulfillment in January '22), Red Rising (May '22), and Titanic Tarot: Risen Spirits (June '22). In the meantime, ZERO are being added to the list this month, insofar as I haven't backed any playing card projects that were anticipated for fulfillment in the month of August.
So, with 3 falling off the list, and none being added (see my note after the list below, however), *my* list goes down by three to a total of seven. Y'all's lists certainly include much more. Here's where we stand:
- Stories (March '20) -- No word since David posted an update in mid-May of 2021. Still.
- The Literary Tarot (April '22) -- This project continues to move forward slowly but steadily, with the project creators remaining in touch with backers. In an update two and a half weeks ago, they projected a timeline that suggests *approximately* ten weeks until fulfillment begins, so if that holds, we're currently looking at roughly early October.
- Graphic Cheatsheet Playing Cards V3 (April '22) -- Dagan posted a couple weeks ago to say that Murphy's had begun fulfillment, and I *think* I have a tracking number for this. If I'm correct that the tracking number I have is for this project, my decks are actually slated to arrive later today.
- Annihilation (July '22) -- Dave posted last week with details of the progress on this project, and at the moment, best guess is that fulfillment for the US is likely not going to be able to start until September.
- Memoria (July '22) -- Gio posted details a couple days ago. Issues with gilding appear to be pushing everything back a little; depending upon which option he is able to choose, we may be looking at a September timeframe, but it still may be later.
- A Newfoundland Deck of Cards: Folklore Edition (July '22) -- Graham posted that the decks should get to him by the beginning of next week, and fulfillment will likely commence soon thereafter.
- Maestro III (July '22) -- Not a Kickstarter project, but it is a deck being distributed through non-traditional / non-retail channels and, as such, falls within the purview of this list. I have received a Deallez tracking number two weeks ago which I think is likely for this set of decks, and the tracking system says that as of today, the package is in Germany. Previous shipments from Deallez to me have taken roughly two weeks to a month to arrive after I received a tracking number.
So, that's a total of 7 non-retail playing card-related projects that were originally anticipated to be fulfilled at some point up through this month (August '22)... for me, at least. I realize I'm not backing as much as I used to, so my list is likely a bit smaller than many others. What are you all seeing?
Please add the projects you are tracking to this watch list thread.
Starting next month, I'll be adding Lotrek's Patreon projects to the list, insofar as I think they do count both as non-retail and as being worthy of... watching.
Your mileage may vary, of course. For the time being, I am not inclined to include Gio's or Lorenzo's (nor Jocu's, were I a patron of theirs) Patreon subscriptions, insofar as those are being handled in much the same way as other, more formally retail subscriptions like PlayingCardDeck's "Pipbox Club" or Kings Wild Project's Club 13 / Table Players subscriptions are. When these artists/producers run Kickstarter projects that I back, I will list those, just like I do with Jackson, Will Roya, or Lotrek for that matter. However, I do think that Lotrek has established that he is not running his shop like a traditional retailer, and therefore his offerings are just as difficult to keep track of as any Kickstarter or other non-retail offering.
As I point out every month:
being on this list isn't a bad thing. It just means that the project is nearing (or has passed) the originally anticipated fulfillment month, and this list serves as a mechanism for keeping track of how fulfillment is going.
Of all of the projects on my list above, only one is currently in the watchdog "doghouse," and that's because the project creator has stopped communicating with backers. That said, David / Vanda stays on the Watchdogs list for as long as Vanda continues to maintain a storefront and occasionally announce sales to promote the availability of their inventory for purchase. As long as that's the case, Vanda remains active, and it's entirely reasonable to continue keeping a watchful eye out for any possible developments. (Whereas, there's currently no point in watching for activity from Natalia Silva, insofar as she has disappeared from view of the playing card community.)
Here's to another month of cards. May your mailboxes be happily full, and your collections overflow with playing card goodness!
...So, I had to come here and say 'Hi ....Hope you are all doing well' .
, I might just consult such a spreadsheet for a quicker overview. I'd add it as a complement, but that's just me.