Murphy, students and socialites!
A look behind the scenes
The bumpy road of Twinstar Valley
Today we’re pulling back the curtain to give you an exclusive peek behind the scenes at Jumping Turtle Games. Because let’s be honest, publishing board games isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it’s more like... well, Murphy showing up and deciding to crash on your couch for a while.
This is the story of the birth of our newest board game, Twinstar Valley. A labor with a few unexpected contractions, but a beautiful end result!
Part 1: The train ride to beautiful Liège
The journey of our games from the factory in China to Belgium was an adventure in itself. Due to rising tensions in the Suez Canal and the detour around the Cape of Good Hope, we decided to choose the train this time. This seemed like the safest and fastest option to ensure the games would definitely arrive in time for Spiel.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan until we got the news: the train is stuck! Due to Russian military exercises near the border, the route to Poland was blocked. More than 130 trains were stuck, and ours was among them. For two weeks, our valuable shipment of board games was stuck just before the Polish border. Fortunately, after that nail-biting period, we received the relieving word that the train was cleared to depart. The delay was a fact, but it should (at that moment) still make it in time, because we had built in enough of a buffer, or so we thought...
Part 2: The Customs Blues at Spiel
The message came that the games had arrived in Liège, but although Spiel was approaching at lightning speed, there was still no news on when the games would be delivered. Just as we were getting ready to leave for Spiel, our logistics partner informed us they were waiting for a signal from customs that the clearance was complete. We made arrangements within our team, and someone would stay behind to get the games to Spiel as quickly as possible once they arrived. This could happen any day...
Wednesday was the press preview for all the new releases. While it was in full swing, we got the call from our logistics partner... Our container had been selected for a "routine check," but in the end, it looked suspiciously like hibernation, because it was going to take 2 full weeks... Result: we only had a few copies to present the game, but nothing to sell. And this while a whole bunch of games had even been pre-ordered for collection during the fair. Painful...
So, at the sales stand, we had to tell people the entire fair that the game was not for sale. For those who had pre-ordered, we promised to send them at our own expense. A major blow to our plans, but satisfied customers are what we strive for!
And there we stood at Spiel in Essen, the mecca for board gamers. We were dying to show Twinstar Valley to the world. The reactions at the demo tables were fantastic! But behind the scenes, we were dealing with big, dark storm clouds.
Part 3: The Mystery of the Incorrect Icon
If you thought all problems were solved once the games were out of the clutches of customs... Think again!
During the review of the 'pre-production copy', we spotted an incorrect icon on an action board and passed it on to the factory. "Will be fixed!", they said. Well, it turned out the memo hadn't reached the printing press. The games arrived with the error. Since that icon isn't in the rulebook (and yet appeared very frequently), it would cause more confusion than a giant meeple in a Yahtzee box.
The factory sportingly admitted the error and printed the correct action boards in record time. They were sent to us. But yes, there we were: a warehouse full of pallets of games with the wrong boards inside and many boxes full of loose, correct boards next to them. And in the meantime, the Spiel pre-orders had to go out as quickly as possible, because people were (rightfully!) waiting impatiently.
The quick fix: To avoid making the Spiel-goers wait unnecessarily long, we asked the factory to send enough boards for them via express. These boards arrived very quickly after the games themselves were cleared by customs. We then immediately shipped their games with the correct board included separately. For the enthusiasts who had chosen a signed version by author David Ausloos, we opened the boxes ourselves, swapped the board, and had David sign them (on the game box, not the action board).
Part 4: Reinforcements from Aarschot!
But then... we looked at the remaining mountain of nearly 3000 games (including those for our German partner, which were also on the way because they had the same error). Opening 3000 boxes, swapping the board, and neatly resealing them. Luckily we have a sealing machine, but we are a (very) small team. If we had to do that ourselves, we would still be at it by Christmas 2028. Time for a creative solution!
Enter: The Damiaaninstituut Aarschot (DIA) We often get requests from schools for internships. This was the moment to involve the local youth. The DIA was interested in the project. For two days, their students formed a human assembly line so efficient that Henry Ford would have been jealous. They worked incredibly hard and finished the job even faster than planned.
A huge thank you to the students of the DIA! You guys are stars!
Enter: Entiris Having the students do all 3000 games felt a bit excessive. So, for the games of our German partner, we looked for another professional, flexible solution. We found it at Entiris in Aarschot. This is a fantastic organization that provides professional work with people who have a distance to the labor market. We believe social inclusion is extremely important, so this was a perfect match.
They are currently processing the last German copies. Seeing the photos of their process, we have to admit: their equipment looks just a little more professional than ours 😉.
Also a big thank you to the Entiris team for the quick response and the top-notch work. We can recommend them to everyone! => https://entiris.be
All's well that ends well (and just in time for Christmas!)
It was a slightly longer and more adventurous process than planned, but we can finally say: Twinstar Valley is truly completely finished!
The shops that pre-ordered are now receiving their copies. Starting next week, we will also begin shipping all orders from our own webshop. We’ve read your many impatient emails (sorry for the wait!) and we are super happy that everyone who wants to can get started with Twinstar Valley before Christmas.
Maybe one will be under your Christmas tree soon?
Happy gaming,
The Jumping Turtle Games team 🐢