My final update on this kickstarter. All future communication will be by email.
over 4 years ago
– Wed, Oct 06, 2021 at 03:15:20 AM
So, big thanks to the guy who just posted multiple comments threatening a nonexistent company by saying he would come to conventions and block our booth until we gave him a refund.
A couple problems.
1. That's not how any of this works. You'll lose your badge and be escorted from the convention. Please don't follow UberKarens into getting your badge revoked everyone, seriously.
2. Dragon's Claw Tabletop isn't vending any more because Dragon's Claw Tabletop doesn't exist.
It went out of business during Covid. I have to fight the instinct to type "we went out of business" because I helped create that company (I was the one who designed the Nautilus and our leather Dice Case and a lot of other things you guys never even got to see because we never got a chance to make them).
Dragon's Claw is dead. It's gone. The company no longer exists. The parent company that launched it no longer exists. Like a LOT of businesses, it died during COVID. Our business model was based primarily on convention sales, we didn't last more than a few months into 2020. Once the cons were gone, we were gone... it sucked. Conventions were growing, business was booming... then something happened that was beyond unthinkable. How do we go a year without any conventions? Who plans for that?!?
So, yeah... the company died. I helped make it, it was my designs that led the company, I did most of the production work, and I watched it die.
I'm not happy.
Fortunately I'm still a good artist and I am trying to recover and find a way to make my work into a living again, but it's difficult without any funding or capital to go off of and my personal credit took a huge hit when I lost all my income from Dragon's Claw, so it's going to be a bit of a slow climb, and that's fine, I'm still in better shape than a lot of people and I did find other work.
But the simple fact is, Dragon's Claw tabletop is gone. There is no company to refund you, there is noone to complain to, your money is not in anyone's hands, it paid a few final bills before all the accounts ran dry and everything just... stopped.
The equipment we were using to make stuff, much of which was bought by that kickstarter, no longer belongs to us, not even personally. The pieces of Nautilus' that were already cut were not considered corporate assets of value so I got to hang on to them, and I did, because I hoped I could at least finish them.
Luckily I got involved with a space that had a laser, so I can actually cut more pieces to finish more Nautili, but this is something I'm doing in my spare time, with wood that I'm paying for out of my own pocket. Several of you have offered to pay for shipping and even chip in for other's shipping so that's been helping, but otherwise I am also shipping with my own money that I'm earning at my other job.
Again... this is ME, not "we". I am not Dragon's Claw. This is not some financial obligation I have and snapping your fingers at me is not going to make me buckle down and work harder out of fear of some reprisal. You can't sue me because I didn't take your money, and screaming threats at me makes me want to change my mind about the decision I made when DC shut down.
Simple fact is I took the stuff that was already cut and started working on it because I TRULY appreciate how many of you backed this project, because I put a lot of time into designing this thing. I think it's really cool, I love looking at them, and I really think it's awesome that so many people like something I created. That makes me smile, even after everything that happened and losing the company.
So, yeah.. I want to make them. It sucks that wood prices shot up since I've made that decision, so that makes it even harder, and now shipping costs through USPS are supposed to jump up, so that makes it harder too...
...but what makes it the hardest is when people like Taylor scream at me over it.
So, I'm done on here.
The email address, website, and business profiles for Dragon's Claw are not my personal property, I've just had access to the emails for the purposes of keeping track of this kickstarter. I set up email forwarding to notify me of comments and such on this kickstarter, but I cannot deal with any more personal attacks or accusations.
No, I didn't help build a company and grow it for two years to steal 70 bucks from you. It's disgustingly insulting to suggest that I did. I also didn't invent a virus and spread it as a super villain to give myself an excuse to destroy the company I worked for, especially considering how proud I was to do that work.
I lost a lot and now people are yelling at me for it because they lost a fraction of it. When Dragon's Claw died you lost the money you invested into the Nautilus and I lost my entire living.
It sucks for both of us but I don't see how that gives any of you the right to attack me so openly, blatantly, and proudly, and I will no longer be responding to any comments on this update or any other posts made.
Dragon's Claw died. Scream at it all you like.
But keep an eye on your emails because whenever I have the time I'll be working on a piece of art that you said was cool, because I really do like that you think it was cool, and I want to send it to you.
Update, and it's another not terrible one!
almost 5 years ago
– Sat, Jun 05, 2021 at 11:36:04 PM
So, not terrible, not too exciting, but still not terrible.
The most exciting part is that business has picked up again to the point where I was finally able to bring on additional people once more! Throughout COVID things have been skating along with just me because, frankly, I didn't have enough money to even give myself a salary, let alone anyone else (and despite friend's offers, I refuse to accept free help. I appreciate kindness from people but it's way too easy for someone to be taken advantage of in those situations, even inadvertently, so the answer is no, I don't accept help if I can't pay at least $15-20/hr. If this principle makes your Nautilus late, too bad, I'm not a labor exploiter and I have no intention of becoming one, despite how successful others are at it.)
We still have to focus a lot of our attention on other work (I can't pay them to help with fulfilling this kickstarter if I can't pay them with money coming in today) but we're able to devote a lot more time to fulfilling backorders, which is great and means more of you will be getting emails about your shipping.
We also had a donation of $200 from one of the backers to cover shipping costs for anyone whose Nautilus is ready but doesn't have the money (or just doesn't want to, since that's fair, free shipping was offered) so that we can send their case out as well.
I hate giving estimates because of the number of factors that can change them, but I believe we can amp things up to shipping out 10-15 each week!
Things still suck a bit and I'm nowhere near where I was when I launched this kickstarter (the idea of fulfilling all of these cases was an easy thought with a half dozen people working with me and plenty of money coming in from various vending events and online sales) but I'm just happy that unlike a lot of other companies my size, we managed to survive through COVID. It genuinely sucks that we have had to make people wait, but we're alive and so are you and unlike some other kickstarters who were not so lucky, you're getting your dice cases late rather than never, and I'm happy to be able to say that.
If you still feel like I'm a scam artist, then die mad in your delusions because I can't help you with that, so try to enjoy it.
If you are mad that things are so late... good, you should be mad, I'm mad too, and hopefully we won't have as bad a pandemic next time an easily manageable virus threatens our 'freedoms' with a scary piece of cloth, and then perhaps things wouldn't have been so difficult for everyone for so long.
If you're happy you're getting your dice case, good, because you should be, they're beautiful and I'm proud of them.
As you know I suck at updates because usually there's not much to update besides "yup, made some more" but if there's more interesting information you'd like to see in an update, or maybe pictures, let me know. Otherwise when you ask for an update and nothing has changed, I'm not sure what you want me to say except "yup, made some more", lol
Not much to update... but... Update
almost 5 years ago
– Fri, Apr 23, 2021 at 08:00:50 PM
So I'm still only able to work a couple days a week on fulfillment, not counting this past week since I got my first vaccine shot and it absolutely put me down (I had the virus before so they had warned me that the side effects would be worse for me.. still not as bad as covid was). I anticipate another week of downtime next month when I get my second shot.
So, the main update is that in order to deal with the shipping cost, I've started messaging those whose Nautilus is finished and ready to ship, to see if they are willing to cover their shipping cost. I'm paying as much as I can for shipping out of pocket, but if you're able to pay for the shipping, please watch your inbox for my message. I'm trying to give people a few days to respond before I try to ship it anyway.
Wish there was more info to give. It's mostly just assembly more than anything else at this point.
Finally!!
about 5 years ago
– Sun, Mar 14, 2021 at 01:15:59 PM
Conventions are slowly starting to happen again!!!
This means I can actually vend again.
This means I can spend time working in my shop and actually make money off it instead of spending all day doing slow gig work just to pay bills.
This means I can actually finish projects and have the money to ship them, hint, talking about this one.
Finally a light at the end of this freaking tunnel.
To all the anti mask and antivax people whose selfishness made the tunnel so long in this country, please punch yourself in the face as hard as you can for about 45 minutes, in order to celebrate your freedom (just pretend someone told you not to).
Potential Shipping Solution!!!
about 5 years ago
– Tue, Feb 16, 2021 at 01:07:49 PM
So I figured out a solution to the shipping cost that means I can stick by the free shipping promise (aside from those of you who already said you would pay for shipping, that does help, but I don't want you to have to)
The original plan was to cover the cost of shipping with our regular income from convention sales.
No convention, no sales, big problem.... but we still have inventory even if we don't have a convention to sell it at.
So, I bit the bullet and made an etsy shop (I absolutely hate etsy personally, but it's easier than setting up my own website just for a handful of items.)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DragonsClawTabletop
All sales will go towards the shipping fund! So, spread the word, and I'll work on posting more items. Hopefully this will work out as a substitute for the convention sales until they are back in full swing!
