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Post by Todd on Mar 30, 2017 8:29:14 GMT -5
My minimal investigation into this group shows they have crowdfunded two packages, which are now available on Etsy in regular and abridged versions. The full version promises 18-20 packages over 8 weeks. (!) The cut-off to get in on the next run of these products is April 25, with shipments starting in May. www.etsy.com/shop/CyclopticMedia
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Post by dmikester on Mar 30, 2017 9:55:06 GMT -5
Thank you for this. I got interested in their work but for some reason couldn't find that Etsy page. I'll be purchasing the first season today.
On a side note, I quite enjoy this Q&A moment from the FAQ section on their website:
Q: WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!
A: What's in the booox?!
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Post by dmikester on Mar 30, 2017 10:01:02 GMT -5
One note for anyone interested; shipping in the US is very expensive for this, basically half the cost of the season purchase itself ($27 for shipping). However, considering that it's 18-20 packages, I understand the cost and think it's worth it if the quality is good.
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Post by earthegy on Mar 30, 2017 10:53:27 GMT -5
If they're sending out actual packages rather then just a letter you can throw a stamp on each time their shipping will cost them a minimum of $2.61 per package (not to mention the cost of the packaging materials like boxes, etc) ...so they're probably losing money on shipping. The whole thing actual seems very inexpensive if you figure it's about $80 for ~20 packages.
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Post by craigrj on Mar 30, 2017 11:03:04 GMT -5
And if you're in the UK, you can order the abridged version, which is all 18 packages in one box to save on postage - So all 18 for £39 isn't bad....
....except shipping this is another £52 on top.
Given MPC charges us in the UK $50 shipping for three mailings (including a crate) plus a reveal, then either their package contains a gold bar and weighs a dozen KG or this is a little high.
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Post by earthegy on Mar 30, 2017 11:22:38 GMT -5
And if you're in the UK, you can order the abridged version, which is all 18 packages in one box to save on postage - So all 18 for £39 isn't bad.... ....except shipping this is another £52 on top. Given MPC charges us in the UK $50 shipping for three mailings (including a crate) plus a reveal, then either their package contains a gold bar and weighs a dozen KG or this is a little high. $50 for 3 or so mailings including the crate isn't unreasonable if that's one charge for the whole story. To mail one 3 pound package to the UK it costs around $35....and some of those crates have heavy objects in them and could easily weigh that. Stuff that's just a few ounces in a package costs probably at least $10 per package to mail. International shipping is just very expensive, even for first class.
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Post by craigrj on Mar 30, 2017 11:51:49 GMT -5
That's what I mean, $50 is fine by me, especially as it involves a heavy crate, but £52 for less - that's $65 or so....
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Post by dmikester on Mar 30, 2017 11:59:29 GMT -5
If they're sending out actual packages rather then just a letter you can throw a stamp on each time their shipping will cost them a minimum of $2.61 per package (not to mention the cost of the packaging materials like boxes, etc) ...so they're probably losing money on shipping. The whole thing actual seems very inexpensive if you figure it's about $80 for ~20 packages. As far as I can tell, it's a combination of letters and then packages with artifacts in them, and it also includes online material. Also, I think the big difference between the abridged version and the full version from a narrative perspective is that there's potential to get a couple of extra packages delivered to you with the full version. I assume you get those if you solve certain puzzles or find certain online content; I find that to be an incredibly cool gimmick. I don't think the shipping cost is crazy at all for this much content. It's just notable given the typical shipping cost for experiences like this, and it does make the whole thing much more expensive than it appears to be at first. Still, I'm very much looking forward to this!
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Post by professor on Apr 1, 2017 19:50:03 GMT -5
I got in on this, but being in Canada, they'll send me it all in one big package. The shipping was still pricey.
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Post by craigrj on Apr 2, 2017 3:45:13 GMT -5
I'm really wavering on it - I don't like anything where shipping is more expensive than the product, because it lends a sort of lack of value to the product itself - maybe it's the arrogant elitist in me, but if it ends up being a bunch of printouts, then they might as well sell a PDF for me to print out you know? I'm all about the feelies... Also I did see a video review of one of the boxes unpackaged, and it was quite a large package with hardly anything in, making me wonder why they bothered with a box for that, an envelope would've been fine.
On the other hand, 18 envelopes to open! Whoo hooo!!!
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Post by billfelty on Apr 12, 2017 9:34:05 GMT -5
Has anyone actually done season one? how was the quality? i like the idea of that many packages (which seems to justify the shipping). I see they recommend doing season one before season two. and the deadline is fast approaching...
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Post by dmikester on Apr 12, 2017 11:16:48 GMT -5
Nope, I'll be doing Season One in May and June, and will catch up with Season 2 later if Season 1 is good; I assume they ship the material for their different experiences at the same time. I figure because of how sequential the story seems to be, it doesn't make sense to get both experiences at the same time.
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Post by thegenii on Apr 13, 2017 0:37:41 GMT -5
I'm in!
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Post by craigrj on Apr 13, 2017 3:01:05 GMT -5
Yeah, me too....(I tell you, this message board is getting expensive, innit?)
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Post by robcm on Apr 26, 2017 23:19:59 GMT -5
Hey guys! This is Rob- the creator of The Decoder Ring Organization. I noticed some web traffic from this post and decided I should make an account to answer any questions. First off, thanks for the kind words, and thank you to those of you who already signed up for the first season! Season One is a mix of "packages" (including boxes and bubble mailers) and "letters" (things in envelopes). The packages make up about 1/3 of the items shipped. (The online content isn't a part of the "18-20"- it is part of the story, however.) For out of country shipping, we ship one large 12"x12"x8" box that weighs approximately 3-4 pounds via USPS priority mail. We ship priority to not only speed it up, but also so that it is tracked. (Because this is a start-up company, replacing a missing international package would be a pretty big deal) There was a video of a box opening ( here), but it was really a letter opening. Because it is one of the first things in the experience, I wanted to provide something to use as a "game box" at the beginning. Eight weeks of clues accumulates pretty quickly, and keeping all the clues in one box can be rather helpful in terms of organization. (The video is a lot of them reading because that letter lays some groundwork for the story. Also, people who backed the Kickstarter got a little notebook for notes included in that box.) The experience is a lot of piecing together the story and solving things along the way. The packages tend to build on each other, and some stuff may be purposefully "out of order" in terms of dates. This is a passion project, and an indie-created experience. I've put tons of time, work, creativity, and energy into this and I hope it shows. One of the best parts of running this, for me, was getting notifications when people solved things. I hope I answered all of the questions I saw. Feel free to ask anything else! (I'm glad I found this forum- I've been jotting down notes for some new toys to try already.)
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