Hi Runners! Kevin and Nick here from Null Signal Games’s Product team. We hope you are enjoying the preview season and getting excited about the new cards.
Parhelion is bringing more than just new cards, though. We’ve been working behind the scenes to set up a new distribution method for our products, and we’ll be testing it with this set. Now that it’s finalized, we wanted to share the details with you.
Update January 2023:
- Australia has been added to the regions served by our store.
- Midnight Sun and the Magnum Opus Reprint have been added to the product list sold by our store.
TL;DR
Null Signal Games has created a new storefront to sell Parhelion directly to US players, eliminating the need to purchase cards through DriveThruCards and MakePlayingCards. In the future, other products will also be sold in the shop, and other countries will be able to purchase through NSG’s store.
When purchased from our storefront, Parhelion will be $45, come in a custom tuck box, and shipping will be free. Visit shop.nullsignal.games to sign up for updates.
Too Short; Want More
When we started Null Signal Games, we didn’t have the resources to produce the game like we do today. The Print-on-Demand (POD) model was the ideal way for us to make cards and distribute them.
One of the biggest pros of using a POD service is that you don’t need to have any upfront capital to print physical products. You also don’t have to manage the distribution process. These are two very compelling reasons to use a POD service, and we will still be using them in certain cases.
But there are a number of disadvantages to using a POD service.
First, the margin of profit is fairly small. For example, when you buy Midnight Sun from MakePlayingCards, you are paying $60+shipping+VAT/tax, and Null Signal Games makes only a few dollars on that transaction. This is exacerbated when groups buy in bulk. POD services adjust the percentage that we receive based on the reduced price a customer pays. While money and profit is not a primary motivator for us, it does allow us to feed more funds into events, art, kits, etc.
Second, buying from a POD is a confusing experience. You might have asked yourself, “Should I buy from MakePlayingCards, UK Netrunner Cards, or DriveThruCards?” We’d like to centralize all purchasing and make it easy for people to get into the game.
Third, getting product to the players takes time with POD services, because the cards are only printed and shipped after an order is placed. We’d love to improve this experience for players.
Finally, POD services don’t share customer data with us. This makes it difficult to forecast demand and provide support to customers who have bought our cards. For example, when we messed up the flavor text on Maskirovka, it was impossible to know who was affected by this issue. It would have been really nice to be able to reach out to the individuals directly and work with them to fix the issue.
These cons are what has led us to make the decision to sell directly to you all.
Moving away from a POD service and starting to distribute our cards is a bit scary, and there are some unknowns for us. For this reason, we are piloting selling Parhelion in the US only. If things go well, we will expand our efforts and sell other products, and in other countries.
We are hoping that this change will make it so the game is easier to access for everyone and create a better purchasing experience.
If you have any questions please see the FAQ below. You can also email support@nullsignal.games to answer any other questions you might have.
Best,
Kevin and Nick
FAQ
How can I purchase cards with this new method?
Beginning on December 12, 2022, go to shop.nullsignal.games and purchase Parhelion for $45. This will initially only be available within the US.
After I place my order, when can I expect to receive my cards?
Since we have the cards physically in hand within the US, delivery time should be shorter than ordering from overseas from a POD. Typically you can expect 3-5 business days from when you place an order. That said, we are currently limited to packaging and mailing out the cards ourselves, so your order may not ship immediately, especially at peak demand right after release.
What is the print quality?
We are printing these at 330gsm and they come in custom tuck boxes.
Does it cost me more to buy directly from you?
No, buying directly from us is going to most likely be your cheapest option. Below is a breakdown of the cost to purchase cards in the US.
- If you buy directly from us it will cost you $45 + tax (depends on your state, but most don’t have to pay) + free shipping and it comes in a custom tuckbox.
- If you buy from MakePlayingCards, it will cost you $61.35 + tax + shipping and it will be packaged in shrinkwrap instead of a tuckbox. If you participate in a group buy of more than 6, you can get the price to $46.10 + Tax + Shipping.
- If you buy from DriveThruCards, it will cost you $45 + tax + shipping and it will be packaged in shrinkwrap instead of a tuckbox. DTC’s cards are closer to 300gsm weight than 330gsm.
Will other products be available?
Eventually we’d like most of our products to be available at shop.nullsignal.games. We are starting small for now so that we can see if this is something we can do effectively. Midnight Sun and System Gateway Remaster will most likely be the next products we put into the shop.
Why just in the US?
There are two reasons. First, our biggest market is the US. By selling in the US, we get 80% of the way there with only 20% of the effort. Second, selling directly to customers has several administrative implications, such as sales tax, VAT, customs, and so on. We don’t want to provide a bad experience and get overwhelmed, so we are keeping it to one country to start with.
I’m not in the US. How can I purchase Parhelion?
Here is a list of ways you can purchase Parhelion outside of the US:
- MakePlayingCards
- DriveThruCards
- Netrunnercards.co.uk
- Spielspatz.de
- Netrunnercards.com.au
- Alltpaettkort.com
- Valedotabuleiro.com.br (Brazilian Portuguese language only)
Will stores be able to buy cards from us and resell them in their store?
Our goal is to create a storefront for retailers so that they can buy our product and resell in their shops. We’re not there yet, but we will get there.
What about the remasters?
We had to pause working on the remasters in order to get Parhelion done; work on them will be resuming soon. We hope we can have sets such as System Gateway in the new NSG shop in the coming months.
Will I receive a copy of the updated version of Mestnichestvo?
Yes, our plan is to include a playset of the updated version of Mestnichestvo with every purchased set of Parhelion. We also will be including Mestnichestvo with the print-on-demand versions of Parhelion.
