Bloomsbury Publishing

Welcome to Imperium

Formidable adversaries are arrayed against you. Your people stand ready. History beckons.

In your hands lies the destiny of one of history’s great civilizations. Under constant threat of attack, you must conquer new lands, oversee dramatic scientific and cultural advances, and lead your people into the era of empire. Expand too rapidly and unrest will bring your civilization to its knees; build up too slowly, however, and you might find yourself a mere footnote of history. As one of eight radically asymmetrical civilizations, you will compete to become the most dominant empire the world has ever seen.

Welcome to Imperium.

In Imperium, you are going to take the reins of a nascent civilization and attempt to lead it to greatness, expanding its dominion, developing its technology, and propagating its culture. Each civilization has its own unique set of strengths and challenges, and mastering the game requires you to manage these amidst ever-changing circumstances.

The game captures the flow of history through the mechanic of deckbuilding. On your turns, you’ll be playing cards to gather resources, acquire new cards from a shared supply, and expand your tableau in front of you. Many cards are played and discarded, only to return to your deck and played again later. Other cards are placed in front of you, as technologies and cultural practices granting persistent benefits or as resourceproducing regions. Others yet are placed in your history and removed your deck, as your Boudiccas and Julius Caesars make their mark upon history, before fading into it.

Over the course of the game, you will cycle through your deck many times, and each time you do, your deck will grow. At first you will be adding cards at random from your nation deck, as your fledgling civilization expands in spurts—sometimes leading to great innovation, and other times inviting unrest and disorder. The final card of the nation deck is your accession card, and by taking it you solidify your status as empire. As an empire, every deck cycle is now accompanied by a chance to purchase a development card. While costly, being able to

choose which of these unique advancements to add to your deck gives you more control of your civilization as the game moves towards its final act.

The game comes to a close after one of several decks are depleted, and players score for the cards they’ve accumulated, whether the glorious deeds deep in their history, the great monuments on display in their tableau, or the conquered peoples in their deck that still swear fealty. The civilizations who triumphs has solidified their place in the annals of history.

Imperium: Classics and Imperium: Legends are coming out in May 2021. Each box gives you 8 civilizations to lead to glory, and can be combined with one another for a total of 16 civilizations.

Imperium: Classics is a standalone game that contains the Carthaginian, Celt, Greek, Macedonian, Persian, Roman, Scythian, and Viking civilizations, each of which makes for a unique and challenging opponent in a solo game.

It is fully compatible with Imperium:

Legends for players wanting to expand their pool of civilizations even further.

Offering shipping services for your retail customers can be a daunting task. With so many couriers, services, and rates, it’s easy to make mistakes that can lead to financial loss and irate customers.

The secret to launching a successful shipping program lies in thinking big but starting small. Careful planning and stairstep implementation ensure that any pitfalls encountered are surmountable, and prepare you to scale up your

operation when you are ready for it. Here are a few steps to help guide the launch of your shipping services. The subject is too vast to be completely covered in a single article, but this should give you a good start.

Step 1: Evaluate your abilities and establish your limits

It can be tempting to offer worldwide delivery and dozens of courier options right from the get-go. However, there is a good chance you are not ready for that.

Depending on where you are with Launching a Successful Shipping Program by John Coviello your e-commerce solution, you may have to start with good old-fashioned personto-person services. If you just added some items to your new Facebook shop or if you are using a Pointy device to create a simple directory of the items you carry, the easiest solution may be to simply ask your customers to call to arrange for shipping. This allows you to offer a personal and hand-tailored experience, something larger merchants can’t provide. Collect your customer’s information, then offer to contact them with shipping options. This allows you time to weigh the item,

figure out its dimensions, select the ideal packaging, and provide your customer with service options available from your store. On the other hand, if you are using a more advanced platform such as Shopify, WooCommerce, or a third-party marketplace, you will want to set up your shipping options to fit your comfort level and capabilities. You could start by shipping only within your state to make sales tax collection and remittance as simple as possible. Or maybe only offer domestic shipping to avoid customs forms. You can avoid the complexity involved in dealing with multiple couriers and shipping options by only offering Priority Mail by USPS. Whatever your starting point is, start small and expand it as you grow. Don’t be afraid to pull back - we temporarily shut down our international shipments in the fourth quarter of 2020 to avoid getting caught in customs delays. In the end, it’s better to miss a few sales than to upset a customer.

Step 2: Choose your service providers wisely

Depending on the type of merchandise you ship the most, there may be one courier better suited than others. USPS Priority Mail tends to work well for packages between one and four pounds and is accessible by simply visiting their website. Lighter packages (15 ounces or less) are best served by First Class mail, while heavier ones (four pounds or more) usually see better rates with UPS or FedEx.

Depending on your volume, you may wish to use a provider such as Stamps.com or Pitney Bowes. They offer discounted rates, equipment, and software that make life a little easier. If you do, make sure you review your fees and costs regularly. The business of delivering packages changes frequently - be prepared to change with it.

Step 3: Prep your resources

Before you start shipping, make sure you have a good supply of essentials, such as dunnage (packing material), shipping boxes, labels and packing tape. Nothing is more frustrating than making a great sale, then realizing you can’t protect the item on its way to the client.

Most couriers provide you with branded packaging at no cost. You can order these directly from the company but remember to plan ahead - popular sizes often run out in advance of the holidays, and you may not see your order until after the need has passed.

Be mindful of the fact that these branded supplies are offered in exchange for using them properly. It’s not acceptable, for example, to use USPS padded flat rate envelopes as dunnage to ship items in a USPS Priority Mailbox. Your package may be returned to you if it is selected by inspection and found to be out of compliance.

Your distributor and publishing partners are also good sources of packing materials - recycling these will help you save money while also saving the environment. When re-using boxes, remember to cut or blot out any addresses or barcodes along with any ORM-D identifiers if not shipping hazardous materials.

Consider the space needed to store these items as they can quickly tie up space. If profit levels justify it, consider setting up a dedicated room for prepping shipments and storing supplies.

Lastly, do not forget your most precious resources: time, training, and staff. Shipping ties up all these resources, and it’s easy to lose track of them when figuring out if shipping is a worthy endeavor for your business. Not only does it take time to prep and ship items, but it also takes time to train your staff and yourself to be efficient. This is often subtracted from spending time on your in-person shoppers - consider what is important to you and to your business and plan accordingly.

Step 4: Know your shipping restrictions, prohibitions, and regulations

There are several restrictions and guidelines you need to follow. In general, our industry does not deal with hazardous materials, but take the time to research the rules of your chosen freight delivery providers. Liquids (such as paint or glue) need to be bagged to prevent leaking. Aerosols (such as spray primers) need to have ORM-D labels on the package. Publishers may restrict your ability to distribute products outside of geographical areas and jurisdictions may prohibit the import of some items. If a line proves to be too great of a nuisance to ship, exclude it from your shipping services.

Make no mistake - shipping is work, and hard work at that. It can be a detriment to your existing business if the return on investment does not warrant the resources; however, if implemented gradually and correctly, it can provide you with new revenue streams and customer acquisition opportunities.

John Coviello is the owner of the Little Shop of Magic in Las Vegas, Nevada - they opened their brick-andmortar doors in 1994 and launched their internet division in 1996. John started his first business at the age of 16, importing video games for the budding personal computer market in Italy. Today, John draws on his experiences in the Marines and his background in public relations and computer science to handle his primary roles in the business. He stays sane thanks to the help of his team of fifteen wizards and goblins. Together, they ensure that all aspects of the operation (B&M/online sales, organized play, community outreach and marketing/planning/promotion) work in unison. He also serves the industry as a Member at Large for GAMA’s Retail Division. His spare time is usually taken up by enjoying the great outdoors with his wingman, Archimedes, reading, and playing board and miniature games with his friends. You can reach him at customercare@shopofmagic.com