...shouldn't they be "On the Boat" by now?...

That was my thought as well. Still listed as "at the printer."

Unless I missed it, I don't think it's been mentioned where the actual packaging is being done. I know that various components are being manufactured in different countries.

I assume it'll being come via the slow boat from China.

This was my only XMAS Present. I so hope I do get to open it..

I received a resposne from FFG. They plan on air-shipping the first CE batch, which should leave plenty of time for them to get them to us by xmas...

Well, it seems the Collector's Edition will be delayed a few months. I would rather see a quality product come to my door than something thrown together in a rush. Everyone on boardgamegeek seems to be of the same opinion. Note: There is also talk of a free gift of some sort!

With sincerest apologies, we at Fantasy Flight Games regret to announce a problem with the production schedule for War of the Ring Collector's Edition, and unfortunately, this delay will prevent customers from receiving their copies before Christmas.

Back in October, we announced that of the 1000 worldwide copies to be made available in time for Christmas, we would be allocated 400, and would handle the North American sale and distribution. The publisher, Nexus Games, has just informed us that none of the first wave of 1000 copies will be ready in time for Christmas, and the second wave will likewise arrive later than expected.

Customers wishing to acquire a full refund may do so by sending an email to Evan Hall at [email protected]. If you decide to keep your order despite this delay, we will send you a highly detailed certificate of ownership. Although admittedly a poor substitute for the game itself, if you purchased War of the Ring: Collector’s Edition as a gift, it will give your loved one something to open on Christmas morning.

As explained below, if you decide to keep your pre-order, there will also be a special gift included in your copy.

As the distributor of this special game, we share your disappointment at hearing this unfortunate news, and again offer our most heartfelt apologies. Following is a letter from Nexus Games, the creator of War of the Ring: Collector’s Edition.

Here's the letter from Nexus games as well...

Dear War of the Ring: Collector’s Edition fan,

We just received news from the factory producing the War of the Ring: Collector’s Edition that the process manufacturing is not on schedule, due to a combination of unexpected difficulties.

This delay means that, in spite of our best efforts, it will not be possible to send the copies of the first wave of 1000 games earlier than late January-early February 2010 (we will soon announce the release date of the second wave of 1000 copies).

Nexus Games was working to produce this game on a schedule which would allow our customers who made the early pre-orders to receive their copy of the game around mid-december.

For this reason, we were confident enough to announce, six weeks ago, that the first wave of production would release before Christmas.

I want to make it clear that our partners at Fantasy Flight Games and Phalanx Games provided us promptly with their language-related production material, and that no fault may be assigned to them.

It's the delay in the production of the other items – such as the figures – for which we at Nexus Games have a direct responsibility, resulting in the postponement of the worldwide release.

The War of the Ring: Collector’s Edition is a very complex project, and unfortunately a quality problem, even if affecting only a few components, cannot be fixed in a rush without impairing the value of the item you ordered.

I hope that you will agree with us than it's better to spend one month more in production and do everything right, rather than risk to ruin everything in a final rush.

This delay is of course very bad news for us as well as it is for you. There will be no War of the Ring: Collector's Edition under the Christmas Tree.

However, War of the Ring: Collector’s Edition will be here in in early 2010, and I hope that you will be patient enough to wait a few more weeks than expected.

This game has been a labor of love for us, and we really hope you will be with us waiting for the release.

We are taking advantage of these additional weeks ahead of us to prepare a small present for our loyal customer.

With this letter, I also wish to present you with my personal apology.

Even if the problems were outside of our control to prevent, I still feel I am personally responsible for the decision to promise this release in time for Christmas and then failing to achieve this goal.

Whatever your decision, to keep your order or cancel it, thank you for trusting us, and we will continue to work to make sure that your trust will not be disappointed.

Yours,

Roberto Di Meglio
Nexus Games, Publishing Director