Please Read Before Opening your Anniversary Box 2017!

[Bob77]

@Variable:

Hello everyone,

I need to warn you all to have your cameras out as you unbox your 2017 copy of Anniversary. After watching Pink Panzer’s video online and how his storage boxes and rulebook were smashed inside despite a pristine outer box, I was ready to video my entire opening. Good thing I did as mine looked the same if not worse than his. I have forwarded some pics to Wizards Customer Support and will advise you all of what happens.

Stay safe out there and good luck with all of yours!

So what did the wizards of avalon say?  I have 2 messed up parts boxes and 4 us/5 russian artillary with stress creases where they weren’t taken off the sprues properly

[CWO Marc]

@BusaRider29:

I hope these damages are due to the carrier and not the manufacturer.

I don’t think it’s a carrier issue.  The problems have been reported by many people, and my own copy of the game – which I bought in a store, and thus which wasn’t shipped to me by mail – has a defective Italy box.

[tytyboogie]

i have heard back on my incident report already and was told some of the parts i need are on backorder and they wont ship anything till its all complete.(up to 8 weeks till any setup boxes or cards are available)my particular copy has damaged gameboard, rulebook and setup boxes even the punch out setup card sheet has severe dents in it like the entire box was crushed even though the cardboard ship box was fine and also the outside box itself was ok. so strange.they claim they will take care of the issue and they are very professional about it but i feel like if these parts wont become available then we will be out of luck.

[knp7765]

I must be lucky this time.  I ordered 2 copies and both were nearly perfect.

What I don’t understand is why there are so many reports of damaged inner components while the outside box is undamaged.  How does that happen?  It sounds like these things are getting wrecked at the factory, placed in pristine outer boxes, then wrapped and shipped out.  So why would someone do this?

[tin_snips]

I think it’s an issue with the cardboard spacer they’re using, and how the box is packed. If the spacer is directly over the storage boxes, and pressure is applied to the top of the box during transport, then the spacer indents the storage boxes.

If the box is packed with the token and card sheets in-between the storage boxes and the cardboard spacer then there doesn’t seem to be as much as an issue? That’s just going off what I’ve heard from different people.

[Bob77]

The rule book fits inside of the card board spacer. Probably got dislodged during transit, lifting one side of spacer and forcing other end of spacer down into the parts boxes. All these games were probably standing vertically in a giant box as it sailed from china. That would explain why the inner box damage is isolated to the bottom right of the game box.

Even better, why not have the box 1/2 shallower and not need a spacer at all. Just a good old fashioned snug fit

[gbjeff]

I bought a hot glue gun to use on the four-piece spacer for the top of the box.  Once I mend it, it should be much sturdier when it is in my game closet.

[Variable]

@Bob77:

@Variable:

Hello everyone,

I need to warn you all to have your cameras out as you unbox your 2017 copy of Anniversary. After watching Pink Panzer’s video online and how his storage boxes and rulebook were smashed inside despite a pristine outer box, I was ready to video my entire opening. Good thing I did as mine looked the same if not worse than his. I have forwarded some pics to Wizards Customer Support and will advise you all of what happens.

Stay safe out there and good luck with all of yours!

So what did the wizards of avalon say?  I have 2 messed up parts boxes and 4 us/5 russian artillary with stress creases where they weren’t taken off the sprues properly

Hey all,

Sorry it took me forever to get back. Wizards Customer Service has been great about this. They have agreed to replace what was damaged. Trouble is due to the unexpected problem and volume of complaints, like others have said it may be several weeks before replacements arrive. I’m fine with that as damaged cardboard is not something expected. People missing pieces makes sense and they would be able to replace those no problem. But cardboard boxes is a bit more unusual.

As for my theory on the damage: The boxes would normally be on top the maps, then punch outs on top of that. But I’m betting the automated process that installed the cardboard protectors was not calibrated properly or it was affected by the order of contents and crushed most everyone’s stuff before the lid ever went on.

Hope you all get what you need and sorry to AH/WOTC that this happened to them. We all know how much support this game needs to survive with WOTC and I’m sure this is not helping the bottom line.

[Fireberg]

I just opened my copy this morning (arrived on Monday, but work week yadda yadda).  The cardboard space insert looked to be rotated 45 degrees and smashed its exact form into the piece boxes and the rule book. The only box undamaged is the Japan box, but everything in the middle is wrecked.

[Variable]

Sounds exactly like mine but I had damage to all boxes. I’m betting there is a machine at the factory that installs the cardboard and had something set wrong.

[TheAandAClassicDude]

I’ve already opened mine off camera and have had it for a couple of days already, too late I’m guessing?

[Bob77]

Send hem an email anyway

[Variable]

@Bob77:

Send hem an email anyway

Yes do. They didn’t really ask me for much in the way of proof. I just wanted to have it in case I was in the minority. But with the problem so prolific, I’d say get a spot in line.

[wscato]

Evidently this issue is widespread. I called them last night after getting mine and told them what I had and the nice lady on the phone said let me guess, you have damaged boxes. Took my info and they sent me an email with a case number. She told me to expect the replacements in 8 - 10 weeks.

[Legacy1912]

I’ve seen several un-boxings now,

I’ve noticed a trend of pattern, and it all goes back to how the box was packed. If you have the two sheets of roundels, Set up Cards etc on top of your storage boxes then generally they come out fine (Mainly I am guessing due to the two sheets acting to disperse any pressure on the boxes. However if you open the box and all you have is the spacers (which are horrible) on top of the boxes with the rule book and money, chances are the spacers will have caused the creases as they will have buckled under some kind of foreign weight being introduced onto your box during shipping.

That being said, I suspect this is a combination of manufacturer error in the packing process as well as in shipment, the boxes were obviously stacked or placed into some situation where stuff was placed atop them and despite being double boxed, the weight of the foreign objects was enough to cause the spacers to cause the damage.

As for broken pieces or warped boards, more than likely those are cases of quality error as, let’s be honest with ourselves, despite quality tests, quality workers on assembly lines and programs to look for and take out such malformed boards and pieces, there are the cases of those pieces which slip through the cracks and sneak into the boxes.

All I can say is yes, contact Wizards of the Coast and have pictures aplenty for evidence, as, I suspect that as this issue goes on, they may become more stringent on requirements for replacing pieces, or, they may simply put this edition out of print either temporarily or for good if this keeps up.

[vodot]

Yeah, my copy has four issues:
1. Dented setup boxes (all of them!)
2. Deformed infantry rifles (1-5 each side)
3. Molding defects (short shots, delaminations, burn marks)
4. Sprue/cutting defects (large/sharp white burs)

I haven’t done an OCD count or anything, but I’d estimate that most of the ships (esp. Carriers) suffer from #4, and at least a handful of the other units for each side appear to suffer from #3. Contacted Wizards and got the high volume response; hopefully we’ll see some replacement pieces and boxes flowing out eventualy.  It’s a bummer for WotC and the A&A brand, but this really does look like 100% MFG/China error given that the molds look identical to 42.2 and those pieces came out nearly perfectly.

On the plus side, my map does not have the warp/gap that some others are describing; and all of the counters/etc. look great.

UPDATE: got a new message from WotC asking for pictures before they will escalate to the parts replacement team. More than happy to oblige. No additional update yet.

[Young Grasshopper]

SO ANOTHER ISSUE HAS COME UP!!!

THE BOARD PIECES ARE STARTING TO WARP LIKE CRAZY FOR NO APPARENT REASON!

PINK PANZER’S BOARDS ARE WARPED AND COMPLETELY UNUSABLE!

JUST HAD A SUBSCRIBER SHARE WITH ME THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH HIS BOARDS!

WTF… CRUSHED BOXES AND WARPED BOARDS??? I’M TERRIFIED MINE WILL DO THE SAME SOON!

[barney]

@Young:

SO ANOTHER ISSUE HAS COME UP!!!

THE BOARD PIECES ARE STARTING TO WARP LIKE CRAZY FOR NO APPARENT REASON!

PINK PANZER’S BOARDS ARE WARPED AND COMPLETELY UNUSABLE!

JUST HAD A SUBSCRIBER SHARE WITH ME THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH HIS BOARDS!

WTF… CRUSHED BOXES AND WARPED BOARDS??? I’M TERRIFIED MINE WILL DO THE SAME SOON!

Concerned for everyone else as well. Major Black Eye for the Brand. Would’ve been better if they never released it.

[Midnight_Reaper]

@barney:

Concerned for everyone else as well. Major Black Eye for the Brand. Would’ve been better if they never released it.

Hush you. I waited a long time for them to gin up a new version. It’s imperfect, what else is new? I’m just glad I could get one for myself for less than the price of a used car.

As for board warp-age, a little bit of plexiglass over the top, and Bob’s your uncle.

-Midnight-Reaper

[Krieghund]

Sometimes a difference in humidity between the manufacturing location and the final destination can cause warping.  Try weighting the boards down with heavy books for a few days and see if they straighten out.