10/06/2024
The Bog has decided to part ways with Michael Mars. We feel that it’s in the community’s best interest to explain why.
Michael was a founding member of the Bog, serving as our CFO as well as project manager and fulfillment agent for Lichoma. He shipped some US orders, but around October 2023, he seems to have just … stopped. We understood that he was experiencing several major life events, and we offered to help or even take over fulfillment for him, but he refused. When he met up with Walt and Strega in Toronto in mid-March, he brought all of the unassembled components, and the three spent the week finishing boxes, most of which went home with Michael so he could continue fulfillment, send out replacements, and then ship the rest to Strega for RoW fulfillment.
At the beginning of April, Strega asked for a tracking number for the shipment, and Michael said he’d send it along shortly. (The boxes had not actually been shipped.) That was the last substantive communication anyone had with him for over a month. At first, we were concerned and tried to reach out regarding his wellbeing. We heard from him via Discord in mid-April and by phone a couple weeks later, proving he was alive and indicating he was able. Finally, in mid-May, Walt was able to contact him by phone and get the remaining boxes and add-ons shipped to him so he could take over.
As of one month later, Michael has not, however, forwarded the remaining funds needed to finish fulfillment. He claims that he has, but no money has been received. Like during the preceding months, Michael’s continued to drag his heels and make excuses—and, somehow, claim he’s entitled to reimbursement for shipping all of the product that he’s failed to deliver for nearly a year.
It appears that the Bog will have to go out of pocket to complete fulfillment and simply hope that we eventually receive whatever funds Michael sees fit to send us. Regarding fulfillment, we will keep backers informed as things progress.
We gain absolutely nothing by making this conflict public, but we hope that doing so may prevent other creators from experiencing the same problems should Michael Mars ever choose to become active in RPG publishing again.
Regards,
Alewife
Chalkdown
Derek
Getaro
Greyson
Ian
Mashley
Owen
RaptorShadow
Rugose
Strega
Tessa
vil
Walt
