Group buy means a group of people all order their board at the same time (usually through a vendor in whichever region you’re in. Zoom keyboards group buy for North America takes place through Cannonkeys.com) so enough quantity can be produced to interest factories to actually take on the order. Nice keyboards are certainly a niche product. Group buys are risky business. I like Meletrix keyboards because they are relatively affordable, good sturdy heavy build, and they have shipped very close to on time for the 2 orders I’ve placed so far. But it’s not uncommon to hear horror stories of products never shipping or delays on top of delays. But it is a journey. I kind of treat the experience like a large Lego set or a model. It takes time and patience but the results are great.
Its an investment in time, energy, and money l, but you truly get something one of a kind. They only open up the group buy about twice a year, so patience is key. So this might now work for you considering you need something soon, but the group buy keyboard world has some really cool options.
If you’re looking to start messing with switches, and modifying things seems intriguing, you can always look at building a board. I really like the Meletrix Zoom line. You have to wait for group buys, but you get a highly customizabled device.
Close Combat: A Bridge to Far. It’s a real time strategy game with a larger regional map where you control simple supply lines and troop movement between battlefields. My two brothers and I would sit and watch each other play for hours because we just had the one computer back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. We made a stupid rule that you had to be present to get your turn so we would often wait nearby for several hours for our chance at glory/survival.