How board games conquered Kickstarter
May 30, 2017 6:37 AM Subscribe
The numbers behind gaming’s growth on the site are striking. In total, fans have pledged over $580 million (£465m) to in excess of 20,000 successful campaigns – more than 20% of all funds raised on the platform. Tabletop games have done particularly well; in 2016, a six-month study found that board, card and roleplaying games had attracted six times as much funding as their digital counterparts.How board games conquered Kickstarter: Five years on from the tabletop crowdfunding revolution
Board games are a pretty ideal fit for the Kickstarter model. The IP can be fully developed and prototyped before the Kickstarter campaign starts. The production process is pretty well understood and can be scaled up if the campaign takes off. The unit costs are at a sweet spot that doesn't deter the risk-averse and allows profitability on medium-scale orders. The deliverables don't require any special handling and can be shipped by boat and warehoused indefinitely. Expansions, play mats, print-and-play access, and the like all make for good add-ons. Depending on the game design it's really easy to do stretch goals. Most games don't have any consumable parts, so there's no long-term support costs, and backers don't have to worry about whether the company will survive past the campaign.
From a business model point of view, the best approach is to use Kickstarter to fund the next game. That way, the kickstarted game can already be in the production pipeline, allowing for faster delivery. This does require having enough capital to fund the first game directly, though, which makes the Kickstarter campaign more of a pre-order platform than a fundraising platform.
What I absolutely don't understand are all of the playing card Kickstarters. Not novel card games, just standard playing card decks. Who's buying those things?
In total, fans have pledged over $580 million (£465m) to in excess of 20,000 successful campaigns – more than 20% of all funds raised on the platform
The other 80% are slim wallets, key organizers, adult comics, and EDC tactical pens.
posted by jedicus at 8:12 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
From a business model point of view, the best approach is to use Kickstarter to fund the next game. That way, the kickstarted game can already be in the production pipeline, allowing for faster delivery. This does require having enough capital to fund the first game directly, though, which makes the Kickstarter campaign more of a pre-order platform than a fundraising platform.
What I absolutely don't understand are all of the playing card Kickstarters. Not novel card games, just standard playing card decks. Who's buying those things?
In total, fans have pledged over $580 million (£465m) to in excess of 20,000 successful campaigns – more than 20% of all funds raised on the platform
The other 80% are slim wallets, key organizers, adult comics, and EDC tactical pens.
posted by jedicus at 8:12 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh man. So many feels about this.
As a person who has kickstarted two (very indie, small print run) boardgames successfully (with one more that failed to fund), I both love and hate the Kickstarter boardgame community. On the one hand, there are a ton of passionate people who are interested in all sorts of different kinds of games, and that is awesome. On the other hand, the platform has been subverted pretty successfully into a pre-marketing engine for established companies in ways that (IMHO) is beginning to reduce the opportunities for truly indie game makers to find an audience.
This is not to say that indie games cannot be made, but that it was a lot easier 5 years ago. Big-name companies and designers can provide a level of polish and amenities to a campaign that is only possible because they're really just running a pre-order campaign, and already have the money to do most of the work up-front. The Kickstarter is, for them, primarily about marketing. The only way the campaign helps in the production is helping define the size of the print run to avoid warehousing unsold copies. All the art, physical parts, rules, playtesting, etc, are 95% done, and the company doesn't actually need backers to fund finishing those.
For true indies, this puts them in an awful position, because the excess polish of the "really this is just a preorder" crowd has created some seriously off-putting entitlement in the backer community. For as large as the community of boardgame backers on KS is, there are a ton with crazy notions about how "done" a game must be, how much art needs to already be present, what kinds of rewards/freebies/incentives* have to exist, etc, and if these demands aren't met your campaign is awful and you should feel awful.
So, yeah. I still like KS, I still back projects, but its utility to indie companies is waning, IMHO.
(* My own personal bugaboo is the notion of "EU Friendly Shipping", which in most cases is unachievable for indies without either taking a loss or breaking customs law, but because some big-name companies with multi-national presences offer it, you're an awful person if you don't have it in your campaign!)
posted by tocts at 8:33 AM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]
As a person who has kickstarted two (very indie, small print run) boardgames successfully (with one more that failed to fund), I both love and hate the Kickstarter boardgame community. On the one hand, there are a ton of passionate people who are interested in all sorts of different kinds of games, and that is awesome. On the other hand, the platform has been subverted pretty successfully into a pre-marketing engine for established companies in ways that (IMHO) is beginning to reduce the opportunities for truly indie game makers to find an audience.
This is not to say that indie games cannot be made, but that it was a lot easier 5 years ago. Big-name companies and designers can provide a level of polish and amenities to a campaign that is only possible because they're really just running a pre-order campaign, and already have the money to do most of the work up-front. The Kickstarter is, for them, primarily about marketing. The only way the campaign helps in the production is helping define the size of the print run to avoid warehousing unsold copies. All the art, physical parts, rules, playtesting, etc, are 95% done, and the company doesn't actually need backers to fund finishing those.
For true indies, this puts them in an awful position, because the excess polish of the "really this is just a preorder" crowd has created some seriously off-putting entitlement in the backer community. For as large as the community of boardgame backers on KS is, there are a ton with crazy notions about how "done" a game must be, how much art needs to already be present, what kinds of rewards/freebies/incentives* have to exist, etc, and if these demands aren't met your campaign is awful and you should feel awful.
So, yeah. I still like KS, I still back projects, but its utility to indie companies is waning, IMHO.
(* My own personal bugaboo is the notion of "EU Friendly Shipping", which in most cases is unachievable for indies without either taking a loss or breaking customs law, but because some big-name companies with multi-national presences offer it, you're an awful person if you don't have it in your campaign!)
posted by tocts at 8:33 AM on May 30, 2017 [8 favorites]
Big-name companies and designers can provide a level of polish and amenities to a campaign that is only possible because they're really just running a pre-order campaign, and already have the money to do most of the work up-front.
Just curious, but what % does KS take in fees? Is the transaction fee just added cost that they're willing to put up with for all of the other benefits you outlined?
posted by Think_Long at 8:37 AM on May 30, 2017
Just curious, but what % does KS take in fees? Is the transaction fee just added cost that they're willing to put up with for all of the other benefits you outlined?
posted by Think_Long at 8:37 AM on May 30, 2017
What I absolutely don't understand are all of the playing card Kickstarters. Not novel card games, just standard playing card decks. Who's buying those things?
My sister, for one, and I've been tempted at times. I mean, look at some of these. Creative design choices! Total rotational symmetry! Beloved movies! Think of them as tiny art prints that you can also play with.
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:46 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
My sister, for one, and I've been tempted at times. I mean, look at some of these. Creative design choices! Total rotational symmetry! Beloved movies! Think of them as tiny art prints that you can also play with.
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:46 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
Just curious, but what % does KS take in fees?
Kickstarter takes 5%, and another 3–5% goes to processing fees, so figure 8–10% in overhead for using the platform.
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:48 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Kickstarter takes 5%, and another 3–5% goes to processing fees, so figure 8–10% in overhead for using the platform.
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:48 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just curious, but what % does KS take in fees? Is the transaction fee just added cost that they're willing to put up with for all of the other benefits you outlined?
Kickstarter takes 5%, and the credit card processing company takes another 3-5% depending on variables that I don't recall the specifics off. For safety, you basically should assume you lose at least 10% to fees and non-payment when doing your budget.
If that sounds like a lot, realize that the cost to produce game pieces (printed cards/boards/etc, dice, molded pieces) gets significantly lower per unit with even a slightly larger production run. A lot of the cost is the initial tooling (creating molds, creating print plates, etc), and you could literally have a piece where it's like, "for 100 copies, $1,000; for 200 copies, $1,100; for 1000 copies, $1,500".
So, you want to make as big a production run as you can sell, because it makes the per-unit profit much better. You don't, however, want to end up with an extra thousand copies sitting in a warehouse for 2 years before being sold off for a loss. The big companies use Kickstarter because it allows them to tailor the production run size to the number of backers plus some amount of extra for sale to distributors, which they can decide at the last minute once they know how popular the game seems to be.
posted by tocts at 8:49 AM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]
Kickstarter takes 5%, and the credit card processing company takes another 3-5% depending on variables that I don't recall the specifics off. For safety, you basically should assume you lose at least 10% to fees and non-payment when doing your budget.
If that sounds like a lot, realize that the cost to produce game pieces (printed cards/boards/etc, dice, molded pieces) gets significantly lower per unit with even a slightly larger production run. A lot of the cost is the initial tooling (creating molds, creating print plates, etc), and you could literally have a piece where it's like, "for 100 copies, $1,000; for 200 copies, $1,100; for 1000 copies, $1,500".
So, you want to make as big a production run as you can sell, because it makes the per-unit profit much better. You don't, however, want to end up with an extra thousand copies sitting in a warehouse for 2 years before being sold off for a loss. The big companies use Kickstarter because it allows them to tailor the production run size to the number of backers plus some amount of extra for sale to distributors, which they can decide at the last minute once they know how popular the game seems to be.
posted by tocts at 8:49 AM on May 30, 2017 [4 favorites]
Also, it can't be overstated that the big companies also use Kickstarter because it's a great vector for both marketing and add-on sales. People get caught up in the thrill of "helping" the project succeed, and can be sold all sorts of additional stuff (e.g. upsold to a tier that provides the game plus the last game the company made, or some limited edition add-on, etc).
posted by tocts at 8:51 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by tocts at 8:51 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
What I absolutely don't understand are all of the playing card Kickstarters. Not novel card games, just standard playing card decks. Who's buying those things?
Yeah the're basically art objects - though they get shoved in the games section. Tarot Cards are in the art section but the're kinda more practical! And there's quite a few collectors out there.
I've dipped my toe into kickstarter - had one failure (but I know why it did;nt work and I'm planning to re-do soon - ironically it was playing cards!) and one success. It's a very intense kinda crazy experience even compared to other on-line selling... but fun to (honestly). Gonna go in hard later in the year. Kingdom Death... you ain't seen nothing yet!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:01 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yeah the're basically art objects - though they get shoved in the games section. Tarot Cards are in the art section but the're kinda more practical! And there's quite a few collectors out there.
I've dipped my toe into kickstarter - had one failure (but I know why it did;nt work and I'm planning to re-do soon - ironically it was playing cards!) and one success. It's a very intense kinda crazy experience even compared to other on-line selling... but fun to (honestly). Gonna go in hard later in the year. Kingdom Death... you ain't seen nothing yet!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:01 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I did a post on The Doom that Came to Atlantic City back when it flopped and was rescued.
RPGs have gone in a very particular way. You're more or less expected to have a book already written and in need of art and layout, and people are much more conservative about stretch goals, which used to be very elaborate. Some companies will Kickstart pretty much any big release, and in some cases it approaches abuse of the system. The entry bar has gotten a lot higher and the critics are merciless.
A recent case worth checking out is the Rifts Board Game, which wound up being canceled because it was too close to the Robotech RPG Tactics fiasco that Palladium wrapped itself up in. The scene is of course littered with cautionary tales.
posted by graymouser at 9:24 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
RPGs have gone in a very particular way. You're more or less expected to have a book already written and in need of art and layout, and people are much more conservative about stretch goals, which used to be very elaborate. Some companies will Kickstart pretty much any big release, and in some cases it approaches abuse of the system. The entry bar has gotten a lot higher and the critics are merciless.
A recent case worth checking out is the Rifts Board Game, which wound up being canceled because it was too close to the Robotech RPG Tactics fiasco that Palladium wrapped itself up in. The scene is of course littered with cautionary tales.
posted by graymouser at 9:24 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
I don't even have time to play all the board games I've backed on Kickstarter. They sit in my house, unopened. Why can't I stop myself?
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:04 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:04 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don't even have time to play all the board games I've backed on Kickstarter. They sit in my house, unopened. Why can't I stop myself?
I quite literally posted this story as a way to keep myself from buying one this morning.
posted by Etrigan at 10:07 AM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]
I quite literally posted this story as a way to keep myself from buying one this morning.
posted by Etrigan at 10:07 AM on May 30, 2017 [15 favorites]
In comparison to the digital side, I think board games are much more "rewarding" to back. There tends to be a stronger correlation between content quality and number of backers and they arrive more quickly. I'm personally not at all bothered by companies using the platform for what are essentially pre-sales. But, I never saw Kickstarter as being that innovator focused - to me it has always been an alternative market structure for facilitating creation of new things with variable levels of uncertainty and risk.
I have gotten much more selective about which board games I will back on Kickstarter. Some writers on a blog I contribute to occasionally gave a good first stab at some reasons why: Kickstarter Skepticism. Still, a few games still get me each year.
For some next level board game Kickstarter discussion you need to raise the question of how appropriate it is to offer Kickstarter exclusive game content.
posted by meinvt at 10:17 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have gotten much more selective about which board games I will back on Kickstarter. Some writers on a blog I contribute to occasionally gave a good first stab at some reasons why: Kickstarter Skepticism. Still, a few games still get me each year.
For some next level board game Kickstarter discussion you need to raise the question of how appropriate it is to offer Kickstarter exclusive game content.
posted by meinvt at 10:17 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I quite literally posted this story as a way to keep myself from buying one this morning.
I will not, however, be able to keep myself from backing Torg Eternity.
posted by Etrigan at 10:18 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I will not, however, be able to keep myself from backing Torg Eternity.
posted by Etrigan at 10:18 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Kickstarter takes 5%, and another 3–5% goes to processing fees, so figure 8–10% in overhead for using the platform.
It's worth noting that these fees plus direct fulfillment can easily be less than the mark-ups normally demanded by distributors and retailers - however it also requires you to handle all of those tasks and associated risks. Skipping traditional distribution also means you won't be found in many other markets. It's a big deal strategic level business decision that I don't think all those new to Kickstarter fully consider.
posted by meinvt at 10:20 AM on May 30, 2017
It's worth noting that these fees plus direct fulfillment can easily be less than the mark-ups normally demanded by distributors and retailers - however it also requires you to handle all of those tasks and associated risks. Skipping traditional distribution also means you won't be found in many other markets. It's a big deal strategic level business decision that I don't think all those new to Kickstarter fully consider.
posted by meinvt at 10:20 AM on May 30, 2017
I am mostly able to hold off on Kickstarting boardgames b/c the shipping to Canada plus the exchange rate with the USD make them pretty much prohibitively expensive (for me anyways). I did, however, fold like a deck of artisanal Spinal Tap playing cards when the Gloomhaven reprint went live.
posted by joelhunt at 10:39 AM on May 30, 2017
posted by joelhunt at 10:39 AM on May 30, 2017
oh shit there's a Torg Eternity
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:51 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:51 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Some writers on a blog I contribute to occasionally gave a good first stab at some reasons why: Kickstarter Skepticism.
I think this is an interesting article with some interesting data, though there's some concerns raised in the comments I would generally echo. One thing I would add, though:
Running the aforementioned KS campaigns, as well as manning my own booth at a number of conventions, one thing that has become abundantly clear to me is that BGG is fairly unrepresentative of boardgaming as a whole. There are a huge number of people who love boardgames who either don't know what BGG is, or have used it to look at basic game information but do not have an account and have never rated a game. Moreover, this lack of engagement with that function of BGG has not been evenly distributed.
The BGG user experience has, basically since day one been incredibly obtuse (and only kinda sorta mildly improved in the last few years). My anecdotal-but-bordering-on-feeling-scientific take is that people who actually rate things on BGG are whiter, maler, computer-nerdier, and these days a bit older (due to lack of accessibility as the hobby has grown) than the hobby as a whole. People play and enjoy games for a lot of reasons, but BGG skews heavily towards certain kinds of games and certain kinds of playstyles that are associated with the aforementioned demographic, and the ratings reflect that.
posted by tocts at 11:01 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]
I think this is an interesting article with some interesting data, though there's some concerns raised in the comments I would generally echo. One thing I would add, though:
Running the aforementioned KS campaigns, as well as manning my own booth at a number of conventions, one thing that has become abundantly clear to me is that BGG is fairly unrepresentative of boardgaming as a whole. There are a huge number of people who love boardgames who either don't know what BGG is, or have used it to look at basic game information but do not have an account and have never rated a game. Moreover, this lack of engagement with that function of BGG has not been evenly distributed.
The BGG user experience has, basically since day one been incredibly obtuse (and only kinda sorta mildly improved in the last few years). My anecdotal-but-bordering-on-feeling-scientific take is that people who actually rate things on BGG are whiter, maler, computer-nerdier, and these days a bit older (due to lack of accessibility as the hobby has grown) than the hobby as a whole. People play and enjoy games for a lot of reasons, but BGG skews heavily towards certain kinds of games and certain kinds of playstyles that are associated with the aforementioned demographic, and the ratings reflect that.
posted by tocts at 11:01 AM on May 30, 2017 [7 favorites]
RPGs have gone in a very particular way. You're more or less expected to have a book already written and in need of art and layout, and people are much more conservative about stretch goals, which used to be very elaborate. Some companies will Kickstart pretty much any big release, and in some cases it approaches abuse of the system. The entry bar has gotten a lot higher and the critics are merciless.
Onyx Path usually posts the full text of the book for free for anybody to read as part of the original campaign post.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:05 AM on May 30, 2017
Onyx Path usually posts the full text of the book for free for anybody to read as part of the original campaign post.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:05 AM on May 30, 2017
My anecdotal-but-bordering-on-feeling-scientific take is that people who actually rate things on BGG are whiter, maler, computer-nerdier, and these days a bit older (due to lack of accessibility as the hobby has grown) than the hobby as a whole.
A Shawshank Redemption game would be #1 forever.
posted by Etrigan at 11:10 AM on May 30, 2017
A Shawshank Redemption game would be #1 forever.
posted by Etrigan at 11:10 AM on May 30, 2017
For as large as the community of boardgame backers on KS is, there are a ton with crazy notions about how "done" a game must be, how much art needs to already be present, what kinds of rewards/freebies/incentives* have to exist, etc, and if these demands aren't met your campaign is awful and you should feel awful.
This is one reason I haven't tried to run a board game KS. It would take me a million years to make art I'm satisfied with myself. I want to pay an artist, but without money from the KS I've got nothing to pay them with. And you can't run a KS without already having art!
Also, as a guy who isn't super great with social norms who might run a board game KS in the future... is there a norm on KS that people that run KS projects are expected to have backed other people's projects in the past? I'm not asking because I've encountered evidence of such a norm, but because even if it did exist I'm not sure I'd notice it.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 11:18 AM on May 30, 2017
This is one reason I haven't tried to run a board game KS. It would take me a million years to make art I'm satisfied with myself. I want to pay an artist, but without money from the KS I've got nothing to pay them with. And you can't run a KS without already having art!
Also, as a guy who isn't super great with social norms who might run a board game KS in the future... is there a norm on KS that people that run KS projects are expected to have backed other people's projects in the past? I'm not asking because I've encountered evidence of such a norm, but because even if it did exist I'm not sure I'd notice it.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 11:18 AM on May 30, 2017
Echoing tocts a bit, there's certainly some KS confirmation/novelty bias in the BGG rankings. I'm sorry (not sorry), but Terraforming Mars, while a fine game, is just not the 8th best game ever made. We'll see in August where Gloomhaven actually ranks. (Pandemic: Legacy may well be the best game I've ever played, though.)
Etrigan, I did a brief perusal of posts tagged Board Games, didn't see a proper board game mega post...
posted by booooooze at 11:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Etrigan, I did a brief perusal of posts tagged Board Games, didn't see a proper board game mega post...
posted by booooooze at 11:25 AM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
One thing I'll say for board game kickstarters, they've had the highest rate of actually fulfilling their rewards of things I've backed. Musicians have had the lowest.
posted by drezdn at 11:36 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 11:36 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
Onyx Path usually posts the full text of the book for free for anybody to read as part of the original campaign post.
Yeah, I've backed a few KSes where you get the "beta" version free on backing. But RPGs are basically at the point where not posting "the text is done" is going to get you knocked in various corners of the Internet. One Far West goes a long way.
posted by graymouser at 12:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I've backed a few KSes where you get the "beta" version free on backing. But RPGs are basically at the point where not posting "the text is done" is going to get you knocked in various corners of the Internet. One Far West goes a long way.
posted by graymouser at 12:25 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
That Palladium business really pissed people off. I didn't follow it at all, and so I knew nothing about it, but a few weeks ago I became a backer of he (totally unrelated) "Aces & Eights 2nd Edition" campaign. I guess the guy in charge at Palladium must've said something nice about A&8 at some point, because people were pledging a dollar just so they could come into the forums for the (again, totally unrelated) A&8 campaign and gripe about him there. It was distinctly weird.
I'm also backing "Gloomhaven" because based on the video reviews I've seen, they engineered that game so specifically to my tastes that it would be irresponsible of me not to buy a copy.
posted by Ipsifendus at 2:55 PM on May 30, 2017
I'm also backing "Gloomhaven" because based on the video reviews I've seen, they engineered that game so specifically to my tastes that it would be irresponsible of me not to buy a copy.
posted by Ipsifendus at 2:55 PM on May 30, 2017
Having only backed one digital game, and one board game (So far)..
My feelings are with the board games getting physical Stretch goals feels more rewarding and more limited than digital rewards. As alas often the digital games get pirated, including exclusive content so they no longer are actually exclusive. With the physical only those backers who funded will have them.
What I find interesting with the board games now, is many of them have a single backing level and extra cool stuff gets unlocked as stretch goals.. Opposed to many of the digital games there are more often many funding levels to get all sorts of perks for the more you fund.
While the top most exclusive backing levels are good for those with deep pockets and help give a single hit boost to the total funded, the single level backing option path works well for the masses with out such deep pockets, and makes you want to spread the word more to get more people funding to hit those stretches..
I could be totally wrong with my perspective of course, but thats my 10 cents anyway.. (Which only earned me a "thanks" for this thread fund)
posted by Merlin The Happy Pig at 5:23 PM on May 30, 2017
My feelings are with the board games getting physical Stretch goals feels more rewarding and more limited than digital rewards. As alas often the digital games get pirated, including exclusive content so they no longer are actually exclusive. With the physical only those backers who funded will have them.
What I find interesting with the board games now, is many of them have a single backing level and extra cool stuff gets unlocked as stretch goals.. Opposed to many of the digital games there are more often many funding levels to get all sorts of perks for the more you fund.
While the top most exclusive backing levels are good for those with deep pockets and help give a single hit boost to the total funded, the single level backing option path works well for the masses with out such deep pockets, and makes you want to spread the word more to get more people funding to hit those stretches..
I could be totally wrong with my perspective of course, but thats my 10 cents anyway.. (Which only earned me a "thanks" for this thread fund)
posted by Merlin The Happy Pig at 5:23 PM on May 30, 2017
I love boardgames but have cut back severely on my purchasing thereof. Mostly just stick with LCGs these days. The sheer quantity of plastic miniatures and plastic components that get bundled into games (especially from Cool Mini or Not) make my teeth crawl.
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:50 PM on May 30, 2017
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:50 PM on May 30, 2017
More like how Kickstarter has destroyed the board game industry, churning out stretch goals and fancy minis, (unless the creators abscond with the cash), and a lot of really lackluster games.
posted by Windopaene at 8:20 PM on May 30, 2017
posted by Windopaene at 8:20 PM on May 30, 2017
The kickerstart boardgame scene has been making it really easy to stop buying games. I'd say it might be bad for the hobby, but at this point I suspect it's being kept afloat more by the collectors than anything else. The board game community is full of the compulsive collector type, and I suspect the number of times most board games are played are between 0 and 1. (Taking the pieces out and playing a solo game to see how it works does not count, sorry.)
posted by aspo at 9:48 PM on May 30, 2017
posted by aspo at 9:48 PM on May 30, 2017
My mates are all addicted to grabbing board games off Kickstarter but I'm much more meh. I backed Myth for $110 then flipped it for $400 on eBay before it was even ready for delivery. I'm backing Nemo's War 2nd Ed which feels like it's a year overdue. I got Tiny Epic Western which was 'yay' until a couple of plays later when it was '...these buildings are pretty naff, aren't they?' and we never played it again.
And that's about it. There's more than enough good stuff coming through mainstream retail that I can not watch Kickstarter now and grab stuff at retail when it does arrive. Will I get [insert special extras] here? No, but if it's like any of the other board games I buy it'll get five plays tops or worse just sit on the shelf not played at all (hello SW Rebellion), so who needs extra stuff that isn't going to get played with either?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 11:14 PM on May 30, 2017
And that's about it. There's more than enough good stuff coming through mainstream retail that I can not watch Kickstarter now and grab stuff at retail when it does arrive. Will I get [insert special extras] here? No, but if it's like any of the other board games I buy it'll get five plays tops or worse just sit on the shelf not played at all (hello SW Rebellion), so who needs extra stuff that isn't going to get played with either?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 11:14 PM on May 30, 2017
Kickstarter has been wonderful for my Call of C'thulhu RPG obsession, but very poor to my wallet.
Now, granted, I'm only supposed to be backing new 7th Edition scenarios, but I may have drifted outside the lines by also backing Delta Green, Prince Valiant, MST3k, Mythos Tales, This Defiant Earth, Urban Knights, and the list goes on and on.
Never before has TAKE MY MONEY seemed so appropriate.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 4:05 AM on May 31, 2017
Now, granted, I'm only supposed to be backing new 7th Edition scenarios, but I may have drifted outside the lines by also backing Delta Green, Prince Valiant, MST3k, Mythos Tales, This Defiant Earth, Urban Knights, and the list goes on and on.
Never before has TAKE MY MONEY seemed so appropriate.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 4:05 AM on May 31, 2017
I am so not patient enough to back anything on Kickstarter, I can hardly even stand to wait 1-2 days for Amazon Prime to deliver my orders, there's no way i'd survive a 9 month wait. Lucky me though, my board game group tends to buy about everything so i'll get to play them eventually. Gloomhaven is the only one I'm really waiting for, I'm curious to see if I'll like it.
posted by Hazelsmrf at 5:21 AM on May 31, 2017
posted by Hazelsmrf at 5:21 AM on May 31, 2017
Major Matt Mason Dixon, I guess you're looking forward to the Yellow King RPG by Robin D. Laws, right?
posted by graymouser at 1:59 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by graymouser at 1:59 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
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Kickstarter + Double IPAs on Fridays = Many a backed project. Looking over my list, it looks like everything has delivered (or is in the process of delivering), but there have been some disappointments along the way. Reading the accounts of people who have run Kickstarter campaigns can be bowel-loosening: actually making money on the projects is pretty damn hard and that's even if you know what you're doing.
I've been toying with the idea of doing a Kickstarter campaign for a deck of woodcut alien playing cards and even if that is straight forward enough, the amount of ways things go wrong gives me pause. Also, the sheer amount of work that is required - I'm a hobbyist artist who can barely keep up with his own social media presence. How the hell can I find time to run a campaign? And actually sell people on myself and the output? Ungh.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:26 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]