Steve Jackson's Blog, page 121

August 2, 2022: The Danger Of Undercharging On Kickstarter

After over a decade of experience working on over 100 Kickstarter campaigns and supporting 1,000+ campaigns during that same time, I've watched many project supporters cry: "You're charging too much for the game!" The companion comment – "Your shipping costs are too high!" – might be even more common.

These same statements are often accompanied by "Project X packed significantly more in the box and costs less." or "Project Y offered free shipping."

Throughout it all, we continue to try and set realistic project goals and prices, even when that means it looks as if we're an outlier and our choices don't align perfectly with the rest of the industry. We do this because the last thing we want to do is find ourselves in a situation where we have to ask backers for more funds, a practice we see more and more as the realities of manufacturing and freight costs slam into Kickstarter campaigns much, much larger than we run. A handful of million-dollar campaigns, even multi-million dollar campaigns, have posted project updates telling the backers: "We don't have enough money to finish the job."

As you can imagine, the backers of these same Kickstarter campaigns are not happy when, months or years later, the project asks for more cash. Where some project updates have shared concrete numbers, the details leave me thankful that we've not attempted the "undercharge and overdeliver" crowdfunding method.

As an example, one recent update to a $1.1 million dollar Kickstarter shared with their backers that the factory's charge alone was roughly $900,000. After Kickstarter and manufacturing costs, this left the project with less than $100,000 to cover fulfillment to over 15,000 backers. Not surprisingly, this was not enough money . . . and they're now asking their supporters for more cash.

Why do we charge what may be perceived as "higher" prices for our Kickstarter games and shipping? Because we're not just looking to make games for a couple of years. Our goal is to create and release games sustainably while protecting our staff, pay them as much as we can handle, and be here five, ten, twenty years from now still making games.

So. The next time we launch a Kickstarter campaign and your first thought is that we're somehow overcharging, please keep in mind that our true reasoning behind the pricing of everything – from the game to the shipping – is that we want to charge what we must so that we can continue to exist as a business and keep making games for many years to come.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Get More Mayhem!

The Munchkin Mat of Mayhem is a Level tracker with a twist – every space (except lowly Level 1) has a game rule! Choose your path carefully to get the right bonus at the right time.This 24" x 24" square neoprene playmat will look fantastic in the middle of your game table with your favorite miniature (or Munchkin pawn) showing your hero's rapid progress to Level 10 . . . and victory! Order now on Warehouse 23!

August 1, 2022: Game Design Workshop At DragonCon

We're creeping close to the go / no go deadline on the Dragon Con game design workshop. Last year it went well. This year it is undersubcribed. We will do something for the registrants even if we have to cancel and refund their payment, but we'd rather go ahead with the event! So if you've been meaning to sign up and have not done so . . . this is the time!

Here is the direct link. See you there, I hope.

– Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: Add More Guess To Your Chess!

Knightmare Chess Variants and Optional Rules augments your Knightmare Chess game with new variations and possibilities. Thinking outside the chessboard has never been more interesting, thanks to Warehouse 23!

July 31, 2022: A Western-Tinged Cyberpunk Soundtrack

Part of my "you're trapped at home and have time" experience during the 2020 pandemic included learning the Soundtrap DAW (digital audio workstation, a tool for music production and composition). I was introduced to Soundtrap by David Blanchard, our rep at GPI, who knew I had been interested in tackling music. David was already using Ableton Live to craft music, and we had several great conversations about our completely different approaches to creating music using the tools we each had at hand.

Over time, as we both released music, I thought it might be fun to experiment with a bit of a collaboration. I constructed a beat of drums, various percussive bits, and special effects and sent it over to David. He then added the melodic elements, the most distinctive of which was his guitarwork. That one track was so much fun that we created a second . . . and then two more! All four tracks were created in the same way, with me providing the percussive skeleton and David overlaying guitar, strings, bass, and more. 

We took the project to Kickstarter – along with game content for the CY_BORG roleplaying game – and successfully funded a 7" record.

Fortunately, part of the Kickstarter plan included the promise to release the music and game content as free downloads, so everyone can access and download the work even if they missed the Kickstarter campaign. The MP3s and a PDF of the game content can be downloaded at DrivethruRPG, while the music tracks are also available at Bandcamp and on several streaming services.

Thank you to the Kickstarter backers for their support and to David for joining me in creating this four-track EP. It was more fun than I expected, and I hope that we make time to produce another EP together one of these days.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Boooom!A blast from the past – literally! We've brought back this quick little classic, with updates to add to the fun. There are only two components: the custom die and the "boomb." Roll the die and hope the "boomb" is not in front of YOU when the explosion comes up! Fast-playing, funny, and super portable, this little gem is just what you need to brighten up your game nights! And it doesn't just come in basic black – you can also get it in red, blue, and sparkly pink. Because of course you can! Order Le Boomb! today at Warehouse 23!

July 30, 2022: One Roll Chronicles Pre-Orders

The first adventure for Steve's One Roll Quest micro-RPG closed successfully on Kickstarter earlier this month, and now's your last chance to pre-order the new adventure at BackerKit. If you're unfamiliar with One Roll Quest , we've described it as "a great game to play BEFORE the game you play before you start the real game." No kidding, gang! One Roll Quest's core rules require one roll of the game's custom die. The adventure expands that to more rolls of the die, but the "make up a lot of lies" component of gameplay remains unchanged.

The adventure is already in our warehouse and the team will handle Kickstarter (and pre-order) fulfillment well before the October estimated delivery.

Please visit the BackerKit pre-order page today!

NOTE: Pre-orders are open to US addresses only.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Poke Cautiously?

Mysteries await – along with, hopefully, treasures! – in Warlock's Workshop , a solo adventure for The Fantasy Trip . Don't delay; download it today from Warehouse 23!

July 29, 2022: Pathfinder Revolution! Kickstarter Relaunch Coming This Fall

The gates to Korvosa have closed a bit early, as we've chosen to cancel our Kickstarter for Pathfinder Revolution!  with plans to relaunch this fall.This wasn't an easy decision, but we felt it was the right move to make this game as successful as possible. We wrote an update that details some of the reasoning, but in short, we felt that we needed to bring costs down to provide something a bit more affordable for backers, and perhaps include the 5- and 6-player content from the start. The costs of game production, from raw materials to shipping and more, have gone up dramatically over the past few years, and the price reflects that current reality. However, we hope we can work with our factory to bring it down a bit further. This may, oddly enough, increase the funding goal and remove the stretch goal, thus providing a more complete game and a more successful project overall.

Follow us on Kickstarter and subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date when we relaunch this fall. We're looking forward to bringing  Pathfinder Revolution! back for round two. We believe this is the ultimate Revolution! experience, and we can't wait for you to get a chance to play it!

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: Ice Dice, Baby!

Snowflake d6 Dice Set ! These glittery dice are a beautiful translucent blue with the numbers etched in the center of a delicate snowflake. A unique gift . . . or perhaps sn excellent addition to your own collection! Order now on Warehouse 23!

July 28, 2022: My-My-My-My Poker Chips

Our household plays a lot of games. One thing we often need to do is to keep track of various points, ideally in an attractive, fast, and easy-to-use fashion. One solution our gaming table has come up with is poker chips. They can be used to track a bunch of different things, they're satisfying to riffle when it's not your turn, and they're generally cheap and replaceable enough that you don't need to be worried about losing one. If you're crafty, you can add stickers to them or paint them if there's a specialty color you'd enjoy. (That's where the yellow ones in our set came from.)

If you go this route, I heartily recommend getting "real" casino-type chips . . . or, at least, chips that have some heft to them. The ultra-cheap plastic ones you can get at the grocery store are only good for small totals, in my experience; stacks of them don't hold up well to minor jostling. Since the poker craze of some years back has ended, high-quality poker chips can also often be found fairly inexpensively, especially at thrift stores. The ones we're currently using were won via our local arcade (meaning we turned playing games into tools for playing more games). Before that, we used a huge set that came in a wooden box that I'm somewhat confident I could turn into a tiny home.

– Steven Marsh

 

Warehouse 23 News: Monsters And More Are In Store

Nordlondr Ovinabokin: Bestiary and Enemies Book presents almost 200 monsters for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG , from tiny annoyances to the deadliest of dragons. Unleash the beasts thanks to Warehouse 23!

July 27, 2022: A Free Game? Absolutely! Download The Fantasy Trip: Melee Today!

"As a flexible system for the recreation of a variety of man-to-man combat situations, MELEE is just about in a class by itself."

- David James Ritchie, The Space Gamer #16 (1978)

Melee , the core combat system for The Fantasy Trip roleplaying game, was Steve's second published game design . . . and you can download the PDF at no charge at Warehouse 23 and DrivethruRPG. The basic game brings enough to the table to give you years of enjoyment, which we know because the game has been out there for over four decades and many game groups have played it since it was first released.

The free download is only the tip of the iceberg, though, and you can rapidly expand your game with the Wizard boxed set, the In the Labyrinth rules, and any number of expansions, accessories, and adventures we've produced for the game over the last few years. 

Download the free Melee rules today . . . and if you want some support material at NO charge, we recommend the free postcard contest PDF that brings several micro-dungeons to your table.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Uh-Oh . . . Dragons

Dragon Hunt! is a programmed adventure for The Fantasy Trip that pits mighty adventurers against . . . Well, we don't want to spoil it. But it's dragons. Hunting season awaits at Warehouse 23!

July 26, 2022: Meeple Mountain's Deadly Doodles Review & How-To-Play Video

Deadly Doodles is one of our lighter game offerings, a fabulous addition to any family game library if you want a fast-playing dungeoncrawl game for kids ages 8 and up. The game is one we should invest more energy in promoting to the world – especially to families! – but there's only so many moments in the day and we're often overwhelmed with more urgent tasks. This means that  Deadly Doodles is sometimes relegated to the back burner.

Earlier today, while thinking about Deadly Doodles , I ran a quick search and came across this Meeple Mountain review and how-to-play video that does an excellent job of showing off Deadly Doodles ' gameplay and strengths. Fortunately, videos like this one are out there and make our job of promoting the game just a little bit easier. Thank you, Brody, for taking time to create and post this helpful video!

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Try Not To Find Your Final Quiet At The Library

The Sunken Library follows in the footsteps of Catacombs of Living Death , presenting heroes of The Fantasy Trip a challenge to find a valuable book at the supposedly lost Great Library of Hrel. Grab your sword and get this adventure from Warehouse 23!

July 25, 2022: Radiation And Biohazard Dice Sets Now Available

Sometimes, the stresses and frustrations of the world lead to missing the little things. Whether you forget where you placed your keys, can't remember whether or not you locked the door, or completely missed game night, all of us run into problems on occasion.

As an example, please consider the fate of two of our dice sets that were offered on a handful of crowdfunding campaigns over the last year. Both the Radiation d6 Dice Set and Biohazard d6 Dice Set should have been available on our online store, Warehouse 23, for months now . . . but we forgot.

Fortunately, we have you to help us catch these mistakes.

Thank you, Matthew, for the email. Without your message, there is no way to know how much longer we would have neglected opening these sets up for sale.

If you have been waiting for something we released through crowdfunding that hasn't been listed for sale at Warehouse 23, please feel free to email me. We have a lot on our minds lately, and every now and then something falls between the cracks.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: The Hunted Hunt!

The Crypt of Krysuvik is an adventure for the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game that pits the heroes against an ancient mystery that has arisen again. Can the heroes resolve the Hunted Lands? Find out at Warehouse 23!

July 24, 2022: Winning And Dining?

We're big gamers in our house. But the physical requirements of corporeal bodies – which we've stubbornly refused to evolve beyond – means we need fuel to keep our meat-mechs moving while we're trying to game. That means food.

Lately, we tried to cram more gaming time into our lives by coming up with meals we can eat while gaming. Not all food is created equal when it comes to the gaming table; it's difficult to hold a big, juicy burger in one hand and a batch of cards in the other. However, we've devised some meals that work for us. Our criteria means that it (ideally) is balanced – protein, starch, fruit/veggie, etc. – and is easy to handle or put down while gaming. Some of our go-to options are:Pizza (a classic for a reason).Smoked salmon, crackers, cheese, and apples.Soup (not really "portable," but easy to put down for your turn . . . and soup remains warm and edibile for a long time). Two of our favorites are this potato soup recipe and this tomato soup recipe. This only works if the soup is made ahead of time and reheated in a microsave or kept warm in a slow cooker.Loaded baked potatoes (also not portable, but good for games with decent gaps between turns, since they're easy to put down). They are simple to cook and customize, and baked potatoes stay warm for a long before or after toppings are added.As the chief chef of the house, I'm always looking for other ideas! If you have any good options to add to my rotating repertoire, feel free to drop me a line or share your ideas on the forums.

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: Enjoy Some Living Death

Catacombs of Living Death charges the heroes with finding the Helm of Baat . . . but all is not as it seems. This adventure for The Fantasy Trip follows in the footsteps of Crown of Eternity , Curse of the Pirate King , and Roc of Sages . Heed the catacombs' call at Warehouse 23!