2015 The Year of Hobby: Kickstarter Special

[image error]Admitting you have a problem is the first step to resolving a problem, right?

I have a Kickstarter problem.

There, I’ve said it.

Let me briefly explain…

Innocent Beginnings and Sinister Developments

My first Kickstarter was for the inaugural Nine Worlds Geekfest. Having just returned from a geektastic time at a Sci-Fi Weekender in Wales I found someone linking to the Kickstarter page on my Twitter feed with an hour to go.

A decision was made, as was history.

Who could resist the chance to conquer the world after the extinction of humanity and the rise of the Great Old Ones?

It was probably the best thing I’ve backed on Kickstarter, as that’s now three Geekfests we’ve been to and enjoyed every event. However that was just the start. The next three were all pretty big ones – I dropped several hundred pounds on Sails of Glory, Cthulhu Wars and Machina Arcana. I have since backed… Um… Ahem… 37 Kickstarters (well, successful ones, there are seven that were cancelled or didn’t fund).

I’ve backed a mixture of big, small and micro games, some graphic novels and comics, a gaming cafe and even support for making board games blind accessible. Some have been quite a financial investment (I’m looking at you Atomic Robo Hardbacks!), some have basically been pocket money deals, great microgames that will set you back just a few notes including postage (like Province, the Tiny Epic series or Mint Tin Apocalypse).

And this arrived while I was writing this post. Serendipity!

In some ways it’s the worst type of retail addiction to have. All the instant gratification of impulse purchasing, but with no actual pay-off for months, sometimes a year or more! That said, there’s nothing like getting a parcel in the post when it finally arrives.

What I Look For

Something different. Something eye-catching. The world is awash with faux-historical fantasy miniatures, post-apocalypse and zombie settings, steampunk ranges, ‘ameritrash’ conquest games, and many others. This is not a judgement on the quality of any particular product or project, just a personal preference. With so many projects these days what stands out? I really like to back a Kickstarter project that is trying something different, something that I know needs not just money but support and a community.

I’m a bit of a softy with my Kickstarter addiction. Though I don’t get involved much in the way of comments and such, I do feel I’ve taken a bit of a personal stake in each one I back and I’m invested in the project as a backer not just a consumer. I want to help creators get their creation into the world, not just bag a special bulk discount from a company that’s basically using Kickstarter as a marketing platform. I feel sad when a project I have backed doesn’t fund and a fleeting sense of guilt for those that I like but can’t back.

Promotion Counts Too

The entire concept of crowdfunding is, of course, to get a crowd interested. As well as the money I pledge I feel it is my duty as a backer to put the word out to other potential backers. Clever project creators reward such behaviour with stretch goals, but for me the simple goal of getting the project funded is enough motivation.

It is also why, given that I do not have infinite finances and space and time, I have recently taken to promoting Kickstarter projects I like but have not backed. If I cannot invest ready cash I can invest a little time. It’s not big-headed to think that I have a bit of reach these days on Facebook and Twitter. I also think that most of those folks that follow me on social media are genuinely interested in a) what sort of things I like and b) cool things to spend their money on. I sometimes get people contacting me directly to ask me to look at or promote their project, and I’m more than happy to do so if it’s something that I think is cool.

Still funding – Castle Dicenstein

What’s Up Lately?

So at the moment I have three active Kickstarters. The first is Return to Castle Dicenstein, a fun game from the team that created Cthulhu Wars. Players dig up body parts to create B-movie monsters to fight each other. This is a restarted project as the initial Castle Dicenstein was cancelled by the creators in response to feedback on the proposed component quality. I’ve found Petersen Games are very good for that sort of interaction with their backers and fans, and it looks to be a good ‘filler’ for games nights when you’re waiting for someone or to round off an evening.

There is also this amazing deal on a complete Dark Ages fort – perfect for my Normans and Saxons to fight over in Open Combat. Quite where I’ll store it when it’s mounted and painted is an issue for another day… And for everything I say about not backing projects simply for the savings, that’s a very attractive piece of terrain for the money they’re asking!

And I am also backing the third iteration of Road/ Kill Ultimate Car Combat. These guys have been plugging away trying to get this into production for a couple of years, honing their offer and now they’ve taken a different tack entirely with scale and approach. As a Dark Future fan they basically had me from the first project when I saw I could use a ‘Goliath’ truck in my games!

Some furry mercs from Burrows and Badgers, they have a new project expanding the range

And… What Else?

My miniatures-related Kickstarters are in various stages of production, delivery and painting. I’m still working through the big box of World of Twilight minis I received last year. There will be a specific blog post on those soon. I’ve also received my Otherworld Miniatures from their Burrows and Badgers range. Looking forward to cleaning these up and getting them painted for some different Open Combat games.

Final Thoughts

I’m not here to say what people should and shouldn’t spend their money on. Kickstarter is great for gamers, and many games companies. I saw a stat recently that more than 50% of tabletop games projects get funded, compared to a Kickstarter average of less than 30% (or thereabouts). I look at some of the other categories – Art, Comics in particular – and it’s like a tumbleweed-strewn wasteland compared to the heady heights of games projects.

That said, I think if you just see Kickstarter as an advance ordering store you are missing out on part of the appeal of crowdfunding. You have a chance to give a creator your backing, to give them not only the funds to make their dream a reality but also the knowledge that they have an audience, that they have found others receptive to their ideas.

It’s a difficult balance to strike. I don’t normally back a miniatures project based purely on the ubiquitous computer-generated 3D renders we see these days. There’s a huge production line between something on a screen and a physical miniature, at any stage of which quality can be degraded. So, I kinda like to know that the creators have some skill on the production side. Measured against this, it takes time and funds to get certain art and design resources together before a Kickstarter, so what we expect from a project creator can be somewhat demanding, even unrealistic. For example, Arcane Arena from Fearless Games. This is clearly the sort of project that crowdfunding is intended for. A real start-up affair. Unfortunately, because they are literally at the start of their creation they have next to nothing to show people about what they will get. It’s a Catch-22 – most games backers want to have a good idea of what they’ll be getting, but to show them that requires an initial investment of time and money, which is the point of having a Kickstarter in the first place. Need money to make money. Capitalism, huh?

So we come back to why I love Kickstarter. It’s not a flaky Amazon with terrible delivery dates, it’s a place where every day I have an opportunity to take a punt on something to help make a creator’s dreams draw a little closer. It’s not a marketplace, it’s an exhibition. If you approach it from that perspective, if you take a risk now and then, the rewards are not just the ones listed on the Pledge Levels.

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