tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post191413713387338500..comments2023-07-01T04:55:45.022-05:00Comments on iSlayTheDragon | Board Game Reviews, Guides, Articles: Kicking Back (a guide to using Kickstarter)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16943069743769638883noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-81336279300254158312013-10-02T02:44:51.614-05:002013-10-02T02:44:51.614-05:00Hey Farmer Lenny,
Thanks for sharing this great a...Hey Farmer Lenny,<br />Thanks for sharing this great article with us. Your total post was fantastic and the sound was very pretty. I'll follow your suggested Kickstarter Lessons to learn lot for this matter. Keep Well !Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13783875264542313806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-39384411799319830032013-09-17T13:35:16.476-05:002013-09-17T13:35:16.476-05:00That is certainly the best strategy. Being transp...That is certainly the best strategy. Being transparent about your motives and clear about what your game is, is more important than all the shinnies and flimflam. Thanks for the encouragement Lenny.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04697424878140007813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-62909526184788511212013-09-17T07:48:52.268-05:002013-09-17T07:48:52.268-05:00Thanks for your perspective! I can understand that...Thanks for your perspective! I can understand that running a Kickstarter campaign is a lot of work, and the situation you find yourself in.<br /><br />I guess what I was trying to get at in this post--and may not have communicated under my layers of Kickstarter annoyances and regrets--is that the best Kickstarter strategy is to have a great product, clearly defined and well delivered.<br /><br />Good luck on your campaign!FarmerLennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00809519427712934619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-25230989530067915762013-09-17T00:43:58.747-05:002013-09-17T00:43:58.747-05:00This post is a cold slap of realism to Kickstarter...This post is a cold slap of realism to Kickstarter Campaign managers and I'd say I have to agree with a lot of it. By my nature, I tend to be frugal and calculating when it comes to my purchases, especially ones that by their nature mandate uncertainty. But let me come at the issue from the opposite side of the spectrum. As a soon-to-be runner of a Kickstarter Campaign, I'm committed. I have spent hundreds of hours and dollars designing my game. The decision to create a Kickstarter Campaign has also consumed enormous amounts of time designing it and money promoting it. All of the stretch goals and incentive to get people to pledge are there to take advantage of excitement, mob mentality, and impulse buys. <br /><br />But I don't do that because I'm greedy. I want the funding goal to be as low as possible, meaning the absolute minimum profit for me, because a low funding goal is more likely to succeed. This is where the mob mentality is used against the owner of the project. The "perfect game" that I'd like to design though is going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you want custom components and the best art it costs bank, because factories will only produce that kind of quality and custom product in minimum orders of 1,500-3,000 units. <br /><br />I can't have a funding goal of $200,000, because I'm a nobody. I don't have previous games to my name or a fan following to back me up and support me right when the project begins. The mob mentality hurts the project because people don't want to back something that isn't going to be successful; they don't want to be disappointed. Even though it is "no risk" because backers get their money back if a project isn't funded, the most common human characteristic is that they want to be part of a team of winners. They want to help be on the side that helped something get accomplished, not on the side that failed. If nobody else is backing it, or the goal seems impossible, few will want to be part of funding it, even if they like the idea.<br /><br />So I'm stuck in this position, as I'm sure many first time board game designers using Kickstarter are, where I want to raise all the money so my game can be the best, but I know that if I ask too much, I'm destined to fail. I want to make a small print run so my funding goal is reasonable, but then my minimum pledge to get a game is higher because the unit cost goes up the fewer units you print at a time. So I need to make a large print run to make backing more accessible on a per-backer basis, but then I need a higher and more prohibitive funding goal for a larger print run.<br /><br />So I would say to take the opposite approach. Pledge Freely. Pledge $1. If the project doesn't fund, you get all your money back. 2 days before the project ends, you get a warning and can cancel your pledge if you want to, or add enough to get the project if you so wish to. There's no risk to pledging. That doesn't mean anyone should go off and pledge $50 at everything that they think looks remotely cool without doing any research. What it does mean though is that pledging $1 is going to make you really think about the project you just pledged and give it a fair shake before you decide that it really isn't for you. <br /><br />Now, with all that said, your post is something that I am definitely going to consider as I design my campaign and try to make it as effective as possible. So, thank you for putting your thoughts out there and also the invitation to discuss them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04697424878140007813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-84632245341135027432013-09-13T17:27:04.267-05:002013-09-13T17:27:04.267-05:00As far as not backing friends and acquaintancesm e...As far as not backing friends and acquaintancesm even with a $1, just remember... What goes around comes around. If you ever expect to do a Kickstarter or promote your own game, what do you think your "friends" will say to you when it's your turn to ask for support? Reciprocity is a deep part of human culture for a reason, it works.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-89678606026921071912013-09-13T17:21:39.298-05:002013-09-13T17:21:39.298-05:00I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments about ...I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments about Promo material. Sometimes publishers will throw in extra variants that weren't good enough for the full game. Forget that crap! If anything just make the game better by increasing component quality - don't add on a bunch of extra stuff.<br /><br />One more thing I would add is that the amount required to get "it all" in some of these KS pledges is RIDICULOUS! Look at Kingdom Death, Zombicide, Kaosball, Cthulhu Wars - any of the big, miniature driven KS and you are looking at several hundred dollars to buy in and get the complete package. I pledged a lot for Zombicide Season 2, because I have and love the first game, but I can't believe some people are willing to throw down hundreds of dollars for games they've never played - especially ones without rulebooks.<br /><br />I wish that more companies would KS the product they had in mind - use SG to add on some bling and better components, and then throw all the "add ons" that cost so dang much, into an expansion that can also be placed on KS after the base game has proven itself.<br /><br />The truth is though that they don't want to do that. It is much more convenient and profitable for them to get all of that money upfront. I just think we as geeks need to stop supporting the practices that we don't enjoy. If we never show that we disapprove of the behavior, it won't change.<br /><br />Great tips here, thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01897125097940769995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-86953925614438926572013-09-13T14:36:21.098-05:002013-09-13T14:36:21.098-05:00This is a great post (and thank you for linking to...This is a great post (and thank you for linking to my Kickstarter Lessons). I like a lot of these points, and one that I haven't seen before (that I agree with) is the idea that you don't need to back a project just because you know someone or like them. There are many ways to support a project without spending money, and I think it's important for project creators to remember that. Not all of your friends and family are going to want to own your 7-hour fantasy miniatures wargame, and that's okay. That doesn't mean they're not out there rooting for you and telling their friends about your project.<br /><br />Great post!Jamey Stegmaierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14391877064937316343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-37000360570753373532013-09-13T13:26:15.953-05:002013-09-13T13:26:15.953-05:00Thanks for your comments!
And that's a very g...Thanks for your comments!<br /><br />And that's a very good point, that I'm using it as a preorder system. Personally, that's how I prefer to use it, especially as publishers are turning to the site again and again and larger publishers are using it as well. I've been burned by enough first-time projects that I need some sense of establishment to risk my money. That means my usage does fall under the preorder model, although I do like the more personalized touches that Kickstarter brings over a strict preorder.<br /><br />I guess I'm more of an old-old-school idealist, that good ideas will eventually rise to the top and find interested publishers. Occasionally a great idea will be overlooked, but in general, I'm willing to take that risk.FarmerLennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00809519427712934619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-43749435837157458502013-09-13T12:14:37.643-05:002013-09-13T12:14:37.643-05:00This is some really great advice, Lenny!
The only...This is some really great advice, Lenny!<br /><br />The only point of contention that I might have is that you seem to be looking at Kickstarter almost exclusively as a preorder system. Now, I know that a lot of people use it that way, but the whole intent and original purpose of it was to give creative people a forum to seek individual backers to make their projects happen. <br /><br />So while I agree that "guilting" people into backing is manipulative and undesirable, there's nothing wrong with a passionate designer or publisher sincerely asking the community to help and make their dream of publishing a game come true.<br /><br />Maybe I'm still a bit of an old-school Kickstarter idealist, but at least a part of the motivation for backing projects (especially for truly independent designers) should be more about helping them out rather than just "what's in it for me". And more than anything else, that's the main reason I choose to back some projects rather than waiting for them to be released later.Chris Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12383357790853580688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-49534009794277739582013-09-13T08:46:06.029-05:002013-09-13T08:46:06.029-05:00That's a good point.That's a good point.FarmerLennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00809519427712934619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046699676074993791.post-449976413774879932013-09-13T08:37:11.182-05:002013-09-13T08:37:11.182-05:00One thing I've been noticing with a lot of Kic...One thing I've been noticing with a lot of Kickstarter projects - especially with brand new "game companies" or 1-off game productions not backed by or intending to become a game publisher is the lack of clarity.<br /><br />There will be lists and lists of add-ons, bonuses, promos, expansions, etc. etc. but it is not very clear what the base game includes, what's necessary for play, what add-ons are bling and what are actual addition content. I've studied many a KS page that looks fancy and has lots of bits to offer, but I can't make heads or tails of what's actually what.<br /><br />Clarity is extremely important.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16943069743769638883noreply@blogger.com