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I am OK with kickstarter but choosy about what I back.

Over the past few years I have backed the following

Deadzone. Arrived close to on time but with dissapointing wuality

Warmachibe tactics. Delivered but I have only played the game once since as it was dissapointing.

Steel fist: backed their samurai twice. One arrived on time one a month or so late both times I was left impressed.

Zombicide black plauge: running late I beleive but has been part delivered and I am happy so far.

Human interface nakumura tower: running a few months late but on track for delivery soon. Constant communication makes me less concerned about the delay.

Museam miniatures samurai: recently backed not sure when it should be delivered.

Battle systems urban terrain: another we will see.

For the most part kickstarter has been positive from me.

I swore I wouldn't back anything this year.

I am now backing 3, with 2 more in the pipeline...

Since the original post, I've only added Dropfleet Commander and WarPath.

Looking at my backer history the only projects outstanding:

Kingdom Death:Monster - Mostly done, need a set of legs for Spidicules and the Lantern Festival to wrap that one up.
DeadZone: Infestation - 2 months late on shipping, but it seems to be rolling towards fullfilment starting
Dropfleet Commander - Pledge Manager still open, fulfillment not scheduled for another three months
WarPath - Pledge Manager still open, not slated to fulfill for six months

Even allowing for the "standard" slip of 1-2 quarters, it's somewhat strange to think that I might actually have all my KS projects wrapped up this time next year and most completed within a reasonable tolerance of "good"; I've not had any out-and-out duds really. I've also not seen any "oooo! neat!" projects that I felt I should back in the interim, though if DFG and KD ever return I might go in for one of them. I'm skeptical that either of them are looking to dive in anytime in the immediate future though.

One thing I have noticed as I wander through the threads on KS projects: Established companies are who they are and giving them cash up-front will not change this. I'm not sure I've seen a project where a company has defied their past behavior over the course of a KS project. Usually the predictable problems based on the company's history repeat themselves in the KS; this makes doing your due diligence as a backer very important. Know who you're giving your money to and ask yourself if you're comfortable with the problems imposed by the worst news and views of the company you can find.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
It's roughly 3 months later, and Kingdom Death has delivered my expansions! I'm basically good aside from some fix-ups.

Running totals:
2 undelivered (Conan & SDE:Legends)
3 partially delivered (Ogre, Robotech, Journey)
10 fully-delivered
$ 640 net spent

Hopefully, Conan delivers 1H 2016, and Journey finishes up. That'd be great, as Ogre and Robotech are just dragging...

What does OGRE still owe the backers?

SJG owes:
1. scenarios, that Steve claimed to have been working on during the campaign.
2. music, too.
Then there were the promises for new Car Wars edition, Ogre Expansion, Ogre Computer Game, and Ogre Miniatures Rules 2E...

As for things I might back, I'd throw more money at another KD KS.

I'll admit to not really paying much attention to the OGRE KS once I received my gigantic box - has he even talked much about any of the pending stuff recently?

There are/were occasional updates that suggested something may be happening with Scenarios and/or Music. There was a poll for a possible Expansion. Nothing came of any of this, as far as I'm aware.

As with others, most of my Kingdom Death stuff has arrived by now, except for the Lantern Festival and like many others, quite annoyingly, the wrong leg sprues for the Spidicules kit. Most incompetent sprue design indeed, bloody gakkers.

Aside from that, still waiting on..

- Bones III (should be August or so this year, no signs of it being delayed or running into any trouble thus far)

- Mantic's Warpath (should be September this year, but with Mantic being made up of 110% pure feth-up these days, not holding my breath on this arriving on time)

Also have the current projects running right now:

- Return to Colony 87: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/62661939/return-to-colony-87-28mm-sci-fi-civilians

- This is Not a Test: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/57306923/this-is-not-a-test-post-apocalyptic-skimirsh-ruleb

Though not sure if I can stick with both right now, with both Salute and a trip to Warhammer World little more than a month away.

Looking back at my backer history, I've spent rather more than I thought. Red ones carry some regret. In roughly chronological order:

Tectonic Craft Studios Terrain- $25, delivered very late, and as far as I know, the latest kickstarter so far, as folks are still waiting on pledges 3.6 years later.
Deep Wars- $75, delivered, beautiful miniatures and rule book, haven't painted or played it, but it's always high on my project list.
Zombicide- $140, delivered, loved it, played a lot.
Sedition Wars- $200, delivered late, put it together, loved the miniatures, haven't painted or played the game. Despite the hate for this one, I still like it.
Bones I- $100, delivered, use the miniatures for NPCs/random dioramas. Lots left to paint/assemble
Kingdom Death- $148, 90% delivered. This is the crowning jewel of my kickstarter history. Added much more in pledge manager, lovely game, beautiful stuff.
Mutant Chronicles: Warzone Resurrection- ~$55, delivered late, love the miniatures and the game, have become really active in the community.
Zombicide Season 2 - $250, delivered, played a few times, mostly been stored. Lots of hype, not much excitement.
Warmachine Tactics- $210, delivered physical, digital rewards still in pipeline. Game was fun, miniatures/coins were main draw.
Symmetry's Junky Album- $15, delivered, on the list to highlight how little I use kickstarter for anything but gaming.
Infamy: Welcome to the Big Smoke- ~$76, delivered late, great little miniatures, basically what's holding me back from backing Twisted as they are very similar.
Battle Systems Fantasy Terrain- ~$220, delivered, decent stuff. A little underwhelming when using it for anything outside an RPG, which was my idea.
Alternative Civil War 1861- $46, 3 months delayed, projected another two at least. Okay miniatures, I like helping smaller companies for time to time. Their communication leaves a lot to be desired, but this wasn't a big money campaign.
Exploding Kittens- $35, delivered. Score of a lifetime, everyone I know loves this game and tries to buy my meowing KS only box.
Boss Monster: The Next Level- $32, delivered. Have yet to play it, but loved the first game.
Yooka Laylee- ~$20, due in seven months. A spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie done by the original Rare team, on next gen consoles? Sold.
Bones 3- $185, due in six months. I backed it, but I think I forgot why. Something in there pulled me in, terrain maybe?
Scythe- $99, due in six months, looks likes it's going to be great. Went in for collectors edition.

Backed but pulled out or funding failed:
Critical Mass Games, 15MM Mercs- seemed cool, didn't have a use for them, so I bailed.
Bones II- Got an early bird, nothing drew my attention after all was said and done, pulled out with hours left.
Battle Systems Sci-Fi Terrain- tough time money wise, also didn't know how it would work for Infinity.
Alternative Civil War: 1861- their first try, failed to reach funding. Successfully funded the second time.
Great Gobbo Grab- a game made by some locals, lacked some polish but could have been excellent, played very well. Didn't fund.

All said and done, around 2k in pledges. I don't regret almost any of them, though I could've saved by waiting on a few going to retail (Sedition Wars), but saved a mint by kickstarting some (KD: Monster). So did I burn out? No, but I think I have quite a bit lest disposable income for this specific hobby (brewing, weddings, and tournament paintball all picked up the slack).

Lately, terrain has mostly been grabbing my attention, which is why I think Twisted is speaking to me.

Relic Knights- I enjoy the game and minis, but I'm glad they're going back to resin

Reaper Bones 1, 2, 3- Great minis on the cheap- I love having the bin to go through for PCs, conversion bits and random stuff. The large monsters are especially nice

Super Dungeon Explore Forgotten King- Love me those chibis. This one was a couple months late, and in KS terms, that's on time.

Wrath of Kings- love the pigs, no interest in the game

Infamy Miniatures- Tesla was just too cool to pass up. Super nice minis (no interest in the game).

Ninja all Stars- I would love the minis without the game (just play them in SDE) but I like the game as well.

SDE Legends- campaign mode for Super Dungeon!!!

Widower's Wood- I'm treating it like Bones with IK specific minis, but I've tried out the game for one mission, and it was good.

Yeah, I nearly backed NAS for the minis, but I had kinda stopped buying minis for games I didn't intend to play.

Totally see that one.

I honestly know that I won't play loads of different games- especially miniatures games. It is better for me to put more of my energy behind a few games and not go out and pick up everything that looks cool.



Actually, I started out backing NAS for just one clan box (because Sodapop allows you to back for add ons without getting the core game- and one clan box is all you need for the Super Dungeon crossover).

As the campaign went on, I got to read the rulebook (and liked it), and really loved more and more of the minis. So I backed it for the whole game.

As long as you like it, it's worth it!

I was tempted by Massive Darkness, but I just couldn't justify spending what would likely be $150 on something that wasn't boutique (KD:M / Journey) or unique (Conan) or expanding an existing game (SDE:Legends).

Ultimately, I closed out 1H 2016 without anything backed, which is fine.

That said, I'd probably back another Kingdom Death KS.

And I'm very interested in the Duchess Gaming Table!

I'm going in large on Massive Darkness - it appears to be the Dungeon Crawler me and my group were looking/waiting for!

I'm still probably spending about the same on KS campaigns this year as last, but not taking many 'chances' on projects that might appear, for lack of a better term, 'iffy'.

If my group were interested in MD, I'd have backed.

With RRT, I learned my lesson about backing "iffy" KS, too!

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
I closed out 1H 2016 without anything backed, which is fine.

That said, I'd probably back another Kingdom Death KS.

With the KD:M KS closing in the next months, Adam announced another KS launching in November... Time for me to save those pennies!

3/4 of the way through the year and I've only backed 2 projects to date. Went all in on Massive Darkness but only got the rules update pledge for Dreadball so not much spent there.

I'll probably back Star-Saga and I'll have a look at KDM if there are updated rules for existing backers and new expansions/miniatures. Nothing else on the horizon of interest

Looking back on my last post, not much has changed in the fulfilment department..

- Still waiting on the Lantern Festival from Kingdom Death to happen, along with other things like the artbook and proper building instructions.

Aside from that, still waiting on..

- Bones III, which was supposed to ship in August is now in the realms of the great big unknown..

- Mantic's Warpath should've been this month but Mantic pushed back a lot of stuff to some time next year..

- This is Not a Test has slipped slightly but should still be moderately on target, unlike the others mentioned above.

- Pledged to a new KS for the first time in ages: Astropolis, which will hopefully remain on target, which is December this year!

Lets see, my list is...

Note, haven't gotten any of these yet.

Dropfleet commander - Waiting on this. Saw at Gencon, just as amazing looking there as the pics if not more. Hopefully will get in the coming few weeks.

Arcadia Quest Inferno - not backing the first one (and having to ebay to buy it all :( ) I backed this one heavily. 450$ heavily. But I loved the first one.

RONE - Sucker for post apoc, and they had a free trial of the game. Plus its a chard game so was cheaper then minis and loved the demo

Masmoraa - Maybe I'm a sucker for CMoN but figured if I got inferno, might aswell get this one and theres crossovers.

Rail Raiders - Chibi Space cowboys - YES! Plus poker dice is sweet.

Battle for Sularia - Loved the first game, this just expands, plus it being a card game is sweet.

Epic PVP Magic - Got the first one. Good game, fun multiplayer

Cretacea - Got just the PDF so cheapest KS ever. Basically I can buy dinos from Michaels and battle them on the table top. Childhood dreams come true


Thoughts - Personally I wish KS wasn't around. I know its helped some companies do great things, but the whole giving my money now to get a product in a year or two sucks. Its hard not to though as they usually give exclusives. I enjoyed the old days of hearing about a product coming "later X year" then looking forward and really excited for its release. Now a days its heavy excitement up front, then by the time I get the actual thing its either "huh? I ordered what?" or "oh yea, this game, ill get to it at some point."

This November brings the first set of Kickstarters that just might see me open my wallet wide:
- Mythic Battles
- Ogre Miniatures
- Kingdom Death 2

I like the ideal of a classical Greek miniatures wargame very much, and it's only $120-ish.

I'm pretty invested in Ogre Miniatures, but the idea of pre-colored plastic vs metal Ogres is very compelling for $40-ish.

And then there's the elephant in the room. Or rather, the slavering, all-devouring nightmare that is Kingdom Death 2, which should see me buy the updated rulebook and possibly other plastic whatnots. Could be quite expensive, and we won't know anything until Black Friday weekend...

Reaper Kickstarter was a great experience

I deeply regret not backing Kingdom Death.

I have backed a couple, Friday the 13th the video game and Steve Lichman comics. That said, I got Lichman just fine, but I am still hesitant for Kickstarter games.

 agnosto wrote:
I'm not going to list the Kickstarters here that I've backed because I'd look like an addict or something; let's just say that my wife had to stage an intervention.

hahaha right there with you.

I will not be going back to invest in through Kickstarter ever again, despite some initially good experiences. The delays and inability for KS to corral KS's that have gone off the rails have made risk-adverse, and I've decided I'd just rather wait until the item shows up at retail.

BACKED
-------------
Zombicide 2 - initial boxed set came early, rest slightly delayed (1 month)
Zombicide 3 - initial boxed set came early, rest slightly delayed (2 months)
28mm Power Armor Hardsuits - scam; was never going to deliver, publisher is bankrupt
Robotech RRT - whew buddy, where to start... Wave 1 was one year late, Wave 2 is at least 2 years late - really looking like it will never be delivered

PURCHASED AT RETAIL
----------------------------------
Aliens vs Predators - some backers are still waiting for their first wave of items
All Quiet On the Martian Front - publisher went bankrupt, some backers deliveries went incomplete; rights acquired by another company, but will not finish backers orders
Exploding Kittens - no idea about KS status

WAITING FOR RETAIL
--------------------------------
Conan

@Stormonu - FYI, my buddy backed Exploding Kittens. EK delivered exactly what he paid for within a reasonable amount of time; I call it a success. My sister ended up buying EK at retail, like you.

Closing out 2016:
- I sold Conan - it's just not the game for us;
- I backed Ogre Miniatures for 1 set; and
- I backed World of Smog for the base game.
It's a net zero spend there, so I don't feel bad at all.

OTOH, 2017 has my spend amped up big time. Kingdom Death 1.5 got a bunch in the campaign, and I'll be adding to the pile in the PM. Very spendy.

I'm also tracking Rising Suns for a potential skirmish game, as the minis are so nice. Rationally, I should run away from this.

It's tough to say, but the only Kickstarter so far I've been "burned" by is the Friday the 13th game, although that's tough to say burned because they're obviously posting updates and keeping everyone aware. The biggest thing is it was supposed to release in October of last year, then March of this year, and now looks like it's on track for October of this year.

Only back the one - Bears vs Babies, from the same peeps that successfully delivered the rather wonderful 'Exploding Kittens'

Other than that, heard too many horror stories, and to be honest, I kind of object to established companies using Kickstarters - I've explained before I feel it should be for the little man to prove himself, not established companies to do away with R&D risks. But as ever, that's just my opinion and of no impact on anyone else

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Other than that, heard too many horror stories, and to be honest, I kind of object to established companies using Kickstarters - I've explained before I feel it should be for the little man to prove himself, not established companies to do away with R&D risks.

I get that, the problem being that the little guys (e.g. Defiance) have a much higher failure rate than the established companies (e.g. CMoN). I object much more strongly to companies like RRT stealing my money and lying about it, than I do when I give my money to a big publishing house like CMoN. Also, those CMoN games have at least 80% of the R&D invested before they launch the KS - the KS is to recover those upfront costs and prepay the final editing, tooling and production costs. It's not like the (deservedly failed) GoA KS which which attempted to have backers cover R&D. Fact is, almost all creative houses need someone like CMoN to ride herd on them, to objectively manage things that creatives are bad with (i.e. money & schedules & delivery).