We just launched our Heavy Gear Blitz Utopia Armed Forces Plastic Miniatures Kickstarter at 7:02 pm EST today (January 17th, 2018). The Kickstarter campaigns initial goal is to raise $30,000 CAD (about 23K USD) needed to make the plastic injection mold for the new plastic miniatures and backer rewards. The campaign will run for 17 days ending on Saturday evening at 7:02 pm EST (February 3rd, 2018). We need everyone's support to make these new plastic miniatures for the Utopia faction a reality and if you can share news of the Kickstarter with friends and the online community it would be a great help.
We have a great Captain Reward Level at $70 CAD (about $53.85 USD) that includes a Utopia Patch and 3 squads (Strike, Recce, and Support) with a total of 18 plastic miniatures. Stretch Goals, once unlocked, will increase the total to 36 plastic miniatures. Plus higher reward levels add the new MAR-DK drone (resin model) and the large Gilgamesh Command Tank (resin model); see below for artwork and details. Treat yourself to a New Army for the New Year, by clicking on the link below!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heavygearblitz/heavy-gear-blitz-utopia-armed-forces-plastic-minia
Will be skipping this one as Utopia really isn't my thing, but hopefully it still goes off well and we get Peace River and NuCoal as their own stand-alone mini kickstarters (I'll be in for both if the price-point is the same as Utopia). More options for plastic toys is always good, and I really liked the first KS plastic figs
It's not looking like this will fund, but everybody should have known that pushing the least popular part of the failed NuCoal & PAX River KS was never going to be a successful plan. Especially when the proposed funding goal required roughly 50% more backers than the larger and more NC & PRDF KS.
Kinda sad that the Pod can't even raise $30k CAD on Kickstarter.
Heck, at this rate, I kinda wonder if the Pod will break $10k CAD...
One thing they're doing which is pretty damn cool is combining the shipping costs from all 3 KS. Been waiting for ages to jump in with this, really hope it picks up some more steam.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Some pretty decent videos up today:
Dream Pod 9 wrote: We just posted our latest HGB Utopia Armed Forces Kickstarter Update that we wanted to share with everyone. We made some new videos today and uploaded them to YouTube. These are just simple videos made by Robert using his iPhone handheld without any editing. The first is a quick Heavy Gear Blitz Tabletop Wargame introduction video with whats needed to play, the tabletop battlefield, and basic dice rolling mechanics. Second is a Heavy Gear Blitz Tabletop Wargame Initiative and Commanders video. And third is a Heavy Gear Blitz Tabletop Wargame Action Phase (Movement and Firing) video.
Click the links to the YouTube videos below the video description texts, sorry if the videos are bit shaky at points.
Heavy Gear Blitz Introduction, Whats Needed to Play, Tabletop Battlefield, and Basic Dice Rolling Video.
https://youtu.be/amRFAce-c_Q
Also, here is the Heavy Gear Blitz Army (Force) Construction video from an earlier Kickstarter Update.
https://youtu.be/fl1I5OsNQvc
The image below is of the Heavy Gear Blitz Tabletop Wargame Setup prepared for the videos. We're working on more basic game play videos for future Kickstarter updates, if you have requests put them in the comments below. The Kickstarter has 12 Days to go and we need more Backers to make it a success, please share this post with friends and visit the Kickstarter page at the link below and show your support with a pledge.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heavygearblitz/heavy-gear-blitz-utopia-armed-forces-plastic-minia
Plus larger images of the Utopai 3d models and some photos of the original pewter minis nicely painted up with some cool FX added to them in Photoshop (erasing flight bases, adding sensor lighting, thrust exhaust, and weapons fire), Enjoy!
They might not be able to afford high quality 3d printed and painted examples of the plastic renders. In any case, they're clearly labelled as the pewter ones.
EDIT: ...wait. 48mm? That thing is about dreadnought sized? Then it is doubly awful... at that size one would expect some detail. Like, some detail at all.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: I really want the plastic drones, and wouldn't mind some of the robots for RTT or DZC. How did the CEF and Caprice sets turn out?
I just finished my CEF and am doing the Caprice now, I think they are fantastic and pretty close to the metals.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: I really want the plastic drones, and wouldn't mind some of the robots for RTT or DZC. How did the CEF and Caprice sets turn out?
The general impression I read from those who ordered was that Caprice turned out well with detail close to the resins but a much more reasonable price. The relatively large size of the models helps overcome the stiffness and lost detail frequently complained about with the gear sized models. Add salt as needed since I didn't actually buy any plastics though I agree with the Caprice opinions stated generally by those who did from looking at their pics/videos.
Quite well, actually, especially Caprice. The N/S stuff looks like absolute gak, though, and Utopia is not good. The Pod's digital sculpt of curved surfaces is not even close to being good. The N/S plastics *are* cheap compared to the metals, so it's almost a value if you can accept the 3rd rate sculpts. Assuming you wanted them, Caprice is a good value, as the sculpts were successful, and the metals were horrendously expensive. CEF kinda splits the difference with totally acceptable sculpts and a decent volume - I wouldn't steer you away from them. But their flagship N/S plastics are terrible to the point that it's probably better to ignore the plastics or hunt the metals.
Yeah, Caprice was the winner going to plastics. Barely any loss of detail and way cheaper. CEF came out fine, acceptable loss of detail for substantial reduction in price.
I think the issue for me is the North and South plastics just have such shallow detailing. I think they're lack of experience with plastic might have had a hand in that, what worked for metal might not be right for plastic.
The CEF minis are great (haven't put together any Caprice yet) but I think that's because a lot of their detail comes from boxiness and angles, not fr0om raised or inset detailing. So they were less effected by any issues.
Heavy Gear Blitz Utopia Kickstarter January 24th, 2018 Update: Adding 9 Miniatures to the Captain and Above Reward Levels!
Its now a week since we launched the Heavy Gear Blitz Utopia Armed Forces Plastic Miniatures Kickstarter to fund the expensive plastic injection mold needed. So far $14,488 CAD has been pledged or 48% of our initial $30K CAD (23K USD) funding goal. There is now just under 10 days left in the campaign, which ends on Saturday February 3rd 2018 at 7:02 PM EST. Dream Pod 9 really needs this Kickstarter to fund successfully so that the subsequent Peace River and NuCoal Plastic Miniature Kickstarters can go ahead at the end of February and March as planned.
To hopefully entice more Backers and to thank and reward those already supporting the Utopia Kickstarter we have decided to add 9 more plastic miniatures to the Captain and Above Reward Level packages. This brings the Captain and Above Reward Level packages to 27 plastic Utopia miniatures when the Kickstarter hits its initial funding goal. We are also keeping Stretch Goals 1 to 6 that can add an additional 9 plastic miniatures when they are all unlocked, bringing the total up to 36 minis. Previously announced Stretch Goals 7 to 12 have been removed and their potential 9 additional minis are what we used to add to the Captain and Above Reward Level packages announced in this update.
The Captain Reward Level at $70 CAD ($53.85 USD) is an even better Backer thank you reward package now with 27 plastic miniatures (about $2.60 CAD or $2 USD per mini). Attached (below) are the updated Captain Reward Level and Hero of Utopia Reward Level graphics, that are now on the main campaign page. The original 18 plastic miniatures made 3 Combat Groups with primary units of strike, recce (recon), and support (fire support). The 9 additional plastic miniatures will make will make 3 support units of strike, recce (recon), and support (fire support) that can be placed with their matching primary units or with another to give your Combat Group different attack options.
Thank you all for your amazing support, please continue to share these updates with friends and the online community. We'll keep working hard to make the Kickstarter a success and any help you can give us getting the word out to potential backers is very appreciated. We are working on some more Heavy Gear Blitz Rules and Game Play videos that will be posted in upcoming updates. Visit the Utopia Kickstarter page at the link below and show your support of Heavy Gear Blitz with a pledge.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heavygearblitz/heavy-gear-blitz-utopia-armed-forces-plastic-minia
As cool as this is, why does the NuCoal, and PeacRiv kickstarters depend on this one? Aside from shipping, wouldn't they both be self-contained and separate from the others?
Mmmpi wrote: As cool as this is, why does the NuCoal, and PeacRiv kickstarters depend on this one? Aside from shipping, wouldn't they both be self-contained and separate from the others?
All three factions were originally supposed to be part of a single kickstarter that launched last month (iirc).
That kickstarter failed, so DP9 is trying it again with just this simpler kickstarter.
Oh I get that part. But since they separated them, one would think that, changes to marketing aside, it wouldn't have an effect on the other two factions.
Mmmpi wrote: Oh I get that part. But since they separated them, one would think that, changes to marketing aside, it wouldn't have an effect on the other two factions.
Onw would think that, yes. Except it's not actually three separate project, it seems. It's apparently just designed to look that way.
Mmmpi wrote: Oh I get that part. But since they separated them, one would think that, changes to marketing aside, it wouldn't have an effect on the other two factions.
Only the Pod knows for sure. I would guess that after the PR/NC/Utopia KS failed, if this restructured Utopia KS fails, too, they may just feel there isn't enough interest to bother with more HG Kickstarters?
Dream Pod 9 wrote: Dream Pod 9 really needs this Kickstarter to fund successfully so that the subsequent Peace River and NuCoal Plastic Miniature Kickstarters can go ahead at the end of February and March as planned.
Yeah, that part is quite worrisome as others have pointed out above. I agreed with DP9's decision to separate the kickstarters to gauge interest in the individual factions but I did so under the impression that they were actually separate and not just in name only. Not every faction needs to be fully fleshed out if there isn't enough interest to warrant it. If DP9 is just doing all three together in reality but implying otherwise in the actual Kickstarter contract then that's a very bad sign. The expansion of a niche faction should depend on the interest in THAT faction and not bring down that of two others unrelated to it. We've seen that when things go badly for DP9 like with the currency fluctuation (which was partly their fault for keeping it in CDN when they had a contract set for USD), the backers are the ones who lose out. What happens if Utopia funds (obviously hypothetical given the current course) and so does Paxton but not Nucoal? Will the last one that doesn't fund bring down the other two which were already paid for? Either separate out the factions for individual crowdfunding or fund them together; just please don't pretend to do the former while actually sticking with the latter. If the financial situation at DP9 is that bad that they absolutely need this month's crowdfunding to keep the lights on/employees paid/rent up to date so that the next two months of crowdfunding can happen, that doesn't bode well either. In any case, it's a big red flag if they're robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Well they've clearly actually spent money on this (getting 3D models etc done) so if it fails if could equally be a case of it looking like the risk of preparing for a new KS could be too high,
compared to staggering on with the occasional single model metal release
(I guess that's going to depend how well, if at all, the 1st KS's plastics have sold compared to the metals)
It's this simple really - running a Kickstarter costs money. After the last one they went out of their way to redo all the graphics for the project - that cost them money. Creating the thing, getting it through KS approval, creating all the different videos that they have - these things all cost time and manhours. You aren't going to drop a couple of grand into creating the next faction KS if the last one was unsuccessfull.
-------------------
Anyway I think it's really classy the way they have added so much extra content to the original pledge. Increasing the box content by 50% like they have has made this a fantastic deal.
OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote: (I guess that's going to depend how well, if at all, the 1st KS's plastics have sold compared to the metals)
That's actually a good question... are they even being sold anywhere but their online store?
Automatically Appended Next Post:
YouKnowsIt wrote: It's this simple really - running a Kickstarter costs money. After the last one they went out of their way to redo all the graphics for the project - that cost them money. Creating the thing, getting it through KS approval, creating all the different videos that they have - these things all cost time and manhours. You aren't going to drop a couple of grand into creating the next faction KS if the last one was unsuccessfull.
Then maybe start financing the factions most people are interested in, instead of the other way around?
Yeah I feel like for a re-launch they should have started with their best foot forward.
And honestly I think that's how they need to see this - not as a relaunch of the KS but as a re-launch of the brand. I think they needed to generate the additional content, fanfare and hype of really bringing the game out from being a niche metal series to a serious plastics game.
Then maybe start financing the factions most people are interested in, instead of the other way around?
Utopia was the furthest along model wise. One of the criticisms of the previous KS was presentation. Not all the Nu-Coal stuff is finished, I think they said it was due to some unforeseen health issues and they were having to hand the work out to other people. Utopia was finished.
Then maybe start financing the factions most people are interested in, instead of the other way around?
Utopia was the furthest along model wise. One of the criticisms of the previous KS was presentation. Not all the Nu-Coal stuff is finished, I think they said it was due to some unforeseen health issues and they were having to hand the work out to other people. Utopia was finished.
...so, once again, start by putting your resources on the more successful stuff first because is more probable you'll earn your investment back instead of doing it on the one that has the smallest player base (and then you double down on what makes it unpopular, natch)?
Or, OTOH, if they are just so sure that it will sell, they could just forego KS entirely and do it the old fashioned way: by paying up themselves the development costs and just selling the things. Surely that way they won't be spending any money on running a Kickstarter...
They probably should have done a NuCoal/PRDF Kickstarter and ignored Utopia entirely, then re-booted Utopia units entirely for a new shiny plastic release with new/different armingers and drones. I get that some people like them, but obviously not enough.
I did suggest over on the DP9 forum that they should add the PRDF add-ons to the Utopia KS to juice the numbers. That would get some of my money for sure, as I'm sick of waiting for them to be released.
The thing is when they did the previous KS people complained in particular that Utopia was only a stretch goal, as they wanted to pledge towards a guaranteed Utopia. It's like they can't win.
YouKnowsIt wrote: The thing is when they did the previous KS people complained in particular that Utopia was only a stretch goal, as they wanted to pledge towards a guaranteed Utopia. It's like they can't win.
I know, right! First they shoehorn in the least popular faction into a crowdfunding campaign with two others increasing the minimum funding and those mean players with no interest don't pony up the cash... and then they start the individually marketed yet apparently still intrinsically linked trio of "separate" crowdunding campaigns with the same least popular faction and those same mean players with no interest STILL don't pony up the cash. Clearly they can't win!*
*until they realize that apparently there just isn't enough demand for Utopia to warrant the expensive switch to plastics.
Don't get me wrong; I support them splitting up the crowdfunding to see what the actual demand (as opposed to vocal minority posting about said demand) is. The thing is that they need to act on it if this is done and just drop the idea of Utopia going to plastic. The risk in putting the weakest first though is that you might create backer fatigue by the time you get to the factions that would have funded. Regardless, it's done and they should ride this out to the end unless it starts going negative in funding daily.
warboss wrote: The risk in putting the weakest first though is that you might create backer fatigue by the time you get to the factions that would have funded.
Regardless, it's done and they should ride this out to the end unless it starts going negative in funding daily.
Backer fatigue is coming from the Pod's incessant marketing of things that nobody wants.
JohnHwangDD wrote: Backer fatigue is coming from the Pod's incessant marketing of things that nobody wants.
While I'd add that the final decision on that hypothesis should be based on the completed round of funding, that is the point that I was referring to; did I not convey it well?
Even if you don't play Heavy Gear this bundle has a bunch of nice Drones that can be used for 15mm and 28mm gaming and they have several options to convert to other types…
Imagine these supporting your mechanical army in their destruction of all humans!
6x Tracked Drones 20mm tall
- Bomb or Bomb Disposal Drone
- Space Hulk CAT
- Scientific Observation Drone
- FO drone
6x Flying Drones 26mm high on base not sure how tall the peg is. Imagine this flying through your 28mm Corporate building or your wasteland as a border patrol drone.
6x Chicken Walker Drones 19mm Tall
- Patrolling the outside of your terrorist site.
- Patrolling the sewers looking for Radioactive Adolescent mammals.
- AT-ST proxies for 6mm Armies
Golems 25-27mm tall
- 15mm or 6mm Landmates
Large Robots
Recce 35mm Tall has a lot of thrusters
Commando Armiger 38mm tall
Support Armiger 26mm tall is this tracked or is this hover? Either way I definitely see this as a Robot Tank
And then there is the GIGANTIC TANK!!!
Or you can place them together and have them sing you a goodbye song…
Now just 6 days left in the Heavy Gear Blitz Utopia Armed Forces Plastic Miniatures Kickstarter with $19,286 CAD Pledged (64%) of our $30K CAD Initial Funding Goal. We'll keep working hard at getting news out about the Kickstarter to have a strong last week and a successful campaign with everyone's help. The Utopia Kickstarter ends on Saturday evening February 3rd at 7:02 pm EST. Here is a link to the Kickstarter page to go check it out and show your support.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heavygearblitz/heavy-gear-blitz-utopia-armed-forces-plastic-minia
For this update we made a short video (click the link below) focusing on the Utopia Special Rules when making a Generic Utopia Force (Army). Sorry if the video is a bit shaky at spots it was made with a handheld iPhone in one take and no editing. Also a quick errata the HGB Living Rulebook page mentioned at the end of the video is wrong, it should be page 204. I'm going to have to learn how to do some video editing in the future, as it took about 10 tries to get that best take that was uploaded to the YouTube channel.
Attached are the 3 pages that we created for the video explaining the Utopia Force Special Rules and the page 204 from the HGB Living Rulebook. The page includes other Utopia Force Sub-Lists like the UCFT - Utopian Combined Forces Troupe with its Well Supported special rule: Each Primary Unit in this Force may have two Support units. And Allies special rule: Choose one CEF, Black Talons, Caprice, or Eden Support units from the chosen Faction Force list to attach to Utopian Primary units. And 3 more Sub-Lists each specialized for Commando, Recce, or Support Armigers. You can download the HGB Living Rulebook ebook at the link below.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/144759/Heavy-Gear-Blitz-Tabletop-Wargaming--Living-Rulebook-Beta?filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=19&affiliate_id=4310
Next update will include more Heavy Gear Blitz rules and game play videos, until then keep sharing news of the Utopia Kickstarter with friends and the online community to help us get the word out to everyone.
Anyone in SoCal pledging? I'd love to buy the drones a la carte (and pay a reasonable portion of shipping), but have no wish to pay for a full pledge or full pledge shipping.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Anyone in SoCal pledging? I'd love to buy the drones a la carte (and pay a reasonable portion of shipping), but have no wish to pay for a full pledge or full pledge shipping.
You might probably be better off buying the current metal ones directly, then.
YouKnowsIt wrote: The thing is when they did the previous KS people complained in particular that Utopia was only a stretch goal, as they wanted to pledge towards a guaranteed Utopia. It's like they can't win.
I know I was only interested in Utopia in the original KS and I dropped out when it became obvious that we were not going to reach all the Utopia stretch goals. For me, this second KS was set up much better. Assuming it actually funds.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Anyone in SoCal pledging? I'd love to buy the drones a la carte (and pay a reasonable portion of shipping), but have no wish to pay for a full pledge or full pledge shipping.
You might probably be better off buying the current metal ones directly, then.
eBay shows them at $20-ish USD per box, plus S&H.
I should probably grab those Tactical-era Cadres, for completeness, but it'd be $50 to complete a game I hardly ever play. ____
Oh, wait, I already have plenty enough Tactical-era models, so it'd actually be $50-ish to expand a game I hardly ever play - even better for my wallet!
Retail price of the drone blisters (8 per pack) is $23. If it still being sold anywhere else than the pod store, it could probably be gotten discounted:
If what BobTheInquisitor is interested in is only the drones, well... going by the previews the plastic ones will be uglier and you won't be getting that many more for the money. Plus, he could get the ones he wanted and discard the rest.
They're giving everybody 4 pops, instead of the original 2 pops.
I think the effect is to flatten things, as anybody who had pledged for 2 sets at $140 should drop to 1 set at $70. As the average backer pledged $144, most were initially in for 2 sets.
Final 72 Hours of the Heavy Gear Blitz Utopia Armed Forces Plastic Miniatures Kickstarter!
The Heavy Gear Blitz Utopia Armed Forces Plastic Miniatures Kickstarter to fund the plastic injection mold needed to make new plastic minis is now in its final 72 Hours (3 Days) of the campaign, ending Saturday evening February 3rd 2018 at 7:02 pm EST. The total pledged so far is $19,674 CAD (65%) of its $30K CAD (23K USD) initial funding goal.
Dream Pod 9 really wants the Kickstarter to succeed and has just added all the planned plastic miniature stretch goals to the basic Captain and Above Reward Levels. This brings the Captain Reward Level to an amazing 36 plastic minis plus Utopia Patch & Heavy Gear Blitz Rulebook PDFs (see image below) for a pledge of $70 CAD ($53.85 USD) or just $1.95 CAD ($1.50 USD) per mini. Treat yourself to a Captain Reward Level and maybe a few Add-Ons, click the link below to show your support and get into a New Game for the New Year!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heavygearblitz/heavy-gear-blitz-utopia-armed-forces-plastic-minia
Plus we have higher backer reward levels of Veteran Captain at $90 CAD ($69.23 USD) which includes all the Captain rewards plus 1x MAR-DK resin drone model (48 mm tall) and Elite Captain at $155 CAD ($119.23 USD) which includes all the Captain rewards plus 1x Gilgamesh Command Tank resin model (191 mm long x 128 mm wide x 62 mm tall), or Commander at $175 CAD ($134.62 USD), which includes all the Captain rewards plus 1x MAR-DK and 1x Gilgamesh Command Tank resin models. Or our amazing Hero of Utopia Reward Level at $270 CAD ($207.70 USD) with lots of Utopia goodies, (see image below).
We also have non-miniature reward levels that include the Pilot Reward Level ($6 CAD, provides a Utopia Patch plus access to any Add-On you select for an extra pledge) and the Cadet Reward Level ($10 CAD, provides a Utopia patch and worldwide mailing included, but no add-ons).
To all our backers so far, a Big Thank You for all your support, please share this post with friends and the online community and lets all make the last 72 hours an amazing success!
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Albertorius wrote: Pretty sure what's supposed to be on each sprue, then.
All the Armiger variant parts with be included on each of Armiger Sprue and all the N-KIDU variant parts will be on the N-KIDU sprues. :-)
I sincerely hope for backers' sakes that DP9 doesn't have to unilaterally roll back stretch goals if they hit a bump on the road down the line like they did last time. Doubling the sprues for zero additional funding (above the initial funding goal that is) leaves alot less wiggle room and might also affect international shipping costs a year from now.
You'd think the Pod would be smart enough to hedge or escrow the US spend this time, but I sincerely doubt it. Currency fluctuation is probably an mysterious risk for the Pod. ____
ETA - on the plus side, they pulled in $1.1k yesterday!
On the minus side, they still need to raise over $9k in the next couple days or it fails.
They're going to need a YUUGE bump if they're going to fund.
ScarletRose wrote: Or they're just doubling up on the number of sprues, I'm no expert but once the tooling is done the cost of extra sprues isn't that high.
That's what I mean, yes. It appears that each sprue is made up of a "Gear" and two drones.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dream Pod 9 wrote: All the Armiger variant parts with be included on each of Armiger Sprue and all the N-KIDU variant parts will be on the N-KIDU sprues. :-)
Huh. Interesting... so does that mean that there's one Armiger sprue and one N-KIDU sprue, from which you can make all variants? If so, you should have advertised that, because right now going by your graphics the impression is quite different.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
warboss wrote: I sincerely hope for backers' sakes that DP9 doesn't have to unilaterally roll back stretch goals if they hit a bump on the road down the line like they did last time. Doubling the sprues for zero additional funding (above the initial funding goal that is) leaves alot less wiggle room and might also affect international shipping costs a year from now.
No "might" about it. It will. At least for us overseas paupers. And the first KS's shipping costs were ludicruous enough...
Dream Pod 9 wrote: All the Armiger variant parts with be included on each of Armiger Sprue and all the N-KIDU variant parts will be on the N-KIDU sprues. :-)
Huh. Interesting... so does that mean that there's one Armiger sprue and one N-KIDU sprue, from which you can make all variants? If so, you should have advertised that, because right now going by your graphics the impression is quite different.
Sounds kinda squishy and not well-documented. Maybe that's the secret stretch goal that the Pod walks back when they feth up the finances?
"A fixed shipping cost of $17 CAD for Canadian Backers, $19 CAD for United States Backers, and $47 CAD for International Backers will be charged after the Kickstarter is finished and our pledge manager website is open."
"A fixed shipping cost of $17 CAD for Canadian Backers, $19 CAD for United States Backers, and $47 CAD for International Backers will be charged after the Kickstarter is finished and our pledge manager website is open."
Yes, and the rewards for the first kickstarter were also fixed until DP9 decided that they weren't.
"A fixed shipping cost of $17 CAD for Canadian Backers, $19 CAD for United States Backers, and $47 CAD for International Backers will be charged after the Kickstarter is finished and our pledge manager website is open."
Yes, and the rewards for the first kickstarter were also fixed until DP9 decided that they weren't.
This is from the first KS. You might notice there were both shipping estimates and an UK forwarder for international backers:
Well, if the KS doesn't fund it certainly won't be because their current fans won't try hard enough: yesterday was the biggest day in the KS with $6.521... but only 14 new backers.
At 15 hours to the endline they are at 92%... and I'm not sure if getting there by the skin of their teeth will be good or bad, taking into account the reward doubling they did with no changes in goals.
Still, with only $1,600ish to go they might just make it. Good luck dp9, hope you can pull it off, both in the next few hours, and over the next few months.
Still, with only $1,600ish to go they might just make it. Good luck dp9, hope you can pull it off, both in the next few hours, and over the next few months.
You do realize barely making the basic goal would be the worst case scenario for DP9, right ?
Still, with only $1,600ish to go they might just make it. Good luck dp9, hope you can pull it off, both in the next few hours, and over the next few months.
I'm assuming most of that came from the existing backers instead of those new 14 ones, actually, hence my comment about it not being for lack of trying on their part.
There's no basis for that accusation. Just as there was no basis for the shipping criticism - the last KS was estimated cost (and therefore able to change), this one is not.
A lot of us have been upping our pledges, and because you can buy anything from their online store in the pledge manager I added a second army for example.
Regarding the costs of running off a few extra sprues per backer that's peanuts, the cost is in the moulds, not the plastic. It might result in Utopia KS backers buying less stock further down the line but that doesn't cost DP9 anything in terms of achieving fulfillment.
Adding sprues does add to the cost. Not much, but there's the plastic, the wages for the person doing it. Possibly larger boxes, combined with more weight which could mean more postage.
All of that adds up. Maybe not even half the cost of a new mold, but when every cent counts, it could be an issue.
YouKnowsIt wrote: There's no basis for that accusation. Just as there was no basis for the shipping criticism - the last KS was estimated cost (and therefore able to change), this one is not.
A lot of us have been upping our pledges, and because you can buy anything from their online store in the pledge manager I added a second army for example.
Regarding the costs of running off a few extra sprues per backer that's peanuts, the cost is in the moulds, not the plastic. It might result in Utopia KS backers buying less stock further down the line but that doesn't cost DP9 anything in terms of achieving fulfillment.
Well, I'm hoping it all works out for you guys in the end, but seeing as your flag indicates you're from the UK, if this ends up funding, could you please keep us updated on the final shipping costs for you?
For the record: Fixed shipping costs are not a positive on a KS anymore. They have been going up exponentially for the last few years, and as this KS's completion is probably more than a year away, they simply have no way of knowing how much it will end up costing them. They might decide to eat the cost... or not.
Mmmpi wrote: Actually, I'm wondering how much of that was from Dave or Rob.
Probably none. Don't forget that the "Remind Me" function of KS kicks in the last 48 hours and brings people back to the project who were interested but didn't pledge. Being only 10K from the goal is probably close enough to motivate people to pledge on the hopes of crossing the threshold, or pledging some more to push it closer to the goal. You either see a spike in the last 2 days or people pull out en masse (even though it isn't necessary).
Heavy Gear Blitz Utopia Kickstarter Successfully Funded!
Dream Pod 9 wants to Thank All our Backers of the Heavy Gear Blitz Utopia Armed Forces Plastic Miniatures Kickstarter for helping make it a success. The campaign raised $30,516 CAD, just over its Goal of $30K.
We had artist, John Bell, do some cute Utopia Chibi artwork for the Kickstarter, this time with soccer theme. Checkout our Chibi Thank You Artwork below, now that the Funding GOOOOAL! has been reached, Thank You All!
A Big Thank You to all those on DakkaDakka forum that supported us and put up with all the BS that trolls post here.
I as the creator of the Kickstarter am not allowed to be a Backer of the project. We hope to run future successful Kickstarters and I'm not going to risk that by breaking Kickstarters rules. Dave, who is not the Creator, made a minimum $6 pledge so he could post comments if I was away from the computer and could not post them in a timely manner.
A Big Thank You to all those on DakkaDakka forum that supported us and put up with all the BS that trolls post here.
I as the creator of the Kickstarter am not allowed to be a Backer of the project. We hope to run future successful Kickstarters and I'm not going to risk that by breaking Kickstarters rules. Dave, who is not the Creator, made a minimum $6 pledge so he could post comments if I was away from the computer and could not post them in a timely manner.
I did support your Utopia kick starter. I supported your first one. I was planning on supporting the next one too. But if you consider what I and several other people said to be trolling, then maybe I should ask for my money back?
Seriously, this is low. Especially as most of the 'trolls' on this forum love heavy gear, and have tried to help in the past only to be rebuffed and hounded out of the DP9 forums. Yes some might have let their mouths get a bit carried away, or were acting like grognards, but seriously.
Automatically Appended Next Post: And how hard is it to make a 2nd account and attach a paypay to it? I have a friend who did it when his wife though he was spending too much money on their shared account.
Dave, who is not the Creator, made a minimum $6 pledge so he could post comments if I was away from the computer and could not post them in a timely manner.
As Dave works at the company and is using his account in a capacity as a creator it would fall under fraud.
Again, the reason why he did it is completely understandable, and the odds of it leading to anything resembling a punishment is practically non-existent. But since we're calling a duck a duck...
Yes, its a "no" as you did not support the Utopia Kickstarter. We'll be making Kickstarter update posts for the Backers first, with images of the parts sprues once our 3d modeler has time to get the parts sprued in Solidworks. We don't plan on putting any of those posts here on the DakkaDakka forum.
Yes, its a "no" as you did not support the Utopia Kickstarter. We'll be making Kickstarter update posts for the Backers first, with images of the parts sprues once our 3d modeler has time to get the parts sprued in Solidworks. We don't plan on putting any of those posts here on the DakkaDakka forum.
You... do realize that you have here people that have not supported the Utopia KS for whatever reason, and that it would be good for you to divulge them that information, right? I mean, I don't know what about that question was that bad, or why would that be secret information only available to people that have already given you money...
But hey, more power to you. Also, welcome to the ignore list.
Yes, its a "no" as you did not support the Utopia Kickstarter. We'll be making Kickstarter update posts for the Backers first, with images of the parts sprues once our 3d modeler has time to get the parts sprued in Solidworks. We don't plan on putting any of those posts here on the DakkaDakka forum.
So you will not advertise your ware outside the 192 people that pledged their support to you ? That's an interesting approach to marketing, there...
HudsonD wrote: So you will not advertise your ware outside the 192 people that pledged their support to you ? That's an interesting approach to marketing, there...
DP9: Take a few minutes. A few deep breaths. You're letting your anger get the better of you. Spend a few days cooling down. Have Dave do the updates if some of your critics are making you angry enough to lash out.
You're taking swings at people who are already pissed at you, or at least are at a low simmer. But attacking them the way you are is just proving them right.
As a good friend of mine likes to say: "Chill dude!"
Mmmpi wrote: Seriously, this is low. Especially as most of the 'trolls' on this forum love heavy gear, and have tried to help in the past only to be rebuffed and hounded out of the DP9 forums. Yes some might have let their mouths get a bit carried away, or were acting like grognards, but seriously.
Honestly, I don't want to come across as a White Knight for the Pod, but given the level of negativity of some repeat posters, the comment seems rather tame.
And how hard is it to make a 2nd account and attach a paypay to it? I have a friend who did it when his wife though he was spending too much money on their shared account.
Especially given the posts that seem to suggest fraud on the part of the creators. It doesn't even make any sense. If they need $30K to finance the project, how does pledging their own money help?
I mostly agree that, with the information we currently have regarding the money they need to make the Utopia sprues happen, it makes little sense to use their own money to fund the thing, particularly at the time when it would have been done.
OTOH, deciding to advertise your new products only to the 200 people that already have given you money for it doesn't make any sense, either.
mdauben wrote: Especially given the posts that seem to suggest fraud on the part of the creators. It doesn't even make any sense. If they need $30K to finance the project, how does pledging their own money help?
Gets them over the hump if they were short some, or reach the finish if they were short near the end. Give the appearance of more activity which could draw in on the fence watchers. Lets them start off with a bigger bang, attracting more people then they otherwise might.
Having said that: A: it turns out I was right, just for the wrong reason, and B: I already apologized to DP9 about it earlier in this thread.
OTOH, deciding to advertise your new products only to the 200 people that already have given you money for it doesn't make any sense, either.
That's sort of how KS works, isn't it? Backers get updates, everyone else waits for retail.
Not that Robert will resist putting updates on the DP9 web page anyways.
Backers get updates sent to them via email but anyone can go to the KS website and read the updates on the project page. So if DP9 sends out an update with sprue shots and I'm not a backer but I want to see it I can just go to the KS site and read the same update, it's not like it's hidden from me because I didn't back the KS. Likewise anyone can then repost the update here or elsewhere, pretty much every thread in N&R about KS projects has users reposting pics and info from the project updates.
OTOH, deciding to advertise your new products only to the 200 people that already have given you money for it doesn't make any sense, either.
That's sort of how KS works, isn't it? Backers get updates, everyone else waits for retail.
Not that Robert will resist putting updates on the DP9 web page anyways.
Backers get updates sent to them via email but anyone can go to the KS website and read the updates on the project page. So if DP9 sends out an update with sprue shots and I'm not a backer but I want to see it I can just go to the KS site and read the same update, it's not like it's hidden from me because I didn't back the KS. Likewise anyone can then repost the update here or elsewhere, pretty much every thread in N&R about KS projects has users reposting pics and info from the project updates.
Yeah, I get that. That's not what he said, though.
I asked him to clarify what was planned to be on the sprues. He said "No, you are not a backer". Then went on to say that they would put updates on the KS first and over here never, but that was not what I asked him.
A Big Thank You to all those on DakkaDakka forum that supported us and put up with all the BS that trolls post here.
I as the creator of the Kickstarter am not allowed to be a Backer of the project. We hope to run future successful Kickstarters and I'm not going to risk that by breaking Kickstarters rules. Dave, who is not the Creator, made a minimum $6 pledge so he could post comments if I was away from the computer and could not post them in a timely manner.
Sorry, but am I the one who took many people's money for things that I didn't deliver because I simply didn't feel like executing the contract that people paid me to?
No, I'm not. I have basic ethics, unlike you. And the fact that you pulled shenanigains before is a strong indication that you'd do it again. You're a liar and a thief, and the facts bear that out.
As for "trolling", if you hadn't lied to the previous backers, maybe there wouldn't be any issues. People bringing up your history of lies and theft is not trolling. It's the truth. If you can't handle the truth, maybe you should slink back to social media that you can control. But to come onto this forum, and act as you do, that's unacceptable.
Anyhow, you're being reported for breaking Rule 1.
Dakka doesn't need fraudsters like you here.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
YouKnowsIt wrote: To be fair the people he is talking about did accuse him of fraud. With zero evidence.
To be fair, DP9 has already shown themselves to be careless with other people's money, and has already defrauded the backers of the Polar KS out of multiple models that they had paid for. Once a thief, always a thief.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dream Pod 9 wrote: As Canadian I'm sorry for implying that some who post on DakkaDakka are trolling and apologize for the remark.
Not accepted. You're a liar and a thief, so you're just saying it so people don't cancel payments.
They didn't break any contract, from the risks and challenges section:
"Finally there is a chance that we cannot provide a model that has been included in the kickstarter due to problems with the molding process or simply not enough interest in that figure as an add on sale. If that is the case then we will provide backers with the opportunity to use some credit to choose from the other models produced. Adjustments to model designs always have to be made to meet casting requirements but we have an excellent team in place to address and adjust to the challenges we face. On the other hand if there is an opportunity to add an additional model, or parts for customization, we will certainly be doing so! "
As someone who has backed KSs that have never and will never turn up on my door, I think you are making a bit of a mountain out of a molehill here.
Yes, its a "no" as you did not support the Utopia Kickstarter. We'll be making Kickstarter update posts for the Backers first, with images of the parts sprues once our 3d modeler has time to get the parts sprued in Solidworks. We don't plan on putting any of those posts here on the DakkaDakka forum.
Why not?
I only found out about your plastics recently (ironically from a post John made in another thread) on Dakka. Without a presence here, you will miss out on finding new customers and reminding old customers you exist. It seems like you are taking things personally and letting that impact the future of your business.
Also, if you are ever planning to sell your items via retailers, you might want to be more inviting to nonbackers.
To story I was told was that Rob talked his ear off about how awesome and dynamic and realistic their (pre beta) system was during a demo, but never actually brought that around to playing the game. When Rob asked the guy what he thought, apparently "I don't know, you didn't actually show me" wasn't an acceptable answer. Things became less "pleasant", and now my local store won't stock DP9.
They will special order though, and his two partners have said if it becomes popular there they'll over-rule him. But I don't see it becoming that popular with how the current trial rules are looking.
A Big Thank You to all those on DakkaDakka forum that supported us and put up with all the BS that trolls post here.
I as the creator of the Kickstarter am not allowed to be a Backer of the project. We hope to run future successful Kickstarters and I'm not going to risk that by breaking Kickstarters rules. Dave, who is not the Creator, made a minimum $6 pledge so he could post comments if I was away from the computer and could not post them in a timely manner.
Sorry, but am I the one who took many people's money for things that I didn't deliver because I simply didn't feel like executing the contract that people paid me to?
No, I'm not. I have basic ethics, unlike you. And the fact that you pulled shenanigains before is a strong indication that you'd do it again. You're a liar and a thief, and the facts bear that out.
As for "trolling", if you hadn't lied to the previous backers, maybe there wouldn't be any issues. People bringing up your history of lies and theft is not trolling. It's the truth. If you can't handle the truth, maybe you should slink back to social media that you can control. But to come onto this forum, and act as you do, that's unacceptable.
Anyhow, you're being reported for breaking Rule 1.
Dakka doesn't need fraudsters like you here.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
YouKnowsIt wrote: To be fair the people he is talking about did accuse him of fraud. With zero evidence.
To be fair, DP9 has already shown themselves to be careless with other people's money, and has already defrauded the backers of the Polar KS out of multiple models that they had paid for. Once a thief, always a thief.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dream Pod 9 wrote: As Canadian I'm sorry for implying that some who post on DakkaDakka are trolling and apologize for the remark.
Not accepted. You're a liar and a thief, so you're just saying it so people don't cancel payments.
Wow Wang you have another Fatwa against a manufacture anyone else on your rage train we have Soda Pop and now the Pod.
Anyone else? Because I have to wonder about someone who can keep this level of rage and bile going against multiple companies and still have time to gak post on KS as well.
A Big Thank You to all those on DakkaDakka forum that supported us and put up with all the BS that trolls post here.
I as the creator of the Kickstarter am not allowed to be a Backer of the project. We hope to run future successful Kickstarters and I'm not going to risk that by breaking Kickstarters rules. Dave, who is not the Creator, made a minimum $6 pledge so he could post comments if I was away from the computer and could not post them in a timely manner.
Sorry, but am I the one who took many people's money for things that I didn't deliver because I simply didn't feel like executing the contract that people paid me to?
No, I'm not. I have basic ethics, unlike you. And the fact that you pulled shenanigains before is a strong indication that you'd do it again. You're a liar and a thief, and the facts bear that out.
As for "trolling", if you hadn't lied to the previous backers, maybe there wouldn't be any issues. People bringing up your history of lies and theft is not trolling. It's the truth. If you can't handle the truth, maybe you should slink back to social media that you can control. But to come onto this forum, and act as you do, that's unacceptable.
Anyhow, you're being reported for breaking Rule 1.
Dakka doesn't need fraudsters like you here.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
YouKnowsIt wrote: To be fair the people he is talking about did accuse him of fraud. With zero evidence.
To be fair, DP9 has already shown themselves to be careless with other people's money, and has already defrauded the backers of the Polar KS out of multiple models that they had paid for. Once a thief, always a thief.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dream Pod 9 wrote: As Canadian I'm sorry for implying that some who post on DakkaDakka are trolling and apologize for the remark.
Not accepted. You're a liar and a thief, so you're just saying it so people don't cancel payments.
Wow Wang you have another Fatwa against a manufacture anyone else on your rage train we have Soda Pop and now the Pod.
Anyone else? Because I have to wonder about someone who can keep this level of rage and bile going against multiple companies and still have time to gak post on KS as well.
Well he thinks 90% of game developers suck, so probably most companies. LOL
In this case, while he's angrier then most, it's not by as much as you might think. The Pod did change the terms of their first KS, which ended up in having to drop two of the promised minis. The Pod offered an alternative, but it would involve spending even more money. (they offered the metal version at a discount, but the discount was less then what contributors had already paid, at least for the extras that people had ordered.) In many ways critics on this page are a thorn of the pod's own making. But unlike what the Pod's rep's poster said, it is criticism, though bitter, and not trolling.
The Pod offered an alternative, but it would involve spending even more money. (they offered the metal version at a discount, but the discount was less then what contributors had already paid, at least for the extras that people had ordered.)
I ordered extra Sidewinders (because it is the best gear), but I don't even remember the offer of metals, I just used the credit I would have spent in the pledge manager to get an extra plastic gear or two.
That's part of why I'm not mad about "big-bad Pod stealin my money" because that didn't happen. Sure I lost some relative value on the core since it was now down a stretch goal but it's just as likely they might never have reached that goal to begin with, the loss wasn't really anything tangible to me.
But unlike what the Pod's rep's poster said, it is criticism, though bitter, and not trolling.
Disagree, frothing about something being stolen when it wasn't isn't a rational criticism.
They probably should have offered refunds when they made that decision, TBH. Particularly because it was a crisis of their own making, provoked due to the fact that they did not change currencies right away even though they knew they were going to be working in USD all the time. The decision of not honoring certain Stretch Goals was clearly a breach of contract, going by KS's own terms (whatever it says in their own project, the KSTOS disagree with them).
That said, at least they were open about it, and offered an alternative, of sorts, so there's that.
The decision of not honoring certain Stretch Goals was clearly a breach of contract, going by KS's own terms (whatever it says in their own project, the KSTOS disagree with them).
My verbal reaction to this was something along the lines of: eeeeehhhhhh
I mean KS is notoriously bad at enforcement and there's lots of projects that do far worse (I know I backed one of them). Besides which Kickstarter specifically says
Sometimes the execution of the project proves more difficult than the creator had anticipated. If a creator is making a good faith effort to complete their project and is transparent about it, backers should do their best to be patient and understanding while demanding continued accountability from the creator.
If the problems are severe enough that the creator can't fulfill their project, creators need to find a resolution. Steps should include offering refunds, detailing exactly how funds were used, and other actions to satisfy backers.
Which pretty much sums upped what happened, there was a problem, they made a good faith effort and completed the project.
I mean I'm not saying DP9 are perfect, the currency thing is definitely embarrassing to say the least. It's very much a small-timer mistake from a company that should be a little more established. But this whole thing about 2 frackin' minis is kind of ridiculous as well.
The offer was to pick up tigers and sidewinders for something like 20% less, or about $2.50 USD off, or use the money elsewhere (which is what I ended up doing myself). While the models in the KS by that point were between $2.00 and $2.20 cents, so the savings they offered were the same, but the extras were 5 each, and we couldn't use the KS funding for the replacements. We'd have to add more money in. I had ordered 4 extra of each, and didn't really want any of the other add-ons, but ended up taking more Kodiaks and King Cobras. But that was to just use up the money, not because I had any particular desire to own more of them. I would have preferred a refund at the time, though in hind sight, picking up token sets would have been a better option.
The decision of not honoring certain Stretch Goals was clearly a breach of contract, going by KS's own terms (whatever it says in their own project, the KSTOS disagree with them).
My verbal reaction to this was something along the lines of: eeeeehhhhhh
I mean KS is notoriously bad at enforcement and there's lots of projects that do far worse (I know I backed one of them). Besides which Kickstarter specifically says
<snip>
Which pretty much sums upped what happened, there was a problem, they made a good faith effort and completed the project.
Yeah, as I said I don't find it particularly problematic. But as I also said, they probably should have offered a refund too, mainly because the problem they had was completely avoidable and all their fault.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Mmmpi wrote: The offer was to pick up tigers and sidewinders for something like 20% less, or about $2.50 USD off, or use the money elsewhere (which is what I ended up doing myself). While the models in the KS by that point were between $2.00 and $2.20 cents, so the savings they offered were the same, but the extras were 5 each, and we couldn't use the KS funding for the replacements. We'd have to add more money in. I had ordered 4 extra of each, and didn't really want any of the other add-ons, but ended up taking more Kodiaks and King Cobras. But that was to just use up the money, not because I had any particular desire to own more of them. I would have preferred a refund at the time, though in hind sight, picking up token sets would have been a better option.
I probably would have used the "extra" money as part of the shipping payment, myself.
Albertorius wrote: They probably should have offered refunds when they made that decision, TBH. Particularly because it was a crisis of their own making, provoked due to the fact that they did not change currencies right away even though they knew they were going to be working in USD all the time. The decision of not honoring certain Stretch Goals was clearly a breach of contract, going by KS's own terms (whatever it says in their own project, the KSTOS disagree with them).
That said, at least they were open about it, and offered an alternative, of sorts, so there's that.
Was it actually a breach?
Finally there is a chance that we cannot provide a model that has been included in the kickstarter due to problems with the molding process or simply not enough interest in that figure as an add on sale. If that is the case then we will provide backers with the opportunity to use some credit to choose from the other models produced.
There’s a chance something could happen that prevents the creator from being able to finish the project as promised. If a creator is absolutely unable to complete the project and fulfill rewards, they must make every reasonable effort to find another way of bringing the project to a satisfying conclusion for their backers.
When it happened, I initially thought that the whole metal replacement thing in case they couldn't make a mini applied but it turns out that they gave themselves alot of wiggle room in the risks section. I agree that it was very poor form to not offer a full refund for that particular add on or to optionally provide the metal version at the same price (backer's choice) as well as alternately swapping in some other plastic model but I don't think technically it was a breach. It was a bad PR move and missed opportunity to show gratitude towards a very loyal subset of customers willing to prepay a year in advance sight unseen.
What is a creator obligated to do once their project is funded?
When a project is successfully funded, the creator is responsible for completing the project and fulfilling each reward. Their fundamental obligation to backers is to finish all the work that was promised. Once a creator has done so, they’ve fulfilled their obligation to their backers.
At the same time, backers must understand that Kickstarter is not a store. When you back a project, you’re helping to create something new — not ordering something that already exists. There’s a chance something could happen that prevents the creator from being able to finish the project as promised. If a creator is absolutely unable to complete the project and fulfill rewards, they must make every reasonable effort to find another way of bringing the project to a satisfying conclusion for their backers. For more information, see Section 4 of our Terms of Use.
For projects that launched before October 19, 2014, please see our previous Terms of Use.
Ther is some wiggle room, certainly, but as far as I know, Dream Pod 9 never proved they were "absolutely unable to complete the project and fulfill rewards". They only proved they done fethed up by not changing currencies, so they had a deficit between the money they got from the KS and the actual costs. That, in and of itself, was no proof they would be unable to fulfill the project, just proof that it would cost them money.
It also says that if the creator is unable to fulfill the project they should offer full refunds or refunds for the unfulfilled part, which DP9 didn't do.
Once again, though, I don't think what the Pod did in this specific case was really all that bad. They just should have offered refunds in addition to what they did.
Once again, though, I don't think what the Pod did in this specific case was really all that bad. They just should have offered refunds in addition to what they did.
Ther is some wiggle room, certainly, but as far as I know, Dream Pod 9 never proved they were "absolutely unable to complete the project and fulfill rewards". They only proved they done fethed up by not changing currencies, so they had a deficit between the money they got from the KS and the actual costs. That, in and of itself, was no proof they would be unable to fulfill the project, just proof that it would cost them money.
I view it as implicit that 'being able to complete' means 'with the money the KS raised'. I also assume that DP9 sunk as much money into the project as they could (reasonably) afford to before they got the KS funds, but that's only an assumption.
But I'm also open to the idea that a KS involves risk to the money I put into it. Do as much as you can with the money you get, that's what I expect of a KS - that along with some transparency. That's why I'm not mad about the first Heavy Gear KS in the same way I'm very angry about the Robotech RPG Tactics KS. DP9 fethed up, DP9 admitted to fething up, DP9 delivered on 90%+ of the original plan. Palladium delivers on 30% of the plan and still refused to admit it fethed up at all.
Some people took the Tiger/Sidewinder thing harder then others. And yeah, it could have been handled better, but like a few of you said, not a deal breaker on it's own. I was more angry about the slow response on dealing with mold issues, and the fact that random customers were able to purchase new sets before mine was ever even mailed to me. (I was wave 1)
Right now though the HGB fans seem highly divided into two camps, the "Pod can do no wrong" camp and the "Pod will ef it up camp", with almost no one in the middle ground. At least that's what it feels like. And the Dakka crowd seems mostly to be the later group. What's more the Pod poster should know that. Both the higher ups at the company have talked to the fans here before. They know there's some bad blood and hurt personalities. The DP9 poster though just dumped press releases here. Other companies have had semi-regular contact, the warcradle and shieldwolf ones come to mind. But DP9 just put up their photo-shopped stuff, and then left it to the 'trolls' to answer what few questions there were.
It felt lazy. I didn't get much info from the Pod's forum, I actually got the most from the 'trolls', who were providing metrics and analysis on the odds of the KS succeeding. And really it only worked out because quite a few people massively increased their pledge.
I'm on the fence with the company. While I'm new, I've seen some of the stuff that the people here on dakka complain about, such as the 'business as usual' attitude. The abusive boyfriend line of 'honey, I changed!' which is followed by a lack of change.
I went in for $72 USD. I can write that off. But the motivated fans that dropped $400, $800? The Pod can't screw this up, or their best supporters are going to take it in the teeth. They need to learn from the mistakes of their first KS, but from my recent experiences, I'm not sure if their president has the attitude, or the willpower to do that.
I guess the TLDR would be that the Pod doesn't know how to work with critical fans, is VERY entrenched in it's business as usual attitude, and the most realistic information on what's happening around it AND on it's recent public projects is coming from the 'trolls'.
Mmmpi wrote: (...)
I guess the TLDR would be that the Pod doesn't know how to work with critical fans, is VERY entrenched in it's business as usual attitude, and the most realistic information on what's happening around it AND on it's recent public projects is coming from the 'trolls'.
You're pretty close to it, although you're missing one critical point. DP9 - and remember that DP9 is really Robert and Dave at this point - doesn't want customers, it wants fan-friends. People that will loudly claim their love of the Pod, and buy whatever's out, good or bad. If you start criticizing the Pod or its releases, you're not a fan anymore, you're a troll. That's why there really isn't any middle-ground possible, you're either a fan-friend that will support the Pod through anything, or a hateful hatin' hater. Seeing as you're making valid points, and weighting the good and the bad, you're likely already in the second box, as far as the Pod is concerned.
I went in for $72 USD. I can write that off. But the motivated fans that dropped $400, $800? The Pod can't screw this up, or their best supporters are going to take it in the teeth. They need to learn from the mistakes of their first KS, but from my recent experiences, I'm not sure if their president has the attitude, or the willpower to do that.
See, this is where you're mistaken, for a fan-friend, taking it in the teeth is a badge of honor, it shows how dedicated you are, and how much you like the Pod, still supporting it despite its failings. Think I'm exagerating ? Read the comments about the Sidewinder/Tiger, where the Pod backpedalling on an item actually got increased support from the "fans".
This KS is a good example as well, note that it succeeded only because the fans decided to splurge extra at the last moment, so it barely made the basic goal. The large amount of comments by the backers that can be summed up as "I'm not into the actual product, I'm just doing this for the Pod" should be telling, and the Pod would do well to notice it's managing only on what's literaly fan's charity...
Seeing as you're making valid points, and weighting the good and the bad, you're likely already in the second box, as far as the Pod is concerned.
So far I seem to still be in good standing over there, despite the hell I raised over selling at Gencon before wave 1 shipped, and the molding issues. But I haven't posted there much except to ask questions about the KS lately. I've been following the rules debates, but I moved away from the group I played with and left my armies behind, so I really haven't been joining in.
On a rules note, there's a really frustrated group over there. They've been trying to help Dave adjust the rules, and then the Pod went and dump the original version (non-playtested craptacular ones) as well as some the player base has never seen before right out there. End result: 50% have said house rule everything, the other 50% are using the previous beta rules, which at least functioned. If I'm in hot water, then Albertsauraus might be getting some company in the "banned zone" from this group. (which has been perfectly respectful and follows the forum rules)
John Prins wrote: But I'm also open to the idea that a KS involves risk to the money I put into it. Do as much as you can with the money you get, that's what I expect of a KS - that along with some transparency. That's why I'm not mad about the first Heavy Gear KS in the same way I'm very angry about the Robotech RPG Tactics KS. DP9 fethed up, DP9 admitted to fething up, DP9 delivered on 90%+ of the original plan. Palladium delivers on 30% of the plan and still refused to admit it fethed up at all.
I agree that KS poses the risk of you losing the money you spent. I just don't agree that said risk is completely weighted exclusively on the backers. A KS is... well, it's kickstarting a product, a product that can be sold afterwards and that the project creator can recoup costs selling a thing that would have not existed otherwise. So I don't think that the only ones to be at risk of losing their money should be the backers.
That said, I believe that we all are more or less on the same page, only we're stressing more a part or another of the same continuum.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
HudsonD wrote: You're pretty close to it, although you're missing one critical point. DP9 - and remember that DP9 is really Robert and Dave at this point - doesn't want customers, it wants fan-friends. People that will loudly claim their love of the Pod, and buy whatever's out, good or bad. If you start criticizing the Pod or its releases, you're not a fan anymore, you're a troll. That's why there really isn't any middle-ground possible, you're either a fan-friend that will support the Pod through anything, or a hateful hatin' hater. Seeing as you're making valid points, and weighting the good and the bad, you're likely already in the second box, as far as the Pod is concerned.
Hmmmm..... from which other company have I heard that ^_^
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Mmmpi wrote: On a rules note, there's a really frustrated group over there. They've been trying to help Dave adjust the rules, and then the Pod went and dump the original version (non-playtested craptacular ones) as well as some the player base has never seen before right out there. End result: 50% have said house rule everything, the other 50% are using the previous beta rules, which at least functioned. If I'm in hot water, then Albertsauraus might be getting some company in the "banned zone" from this group. (which has been perfectly respectful and follows the forum rules)
Heh. That also seems to ring a bell xD.
Also, please, I'm from a family of guardias civiles. I'm clearly a Tricornossaurus Rex.
I do hope Robert has learned from past experiences and shows a little more restraint with the ban button, though.
EDIT: ...wait. WaitwaiwaitWAIT. You mean to tell me that DP9 has released yet another new set of rules? Holy fething christ on a pogo stick I can't remember being able to play more than twice a DP9's ruleset, aside from playtests.
I'm not trying to stir anything, nor do I have enough skin the the fight to be for or against DP9, but I am genuinely curious:
Can KS companies usually offer refunds if they are unable to deliver on a project or stretch goal? It seems like if they took their KS money and sank it into production or design, they don't really have the money anymore to refund even if they wanted to. I'll be the first to admit I don't really know how KS works...I've only ever backed one project and that was a loooooong time ago.
EDIT: ...wait. WaitwaiwaitWAIT. You mean to tell me that DP9 has released yet another new set of rules? Holy fething christ on a pogo stick I can't remember being able to play more than twice a DP9's ruleset, aside from playtests.
More of an overly large update. Just keep using the old beta rules.
Albertorius wrote: I do hope Robert has learned from past experiences and shows a little more restraint with the ban button, though.
Albertorius you and HudsonD hold the distinction of being the only two DP9 Forum members banned for trolling and attacking other forum members since it was opened. Other than random members that joined and posted porn or internet spam on the forum, they get banned as soon as reported, we want to have a family friendly forum. We give DP9 Forum members a warning after an incident is reported if warranted, explaining why they received a warning and asking that they not do it again, but if the member continues the inappropriate behavior after several warnings we don't have any other option but to ban them. I'm prepared to lift both your bans if you promise to play nice with others on the DP9 Forum.
As for your comments about another rules edition, we now have a free to download Heavy Gear Blitz Living Rulebook ebook for the game that gets updated. We published the 1st Edition of Heavy Gear back in the summer 1995, over 22 years ago, and we are always trying to improve the game based on feedback from players and playtest groups. We don't always get it right, we are human, and its not easy to make everyone happy, but we keep trying. And we'll try even harder, keep an eye on the DP9 Forum in the coming weeks. Look at other games like Dungeon and Dragons for example its now the 5th edition and Games Workshop's Warhammer 40k is like 8th edition, everyone tries to improve their games.
Albertorius wrote: I do hope Robert has learned from past experiences and shows a little more restraint with the ban button, though.
Albertorius you and HudsonD hold the distinction of being the only two DP9 Forum members banned for trolling and attacking other forum members since it was opened. Other than random members that joined and posted porn or internet spam on the forum, they get banned as soon as reported, we want to have a family friendly forum. We give DP9 Forum members a warning after an incident is reported if warranted, explaining why they received a warning and asking that they not do it again, but if the member continues the inappropriate behavior after several warnings we don't have any other option but to ban them. I'm prepared to lift both your bans if you promise to play nice with others on the DP9 Forum.
Just for the record, Albertorious was one of the top five most upvoted posters in the history of the forum (http://dp9forum.com/index.php?/topmembers/) and was banned because he presented mild mannered constructive criticism about the significant background changes (the backstory being the part of HG he is most interested in) made specifically to allow Wunji's unsuccessful Dreadnoughts side project to be kickstarted. HudsonD was still posting (albeit infrequently) as of Jan 10th with the inoccuous post below. If you banned him more recently then it was in retaliation for what he said here as the below was his only post in the past year.
Man, I leave what, a couple years ? I come back to check in, and things are the same as they've always been. I can't count how many times such a thing has happened already.
Perhaps you're confusing them with longtime forum member and freelancer Smilodon who was also banned that you forgot to mention? But that was because of a big argument between you and him both in private and public about both creative reasons and money that did admittedly get quite heated and deserved a time out (although I disagree that a permaban was in order but that was your call). Regardless, painting Hudson and Albertorius as trolls on the DP9 forums isn't correct and you're attempting to "punish" them over there for much more scathing things said here. Still, your offer of forgiveness is quite generous, High Sparrow Robert.
Honestly this whole conversation is counter productive. A mod has been here twice already, and things are getting personal again. Dream, you're poking a beehive. Let things settle down.
warboss wrote: Perhaps you're confusing them with longtime forum member and freelancer Smilodon who was also banned that you forgot to mention? But that was because of a big argument between you and him both in private and public about both creative reasons and money that did admittedly get quite heated and deserved a time out (although I disagree that a permaban was in order but that was your call). Regardless, painting Hudson and Albertorius as trolls on the DP9 forums isn't correct and you're attempting to "punish" them over there for much more scathing things said here. Still, your offer of forgiveness is quite generous, High Sparrow Robert.
Hmm?
<goes check ignored posts>
Dream Pod 9 wrote:I'm prepared to lift both your bans if you promise to play nice with others on the DP9 Forum.
Oh. Well, thank you for the offer, Mr. Dubois, but after a year and a half I no longer desire to post on the Dream Pod 9 Forums. My only remaining real interest for your products lies on the RPG/setting side of things, and even though Arkrite seems to be mostly dormant, I still hope we'll end up getting a good new edition of both the RPG proper and the settting.
Should things change re: setting and RPG, I might revisit my decision. Thanks again for the offer.
As for your comments about another rules edition, we now have a free to download Heavy Gear Blitz Living Rulebook ebook for the game that gets updated. We published the 1st Edition of Heavy Gear back in the summer 1995, over 22 years ago, and we are always trying to improve the game based on feedback from players and playtest groups. We don't always get it right, we are human, and its not easy to make everyone happy, but we keep trying. And we'll try even harder, keep an eye on the DP9 Forum in the coming weeks. Look at other games like Dungeon and Dragons for example its now the 5th edition and Games Workshop's Warhammer 40k is like 8th edition, everyone tries to improve their games.
You are right. HG has not had as many editions as other games. Or at least, actual, full editions, that is.
Even though, just with published iterations, you have:
- HG 1st Edition RPG: 1st iteration of the tactical rules
- HG 2nd edition RPG: 2nd iteration of the tactical rules
- HG Miniature rules: 3rd iteration of the tactical rules
- SilCORE: fourth 4th iteration of the tactical rules
- SilCORE Miniature Rules: 5th iteration of the tactical rules
- HG Blitz!: 6th iteration of the tactical rules
- HG Blitz! L&L: 7th iteration of the tactical rules
- HG Blitz! L&L 1.1: 8th iteration of the tactical rules
- HG Blitz! Field Manual: 9th iteration of the tactical rules
- HG nuBlitz! Beta: 10th iteration of the tactical rules
- HG nuBlitz! Final Beta/Quick Start Rules: 11th iteration of the tactical rules
- HG NuBlitz! nuBeta!: 12th (and final, so far, apparently) iteration of the tactical rules
...I think I'm missing the tactical box, from there, but eh.
That since 1995, unlike, say, D&D or Warhammer 40k.
Albertorius wrote: They probably should have offered refunds when they made that decision, TBH.
I would not argue that at least some of the fault lies with them, but this really makes no sense. They dropped the two figures because when it came down to it, they did not have the money to include them in the pledge package. If they could afford to refund people for the cost of those deleted figures, they could have just manufactured them instead.
In the end, it seems a rather small issue to me but obviously others though it was a much bigger deal.
I'm prepared to lift both your bans if you promise to play nice with others on the DP9 Forum.
Well thank you for the offer Mr Dubois, however my ban has already been lifted, about 6 years ago, when I joined the team as a proof-reader/editor and got involved with the Field Manual rulebook and NuCoal sourcebook, two of the most succesful products DP9 released for their Heavy Gear line.
Dream Pod 9 wrote: (...) we are always trying to improve the game based on feedback from players and playtest groups. We don't always get it right, we are human, and its not easy to make everyone happy, but we keep trying. And we'll try even harder, keep an eye on the DP9 Forum in the coming weeks.
Anyway, I've largely moved on from Heavy Gear, given how unsatisfying the treatment of the setting and miniatures have been, and from the recent KS numbers, it appears so have many others.
I'm not sure the whole line can be saved at this point, still, let it not be said I've refused an honest offer.
godswildcard wrote: I'm not trying to stir anything, nor do I have enough skin the the fight to be for or against DP9, but I am genuinely curious:
Can KS companies usually offer refunds if they are unable to deliver on a project or stretch goal? It seems like if they took their KS money and sank it into production or design, they don't really have the money anymore to refund even if they wanted to. I'll be the first to admit I don't really know how KS works...I've only ever backed one project and that was a loooooong time ago.
I backed the Erfworld "Make a motion comic DVD/bluray" kickstarter years ago. While they delivered on the stickers and knick-knacks eventually Rob Balder said the DVD wouldn't be coming out in any time or way soon and sent an email offering refunds for the DVD cost of the pledge.
So it does happen, just far less often than it should
Albertorius wrote: They probably should have offered refunds when they made that decision, TBH.
I would not argue that at least some of the fault lies with them, but this really makes no sense. They dropped the two figures because when it came down to it, they did not have the money to include them in the pledge package. If they could afford to refund people for the cost of those deleted figures, they could have just manufactured them instead.
In the end, it seems a rather small issue to me but obviously others though it was a much bigger deal.
Well, as I said above, risk should be a two way street regarding KSs, and as I said above, too, KS terms state that "if the creator is unable to fulfill the project they should offer full refunds or refunds for the unfulfilled part". So, in following the principle of the thing, they should have offered to refund at the very least an amount proportional to the cut figures.
And it's not a case of "some of the fault lying with them"... it's a case of "had they changed currencies right away instead of a year after the fact (given that they knew they would be doing their payments in $USD), they would have had enough money for everything".
rght now though the HGB fans seem highly divided into two camps, the "Pod can do no wrong" camp and the "Pod will ef it up camp", with almost no one in the middle ground.
There are absolutely middle-grounders out there, they just don't talk a lot because that's how feedback works in business. ANY business. People that are content with things don't have a real reason to say so. You have a great experience with a company and you tell a friend or two. You have a bad one and you tell 6. That is a basic truth among businesses of any and every industry out there. I am the middle ground. I give zero feths about DP9 as a company. I refused to give them any money from about 2006 until last year, because I was tired of their constant promises to update Jovian Chronicles and only ever doing anything with HG, but now that they are producing JC/JW again I'm fairly content. I own literally dozens of JC models, mostly unassembled because their metal models are well detailed but dreadful to assemble and clean. When the plastic HG stuff came out, I gladly bought HG models for the first time ever because I gave zero feths about HG in metal, but the plastics are easy to assemble and paint up fairly well and can be used for all kinds of things (even their own game if you really wanted to). Now that Jovian Wars is out I've dropped even more money on mini-Exo Armors (that I already owned in 1/500 scale but refuse to assemble) for a game that I haven't played since 2004 (Lightning Strike). They finally have a product that I care about in production, so they finally got my money. That does not make me a fanboy.
They got that money at retail because I did not trust them to deliver on their kickstarters. But they DID deliver on their kickstarters (Jovian Wars delivered last year and is now on their webstore) despite having major issues with the first HG one. They get a pass from me and even a small bit of respect on the HG KS1 because they were open about the problems and still delivered on 95% of the stuff, even if it was late. Canada's entire economy tanked (which is apparently their fault for not forseeing) and they still worked to deliver almost everything, unlike so many other kickstarters that instead threw up their hands and delivered nothing. So yes, very much I am one of those that they got a bit of respect from for actually working through a hurdle instead of tossing in the towel. Creating stuff is hard, that's why most of us don't do it. That does not make me a fanboy, however.
In this case I don't want that something DP9 is making. I gave DP9 no money for Utopia because I don't like Utopia, not even a dollar for the updates. I AM glad that it went off because clearly SOMEBODY out there likes the stuff and I'm genuinely happy that there will be a thing out there for those people even if it's a thing I don't care about. Once DP9 does a thing I care about, I'll give them money. That's how it works. I may even actually play their game and not use the minis for other rules because *spoiler alert* you can use miniatures you like for games that they weren't designed to be used for.
______________________________________________________________
TL/DR:
DP9 is not my beloved gaming company. Heavy Gear is not my main game. Jovian Chronicles/Wars is not my main game. Maybe if any of those were my primary game or game producers then I would be as angry as some of the posters here in this thread, but as a casual onlooker and occasional player that mostly uses these figures for other games yet still follows the company's news, a person who HAS dealt with companies that ACTUALLY take your money and never deliver anything, these comments come across as unnecessarily ridiculous and unnecessarily mean. When somebody yells at DP9 for being "a liar and a thief" and outright accusing them of fraud with no proof, I find that poster ridiculous and annoying and awful. In the age of Trump's America, I have ZERO patience for loudmouthed man-child blowhards yelling hyperbole and lies about a couple of guys that are trying to actually produce something. If I were DP9 I would have called them worse things than trolls. This thread has been filled with posts that boil down to "I don't like that thing SO NOBODY CAN LIKE THAT THING! THAT THING MUST NOT EXIST!" and people who seem to be continually angry about a tiny company that isn't great but at least seems to be trying. That does not mean I'm a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination.
TL/DR:
DP9 is not my beloved gaming company. Heavy Gear is not my main game. Jovian Chronicles/Wars is not my main game. Maybe if any of those were my primary game or game producers then I would be as angry as some of the posters here in this thread, but as a casual onlooker and occasional player that mostly uses these figures for other games yet still follows the company's news, a person who HAS dealt with companies that ACTUALLY take your money and never deliver anything, these comments come across as unnecessarily ridiculous and unnecessarily mean. When somebody yells at DP9 for being "a liar and a thief" and outright accusing them of fraud with no proof, I find that poster ridiculous and annoying and awful. In the age of Trump's America, I have ZERO patience for loudmouthed man-child blowhards yelling hyperbole and lies about a couple of guys that are trying to actually produce something. If I were DP9 I would have called them worse things than trolls. This thread has been filled with posts that boil down to "I don't like that thing SO NOBODY CAN LIKE THAT THING! THAT THING MUST NOT EXIST!" and people who seem to be continually angry about a tiny company that isn't great but at least seems to be trying. That does not mean I'm a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination.
I feel you're badly misrepresenting a lot of people here. Like, most of the people here.
That's a possibility, this is text-only format with no audio clues to clarify intent after all, maybe I'm reading meanings people don't intend, or they think they're writing well meaning constructive criticism that instead comes across as trolling. I had a creative writing teacher back in school that told us about a story he had tried to get published. He had written the mother to be a very loving, caring, endearing character and then his editor's comment was "man, what a heartless !". Text is funny like that.
So the fault could totally be my own when it seemed how pleased people were that it didn't look like it would fund. Then again, "You're a liar and a thief", "I actually have ethics, unlike yourself" and "DP9s incessant marketing of a thing nobody wants" sure reads pretty clear.
Kalamadea wrote: So the fault could totally be my own when it seemed how pleased people were that it didn't look like it would fund. Then again, "You're a liar and a thief", "I actually have ethics, unlike yourself" and "DP9s incessant marketing of a thing nobody wants" sure reads pretty clear.
On that I agree, but all those three quotes are from a single poster, are they not?
I, for one, am no fan of the Pod, based on what they actually did. Claims of "no proof" are a crock, given that it's public record how the Pod screwed the Backers to cover for their mistakes.
The first Heavy Gear Kickstarter DP9 ran reached a bunch of stretch goals, then when it came time to actually get the plastic minis into production they came up short due to currency conversion (the KS was in Canadian dollars). In order to produce the core and majority of the stretch goals they cut 2 of the stretch goal minis.
They announced it as an update, backers were aware of it and those who pledged extra for more copies of the missing minis got credit or the option to get metal versions (albeit not at nearly as good a deal as the plastic would have been).
This is apparently the worst betrayal in the entire world and "proves" this and that about DP9.
ScarletRose wrote: This is apparently the worst betrayal in the entire world and "proves" this and that about DP9.
Oh, yes, that's what we've been saying... nevermind what we've actually been saying.
Albertorius wrote:They probably should have offered refunds when they made that decision, TBH. Particularly because it was a crisis of their own making, provoked due to the fact that they did not change currencies right away even though they knew they were going to be working in USD all the time. The decision of not honoring certain Stretch Goals was clearly a breach of contract, going by KS's own terms (whatever it says in their own project, the KSTOS disagree with them).
That said, at least they were open about it, and offered an alternative, of sorts, so there's that.
Albertorius wrote:
Yeah, as I said I don't find it particularly problematic. But as I also said, they probably should have offered a refund too, mainly because the problem they had was completely avoidable and all their fault.
Albertorius wrote:Once again, though, I don't think what the Pod did in this specific case was really all that bad. They just should have offered refunds in addition to what they did.
Albertorius wrote: Well, as I said above, risk should be a two way street regarding KSs, and as I said above, too, KS terms state that "if the creator is unable to fulfill the project they should offer full refunds or refunds for the unfulfilled part". So, in following the principle of the thing, they should have offered to refund at the very least an amount proportional to the cut figures.
As I said though, the whole issue is they didn't have the money to make the figures. If they did refund the money, then they would not have had the money to make something else and the whole KS starts to collapse in a cascade of refunds and funding shortfalls. I'd rather get 98% of the promised miniatures than none of them.
And it's not a case of "some of the fault lying with them"... it's a case of "had they changed currencies right away instead of a year after the fact (given that they knew they would be doing their payments in $USD), they would have had enough money for everything".
Hindsight is always 20/20 as they say. Yeah, that would have avoided a lot of problems. Should they be held 100% liable for not foreseeing such a drastic drop in the value of the Canadian dollar, though? I don't know. Is that something that happens regularly, or was it a generally unexpected, one-off event?
After being involved in another KS where the creators knowingly defrauded the backers out of a lot more than two figures and have continued to lie and stall hoping we will just give up on recouping our money or ever seeing the missing figures, maybe I'm just a lot more willing to cut some slack for a creator that came out and said "Guys we goofed and we can't afford to make these two figure, but here is everything else".
Of course, my main interest in the whole KS was the CEF and Caprice figures, so I'm not as fussed by missing figures from the Northern or Southern lists. Maybe I'd feel different if a couple of CEF frames or Caprice walkers were missing?
mdauben wrote: As I said though, the whole issue is they didn't have the money to make the figures. If they did refund the money, then they would not have had the money to make something else and the whole KS starts to collapse in a cascade of refunds and funding shortfalls. I'd rather get 98% of the promised miniatures than none of them.
That assumes that the only option possible is a binary black and white "refund everything immediately" or "refund nothing ever" choice. It's not. They could have instead offered a phased rollout of refunds only for the portion not being produced and paid it out over time based on profits from the release of the plastics.
Of course, my main interest in the whole KS was the CEF and Caprice figures, so I'm not as fussed by missing figures from the Northern or Southern lists. Maybe I'd feel different if a couple of CEF frames or Caprice walkers were missing?
If anything should have been cut, it was the King Cobra, which was further down the unlock list than the Tiger/Sidewinder, and nobody fields enough King Cobras to need them in plastic. I figure the King was spared because the North got the Ferret, and cutting the Tiger and Sidewinder was equivalent for both sides. If necessary, cutting both the Ferret and the King Cobra might have been the better option, as it would have created an equivalence to North and South forces, rather than leaving the North with a cute but middling scout and the South with an overgunned sumo suit.
But I backed for a bunch of extra Tigers and Sidewinders, so I'm probably biased as well.
Congrats to Dp9. It's a reasonable goal at only two minis per faction to start. Probably deserves its own thread if dp9 won't update the first post regularly though assuming there is someone here willing to do it in their stead.
There we go, this is the one people actually wanted (as proven by the fact it's nearly funded already). I'm glad Utopia funded for the people that like those designs (I am not one), but this is the one I was waiting for. In for the $100CAD level, hopefully we'll hit some of those stretch goals and fill out the armies as I'm unlikely to buy much outside the plastics.
Kalamadea wrote: There we go, this is the one people actually wanted (as proven by the fact it's nearly funded already).
It's barely funded at $25kCAD, the one that failed was at around $30kCAD (but needed $50kCAD), the one that funded successfully was also just barely beyond the $30kCAD funding goal. It's currently around 200 loyal backers that fund these KS.
Kalamadea wrote: There we go, this is the one people actually wanted (as proven by the fact it's nearly funded already).
It's barely funded at $25kCAD, the one that failed was at around $30kCAD (but needed $50kCAD), the one that funded successfully was also just barely beyond the $30kCAD funding goal. It's currently around 200 loyal backers that fund these KS.
It funded in just over 24 hours and both these factions are niche ones, compared to the North, South and CEF forces of before. Not too bad I reckon.