Breotan wrote:
I addressed much of the nonsense and ragequit posting last December in the Malifaux RPG kickstarter thread. Here it is again for your enjoyment.

 Breotan wrote:
The standard for pledging should be, "Am I getting my money's worth for what is being offered in this kickstarter?"

Anyone who pulls their pledge because the owners aren't engaging in the best customer service in the world are really missing the point. You don't give up any money until the end of the kickstarter. Just ignore all the stupidity on the forums, come back in a month, take a look at where everything stands and THEN make a decision based on the suggestion I offered back in Dec.

vic wrote:

Can someone please tell me where I can see these minis? I am yet to see one single actual physical miniature that will be available to backers.

 Morathi's Darkest Sin wrote:
From past experience their 3D sculpts tend to pretty danged accurate of the final product Vic, so those first few they have shown are good enough for me.

Also, I have been asking you to do female figs for bloody ages, there is a market out there, which this Kickstarter is proving without any doubt.

Yes, I am all too aware of the market, and I greatly appreciate people like yourself who have contacted me with requests. I have several WIP female troopers on my desk. Problem is, that it takes "bloody ages" to sculpt actual, physical miniatures. Unfortunately for me, my business so far has run on the principle of only taking money from my customers for products that actually exist.

I note this campaign is labelled "France" , does anyone know if there has been a change in the KS rule that only UK and US citizens can run campaigns. As an Aussie, I would love this rule to change.

 Kroothawk wrote:

Why not be constructive and helpfull and as a mod add this update to the first post:

Hello,

It's now been almost 36 hours since we launched, and what a ride it has been, thanks to you all!

Where are we now?

Well, it's amazing! 1200 pledgers, $288,000+ pledged, and 30 minis, troops and support have become available, that is, over 70 sculpts in 36 hours! And we added the first free upgrades for 6 Heroines:


Please do check out the main project page to see everything that's been unlocked already.



What's the next stretch goal?



Severina Madsen is a Major of the Iron Empire and she will be unlocked at the $310,000 mark. We'll also post a new stretch goal tomorrow.


But what about the Freebies?

Well, if you look at our stretch goals, you'll have noticed that there is nothing standing at the $300,000 mark... We wanted to keep this as a surprise, and reveal it just at that time. But as we may well be in bed when this number is reached, we thought we should reveal it now.
Before we launched the Kickstarter, many of you asked for tank crew members, so meet Jailbird Tank Gunner Ash. As soon as we hit $300,000, all pledgers at LIEUTENANT BOX and above will get Ash for free with their pledge.




Will the distance between stretch goals or the value of them lessen a bit if backing slows down?

Well, before we left for home yesterday, we slightly upped the stretch goal intervals because we had no way of knowing what might happen while we were sleeping, and we did not want to leave pledgers with nothing to look for if the surge had continued.

And yet, we passed one stretch goal earlier today, and are about to pass another one now. So 2 stretch goals in about a day is pretty cool.

That being said, the next intervals are likely to be smaller, as we are getting back to our original plan now that things are moving at a more manageable pace.

For we do have a plan and we're confident that all will work well. But, as we say in France, only fools never change their minds ;-)
So if adjustments are required, we, like the Borg, will adapt :-)

And for those who are worried, we'd like to say: “Let's not worry, let's celebrate!". Because what's happened these past 36 hours has been nothing short of incredible!!!

We are super confident about the rest of the KS, and it's opened up whole new dimensions for Raging Heroes, and for all of you who like the Toughest Girls of the Galaxy!

Could you make more updates please?

We will definitely try to do that. Just so you know, this first day was so intense that we started the second day of the the Kickstarter with an emergency visit to our doctor. Nothing serious, but it took a bite out of our already limited time today.

At the same time, we were careful to follow the Kickstarter recommendation that said that people feel spammed if they get too many updates, and to avoid sending updates every time a new stretch goal was reached. But apparently, many of you don't feel that way... So we should probably have followed our gut feeling from the start...

Nevertheless, it is still a bit hard for us to give you more than one update a day at the moment, since there's a lot of information to digest and take action on. This is giving us a lot of food for thought, new directions, new ideas to make this Kickstarter even better.

However, there's already quite a bit of info is on the front page already. We've made the choice to show you a very large part of what is planned in this Kickstarter in the form of silhouettes, so that you could get a feeling of what is to come and be able to plan ahead for your army. We've updated the front page several times already, removing, editing, adding, rearranging images to make things as clear as possible.

In upcoming updates, among other things, we'll share more info about the background we are developing, and specifically about the characters in these three armies. Here's one now:

Who are the Yaga Soul Weavers in the Kurganova army?

 cincydooley wrote:
A lot of you are asking why how they've been communicating matters and why their (apparent) lack of preparedness for the KS launch matters. Here's why:

Their inability to launch the KS on time is indicative of their ability to manage a project as a whole. If they're late with simply getting the project odd the ground, it isn't unreasonable to expect that the May 2014 ship date is a pipe dream.

Their inability to properly update and communicate with their backers at the launch of the KS is indicative of a group of people that may not be able to adapt to situations on the fly and effectively problem solve. If hey have trouble with these basic things, how will they respond if they have an unexpected production issue? How will they respond to the extreme volume they're going to have to produce? Based on this exemplar, it isn't unreasonable to think that they could just go info-dark if these problems arose and leave their backers hanging with a continually late shipment date.

Everything about how they run this KS can give you, the customer, insight on how things are likely to run when it comes time for fulfillment. You should be concerned about that. Poor management here is likely indicative of poor management as a whole.

But what about the Freebies?

Well, if you look at our stretch goals, you'll have noticed that there is nothing standing at the $300,000 mark... We wanted to keep this as a surprise, and reveal it just at that time. But as we may well be in bed when this number is reached, we thought we should reveal it now.

 Azazelx wrote:

 cincydooley wrote:
A lot of you are asking why how they've been communicating matters and why their (apparent) lack of preparedness for the KS launch matters. Here's why:

Their inability to launch the KS on time is indicative of their ability to manage a project as a whole. If they're late with simply getting the project odd the ground, it isn't unreasonable to expect that the May 2014 ship date is a pipe dream.

Their inability to properly update and communicate with their backers at the launch of the KS is indicative of a group of people that may not be able to adapt to situations on the fly and effectively problem solve. If hey have trouble with these basic things, how will they respond if they have an unexpected production issue? How will they respond to the extreme volume they're going to have to produce? Based on this exemplar, it isn't unreasonable to think that they could just go info-dark if these problems arose and leave their backers hanging with a continually late shipment date.

Everything about how they run this KS can give you, the customer, insight on how things are likely to run when it comes time for fulfillment. You should be concerned about that. Poor management here is likely indicative of poor management as a whole.

Being realistic, their launches of boxed sets containing 3-4 models in them to be sold at retail via their website (including pre-orders) were typically a month-to-6-weeks late. There's no chance that something this huge will come out with their projected dates. I'm not invoking the "it's kickstarter, brah, expect delays" clause - because that's a bs excuse people always seem to trot out. I'm saying that RH have a track record for lateness, so expect that going in.

 Buzzsaw wrote:

 Azazelx wrote:

Being realistic, their launches of boxed sets containing 3-4 models in them to be sold at retail via their website (including pre-orders) were typically a month-to-6-weeks late. There's no chance that something this huge will come out with their projected dates. I'm not invoking the "it's kickstarter, brah, expect delays" clause - because that's a bs excuse people always seem to trot out. I'm saying that RH have a track record for lateness, so expect that going in.

Well, that is certainly reassuring.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
So, they're at what, $300,000? And only unlocked one freebie? But only for pledges over $150?
At least they're working towards plastic, right? Right?

vic wrote:

Can someone please tell me where I can see these minis? I am yet to see one single actual physical miniature that will be available to backers.

 Morathi's Darkest Sin wrote:
From past experience their 3D sculpts tend to pretty danged accurate of the final product Vic, so those first few they have shown are good enough for me.

Also, I have been asking you to do female figs for bloody ages, there is a market out there, which this Kickstarter is proving without any doubt.

Yes, I am all too aware of the market, and I greatly appreciate people like yourself who have contacted me with requests. I have several WIP female troopers on my desk. Problem is, that it takes "bloody ages" to sculpt actual, physical miniatures. Unfortunately for me, my business so far has run on the principle of only taking money from my customers for products that actually exist.

I note this campaign is labelled "France" , does anyone know if there has been a change in the KS rule that only UK and US citizens can run campaigns. As an Aussie, I would love this rule to change.

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:
Personally I like the first freedbie, I ran the numbers again and I'm probably sticking with the LT pre order, so I'll be getting tank girl assuming I keep my pledge (Herald I may be, but I'm just as economical as the worst of you... and possible worse then that, I'm a bit of a spend thrift) if so I will advance a project I had been working on to set up an alternate vanquisher turret for one of my Leman Russes, if so, seems I have a fun and fluffy Pask stand in.

Bullockist wrote:
To those people who are being all negative. Are you in the kickstarter to get models or get free stuff? Are you in the kickstarter to get models or have constant exciting updates?

 Azazelx wrote:
I'd expect that an update before bed, and one in the morning once things are worked out would both be reasonable, given the way this campaign has gone.

Kickstarter is not a charity. I'm in the campaign to get models and "free stuff" is part of the increased value that I do expect and feel entitled to if I'm backing, since it's part of the quid quo pro - if you want my money upfront, a year in advance, you better give me a fething good deal. Otherwise, I'll spend my money on things that are available right now. Using those old-fashioned models known as retail and direct sale from manufacturer. Then I'll buy the KS's nice toys when they reach those distribution channels.
In a year, if I still care.

Being updated on WTF is going on is also good. Again, if you want people's money a year in advance, then part of the deal is good communication. Which, incidently is why neither CMON nor McVey are likely to see another dollar from me in the future.

 Azazelx wrote:
Oh, is it feasable/reasonable for Mods to ask those people who are RH Heralds to identify themselves as such? Perhaps in their sigs?

We know that:
KalashnikovMarine
WolfStark
That new bloke who just registered a few days ago (sorry mate - couldn't find your post/name) are, and that
Inquisitor Wappellious is here to pimp how the casts are the best evar, and the models also the best evar.

But it seems there may be one or a couple of others doing the same on the downlow. Not that I have a problem with people doing it, nor am I jealous of people who got the gig (I think it's better I didn't get it, on reflection), I'd just like to know who is in the program so I can know who to ask questions of and also know who might sometimes need to have a pinch of salt taken with the reading of their RH posts.

but I have complete faith in RH to produce some amazing figures (unlike Mantic), but I also expect that it will be late and a tad disorganized (like Avatars of War - but hopefully less so.)

Now, how much money do we need for One Shot Blondie (( We WANTS it!)

So, they're at what, $300,000? And only unlocked one freebie? But only for pledges over $150?

At least they're working towards plastic, right? Right?

Before we left for home yesterday, we slightly upped the stretch goal intervals because we had no way of knowing what might happen while we were sleeping, and we did not want to leave pledgers with nothing to look for if the surge had continued.
And yet, we passed one SG earlier today, and are about to pass another one now. So 2 stretch goals in less than a day ain't so bad…
That being said, the next intervals are likely to be smaller, now that things are moving at a more sedate pace.
We do have a plan and we're confident that all will work well. But, as we say in France, only fools never change their minds ;-)
So if adjustments are required, we, like the Borg, will adapt :-)

I was interested in this Kickstarter because I thought it might offer a reasonable opportunity to build an all-female army. It doesn't. To me, Raging Heroes' offering isn't worth a minimum of $3 per model plus shipping a year in advance, without seeing the sculpts and cast in an untested material. Expecting people to pay for an exclusive model that is useless to two of the three armies doesn't help.

Your expectations when it comes to communication are VERY reasonable, and I certainly hope that the updates come more in line with what you've indicated here. I think that a little grace period while they deal with what seems like an unexpected zest for the campaign is in order, but if the communication hasn't become more regular within the next few days, a little encouragement in that direction might be nice.

It made us realize that some of our assumptions were a bit off, such as the fact that many people would want many more Heroines. There was a point where we thought we'd reduce their number because we were afraid there wouldn't be enough interest for them and that people would mostly want troops.

We've already got the topics for the next update, too

 BrookM wrote:

Or is this program the only way to get waves in advance?

 Slinky wrote:

 BrookM wrote:

Or is this program the only way to get waves in advance?

That's how I read it.

Basically, we will be able to ship your pledge in several waves, instead of shipping everything at once when everything is done. So you simply have to pay for your shipping, and after the Kickstarter, you will be able to choose if we ship everything at once when all is ready to ship, or if you want to pick your stuff at a retailer partner, and in this case, you'll be able to get it in several waves.

 AlexHolker wrote:

Bullockist wrote:
To those people who are being all negative. Are you in the kickstarter to get models or get free stuff? Are you in the kickstarter to get models or have constant exciting updates?

I was interested in this Kickstarter because I thought it might offer a reasonable opportunity to build an all-female army. It doesn't. To me, Raging Heroes' offering isn't worth a minimum of $3 per model plus shipping a year in advance, without seeing the sculpts and cast in an untested material. Expecting people to pay for an exclusive model that is useless to two of the three armies doesn't help.

 Jimsolo wrote:

 Azazelx wrote:

Kickstarter is not a charity. I'm in the campaign to get models and "free stuff" is part of the increased value that I do expect and feel entitled to if I'm backing, since it's part of the quid quo pro - if you want my money upfront, a year in advance, you better give me a fething good deal. Otherwise, I'll spend my money on things that are available right now. Using those old-fashioned models known as retail and direct sale from manufacturer. Then I'll buy the KS's nice toys when they reach those distribution channels.
In a year, if I still care.

Being updated on WTF is going on is also good. Again, if you want people's money a year in advance, then part of the deal is good communication. Which, incidently is why neither CMON nor McVey are likely to see another dollar from me in the future.

Hmmm. I hadn't thought about it that way. That's an interesting way to approach it.

Personally, I see it more along the lines of an investment based on past performance. The miniatures the company has already done are wonderful, and the models that they have shown us thus far look even better. I for one am only too happy to put my money down up front. I see the discounts and the freebies as less of an entitlement, and more of a reward for helping the project get off the ground. (Now that I've seen an alternative viewpoint, I think I will stick with my approach. It certainly seems the route to greater happiness! )

Your expectations aren't unreasonable though, Azazelx. Just different. Your expectations when it comes to communication are VERY reasonable, and I certainly hope that the updates come more in line with what you've indicated here. I think that a little grace period while they deal with what seems like an unexpected zest for the campaign is in order, but if the communication hasn't become more regular within the next few days, a little encouragement in that direction might be nice.

In any event, I hope you enjoy your Raging Heroes minis as much as I plan to! (As much as I plan to enjoy mine, I mean. I don't plan to enjoy yours. Because that would be weird. )

 Azazelx wrote:

Well, look at it this way. A real investment from a bank comes with a shirtload of legal requirements, and a healthy chunk of interest that needs to be paid back. KS comes with far fewer requirements, even when you take into consideration the % that amazon, visa and KS themselves skim off the top.

From my consumer perspective, I see it like this. I have a nice little selection of RH models already, but there's more stuff on their website I'd like to get. I could happily buy another of their Manticores and a bunch of their other figures right now. The difference would essentially be that I'd be paying slightly more for the products, slightly less for the shipping, and I'd have my items in 3 weeks. I can then buy the KS models for not that much more than the KS price once they hit retail next year. If they want my money for a pre-order that far in advance, they need to incentivise it. If I wanted to give money to a project purely for the sake of altruism, I'd be donating to build water wells in Africa. Besides, Sedition Wars has shown us that no matter how "high quality, boutique" etc someone's reputation is, there are no guarantees in KS. Mantic has shown us that *Actual product may have no relationship to concept art. Dreamforge and Red Box and Reaper (and Sedition Wars, again) have shown us that Projected delivery dates may have no relationship to actual delivery dates. So there's always a risk, and while, for example, my educated guess is that I think we're probably safe from the first two on this KS, the latter is certainly one of concern, especially given how fast the expectations of this KS were blown away - even if they have 2 foundries at the ready. Besides, if you don't have a local(ish) FLGS, we'll be waiting a loooong time for our figures to ship. The only store in Australia, for example is located on the other side of the continent. Think LA to NYC.