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Damn, I think I will have to get in on this after all. That Jotun is really great.

I want a camera attached to Tre's head so we can see what he is working on at any given instant. These updates just don't come quickly enough for me.

Can we have a KS for that? Just a little camera installed in Tre's left temple? I'd be ok if it had a lens cap for when he needs to shower and the like.

hah hah hah Wouldn't that be fun!

I just posted another update earlier. I had THOUGHT I was going to be out of the house all day today but it turns out that will be Friday so I am back at the sculpting table doign my best to get those Chosen and Helsmaidens wrapped up and updated on the main page tonight. I will be working on the helsrider as well and then after that the berserkers.

I have put the helsrider unlock off to $21,000.00 and unlocked the Jotunn and a new Hordesman Hero add-ons to the reward selection.

Some pictures to shine up this thread........

Pictures look great, looking forward to seeing some spikes in those shield / armor sockets

Awesome about unlocking the Jotunn and hero!

Thanks RiTides!

Awesome stuff.
red box games deserves a big kickstarter for the sculptor is ace.
hope this one ends big!

Thanks Adder Ant!

*looks at the shield* Ahhhhh! That's what the holes everywhere are for, I was wondering where that was going

Update beign posted in about an hour to show piked armor and shields!

They look great!

Tre must just have crazy discipline to sit and sculpt and sculpt and sculpt like mad for weeks on end during these tiny kickstarters he does. It's very impressive!

Thanks Schmapdi!

With all the new KS launching/getting set to launch people need updates to remember this one is still going and cranking out awesome new minis.

Here are some WIP of the beserkers



and the Helsrider mounted champion



6 days to go!

Totally serious question with no ulterior motive......Would people rather see me focus on running kickstarters with concept art or actual miniatures? Because I do truly wonder if that might work better. Oh and many thanks Schmapdi!

I think the actual miniatures is a big improvement over other kickstarter projects. I'm not able to back this one right now but I will be looking to get some of them at retail (with some of your other existing figures).

 tre manor wrote:

Totally serious question with no ulterior motive......Would people rather see me focus on running kickstarters with concept art or actual miniatures? Because I do truly wonder if that might work better. Oh and many thanks Schmapdi!

I don't think concept art was needed in the last few KS you've done except for the brigands. You sculpt quickly, the WiPs are helpful and aside from the brigands you were expanding existing factions so people had other models to reference on your website.

Art might help with the secret project since its new but if you have a lot of sculpts for it done already maybe you don't.

That's my take on it.

Oh yeh the new project is going to be all sculpted before launch. I am going to keep the campaign focused on funding only the stuff I have sculpted at the launch. However there will also be a lot of supporting art assets for the printed components to go with the minis.

Whilst concept art might draw some extra people in at the initial phase of a KS I agree that your sculpting speed more than makes up for the lack of concepts. We see your wips, have a chance to offer feedback, and see the sculpts all during the course of your KS.
I went into this one for the Helsmaidens, concept art for any others probably wouldn't have swayed me, but seeing the Jotun and Berserkers in progress is likely to see me up my pledge.

Art seems redundant since you'll have it all sculpted. But don't you work from concept art anyway?

Maybe after this KS ends you can use the concept art for the "secret" project as a teaser to get people excited before the next KS begins?

I think concept art can help if there aren't many finished miniatures to show off, which had been somewhat the case here with mostly WIPs. Without art, it's hard for people to guess at the look, and thus be more likely to pledge.

I think a combination could work, but I do prefer seeing sculpts - your work on the Jotunn is what has me pledging here.

@Tre: One thing that bothers me a little bit is your time reference. When you say "I will post it in a few hours," or "I will show it tomorrow," for me that means in a few hours and tomorrow. This has become so common that we refer your statements as "Tre-time". I think it is not a bad idea to show concept art if you cannot keep your time-frame, because then people get an idea. I think it is actually a bad idea not to show a concept art with the promises that you will see the WIP tomorrow, and then nothing until several days later because "something" came in between.

Yeh my time has been at a premium lately beign dragged this way and that. I am trying my hardest though.

I do nto usually work from Concept art though which is why i never post any. I prefer to let the mini take its own shape most of the time. Sometimes I have a very specific idea in mind and other times I will have just one particular element in mind for a mini and that is where my focus goes.

Tre,

I'm my view, your Kickstarters have grown into a watch-me-create-something experience, which isn't bad. It makes your campaigns unique and rewarding.

But it is a little outside of the normal Kickstarter model. Your stretch goals tend to be something of a moving target, the pieces evolve as you work on them, and your update schedule is somewhat organic as it follows your personal workflow.

What you've got is working for a campaign in the range of five dollar figures. Your projects fund and a few stretch goals get unlocked. They tend to deliver in a timely manner and post campaign updates are frequent and substantive. That's all great.

You could certainly tighten up your campaigns, do more pre-launch marketing, and stick a little closer to a format that some backers might be more comfortable with. The two questions that I think are important are A) are you comfortable working like that and B) is it necessary to meet your personal goals?

If the answer to both of those is yes, then I think it might be productive to hire a Kickstarter consultant. That way, you could get some professional advice about how to bump your campaigns to a new level and also take some of the planning/execution burden off of your shoulders.

I agree weeble, and nice post! I'm happy with this latest campaign, and if it is working for you too Tre, then that's great! These could be good things to keep in mind for launching your not-so-super-secret upcoming project, though

Oh yes the sooperdoop KS will have as much pre-planning and pre-marketing as I am able to muster. This campaign is doing fine for me. I am sure that there will be the usual final 3 day surge in pledges and as I post more completed WIPs that should help as well. What I was particularly wondering is if people generally prefer a campaign that is based on concept art ( as concept art is easier to create and there fore a faster pay-off marketing wise ) or do they prefer campaign based on the actual product ( which takes longer to create and can have its own snags and bog down the progression of the campaign as we see with mine usually. )

I think my biggest mistake was the multiple " set " pledge level. I intended it for allowing people to pledge for multiple sets of the chosen and to allow people to switch in and out those multiples as new sets were unlocked if they so chose. I think that instead it just became a fire and forget pledge level only which is only valueable when 4 themed sets unlock. Nobody's fault but mine though.

Personally I think that you should have more sculpted before you start the campaign to get a good start and then sculpt during the campaign to have stretch goals and keep people excited. You would still be being paid for your time, just working ahead of time to get the rewards later. Also, I am not sure how other people feel so you could maybe ask them, but I would be happy with 1-2 minis in a unit to be sculpted ahead of time to give an idea what we are pledging on, and just the knowledge that the unit will have 3 more that can be sculpted later. This would keep the campaign going faster as well and I know if I like the 1 or 2 minis I am going to like the others since you are so consistent in sculpting your units. I have to agree on the time promises, and I understand that you have had a lot of things going on, but it seemed this campaign just about every time promise you made didn't happen I am excited about these, but I do think you could do 80k kickstarters again in metal and do good.

I am much happier with sculpts than with concept art. We've all seen campaigns with awesome concept art that failed to deliver in the final models.

With your sculpts I can see exactly what I am getting. I second the idea that it is a good idea to start with something finished and then do your usual "I can't believe how fast he sculpts!" updates as you power through the work.

Very excited for your soopah doopah project this year. I am limiting myself to one big kickstarter and that one is definitely going to be it!

(also, broke and backed for the Horde Hero and a Jotun. )

Thanks Boos!

I am lookign forward to the soopadoop too..... I am just hoping that I do it right and find the right time to launch. It would be a HUGE mistake to launch and not fund enough product to secure the project's position in the market. I want this to be the next Hordes / Malifaux / Infinity type of range.

Tre, why in Gods name is there no link to your KS in your signature? O.o

Is there only the one Jotunn so far?

Yes, just one Alpharius. I've put in for one since Tre said you can add $10 to the basic pledge level if you want just the Jotunn . Ends up a bit pricey for one model, but I think it will be worth it!

A few finished sculpts, rather than WIPs, before starting may help, along with clarity on what things are. Wehrkind didn't believe me that the Helsmaidens is a unit of 5, as that info also came out in a KS comment from Tre, but I'm not sure if it's on the main page? 4 for $40 would've been too steep for him, so that 5th model really helps with the value of the ranks/units.