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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.

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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?


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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.

 Albertorius wrote:

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.

YouKnowsIt wrote:

 Albertorius wrote:

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...

The point I'm making is that they had already invested in the model renders, but that NuCoal's wasn't ready due to issues outside of their control.

I noticed. And the one I'm making is that they chose poorly in what to invest.

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?

I'm agreeing with you. Sorry.

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…

https://youtu.be/Tg67XggeraM

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.

 Albertorius wrote:

 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:

http://store.dp9.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=69_66&product_id=488
http://store.dp9.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=69_66&product_id=489
http://store.dp9.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=69_66&product_id=490

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.

Keep in mind I won't buy metal minis.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Keep in mind I won't buy metal minis.

Ah well. Then your options are certainly more limited

Only a few days left. What happens if it doesn't get funded? Are they gonna try the Peace River & Nu Coal KS over again?

Good question! Only the Pod knows.

I will back nucoal to flesh out my metal range, but utopia is such a hard sell.

Ok wow, they have just increased the miniatures in the base pledge again! They've essentially doubled the contents.




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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heavygearblitz/heavy-gear-blitz-utopia-armed-forces-plastic-minia?ref=user_menu

Pretty sure what's supposed to be on each sprue, then.

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.

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. :-)