Robotech: Kickstarter (read: Kevin Siembeda thanks you for your donations)

[Elbows]

It's officially over.  Kevin is skating off with the other 60% of the product he never produced or shipped to backers (using the cool 1.4 million to get a new house, etc.).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rrpgt/robotech-rpg-tacticstm/posts/2120399

At least it's some closure.

[Chuck1372]

Makes me glad I didnt buy into it when I had the chance.

[Dr. Zombie]

I was so close to backing this. But thankfully I did not.

[YPU]

I see mention that palladium has lost the robotech licence?

[stone-cold-lead]

Just read the email. Was half tempted to take them up on the exchange offer to at least get something in lieu of the wave 2 models but after discovering they'd want an extra $60 - $100 in shipping out of me I'm not sure it's worth it.

I think Palladium blew through the KS money due to poor management of the whole project rather than actually defrauding backers as some think. They strung backers along for years with promises and outright lies and now are just coasting until the licence expires. It's been a hell of a mess and has left a lot of angry people in its wake, oh and an alleged suicide attempt too! Whilst it won't happen, I sincerely wish Palladium would go under after such a shitty debacle.

[Yuber Okami]

There are three things I don't understand:

1) They said they were trying to make a new RPG so it could be used with the game. It was something they could have done internally (even had it as one of the kickstarter rewards, as I feel pdf shipping is not so expensive), but then they did nothing aside from republishing the original books. Why? They could have got some money out of it

2) If we don't want to pay P&P, can we get our money back? I mean, it's not the backer's fault this ended this way.

3) There has been no further notice about the man who almost commited suicide. Is he ok? And also, is a job at the gaming industry worth a life?

[stone-cold-lead]

There are three things I don't understand:

1) They said they were trying to make a new RPG so it could be used with the game. It was something they could have done internally (even had it as one of the kickstarter rewards, as I feel pdf shipping is not so expensive), but then they did nothing aside from republishing the original books. Why? They could have got some money out of it

2) If we don't want to pay P&P, can we get our money back? I mean, it's not the backer's fault this ended this way.

3) There has been no further notice about the man who almost commited suicide. Is he ok? And also, is a job at the gaming industry worth a life?

I'm not too up to date with everything going on with Palladium but I suspect any new Robotech RPG ideas are also dead, unless they have a separate licencing deal. It turns out though that Palladium saying they're going to make something and them actually doing it are two very different things. Apparently they have been like that for decades and people are still waiting on supplements promised as being in the works for many years.

As far as refunds go it seems they're hiding behind the KS terms of service. They don't have to refund so they aren't. Some backers have talked about legal action and wot-not but it's tricky, especially when many backers are overseas.

The guy who attempted suicide I believe was fine in the end. Kevin used the situation to berate the backers as a whole which annoyed some. A few people even questioned whether it actually happened suspecting Kevin of lying.

[Karadek]

I got my notifications yesterday.  I haven't decided what I'm doing yet.  I'm due about $90-120, with shipping added in.  I realize that since they did ship out half, avenues for refund will be difficult or nonexistent. 

I've loved Robotech since the mid-80s, and i played the RPG back in high school.  I don't want to see Palladium die for this, but I don't want to see his smarmy ass at Gen Con this year either.  Bums me out.  I was really hoping for a good game from this, and it just didn't happen.

[Elbows]

As much as  I love Robotech, I'd love to see Palladium fold under this.  They've lost the Robotech license and I'd like to see a proper steward of that IP for the first time in 30 years.   I've got my old busted Robotech RPG books from the early 90's...but even that nostalgia gives me no love for that useless asshat.

[stone-cold-lead]

I got my notifications yesterday.  I haven't decided what I'm doing yet.  I'm due about $90-120, with shipping added in.  I realize that since they did ship out half, avenues for refund will be difficult or nonexistent. 

At this point I'd also be concerned about actually getting the models in the exchange offer. If it weren't for extra shipping costs, fine, but I don't trust Palladium enough to send them another $100. 

[TwoGunBob]

Yeah, if every backer went for it Kevin would net a tidy $534,200.00 AND get his warehouse cleared of product he has to destroy at the end of March. Palladium Books and Kevin Siembieda are incredibly generous with this offer and no doubt cannot under why unappreciative backers are apparently lining up against him. I'll gladly throw in $50-$100 to watch Palladium sink forever over this debacle. Robotech went from my fond memory of my first soap opera to a disaster that will forever make me spit on the ground at the mention of Robotech.

[Inso]

It's a sad state of affairs.

My only comments are that I hope this dire mess doesn't ruin any hopes of people getting on board with Kickstarters they like the look of in the future because it would be a terrible shame for something like this to spoil other things. I'm also both saddened that Palladium has so royally messed up the Robotech licence but hopeful that, at some point, the licence is taken on by someone who does it justice.

It's a real shame that so many people have been 'conned' out of their money on this.

[TwoGunBob]

I've done one Kickstarter since. Two, but I pulled my funding after they made their goal without me because this project has demonstrated how toothless Kickstarter the company is when things go wrong.
I invested on the Medieval Demons Kickstarter but made it clear to Antediluvian Miniatures that I was really sketchy about doing a Kickstarter but knew them as reliable and only there reputation beforehand. I've missed out on some really good projects but I'm determined to never be in this kind of situation again. Also have the Outrider Kickstarter that stalled out. Two out of four, two delivered on time and on target and two turned into disasters.

[stone-cold-lead]

It's a sad state of affairs.

My only comments are that I hope this dire mess doesn't ruin any hopes of people getting on board with Kickstarters they like the look of in the future because it would be a terrible shame for something like this to spoil other things.

I've only backed one KS project so far. This was the first.

[Elbows]

I've been pretty fortunate so far, and while I knew Kevin was an immature jackass, I did expect more out of the project.  The only other one I've been stiffed on was also expected, sadly.  I'm probably 2 bad out of 12-15.