[Kickstarter] Rise of Moloch

[ced1106]

These miniatures were originally released by Smart Max for their SMOG universe, as 54mm miniatures for $20+ each.

Definitely on the eccentric side.

"Stop giving him ether!" Hehehe.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coolminiornot/the-world-of-smog-rise-of-moloch/description

[gnomehome]

I'm backing this one - I was always tempted by the Smart Max miniatures but the price point and the scale dissuaded me.

If the miniatures have the same quality as the other CMON plastics (I only have The Others:7 sins, the miniatures of which are excellent), they will be a joy to paint.

[Zombie Ste]

Just backed this too, and went all-in, minus the extra dice set; 2 other friends are also backing,  so dice shouldn't be an issue.

The minis look amazing so even if the rules set is pants, they would still find a use in steampunk skirmish games. Though given my experience with zombicide and the others 7 sins,  I imagine that they will play perfectly fine.

Did a quick head count on kickstarter exclusives so far for those interested in numbers

7 exclusive minis in the $120 pledge level, 14 total if you include sculpt reuse of the single minion

18 exclusive minis from the stretch goals so far, 27 including the other 9 reuses of the dwarf clown on bladed unicycle mini. With another mini up for grabs if/when the next stretch goal gets hit.

11 additional buy-in minis from sets exclusive to kickstarter.

For a grand total of 36 (52) minis, and that's not including the standard stuff going to retail once it hits, which by my rough count is another 90 minis (inc sculpt reuse on minions) for a rough estimate of 142 minis & counting

Now I know quantity isn't everything,  but given CMON's track record with these things,  I figure quality won't be an issue either.

I'm super psyched for this and it's the first kickstarter I've ever backed (really wish I wasn't so late to the party on zombicide & the others) & if all goes well,  I'll be watching for any other CMON kickstarters in the future too

[Agis]

Just backed this too, and went all-in, minus the extra dice set; 2 other friends are also backing,  so dice shouldn't be an issue.

... Though given my experience with zombicide and the others 7 sins,  I imagine that they will play perfectly fine.
...

I totally agree, I pledged more or less the same already.
Good board games with minis are getting more and more to me.

Zombicide, Seven Sins, Blood Rage are my favorites right now.

I have high hopes for Massive Darkness, Rum and Bones and Endure the Stars (finally using my Alien minis!)...

Anyway, so far CMON always delivered a quality product more or less on time to me.

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

A lot of "Kickstarter Exclusive" nonsense. What happened to "Kickstarter is not a store"? If the only place you can get something is via the KS then it seems like its being treated like a store.

[Agis]

A lot of "Kickstarter Exclusive" nonsense. What happened to "Kickstarter is not a store"? If the only place you can get something is via the KS then it seems like its being treated like a store.

I do not really get it. 
I see the Kickstarter Exclusive items as an incentive to get into it.

But if you do not like the KS, simply stay away from it!

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

The problem I see is games where significant portions are "not available in stores". It seems like only the base game is intended for the retail market. Or perhaps it is an acknowledgement of lack of "staying power", for want of a better word. A one-shot wonder.

[Zombie Ste]

The problem I see is games where significant portions are "not available in stores". It seems like only the base game is intended for the retail market. Or perhaps it is an acknowledgement of lack of "staying power", for want of a better word. A one-shot wonder.

I think it's simply an incentive to back the project,  with the added benefit to the company of being able to indulge the fans wanting more of the stuff,  without playing too much of a gamble on potentially ordering too much of an expansion product that not everyone who buys into the main game will pick up, and gives them a solid foundation of how strong it's market presence could be based on additional buy-ins...
All in all I'm not really seeing any cons here for them.
From a consumer stand point,  I'm more than happy to get an increasing amount of extra cool goodies as the project picks up steam (pardon the pun) as well as the option to increase my loot haul load with additional buy-ins at my own discretion to contribute funds to see the project brought to life.
Only con I can see for the consumer (at least as far as CMON is concerned,  given their track record) is the wait on delivery, and the pros well outweigh the single con as far as I'm concerned.  But to each his own

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

Sorry, I don't mean to be down on this KS in particular. It's just a KS-related phenomena that bugs me a bit. Thinking of the local brick and mortar store. How do they compete when all they can offer is a basic game?

[ecurtz]

CMON has started offering retailer pledges that include all of the extras, although they do require them to be sold at the KS price: http://cmon.com/#/news/the-world-of-smog-rise-of-moloch-kickstarter-retail-pledge

[ced1106]

A lot of "Kickstarter Exclusive" nonsense. What happened to "Kickstarter is not a store"? If the only place you can get something is via the KS then it seems like its being treated like a store.

Rise already has 3+ expansions, and retail doesn't support that many expansions for most boardgames. My guess, then, is that the exclusives are additional content that CMON doesn't think would be supported by retail sales. It supposedly costs 15K to make a miniature, so the SG gaps pay for the miniature costs and bring in 10K or so more to the project.  If you were on BGG before KS, you've probably heard of the phrase, "Cult of the New", where gamers will play a new game once or twice, before going to the next one. I think KS and ecchclusives make visible this behavior -- boardgames are a disposable commodity.

[gnomehome]

I think KS and ecchclusives make visible this behavior -- boardgames are a disposable commodity.

Very true - each year more and more boardgames are (re)released. I think last year at Spiel in Essen there were about 800 (re)released games. Maybe a handful of them each year are more than a flash in the pan. There is a lifecycle of 'anticipation / hype', 'massive popularity' of a game soon to be replaced by the new 'flavor of the month'.

I buy CMON games in the first place for the miniatures, I hardly play 'true' miniature games and have painted entire armies of hundreds of figures that never have been played (ECW/Celts/VS/Skaven/...) Instead of painting 'traditional' miniatures I've largely switched over to boardgame miniatures - at least these might be played a couple of times.

The quality of the miniatures of CMON is very good, I enjoy painting them and there are few of the same in their latest games (Zombicide which I don't have, has dozens of identical miniatures, The Others: 7 Sins has a maximum of 2 the exact same pose).

In a nutshell, I buy it for the miniatures. If the game is more or less playable, I consider this to be a bonus.

[Khurasan Miniatures]

What happened to "Kickstarter is not a store"?

Oh, my sides!  Kickstarter is most certainly a store.  In fact it seems to drive most miniatures sales these days.  You can come out with a complete line of miniatures that are ready to buy and get greeted by a yawn.  I think it's because they are available and so you can get them whenever. But if you tell people, "help get this made," they have something to look forward to, and feel more a part of the process, so they buy.  It's a powerful marketing tool.

[Ballardian]

I love the look of this game, (the original Smog was great, beautiful minis & an interesting take on 'steampunk' cursed somewhat by being 54mm - a bit like the minis came before the game concept) but, as with The Others, am put off by the 'one against all' Descent style mechanic.
I know this is all down to personal preference , but I'd personally rather the game mechanic handled the villains,   freeing the players to take the faction/character of their choice & play against the game (Shadows of Brimstone, though a much simpler game, does this effectively).