(Kickstarter) Kingdom Death Monster 1.5

[Major_Gilbear]

This was a joke based on Adam's notoriously terrible typing/spelling in the updates and KS comments, the actual game content was pretty well copyedited.

Even so, after the long (delayed) wait, the extra pleas for more shipping money, and the tediously gushy/stream-of-consciousness "updates", I still felt it was poor when I opened the box - deliberate "joke" or not. To me, it basically just cheapened the acknowledgement of effort and patience that went in to the rest of the project. Mostly though, I mentioned it because I think it's important that people who are thinking of pledging have some idea of what to expect based on KD:M1 experiences.

Nonetheless, well done to him for producing a product of such genuinely high quality (regardless of what you do/don't like about the aesthetics, the quality of everythingin the KD:M1 is extremely high), and I wish him well on this next KS run - even though I will not be participating.

[Ray Rivers]

Neither will I but for some reason I find these things extremely entertaining.

Just a normal monday. Just a normal monday where you wake up to nearly 14,000 people and $6.8 Million dollars sitting in your board game kickstarter campaign.

Stretch goals and add-ons haven't been updated past the $700,000 mark. Boy is this guy behind the curve.

I think he needs a bigger boat.

[rwwin]

Neither will I but for some reason I find these things extremely entertaining.

Stretch goals and add-ons haven't been updated past the $700,000 mark. Boy is this guy behind the curve.

I think he needs a bigger boat.

He hasn't said so explicitly, but if you string together his rather disjointed comments, the classic mentality of "stretch goals" driving funding for the kickstarter campaign is out the window.  What's being added to pledges is pretty much divorced from funding now and he plans to slow roll it out over the next month.  It doesn't bother me, but it definitely seems to infuriate folks in the comment section.

I pledged to the first campaign and do love the game.  It takes some compartmentalization on my part to separate out the (in my opinion) silly pinups from the serious side of the game, but to each their own I suppose.  In the years between the first campaign and this one, Poots has commented that the pinups "pay the bills" for the company so I guess without them the rest of the game might not exist.

I am a bit saddened by the popularity this time around.  I have a feeling that there are a large number of folks either bandwagon jumping something they don't quite understand or other folks looking to scalp the games on ebay either. 

[Ray Rivers]

He hasn't said so explicitly, but if you string together his rather disjointed comments, the classic mentality of "stretch goals" driving funding for the kickstarter campaign is out the window.

Yep.. the guy seems to be rather unconventional.

Have you seen his latest update?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/poots/kingdom-death-monster-15/posts/1757574

 

[Malebolgia]

Hahaha! That update is awesome! Made me laugh out loud. And the challenge is already beaten.

[zemjw]

It's now the highest funded game, in the history of, like, ever - $9.3 million

It's a game I've heard of, but not much more, and the minis were too expensive/specialised for my taste. Kinda scary how many backers have pledged at the $1,666 level

[Duncan McDane]

My problem are the sprues... The quality of the models is ok-ish, not really excellent not bad but not worth the hype imho, the style isn't a problem for me, I probably would like to try/own the game rules but I'm completely done with glueing together multipart plastics, especially 28-32mm human sized figs consisting of more than 5/6 parts... 
Check e.g. the new Prodos material, single cast high-end quality models ( the Epics in LOAD ), you don't need multiparts in order to get brilliant figs, not even on big scale models...

[LCpl McDoom]

Hmm, I was originally in with the 1st campaign, but 'sold' my stake to someone else when I got tired of the wait, the lack of info (back then - not even a rulebook, or sample of?) and the inevitable loss-of-control on the promises made in reward levels often overrun in too short a time.

(Talking of which: when I started typing this entry (12:39hrs GMT) the KS page was at $11,027,000.)

I don't regret bailing out either, as I ended up thinking this game wouldn't be for me, and when it was delivered to backers and I got to see it via a friend, I knew I'd made the right decision. If I'm honest, I get a better role-play experience from RPGs, and I get a better tabletop co-operative experience from other co-op tabletop boardgames.

As for delivery schedule, remembering the angst there was in the 1st campaign, I'd anticipate 6 to 12 months slippage at least. And then there's trying to get the thing delivered to anywhere but USA - even Canada proved expensive. It always seems to be an awkward issue with any US-based KS project that fulfillment with the Rest of the World ends up clumsily handled and over-priced. And that's why I've effectively stopped nearly all KS investment.

Saying all that, I do wish the crew the very best in this. I just hope that other games publishers don't get distracted or caught up in the belief that KS is the easy answer to two specific questions - "how can I sell my game by the thousands?" and "how much money can I make?".

Finished typing this at 12:50hrs GMT: the KS page now stands at $11,043,000. Plus $16K in eleven minutes.

[rwwin]

I've got to say I'm still mystified by the run away success this kickstarter is.  I was in on the last kickstarter and am in on this one too.  While I love the game, it's definitely not going to be for everyone's tastes.  Of the friends I've shown it to, there's a small group that love it, the majority are non pulsed and don't see what all the fuss is about and another small number that absolutely hate everything about it.

[robh]

I don't understand the money that has been pouring into this KS either.
I would hazard that there are not many people amongst the backers list that could really do justice to the models with a paintbrush and by comments from backers of the first campaign the game play is not that great.

So either there are a lot of people getting very carried away with backing such a runaway campaign, or gougers that are looking at the resale prices of prior (now oop) releases in the range and planning to fund their retirements on eBay.

I have a feeling that this could end badly.

[rwwin]

and by comments from backers of the first campaign the game play is not that great.

I wouldn't agree with that.  The vast majority of commenters were satisfied with the gameplay.  There was a tremendous amount of complaining about other aspects of the campaign (long delays, poor communication from the creator, no assembly instructions for the models, misogynistic pinup models, a spotty fulfillment partner for the EU, and the list goes on).  There was lots to complain about, but the game mechanics were for the most part solidly entertaining.

On the other hand, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there wasn't a healthy dose of regret aversion bias washing around in there as well.

I have a feeling that this could end badly.

For a non-trivial number of backers expecting to reap big rewards from arbitrage or for others caught up in the excitement who pledged beyond their means, of this I have no doubt.


Here's another unintended consequence.  Poots & Co just sucked $12 million dollars out of the gaming economy in one fell swoop.  Even if you assume a third or even half of that were people outside the usual gaming circles or gamers' breaking out reserve funds, that still leaves $6 million that won't be spent on other companies and games.  There are probably many (myself included) that just sunk a half a year's gaming budget into one project.  That's got  to have a small but real ripple effect on everyone elses bottom line.

[FramFramson]

Well, then it's clear that the other game companies had better step up to the plate and bring out their own high-quality anime tits if they want to compete. 

[ced1106]

Well, then it's clear that the other game companies had better step up to the plate and bring out their own high-quality anime tits if they want to compete. 

Too late! : http://www.rightstufanime.com/category/Figures

[beefcake]

Wow, so many people pledged so much money. Yearly mini budgets blown in one go!

[The Voivod]

Yeah I really don't get this one.
Many of the models just give me the heeby-jeeby's and not in a good way. It feels like it would fit in south park, but without the self awareness.
I've seen the game-play on beast of war and am far from impressed. Either very little decision making (hunting) or random as all $&^&.
The art is suffering from the same 'edgieness' as the models.

On the positive side. The physicall quality seems very high. I don't like the sculpts, but they're technically impressive and some of the more subdued models are actually very nice.
The book and cards, while I don't like much of the subject matter, are high quality as well.

I've seen plenty kickstarter with better communication getting blasted while fans still sing Poots praises, but in the end he did deliver.
Which in my mind is the most important thing a kickstarter should do. If you back on kickstarter, you better have some patience.
That said: A final delivery date of 2020 would really give me pause. I never trust an estimate and fully expect delay.

I've personally sunk about 300 euro's in two Myth kickstarters each and plan on backing the third
But the ammount of money being spend here in one go: wow.

I see no reason to assume Poots will not deliver in the end, thus far, though.
Good luck to the backers.