TG Crowdfunding Thread 3: Far West has been released. That's not a joke.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > TG Crowdfunding Thread 3: Far West has been released. That's not a joke.

«‹›587 »

Japanese Dating Sim: Nov 12, 2003; hehe; Lipstick Apathy

Merauder posted:

Yeah, I don't understand that response either. Elaborate, CMON haters?

Maybe it was meant to be gently caress CMON's previous practices?

# ? Mar 8, 2017 05:47

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 14, 2024 04:01

GrandpaPants: Feb 13, 2006; Free to roam the heavens in man's noble quest to investigate the weirdness of the universe!

Japanese Dating Sim posted:

Maybe it was meant to be gently caress CMON's previous practices?

I mean their current practices (i.e., gameplay-relevant Kickstarter exclusives) still suck, but at least they're getting better?

# ? Mar 8, 2017 05:51

al-azad: May 28, 2009

If anything I would be upset at agreeing to sell at a set price. Without looking at the fine print we can't know how long the contract is valid (and what the hell is CMON going to do, not sell something to you in the future?) but the moment I'm sitting on 9 copies of a dusty game for several months it's going to get slashed. Especially when (and it's not "if" it's "when") online retailers get their hands on it.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 08:20

potatocubed: Jul 26, 2012; *rathian noises*

unseenlibrarian posted:

Yeah, I mostly just mean take it a step further and have all the little history segments offer mechanical and/or plot engagement, Like, okay, so you buy the lore about ancient wizarding empires with castles in the sky. This unlocks options like "SECRETS OF THE CLOUDCHITECTS" where you learn how to manufacture lighter-than-air fortifications, and meanwhile Bob's invested in the Elf-Dwarf conflict and has "STAR-CROSSED DESTINY" and is due to fall in love with an elf whose family doesn't approve.

I really like this idea?

Are you likely to do anything with it? (Because if not, I might.)

Covok posted:

With the plethora of FRPG out on the market at the moment, what would it take for you to trust a kickstarter of a new one? This isn't so much a discussion of a real KS, but a hypothetical one. Don't know if thread appropriate.

Some combination of:

Complete rules available to any backer, the moment the campaign starts.
PbtA mechanics, because I'm a sucker for those.
If not PbtA, then really neat mechanics as well.
Some sort of unique take: Fellowship's overlord playbook, The Watch's focus on women and NB folk, that sort of thing.
Pretty art. I backed Numenera because Kieran Yanner is brilliant, for example.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 10:13

The_Doctor: Mar 29, 2007; "The entire history of this incarnation is one of temporal orbits, retcons, paradoxes, parallel time lines, reiterations, and divergences. How anyone can make head or tail of all this chaos, I don't know."

I backed Arkham Ritual because it's $9 with free shipping to the US.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 10:13

HazCat: May 4, 2009

The_Doctor posted:

I backed Arkham Ritual because it's $9 with free shipping to the US.

I originally backed because it was only $11 including shipping to Australia. Then I upgraded to the level that also includes the anime sheep game, and now I can't use the excuse that it's cheap anymore :sigh:

# ? Mar 8, 2017 11:11

Ratpick: Oct 9, 2012; And no one ate dinner that night.

Covok posted:

With the plethora of FRPG out on the market at the moment, what would it take for you to trust a kickstarter of a new one? This isn't so much a discussion of a real KS, but a hypothetical one. Don't know if thread appropriate.

For me it'd have to be a combination of some or all of the following:

The game needs to do its own thing. I don't want another fantasy RPG about going into dungeons, killing goblins and taking their stuff, I've got plenty of those already.
However, I'll forgive an FRPG for rehashing the above formula as long as one of its core activities is so well-designed as to raise it way above D&D but different in that regard.
But I won't take your word for that one part being really well-designed sight-unseen: show me at least a rough draft of the mechanics or some work-in-progress examples, or even better have a video ready demonstrating the core gameplay (not a lot of tabletop RPG Kickstarters do this which is a drat shame: show, don't tell.).
I'd preferably have a setting with a fresh take on fantasy or at least a different focus.
A good and unique aesthetic. Most big-name fantasy RPGs on the market are very similar and samey in terms of art style to the point where I have a hard time distinguishing between whether a certain piece is from D&D, Pathfinder, Fantasy AGE or whatever. Give me a unique aesthetic that hasn't been done to death in fantasy RPGs.

Similarly, the following things I have no interest in to the point where I consider them warning signs:

I don't care how many years you've played D&D or Pathfinder for, if those are the only games you mention as your inspirations I'm going to assume that you have a very narrow view of RPG design and you're probably not going to be able to produce novel mechanics.
I don't care about how many classes your game has, or how many races, or how many feats or whatever. I don't care about the numbers, show me the kinds of characters you can create in your game and how your game actually supports those characters through the rules.
Conversely, if you say something to the effect of giving boundless freedom in creating your character I'm going to assume that your system is an unfocused mess that doesn't have a strong unique tone to it.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 12:39

unseenlibrarian: Jun 4, 2012; There's only one thing in the mountains that leaves a track like this. The creature of legend that roams the Timberline. My people named him Sasquatch. You call him... Bigfoot.

potatocubed posted:

I really like this idea?

Are you likely to do anything with it? (Because if not, I might.)

Go for it! I just like the mechanic from the two games that had it and want to see it used more.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 13:19

Teabag Dome Scandal: Mar 19, 2002

GrandpaPants posted:

I mean their current practices (i.e., gameplay-relevant Kickstarter exclusives) still suck, but at least they're getting better?

I'm still waiting on my copy of Arcadia Quest Inferno. They had a few crates in the US being held up for a few weeks by customs and said nothing about it. We're about 8 months late at this point.

Not sure what your criteria for better is but Rising Sun has a shitload of exclusives already and we're at day 2. I'm pro giving local game stores money directly over them especially if they're able to sell copies with the exclusives.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 18:03

Japanese Dating Sim: Nov 12, 2003; hehe; Lipstick Apathy

Teabag Dome Scandal posted:

I'm still waiting on my copy of Arcadia Quest Inferno. They had a few crates in the US being held up for a few weeks by customs and said nothing about it. We're about 8 months late at this point.

Not sure what your criteria for better is but Rising Sun has a shitload of exclusives already and we're at day 2. I'm pro giving local game stores money directly over them especially if they're able to sell copies with the exclusives.

Better would be CMON allowing stores to sell games with exclusives. Which they're doing, as you said. Only 12, which will lead to problems if the game has any sort of sustained sales, but it's better than nothing.

And it's not exactly sticking it to CMON to buy Rising Sun from a store.

It's just kind of a weird context to express approval of a new policy CMON has implemented to the benefit of local game stores, followed by "gently caress CMON."

But whatever, I don't disagree with the overall sentiment of "gently caress CMON."

# ? Mar 8, 2017 18:26

Dr. Light: Dec 16, 2006

The_Doctor posted:

I backed Arkham Ritual because it's $9 with free shipping to the US.

Ooo - I might have to back this too. My partner loves all things Lovecraft and we need more intro games for friends.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 18:46

GrandpaPants: Feb 13, 2006; Free to roam the heavens in man's noble quest to investigate the weirdness of the universe!

Teabag Dome Scandal posted:

Not sure what your criteria for better is but Rising Sun has a shitload of exclusives already and we're at day 2.

My criteria for better is no (gameplay-related) exclusives.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 19:16

Alien Rope Burn: Dec 5, 2004; _{I wanna be a saikyo HERO!}

Good news regarding Carmen Bellaire at Palladium's usual product promotion puff:

Kevin Siembieda posted:

UPDATE: Carmen Bellaire is BACK!
Carmen is recuperating and doing as well as can be expected. I spoke with him on Tuesday, and he sounded tired and low key, but seemed to be in good spirits and was already tinkering with the rules for the Rifts� board game. Our sincere thanks to those of you who have expressed your support and well wishes for Carmen, his family, and the Rifts� board game.

UPDATE: Rifts� Board Game from Rogue Heroes� LLC is a go � Kickstarter launch April/May, 2017

I spoke with Carmen and was shocked to learn he is still shooting for an April Kickstarter launch for the Rifts� Board Game Kickstarter � probably the middle or end of April, 2017. That means Carmen�s Kickstarter will run from the middle or end of April into the first half of May (tentative). When I spoke with Carmen he sounded a bit low key, but positive and in good spirits. He doesn�t want anything that has happened to stop the launch of his Rifts� board game Kickstarter and his game company Rogue Heroes� LLC. We applaud Carmen for his tenacity and not giving up on his dreams, we just hope he paces himself. He seems highly motivated and says getting back to doing something he loves is helping with his recovery.

The Rifts� board game is the brainchild of experienced game designer Carmen Bellaire, and the culmination of something like 2+ years in the making. He plans to launch the game as a Kickstarter by his game company Rogue Heroes, LLC, under license with Palladium Books. We approve everything, so I have seen all the amazing digital sculpts, artwork and hard work that has gone into the making of this game. This is a game every Rifts� fan will want to own. It offers detailed miniatures of your favorite iconic Rifts� heroes and Coalition troops in dynamic poses, powerful artwork and the game is fun to play. It truly captures the essence of Rifts� in a tabletop game. A typical game lasts approximately 90 minutes on average, as you battle your way through the Chi-Town �Burbs against the army of the Coalition States. I�m trying not to gush about how excited I am about this game and especially that Carmen is back to finishing it and launching his Kickstarter as planned! If this game interests you at all, please help support it. You can go to Carmen�s Facebook page to see more images and up-to-date information. Thank you.

http://www.facebook.com/RogueHeroesPublishing

And at Rogue Heroes' Facebook page:

Carmen Bellaire posted:

Hello Everyone

I wanted to post today to say thank you all for the outpouring of well wishes, prayers and words of encouragement, both in private messages and here on the page. I will not go into the reason for my hospital stay; I think most of you know the reason anyway. I just wanted to let you all know that I am out of the hospital and that I am in the process of getting better. The meds help, as does having my family, friends and all of you seeing me through my recovery. While I am recovering, my team and I are continuing to push forward on the Rifts Board Game. It�s always been a dream of mine to create a board game set in the exciting world of Rifts, with awesome miniatures and cool gameplay. I will not let this personal setback endanger that dream and I plan to make the Rifts Board Game the best game I can. There is so much in Rifts that I want to bring to the table top, to be able to see, feel, touch and move around minis of Glitter Boys, Juicers, Cyber-Knights, Ley Line Walkers, Coalition soldiers, etc�I am so excited about it all, I have to pace myself to make it the very best board game possible. Thank you all for listening to my ramblings and I will continue to work hard to make this vision of Rifts possible.

Thank you again
Carmen

I don't know if I'm too worried about the board game, but I'm glad to hear he's made it through.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 22:37

vlad3217: Jul 26, 2005; beer and cheese?!

yaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy!

From the boardgames thread:

Legacy tic tac toe

# ? Mar 9, 2017 03:35

GrandpaPants: Feb 13, 2006; Free to roam the heavens in man's noble quest to investigate the weirdness of the universe!

Amidst all the Rising Sun chat, this gem went unnoticed: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847271320/munchkin-shakespeare?ref=category

# ? Mar 9, 2017 06:39

Peas and Rice: Jul 14, 2004; Honor and profit.

Oh nostalgia. I remember when Munchkin was funny, the first few times we played it back in 2004 or so.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 06:46

Alien Rope Burn: Dec 5, 2004; _{I wanna be a saikyo HERO!}

GrandpaPants posted:

Amidst all the Rising Sun chat, this gem went unnoticed: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847271320/munchkin-shakespeare?ref=category

They keep hurting us and I have to keep reminding myself that it's not somehow our fault.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 07:05

That Old Tree: Jun 24, 2012; nah

One game of Munchkin I played was 12 hours long in our hotel at GenCon, from around 10pm to 10am. We kept de-leveling ourselves and each other, over and over. As people began shuffling into the cafe area for the hotel's complimentary breakfast, I was about to hit level 10 but then de-leveled myself and everyone else, and I was the only one willing to keep going after that. Everyone else wanted to go to a restaurant before the convention hall opened back up. So I won by default.

That's the best game of Munchkin I've ever played, because it makes for a funny story, and that's only because it's an incredibly lovely game where you can use your boring ~jokes~ cards to screw each other over continuously for literally half a day.

$250,000

# ? Mar 9, 2017 07:18

Terrible Opinions: Oct 18, 2013

Munchkin is good. It paid for my ultra deluxe edition of OGRE.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 07:27

Alien Rope Burn: Dec 5, 2004; _{I wanna be a saikyo HERO!}

To be fair I was able to sell off my Munchkin cards for more than I actually paid for them. I don't understand why. I just have to accept it.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 07:29

Antivehicular: Dec 30, 2011; I wanna sing one for the cars
That are right now headed silent down the highway
And it's dark and there is nobody driving And something has got to give

I still own several sets of Munchkin cards, because the mistakes we make in youth haunt us forever.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 07:31

Terrible Opinions: Oct 18, 2013

I feel as though my 40k minis gathering dust in the closet are a much greater shame than a munchkin deck or two.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 07:34

Kai Tave: Jul 2, 2012; Fallen Rib

Terrible Opinions posted:

Munchkin is good. It paid for my ultra deluxe edition of OGRE.

What's Steve Jackson done since then that's worthy of note?

e; wait why does Steve Jackson need to Kickstart a Munchkin expansion? They've made dozens of the things, what's so special about this one that it needs to be crowdfunded? I thought Munchkin was SJG's day job and Kickstarter was for things like Ogre, so now they're just going to the crowdfunding well because "hey, why not?"

Kai Tave fucked around with this message at 10:20 on Mar 9, 2017

# ? Mar 9, 2017 10:18

Terrible Opinions: Oct 18, 2013

As far as I can tell nothing, but there's nothing really wrong with making money off games for moms. Now if Munchkin failing would get a new Illuminati edition printed then death to Munchkin, but I doubt that is a real possibility.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 11:05

Flavivirus: Dec 14, 2011; The next stage of evolution.

Terrible Opinions posted:

As far as I can tell nothing, but there's nothing really wrong with making money off games for moms. Now if Munchkin failing would get a new Illuminati edition printed then death to Munchkin, but I doubt that is a real possibility.

Yeah, the truth is that Kickstarter can simultaneously act as a preorder store for one project and a lifeline for another without either getting harmed. In fact big publishers using KS normally end up increasing the number of people using the site and checking out other projects. I guess I just don't get what damage people think projects like this are doing.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 11:22

Bieeanshee: Aug 21, 2000; Not keen on keening.; Grimey Drawer

Didn't they have some kind of exclusivity agreement with Target for Munchkin?

# ? Mar 9, 2017 13:21

moths: Aug 25, 2004; I would also still appreciate some danger.

SJG may be leveraging "Kickstarter is not a store" in a new way.

(But you're probably thinking Cards Against Humanity. I've seen Munchkin everywhere.)

# ? Mar 9, 2017 14:11

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004

Kai Tave posted:

What's Steve Jackson done since then that's worthy of note?

e; wait why does Steve Jackson need to Kickstart a Munchkin expansion? They've made dozens of the things, what's so special about this one that it needs to be crowdfunded? I thought Munchkin was SJG's day job and Kickstarter was for things like Ogre, so now they're just going to the crowdfunding well because "hey, why not?"

They don't -need- to, but if you could get all your production costs covered up front, and know that people will still buy the dumbass thing afterwards, why not?

# ? Mar 9, 2017 14:28

Bieeanshee: Aug 21, 2000; Not keen on keening.; Grimey Drawer

moths posted:

SJG may be leveraging "Kickstarter is not a store" in a new way.

(But you're probably thinking Cards Against Humanity. I've seen Munchkin everywhere.)

I apparently misunderstood a press release I saw a while back. There have been Target-exclusive sets, but you're right, Munchkin-at-large is widely available.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 15:22

Lord Hypnostache: Nov 6, 2009; OATHBREAKER

I enjoyed Munchkin as a teenager, when it was pretty much babby's first trad game for my group of friends. I own several versions of the game. Only half of those I have bought myself, others have been gifted to me until I had to tell people "Stop gifting me Munchkin, it's not a good game!"

Also once we played a single game for five hours, it was not fun nor was there any skill involved.

That's my Munchkin story.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 15:53

Japanese Dating Sim: Nov 12, 2003; hehe; Lipstick Apathy

Rising Sun Update:

Total Pledged: $1.685mil

Total Gameplay-changing KS Exclusives: 9 (I think, without having a rulebook I'm assuming that the non-miniature extras are just component upgrades or visual aids. There's 14 total KS exclusives that are unlocked so far.)

Next stretch goal: A KS-exclusive clan which will change the KS version from accomodating 3-5 players to 3-6.

End Rising Sun Update

Oh, CMON. :allears:

# ? Mar 9, 2017 15:54

8one6: May 20, 2012; When in doubt, err on the side of Awesome!

Covok posted:

With the plethora of FRPG out on the market at the moment, what would it take for you to trust a kickstarter of a new one? This isn't so much a discussion of a real KS, but a hypothetical one. Don't know if thread appropriate.

For me the RPG would at least have to be at the rough draft stage with the rules complete or nearly complete. Basically if the KS is for art/editing/public awareness/playtesting/etc.

This is going to make me sound like a dick, but most of the RPG kickstarters I've backed the authors have other full time jobs. I'm by no means suggesting that they quit those (because that path likely leads to financial ruin) but if you're working on your fantasy game in your spare time then you can wait until your finished with the game before you ask for money for it.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 16:01

Alien Rope Burn: Dec 5, 2004; _{I wanna be a saikyo HERO!}

Kai Tave posted:

What's Steve Jackson done since then that's worthy of note?

e; wait why does Steve Jackson need to Kickstart a Munchkin expansion? They've made dozens of the things, what's so special about this one that it needs to be crowdfunded? I thought Munchkin was SJG's day job and Kickstarter was for things like Ogre, so now they're just going to the crowdfunding well because "hey, why not?"

Here's their explanation. YMMV, of course, but there you have it.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 16:48

Jedit: Dec 10, 2011; Proudly supporting vanilla legends 1994-2014

Japanese Dating Sim posted:

Oh, CMON.

Apart from the lack of exasperated emphasis, a fairly accurate assessment.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 17:04

Kwyndig: Sep 23, 2006; Heeeeeey

Alien Rope Burn posted:

Here's their explanation. YMMV, of course, but there you have it.

Honestly I can't see a Shakespeare expansion doing that well anywhere except amongst die-hard fanatics of Munchkin or Shakespeare or both, so Kickstarter makes sense to me at least.

I mean, I'm not going to back it, but there you go.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 17:06

GrandpaPants: Feb 13, 2006; Free to roam the heavens in man's noble quest to investigate the weirdness of the universe!

Japanese Dating Sim posted:

Rising Sun Update:

Note also that the map has 8 different colors, meaning that there's a good chance that there are 2 more (Kickstarter exclusive, naturally) stretch goal clans. So if you buy it at retail, you can always be reminded of what you're missing.

Also, the retail package has 9 of the neutral/monster figures, while there have already been 9 Kickstarter exclusive ones. Edit: 9 in the retail, didn't see Oni of Plagues was somehow not Kickstarter exclusive!

# ? Mar 9, 2017 18:45

occamsnailfile: Nov 4, 2007; zamtrios so lonely; Grimey Drawer

Given that even high profile companies have been using KS for a while now, it almost seems like an industry standard. We don't really have much in the way of RPG news sites or print magazines, RPG.net just reviews what they want--they don't accept press releases. So when a company wants to launch a product and promote it, KS provides a ready platform that aggregates all news updates (at least if they bother to use updates instead of their personal twitter or reddit or whatever) and gives a funding total that lets backers feel like they're participating in the process and have themselves succeeded when the campaign succeeds. It doesn't help that most game companies, even board games and mini companies, can't afford a lot in the way of traditional advertising so social media promotion is almost the only way to get word out.

That KS also allows small niche products to exist that otherwise wouldn't be able to is something I consider a bonus.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 18:51

Peas and Rice: Jul 14, 2004; Honor and profit.

I got my print copy of MASHED in the mail last night, and it looks fantastic! I didn't realize the pages were actually in color too. I may try to run a game of this at OrcaCon next year.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 18:54

Bieeanshee: Aug 21, 2000; Not keen on keening.; Grimey Drawer

occamsnailfile posted:

Given that even high profile companies have been using KS for a while now, it almost seems like an industry standard.

I agree. eBay and Etsy started the same way, focusing on flea-market odds and ends or handicrafts, and now they both support what amounts to massive storefronts with those same small operators hanging around in the margins.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 19:05

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 14, 2024 04:01

GrandpaPants: Feb 13, 2006; Free to roam the heavens in man's noble quest to investigate the weirdness of the universe!

occamsnailfile posted:

That KS also allows small niche products to exist that otherwise wouldn't be able to is something I consider a bonus.

One thing that I gathered is that a lot of these companies, such as Level 99 Games, don't generate enough sales to be able to actually fund their own stuff most of the time. That is, they can make enough to earn some profit and make something resembling a living, but that's still not enough to put up the capital to do a production run. L99 ran into this problem with Millennium Blades, and the Gloomhaven people are in a similar situation. So instead of getting a loan from a bank, they just turn to crowdfunding to generate production, which is something that I'm glad is available as an option, but I am biased because they make rad as hell games.

# ? Mar 9, 2017 19:13

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > TG Crowdfunding Thread 3: Far West has been released. That's not a joke.

«‹›587 »