Though I am a big fan of Monte Cooke, I decided not to participate in the Strange Kickstarter. Quite frankly, this year has been a really good year for gaming with Numenera, 13th Age, and DnD Next all coming to fruition. It is sad to say, but I have too many other good RPGs to play. Oh, and I am moving, which doesn't exactly make for the most opportune time to get involved in new kickstarters.
I guess I have other reasons too. Kickstarters that offer non-exclusive content make it hard for me to feel special as a backer. For Numenera, my book came in after GenCon, and while I was there, I saw lots of other folks buying up Numenera stuff without taking the risk of the kickstarter. So how was being part of the kickstarter worth the risk? Because my name was in the book? Did I get a big discount? Its hard to tell on RPG books and certainly what risk is their with receiving PDFs? I remember at the end of Numenera, there was an email about Amazon underselling the kickstarter price for the core book, which was really disheartening. I've been through a lot of kickstarters and it is starting to feel like too many well-established companies are using them to expand their offerings without making it a special offer for those contributing and taking the risk. It is only a bit more of a kick in the teeth when the content comes out under restrictive licenses -- if other folks are funding your dream, shouldn't there be some sharing involved?
One kickstarter type I can usually get excited about are miniatures kickstarters. I've backed several, some slower and some faster than others, but at the end of the day, they are pretty low risk if the company has done it before, and the company offers some steep discounts because you are helping to get all the start-up greens and molds paid for by guaranteeing their first sales. It really is a win-win.
Another class of kickstarters I feel good about are those where someone doing something really unique. Some good examples are all of the kickstarters by Andy Hopp (Low Life Miniatures, Low Life: Rise of the Lowly (Core Rulebook), Dementalism: Lots of Snazzy New Stuff). I am a big fan of Andy because his content is so unique. He's also a great guy to meet in person, if you get the chance. Another good example is Ehdrigohr, probably want of the most inspiring new RPGs I've read in a long time. There just isn't much out there like these projects.
There are, of course, other kickstarters I've liked a lot. Someday when I'm really bored, I will have to go through the list again and figure out my report card. Unfortunately, today, I am somewhat lamenting the fact that I am not Strange. But who knows, maybe I can get Strange next time I'm at gencon. By then, I might even be ready to play it.
I guess I have other reasons too. Kickstarters that offer non-exclusive content make it hard for me to feel special as a backer. For Numenera, my book came in after GenCon, and while I was there, I saw lots of other folks buying up Numenera stuff without taking the risk of the kickstarter. So how was being part of the kickstarter worth the risk? Because my name was in the book? Did I get a big discount? Its hard to tell on RPG books and certainly what risk is their with receiving PDFs? I remember at the end of Numenera, there was an email about Amazon underselling the kickstarter price for the core book, which was really disheartening. I've been through a lot of kickstarters and it is starting to feel like too many well-established companies are using them to expand their offerings without making it a special offer for those contributing and taking the risk. It is only a bit more of a kick in the teeth when the content comes out under restrictive licenses -- if other folks are funding your dream, shouldn't there be some sharing involved?
One kickstarter type I can usually get excited about are miniatures kickstarters. I've backed several, some slower and some faster than others, but at the end of the day, they are pretty low risk if the company has done it before, and the company offers some steep discounts because you are helping to get all the start-up greens and molds paid for by guaranteeing their first sales. It really is a win-win.
Another class of kickstarters I feel good about are those where someone doing something really unique. Some good examples are all of the kickstarters by Andy Hopp (Low Life Miniatures, Low Life: Rise of the Lowly (Core Rulebook), Dementalism: Lots of Snazzy New Stuff). I am a big fan of Andy because his content is so unique. He's also a great guy to meet in person, if you get the chance. Another good example is Ehdrigohr, probably want of the most inspiring new RPGs I've read in a long time. There just isn't much out there like these projects.
There are, of course, other kickstarters I've liked a lot. Someday when I'm really bored, I will have to go through the list again and figure out my report card. Unfortunately, today, I am somewhat lamenting the fact that I am not Strange. But who knows, maybe I can get Strange next time I'm at gencon. By then, I might even be ready to play it.
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