Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Kickstarter Virgin No More




Time to Jump in the Pool?


I've never participated in a Kickstarter (KS) campaign.  I just don't get the concept; you give money to get something...probably.  I've heard all about the warnings and pitfalls, and successes as well.  I know that it usually works out.  I also am not a fan of the wait time for arrival:  paying to get  something in 6 months to a year...if it's on time.  But KS are certainly now 'a thing' and part of our hobby.  To be clear, I don't have anything against KS, it's just something that's never clicked with me.  Seems to me like a great way to perpetually spend money only to forget what you bought.  Until it arrives on your doorstep and you go "oh yeah, this thing!  Yay!"  Then you put the thing on the shelf where it stays for infinity.    

There's also the horror stories of people having backed a successful KS and then a huge box arrives with a hundred or so unpainted miniatures!  You can hear the lead pile laughing at our futile efforts to reduce it's size and girth...

This matches my experiences with purchases of large numbers of miniatures at once, because it was 'a good deal.'  I've done this about 3 times in the past:  The first was a success;  I purchased about 200 miniatures of the Gripping Beast plastic dark ages miniatures (6 boxes at once!) and actually proceeded to paint most of them. Yes, I still have some sprues lying around but overall a success.  Of course, this set me up for complete failure the next two times.  For example; some years ago I purchased someone's Norman army project that he was abandoning; it was maybe about a quarter painted but a WHOLE LOT of bare metal and plastic.  The whole collection was probably over 150 miniatures and a mix of cavalry,  infantry, and archers (I forget the actual numbers now).  It was a good deal, expensive but good.  When it arrived I was thinking "now I have everything for my Norman army and time to do Battle of Hastings.  Right after some serious painting."  

And I've barely touched them.  Sometimes I hear them calling at night.  Over a hundred tiny voices...


I don't browse the KS site, so when I do hear of a KS it's usually through a wargaming podcast or something posted on TMP or Lead Adventure.  I've also never been super tempted by anything that I have come across.   

Until now.

The Tempting Temptations


The first thing to catch my eye was a boardgame that does shield-wall combat. I love the dark ages and ranks of spears and shields bashing into each other.  It's called Battle Ravens by Dan Mersey.







You can find the KS page HERE.

I won't go into all the game play stuff that you can see on the KS page, if you're interested enough to read it.  I ultimately decided not to back this project, as the game play seemed a little too simplistic for me, the more I looked at the I started to dislike the little paper soldiers, and the real deal killer was the English Pound to American Dollar exchange rate.  It made it too expensive for what it was.


I mention that KS just to tell you about the next one.  It's funny how these things happen in groups;  that being tempted by 1 KS makes it more likely that I'd be even MORE tempted into another.  
That's probably a theory of psychology that I should know better. Sounds like 'Foot in the Door Technique' except that I did it to myself.

In a short period of time after Battle Ravens I stumbled onto this boardgame based on Antietam..



You can see the KS page HERE


This project I backed, and it seems like the perfect project to commit to for my first time.  Everyone knows I'm in love with the ACW, and of the ACW my favorite battle is Antietam.    So when it finally arrives sometime mid next year my excite will not have diminished.  The rules seem good and somewhat familiar to Fire and Fury, which means I'll probably like them.  It'll also serve as a good resource for my Brigade Fire and Fury scenario that I've been working on slowly.  And strangely I don't have any ACW boardgames besides Battlecry.

I think it's wise to use KS to invest in a boardgame, because it comes ready to play.  Too many times have I bought into a miniature project and not really taken into account the time it would take to assemble and paint the miniatures and terrain; therefore the project stalls.  Doomed to forever in storage or I sell it off.  Big piles of unpainted miniatures are intimidating and depressing to me.  just stuff that can't be used that takes up space and creates the expectation that I am not painting enough.

Experimentation is Normal

I'm seeing the whole thing as an experiment.  Will I be excited when the game arrives? Will I actually play it or will it just sit on the shelf? Will it even arrive? Will I go off the deep end and start to pledging to every KS that looks like a good time?  Will I have to start selling off possessions to fund my KS habit? 


Only time will tell.

Thanks for reading along.  : )

20 comments:

  1. I've only backed one Kickstarter ( Steel Fist dismounted 16th century knights) because I wanted to see them made plus it wasn't a whole lot of money nor a whole lot of figures, I've painted some and some are primed now ready to be painted. On the subject of large numbers of unpainted figures, I've just about finished priming the last of the Italian wars figures I bought about 5/5 years ago, which I realise is about right for the speed I paint,I need to take a longer view, so I'm going to continue curbing figure purchases (at least in volume) and paint what I've got, having 100s of figures arriving in the post would be depressing in a funny way!
    Best Iain

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    1. I agree, it’d be funny but then I would feel like I’d wasted my money until they were all painted. That’s kinda why I went with a boardgame since it comes ready to play.
      I’m also trying to take a longer view of my miniatures purchases; that sounds like a good subject for a future post! 😀

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  2. Stew, sorry, I wrote a huge chunk on my views of Kickstarter and why I am not a fan, hit publish button and my iPad (AGAIN!!!!) decided I was not logged in to Blogger for commenting, even though I can use my own Dashboard! (don't ask me why) so I lost everything and haven't got the will to go there again :-) .

    Anyway, here I now sit with a good old reliable Chromebook, superb for Blogger. One thing I did say was that Worthington have a reputation of reliability for KS, so I think your Antietam KS is a safe bet.

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    1. That is frustrating. And lame.
      At some other time, I’d like to read what you had tried to write. 😀
      I am not sure if I’ll be a fan of KS or not, it’s all an experiment.

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  3. I have given a dollar to Reaper for a Bones kickstarter, but other than that I have avoided them... I am just too cheap to cough up the big bucks, particularly when I can not immediately add to the leadpile but have to wait.

    I have missed some great small ranges though, only available as a one time thing, and that is pretty annoying. May have to set aside some money for the next one of those to come along... would not want any more FOMO.

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    1. FOMO?
      I also don’t like shelling out big bucks on a gamble. Sometimes I think I might be missing out on some stuff like unique ranges but I also think that if I bought them and never use them the end result is the same, except I keep the cash.

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    2. Fear Of Missing Out.

      If I worried overly much about buying only what I would use I would not have such a giant stockpile of games and miniatures... wait...

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  4. Best of luck in your Antietam KS. Worthington make some good games. The one I own is decidedly on the simple side. It will interesting to see what Worthington means in the Old School description when the game is produced.

    I have participated in two KSs. One was delivered on time and the second looks ready to deliver on time.

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    1. Thanks Jon; but that word simple makes me worry. I don’t mind simple mechanics but I’m usually not a fan of simple games (if that makes sense). Guess I’ll have to wait and see but it highlights a negative of KS; buy before you try (or read someone’s review).
      Still, I read the rules draft and it seemed so similar to Brigade Fire and Fury I was hopeful that I would like it.

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  5. The Kickstarter idea has never caught my fancy. I figure that in the long run, I'm coming out ahead--or at least breaking even--by taking a sure thing and paying full price once something has actually been produced and hits the market as opposed to betting on something that may not ever see the light of day. I suppose if the producer had a good reputation and I knew something of them, though, it might be different (Worthington sounds like a good investment).

    Good luck, and make sure that you do a follow up post to let us know how it comes out! I may be a convert.

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    1. I think in the long run you are correct; and I wonder if people spend more on KS than they would on retail bc they think they’re getting a bargain. I dunno.
      I’ll be sure to update super quick in 6 months on how it all came out. We might both be converted. 😀

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  6. "You've taken your first steps into a larger world" Let's just say, I don't see you stopping with backing just one Kickstarter lol!
    I was looking at this one myself and it looks really good - and your unlocked stretch goals do too.
    I've backed 35 so far in three years, with only one having big issues - which I'll be talking about in a future blog post of mine.

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    1. Extra points for the SW quote.
      35 in 3 years seems like a huge number. There must be boxes of stuff constantly arriving at your door!
      Let’s see how this experience plays out before I become hooked on KS. 😀

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  7. As you know, I've spent out on quite a few kickstarter campaigns, and not just gaming ones. So far, all but one has come through (The one that hasn't is looking as though us backers are likely to be out of pocket - a poor investment.), which is not a bad track record. My main goal with minis/wargames kickstarters is to get products at a far cheaper price than MSRP and also the xtras or stretchgoals that you'd not otherwise be able to pick up after the Kickstarter is over. I've gotten some really cool figs and other stuff due to that.

    As for the length of time it takes for fullfillment - I dont mind that at all. I already have a shite tonne of stuff to be getting on with, so it gives me time (Theoretically) to try to grind down other stuff in my unpainted mountain.

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    1. Yeah, I’d say that your experience with KS has been a positive one with a good track record. There are definitely some real gems out there that are worth watching for. 😀

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  8. I have never plumbed myself for a KS but mainly because i haven’t seen something I specifically want ?, these games look great though

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    1. Same here; never really saw anything that was so super awesome that I needed. Even these games (while looking good) just happen to be close to my interests and came along close together so that the combined effect was a ‘hey why not?’

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  9. Yeah so many good ones as well lately. I've stuck to smaller ones this years so 20 or less miniatures.

    Got Dead Earth game Dwarven Pirates, Oathsworn anthropomorphic Mages, Crooked Dice Apocalypse and then last month Street Wars Mollies!

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    1. KS seems to be the main way you buy miniatures now! 😀

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