I’m a Backer of … Not that Much
Every week for the last few months, I have discussed a project I am passionate about in this space. Though those articles tended to cover games being launched on Kickstarter, they would occasionally cover a wider sphere of topics. It has been my pleasure to share with you these projects that I really believe in with you – my loyal readers.
Though I am still backing a couple of projects, today we must buck this trend.
So if I’m still backing a few projects, why aren’t I sharing them with the rest of you? Why aren’t I arguing persuasively that the rest of you should back them as well? A couple of reasons.
Currently I am backing four projects. Of these four, two of them I have already shared with you (EnWorld and Rivet Wars,) and two of them I am backing for the moment, but have significant reservations on.
The first project I am not sure I am going to stick with is Games and Gears Pro Studio Brushes. At their lower reward levels, they offer tremendous value, sure, but they have been doing a couple of things that are leaving me a little cold. The first is that their communications are particularly effective, and their pitch is starting to get a little tired because of it, and the second is that I worry with the stretch goals starting to add up, they might be offering too much value. You know what they say about things that are too good to be true and all.
The second project is Rick Priestly’s foundering mini project, Beyond the Gates of Antares. To date there have been a lot of promises, and a few big names, but little in the way of concrete details about game mechanics or art/sculpts of the character of the universe they are creating. I get that part of the reason for this is so that backers can influence the direction of the development and everything, but I want to know that the big names behind a project are designing the solid and compelling framework of a game, before they let their fans tinker and make suggestions. I’m all for community feedback, but I want a solid product too.
Regardless, some of the choices in that project scream vaporware, not that it is likely to fund anyway. Right now they have a few of my dollars, but with 30 days left at their halfway mark, I have plenty of time to decide whether I want it to stay that way.
On the whole, post-Christmas Kickstarter projects have been a little on the weak side, in my opinion. I’m seeing plenty of small-scale passion projects, and a few repeat offenders out there, but I’m not seeing much that screams “back me!” That’s just as well I suppose, as I have been finding other uses for my discretionary income with my recent deep dive back into the world of mini painting (and a need to buy a few models to round out a certain mystery army I will be sharing in the near future.)
Half the fun of Kickstarter phenomenon for me has been the community. The swag is nice, but I have really enjoyed contributing to projects and seeing those projects succeed in a big way. So, since at the moment I don’t see much out there that catches my eye, do the rest of you have any suggestions? Do you think I’ve missed something that might deserve a second look? Link away in the comments.
Caffeineforge 
Oy. I just looked at the “Beyond the Gates of Antares” project.
“We’re here so that we can see if you are interested in not only backing us to fund the project but also if you’re interested in helping us develop the game rules, artwork, miniature range, tactical abilities, scenery, vehicles and everything else.”
Um…no, guys, I’m not especially interested in designing your game for you. If I were willing and able to design a game, I’d design my own damned game and have my own damned Kickstarter project.
My backing has been somewhat limited of late. I’m backing Bryan Q Miller’s “Earthbound”, because I quite enjoyed his run on “Batgirl” before they revamped their universe.
I’m considering “Compounded”, from Dice Hate Me. This is their fourth KS campaign, and this will be the fourth to fund. Two of them have shipped, one is nearly shipped (it’s on the boat due today), so they have a good track record. The game seems like it could be fun. I’m actually not sure why I’m on the fence with this one, but I am.
The one project that I think is really a good one is Cryamore. I have to say, it’s probably the best put-together project proposal I’ve ever seen on KS. The video is clever, the text is informative about the game, the creators, the art and design style, why they chose the goal amount, where that money’s going, and the actually used the “Risks and Challenges” to address risks and challenges, as well as how they plan to overcome them. I think other prospective KS project creators should look to this as their benchmark.
(I think the game looks pretty good too.)
Brian.
There is a place in crowd funding I think to mold your product to the desires of your backers; I’m okay with that.
I just want the creator to start the process with a :”this is what we want to make and it’s 90% realized/designed/implemented, what could we do to make it better” arrangement. I feel like this project will fail, but it might evolve into something worth really supporting in its next iteration.
PS – It’s “Earthward” and I just backed it. I like it’s vibe, and it’s price was reasonable enough.
Keep these arlcites coming as they’ve opened many new doors for me.