Hubris and Hyperbole
This post is pretty much the greatest post you are going to read today. I wanted to start out humble, but I simply cannot contain how awesome it is that I will be using whole words and phrases in orders and ways you probably have never seen before, I…
I can’t do this. I can’t keep up that level of egotism for long. Not because I’m incapable of it, or I don’t enjoy it or anything but because if I keep it up, I might get stuck that way. It’s like what your mother always told you about your face sticking that way if kept it up too long. Really, what I want to talk about today is a trend I’m seeing on Kickstarter more and more, and why you shouldn’t do it.
Mini Mondays: A Crowded Field
As January comes to an end, I can’t help but think about how in two months or less, I (and several of my readers) will be inundated by a flood of minis from Reaper. In the lead up to such an event, you would imagine a calm before such a storm. A period of eerie peace and stillness while you wait for the next shoe to drop. If Kickstarter has its way though, this will not be the case. This week a whole slew of mini-centric projects dropped into an already crowded field.
Between tracking all these new projects, and working on the ones I already have, my bandwidth is feeling a little maxed out, but that’s no excuse to tune the new arrivals out .
Let’s explore them together.
I Don’t Get It
You’d think that in a marketplace of ideas, there would be so much variety in the hopes and dreams that people were trying to realize, that there wouldn’t be much in the way of repetition. You’d think that this would be where you would see real blue sky innovation occurring Apparently I am far too optimistic though, as I regularly see the same things coming up over and over. Maybe that isn’t being fair – maybe I just don’t understand how little tweeks to a core product are totally changing it and making it worthwhile, but I’m skeptical.
Want to know what projects top the charts in Kickstarter’s (apparently) most wanted?
The Year of Shadowrun
In my last post, I posited that 2013 is the Year of the New Edition. I made special mention of Shadowrun’s forthcoming fifth edition, which has me all aflutter. Shadowrun, as I’ve discussed, is a game that is near and dear to my heart –and I’m clearly not alone. Despite creeping up on its 25th anniversary, the Shadowrun property is experiencing a renaissance that few games ever approach. Look below the fold to find out why some are calling 2013 “The Year of Shadowrun.”
I’m a Backer: Rebuilding EN World
I thought this might be the first week since I started this segment that I would have nothing to endorse. Though volume has been up significantly, I haven’t found much that I believe in strongly enough to give them my money, recently. Then came this week’s project, and saved me from having to figure out what I might fill this space with instead.
This week I am a backer of Rebuilding EN World. Though this project offers some great digital swag for gamers, this project falls firmly into the “things I think the world is better off having” category. In that way, this project is closer to a certain space elevator to me, than to the much more analogous FATE Core project (which I am also a backer of.)
If you know what EN World is, why are you still reading this? Go back the project!
If you don’t, well – let me persuade you.
The Code Hero Villain
I hope everyone had a better weekend than I did. Normally I like to spend my time keeping busy searching for the latest and greatest on crowd funding and general geekery, but this weekend I was just busy in general. Sometimes things don’t go right at work, I get that – but if we abide by the old saying about rain, then this week(end) was a tropical monsoon. Still, I survived, and I did manage to find this one little tidbit to share with the rest of you.
Interested? You know what to do.
Miniature Mondays: Post Christmas Surge
This week, the floodgates seem to have burst on Kickstarter. Granted, a couple of the mini-centric projects I want to discuss have been going strong for a couple weeks now, and slipped under my radar, but there is definitely a surge of interest underway. For me, it started with the above pictured sculpt, an update from one of the many projects I have previously backed (Imbrian Arts.)
I love getting updates showing the work on some project or another slowly proceeding; it reminds me that not only will I eventually get something pretty cool, but the creator is hard at work on their dream – something I think we can all agree is pretty awesome. Anyway, this little guy (jungle goblin #2) rekindled my interest in going through Kickstarter with a fine tooth comb to see what cool projects are out there, in spite of the somewhat lackluster offerings we have been getting the last few weeks.
What I found was that 20% of Kicktraq’s top 20 is currently occupied by miniature heavy projects. Want to know which? Follow me.
Days of Wonder’s Kickstarter
I try to stay positive in my Kickstarter message as often as possible. I really do.
Positive reinforcement of behavior is so much more effective than negative after all, and personally I much prefer to praise awesome projects than to lash out against problematic ones. Sometimes it just can’t be helped though, and I have to cross that line.
Today I want to talk about a project that was posted earlier this week both because it really annoys me, and it is a very clear example of where Kickstarter seems to be going. I am talking of course about Days of Wonder’s new Kickstarter campaign.
(Caution, angry ranting below the fold – read at your own risk.)
Is 2013 the ‘Year of the New Edition?’
Aaargh!
We’re just a couple of weeks into the new year. It’s a time when the media is still waxing on the year past, and positing what the year ahead holds. Well, not to be outdone, I’m already to prepared to assign 2013 a moniker. It’s the year of the new edition. What does that mean? Find out below the fold.
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I’m a Backer: Rivet Wars
January has had a flurry of projects. Starting on the second the volume spiked up significantly in a post holiday boom. Unfortunately, the last two weeks have brought me almost nothing I want to support. The majority feel rushed, derivative or uninspired. Fortunately I found a single project to back. This week I am a backer of Rivet Wars, and I can’t wait to tell you what a great looking game it is.
Want to know why I gave them my money, and why you should give them yours? Read on!
Caffeineforge 