Kickstarter is Not a Store (but there is Another Site for That)
Every child needs to be nurtured, cared for and protected when they are young and vulnerable. Eventually though, they grow up, and must be allowed to walk on their own two feet and succeed or fail on their own terms; eventually the training wheels must come off.
I imagine that the same thing is true about products. Eventually subsidies must end, marketing campaigns must have their budgets reevaluated, and communities need to have all their hopes and dreams realized (or dashed.) Either the buyer at the trade show wants to buy 10,000 units of your labor of love to distribute nationwide, or they don’t. Either your product breezes up the popularity rankings at Amazon in its category or it doesn’t.
I don’t think that a project’s main selling point in the long run should be that it was crowdfunded, but there are those that disagree.
Mini Monday’s: Bare Bones Post
So I finally got to try out bones. How can that be you ask? Well, it all started when I noticed I was missing a few critical paint colors for something else I was working on, so I went to Reaper, to order some bronze paint. As is so often the case, I walked out with more than that.
Though I mostly stuck to paint pots, getting about a dozen colors I happened to be lacking, I also decided to pick up a mini or two from the bones line so I could see how they paint. Want the scoop? Keep reading.
Sisyphean Blues: Moving Day Cometh
Is there any ordeal that we deliver upon ourselves more soul crushing than moving house?
I say, “Nay, there is none!”
Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally worth it. A shiny new place to live. That is clean to a degree that it will NEVER be again (during your tenancy, at least). And everything is so organized. It feels like a brand new beginning…
But it comes at the end of one helluva slog. A Sisyphean slog.
A new cover for a new year.
Hello supporters (and regular readers, yes this is a cross-post to our Kickstarter backers) and happy New Year! First, we should offer our apologies for letting so much time pass between updates. David and I made an agreement at the outset of our project not to inundate your inboxes with unnecessary emails, as we’re both subjected to our fair share of… shall we say… over eager project updates. That said, we feel like far too much time has passed between this update and our last. Excuses abound: holidays, day jobs, and all that noise. But the real reason is that we wanted something to meaningful to share and that has finally come to pass!
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I’m a Backer: Necronomicon
Since starting our weekly, “I’m a Backer,” column, our coverage has been largely dominated by games. Though it is true that the occasional comic book breaks the rhythm of board and video games I so frequently back, it is pretty clear what my preferred category is. This week’s project goes far beyond that though, and is the first Con that I have backed. A regular reader will know why this week’s project: NecronomiCon Providence was chosen – I love Lovecraft almost as much as Kickstarter does, and that is saying a lot considering Lovecraft is definitely in the top 10 list of things people throw money at on Kickstarter.
To get the scoop on the out-of-this-world get together, you can journey beyond space and time, or simply follow me below the fold.
Guest Post: A Memory of Light and Memories of the Wheel of Time, by Clint
“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.”
Twenty-three years after I first read that passage, it still gives me shivers. Perhaps more so today than any other, as today A Memory of Light, the final book of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, is released.
Mini Mondays: A Torrid Love Affair
I’ve mentioned previously that this year was a big year for miniatures and Kickstarter. Though that is certainly true (and they have a strong start going in to the new year,) it might be possible that my opinion is distorted by my own biases. You see – I love miniatures, I have for a long time. Sticking with my new years resolutions, you can expect news on the subject pretty regularly for at least the next five weeks. Don’t worry though, I’ll find a way to keep talking about Kickstarter too.
Want to see how I manage to talk about both subjects without boring you to tears? Read on.
Kickstarter: More Tools to Ride The Wave
Today I had planned to write about the sharp drop off in projects in the last week of 2012, as prospective creators were either too busy to launch projects, or rightly feared the impact that the holidays would have on their projects. I would have continued on, to discuss how on New Years day the flood gates opened once more as the 50+ projects daily average resumed. I may even have made some clever observation tying this phenomenon into a certain New Year’s tradition, or mentioned how I think most of the well planned projects will wait another month at least, for the Christmas debt hangover to end, before venturing forth.
But then I discovered something more interesting to talk about. To find out what that is, you’re just going to have to keep reading.
Digital Storage
The speed at which technology accelerates blows my mind on a pretty regular basis. Be it comparing my beloved childhood Gameboy to the powerhouse that is my Nexus 7, or wondering how I ever lived without the constant data uplink that is my smart phone, I am regularly humbled by the tools and toys the world gives us. On my flight back to Colorado, this topic came up with more than one of my fellow passengers. After all, airports are nothing if not showrooms for the latest in greatest in in-flight entertainment devices.
This topic is far too broad for me to tackle in any comprehensive way, but today I wanted to address a single aspect of it: memory. Let’s dig right in, shall we?
I’m a Backer: Fate Core
Traditionally our weekly “I’m a Backer” post is written by David, but this week we came across a Kickstarter project that I was so interested in I had to ask him to hand the reins over to me. That project is Fate Core by Fred Hicks and Evil Hat Productions. Peek below the fold to learn why I think Fate Core is a fantastic project.
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Caffeineforge 