Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Thu May 16, 2019 5:15 pm

Chinese censors fail sanity check on Cthulhu RPG kickstarter.

Moat_Man · Post by **Moat_Man** » Thu May 16, 2019 9:18 pm

I received my shipping notice for Wave 2 of The 7th Continent. Can't wait to get it so I can start playing...

Ertic · Post by **Ertic** » Tue May 21, 2019 10:01 am

Smoove_B wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 5:13 pm I'll never back a DVG product again via KS, they're already bellyaching about the cost increase.

Smoove,

I just discovered DVG games myself, Warfighter WWII, and have been enjoying the game quite a bit. Your quote makes it sound like you are soured on the the way handle their kickstarters? Can I ask why? I did not KS but ordered from them directly and didn't really have much of a problem. Do you like the gaming system; not sure what you ordered.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue May 21, 2019 10:12 am

I love Warfighter. I love Apache vs Thunderbolt. I've played a few others that I didn't enjoy as much. My issue is how they've shifted their business from game developer / publisher to a model that completely relies on KS for funding. Every KS they run now includes a full library reprint, so "restock" occurs when the next KS delivery occurs. And because they've switched to this KS model for business, I think they're constantly chasing the next big cash deposit. With so many games in various states of production, invariably they are getting later and later with their deliveries. For Warfighter Pacific, they assured everyone (in early 2018) that it was coming in August of 2018 - everything was done and it would be out the door. Well, that didn't happen at all - it wasn't actually delivered until April 2019 (8 months late). I understand KS projects are chronically late, but I have little sympathy for KS creators that start new KS projects while older projects are still in final development/tweaking and haven't actually been shipped yet.

Generally speaking, their quality control seems to have slipped a bit - lots of errors, typos, misprints, etc... in their rules and sometimes materials. Again, I chalk this up to doing too many things at once. If you can get box-in-hand and not deal with their KS stuff, that's certainly better. But also realize that they've started to structure their KS projects in a way that arguably requires you to go "all in" or purchase a whole bunch of add-ons to get the game play you're after. They actually just cancelled a KS project earlier this month because (as near as I can tell) too many people were calling them out on the need to get a $200+ pledge level in order to have access to what seemed like core components of the base game. The Warfighter games have seemingly turned into that as well.

So yeah, I'll consider buying retail versions of their KS games that get good reviews, but I'll never KS back a DVG title again.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue May 21, 2019 11:12 am

That's a shame. I've been wanting to play Warfighter (especially WWII) for a while now.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue May 21, 2019 11:20 am

It depends on what you're after. If you want to play the U.S. soldiers vs the Germans, you can get the core WW2 box and you're good to go. If that becomes boring to you and you want to play as German soldiers vs the United States? Prepare to open your wallet. I could be confused, but I seem to remember that in order to do so (and to fully be able to play as other nations (as opposed to playing against other nations), you needed to pick up multiple expansions.

I still endorse the Warfighter game, but after the original (modern), it feels like they realized how easy it would be to monetize the hell out of the system and they designed future versions accordingly.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue May 21, 2019 12:48 pm

EA. Battlefield: Warfighter. Got it.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Sun May 26, 2019 12:24 am

Great googly moogly!

I received my pledge for the second wave of 7th Continent + 'What Goes Up, Must Come Down' expansion today, along with all of the expansions and extra goodies.

Really looking forward to diving into this one. I'll probably try playing The Crystal Song solo (the tutorial curse, which I believe is included in the 'What Goes Up, Must Come Down' box), and then dive into The Voracious Goddess for the two-player co-op experience.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sun May 26, 2019 9:09 am

You hit lucky lottery - I think they're only about 10% done with shipping. Looking forward to it as well. I'm sure it'll be here in a month for me...

Moat_Man · Post by **Moat_Man** » Sun May 26, 2019 4:39 pm

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 12:24 am Great googly moogly!

I received my pledge for the second wave of 7th Continent + 'What Goes Up, Must Come Down' expansion today, along with all of the expansions and extra goodies.

Really looking forward to diving into this one. I'll probably try playing The Crystal Song solo (the tutorial curse, which I believe is included in the 'What Goes Up, Must Come Down' box), and then dive into The Voracious Goddess for the two-player co-op experience.

I received mine on Thursday. I haven't cracked the replacement cards box yet. Man that box alone is heavy. I can't imagine now much that must have cost them to reprint and ship. Did you notice the colour differences in the base box from wave 1?

I'm going to do the same as you with The Crystal Song but I doubt either of my kids will want to play this one with me. It might be solo the whole way through as I don't have a gaming group other than my kids. Are their any OO'ers in Vancouver that would like to play some games? I have a shelf full of lightly used games and decent sized table...

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Sun May 26, 2019 6:27 pm

Moat_Man wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 4:39 pm
Anonymous Bosch wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 12:24 am Great googly moogly!

I received my pledge for the second wave of 7th Continent + 'What Goes Up, Must Come Down' expansion today, along with all of the expansions and extra goodies.

Really looking forward to diving into this one. I'll probably try playing The Crystal Song solo (the tutorial curse, which I believe is included in the 'What Goes Up, Must Come Down' box), and then dive into The Voracious Goddess for the two-player co-op experience.
I received mine on Thursday. I haven't cracked the replacement cards box yet. Man that box alone is heavy. I can't imagine now much that must have cost them to reprint and ship. Did you notice the colour differences in the base box from wave 1?

I completely missed out on Wave 1, so I couldn't tell you. Needless to say, I made sure to go all-in for Wave 2 though.

Moat_Man wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 4:39 pm I'm going to do the same as you with The Crystal Song but I doubt either of my kids will want to play this one with me. It might be solo the whole way through as I don't have a gaming group other than my kids. Are their any OO'ers in Vancouver that would like to play some games? I have a shelf full of lightly used games and decent sized table...

Are your kids too young? BGG suggests 10+ so if they're old enough, I would think 7th Continent ought to hold some appeal (particularly if they've ever enjoyed playing any survival adventure-style video or PC games). However, I think the only thing you miss out on by playing solo is the benefit of having an additional noggin to bounce ideas off of to help solve puzzles and such while playing cooperatively.

Personally, I grew up reading all of the Fighting Fantasy / Sorcery / Lone Wolf / Way of the Tiger gamebooks, so I know this sorta game is right up my alley.

Moat_Man · Post by **Moat_Man** » Mon May 27, 2019 1:40 am

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 6:27 pm Are your kids too young? BGG suggests 10+ so if they're old enough, I would think 7th Continent ought to hold some appeal (particularly if they've ever enjoyed playing any survival adventure-style video or PC games). However, I think the only thing you miss out on by playing solo is the benefit of having an additional noggin to bounce ideas off of to help solve puzzles and such while playing cooperatively.

Personally, I grew up reading all of the Fighting Fantasy / Sorcery / Lone Wolf / Way of the Tiger gamebooks, so I know this sorta game is right up my alley.

They're 17 & 18. We played it once but they didn't seem to have much interest in it. I got the feeling they didn't think it was much of a game.

I've bought a lot of games that we've only played once or twice. I love them but they were meh. Still, buying a game and playing it twice is cheaper than a night out at movies. Plus I could sell the games down the road, although that might be tough on me mentally.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon May 27, 2019 6:03 am

I think the lack of any real turn order structure makes this more of a solo game. I tried it with two others once and it really didn’t work for us. But solo it’s a lot of fun.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue May 28, 2019 3:13 pm

Altar Quest is now live. All the cool kids are backing it.

Altar Quest is a cooperative game of fantasy adventure inspired by the classic dungeon crawling board games that many of us grew up with. Using the Modular Deck System (MDS), introduced in Street Masters and Brook City, the game features incredibly modular gameplay using several different types of decks. Hero decks, threat decks, villain decks, and quest decks can all be mixed and matched along with altar cards, feature cards, and other game elements to create countless combinations of unique adventures. With an engaging one-off experience and narrative campaign play, Altar Quest offers players endless adventure in a unique fantasy setting with years of support planned for the game.

Base pledge includes a KS exclusive expansion from some guy named Isaac Childres.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue May 28, 2019 8:36 pm

In. I just sold a kidney and took out a loan against the rest of my organs so the Sadler brothers can grow fat and rich off me.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Tue May 28, 2019 9:45 pm

Yeah I'm probably in as well. I'm a bit hesitant because I'm so waist-deep in Gloomhaven right now that another dungeon crawler is the furthest from my mind. However, I can't argue with the Sadler brothers' pedigree and I know I'll be kicking myself next year if I don't go for it.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed May 29, 2019 10:11 am

Really, if you like the Street Masters mechanics, this seems like a no brainer - the core game play is the same. What this adds is the system they developed for Myth Dark Frontier. The "Altar Dice" are a generic pool of random dice that are available for both the players and the enemy AI to utilize. You have to decide if using any of the bonus dice is worth the risk of potentially giving the enemy AI additional powers or strength during their activation (after using the icon, you re-roll).

I mentioned it in the solo gaming thread, but i had an epiphany of sorts for these Sadler brothers games and it has to do with how they handle the die rolling mechanic. Unlike many other games, your turns or actions are never "wasted" with a bad die roll. If you don't succeed, you're still collecting some type of token that can help your character directly (like a defense token) or that can be used on future die rolls to increase something. I didn't realize it until I went back to playing a dice-based game with blank sides, but this type of system feels more engaging because you're always doing/gaining something. It sounds so subtle, but it changes the overall feel.

Anyway, the game is crushing it in KS and form what I understand this KS is going to be the springboard for the retail release of the game. I think they were pretty smart to get this modular deck system out in the wild with the two other games first and then use the same mechanics on what is historically a well-represented genre in board gaming.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed May 29, 2019 10:30 am

Smoove_B wrote: Wed May 29, 2019 10:11 am Really, if you like the Street Masters mechanics, this seems like a no brainer - the core game play is the same. What this adds is the system they developed for Myth Dark Frontier.

Wait...what? Myth, from Megacon Games? I had to go look this up as I didn't even know about it. I STILL have all my non-Dark Frontier Myth stuff because I keep hoping that I'll play it again with the new rules, plus those minis are cool. But I had no idea they made a Myth game outside the original Myth rules. Did that ever see fulfillment? Looks like there are some comments on its kickstarter page indicating it never did.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed May 29, 2019 10:42 am

It did. I think it was MCG last-ditch attempt to raise money to try and fund the Myth JM content as part of their KS shell game. When Dark Frontier didn't make tons of money, they went with plan B - sell everything to a 3rd party. But yes, the Sadler Brothers are designers of the Dark Frontier game. It did get fulfilled but of course there were problems and now like all their other stuff, it's completely unsupported.

Ertic · Post by **Ertic** » Thu May 30, 2019 12:08 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Wed May 29, 2019 10:42 am It did. I think it was MCG last-ditch attempt to raise money to try and fund the Myth JM content as part of their KS shell game. When Dark Frontier didn't make tons of money, they went with plan B - sell everything to a 3rd party. But yes, the Sadler Brothers are designers of the Dark Frontier game. It did get fulfilled but of course there were problems and now like all their other stuff, it's completely unsupported.

This was the one Megacon game that I didnt back. I had backed Myth, Journeyman, and Mercs. Mercs was meh, and the problems with Journeyman swayed my decision. Oh, I did back their space game too, can't even remember the name of it; played it once and that was about it.

In on Altar Quest for sure!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu May 30, 2019 6:01 pm

Emergence Event? I kind of like that one.

Ertic · Post by **Ertic** » Thu May 30, 2019 6:16 pm

hepcat wrote: Thu May 30, 2019 6:01 pm Emergence Event? I kind of like that one.

Yeap, that is the one! I recall liking it as well, however I must have not liked it that much since it hasn't seen the light of day since that first play through.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Mon Jun 03, 2019 4:40 pm

I pulled the trigger on Pax Pamir 2nd edition (the Kickstarter is closed, but they're still taking U.S. preorders). I haven't played the first edition (or any other Pax games), but I find the subject matter and mechanics really interesting.

I'm pretty sure that my family won't be interested, but hopefully I'll be able to get it to the table with some of the local heavy gamers.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jun 03, 2019 4:49 pm

I have the original and I backed the 2nd edition when it was announced. I love all the Pax games, but Pamir had some truly innovative mechanics that I loved. Spies that move around other players' tableau, stealing and assassinating as they go; a volatile market that you could nudge but never control, etc.. But it also had frustratingly difficult to track end game conditions/scores (a problem in all the Pax games, to be fair). This new edition promises to make that a thing of the past.

Can't wait for my copy. Especially since it comes with solo rules already built in. \ The game is thankfully shipping early.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Jun 04, 2019 3:48 pm

Batman: Gotham City Chronicles Season 2 just launched. It's only a two-week campaign. They've made the core set available again, too. But be warned: It costs all of the money.

I was given the Season 1 pledge as a birthday present this year, and I love the game. It's a lot of fun, and while there's a lot of stuff, most of it is extra options, not extra complexity.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:24 pm

Seems like getting the S1 content is about the same price, which I appreciate.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:24 pm

Company of Heroes. After this KS is done, they should totally think about making this into a computer game. I bet it would be awesome!

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Tue Jun 04, 2019 6:26 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:24 pm Company of Heroes. After this KS is done, they should totally think about making this into a computer game. I bet it would be awesome!

I backed it.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Tue Jun 04, 2019 6:30 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:24 pm Company of Heroes. After this KS is done, they should totally think about making this into a computer game. I bet it would be awesome!

Tish pshaw. You can't have Company of Heroes without including a miniature of the iconic crab flail 'infantry-mower' tank:

(I still say The Walking Dead series dropped the ball by not including one as the ultimate weapon against hordes of the undead)

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:30 pm

The same friends who gave me Batman: Gotham City Chronicles had intended to back S2 for me as well, but they just let me know that they had to back out due to the shortened campaign (they were counting on money that won't be here until a week after it closes.)

I certainly don't hold that against them - it isn't their job to spend money for me and my kids! Now, though, I need to see if I can get enough scraped together for at least a few items myself.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:45 pm

It may not be as expensive as I thought. First, a huge portion of it is for the Versus expansion only (the one-on-one mode.) I don't get to play two player games. Solo or 3+ only. Second, it's not nearly as good of a deal. Here's the math, stolen from Facebook:

Season 1: 210 Figures plus four boards and a batmobile = $332

Season 2: 74 Figures and one board =$318

Season 1 is still a great deal. I'll likely spring for a couple of the expansions (Suicide Squad and League), plus a couple of single figures (gotta have Batman Beyond and Mr Freeze - maybe Wesker and KGBeast.)

Still, it just doesn't feel great.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:07 pm

Just as soon as I felt confident in my Altar Quest pledge and how much money I was likely going to spend...

Too Many Bones: Slice and Dice + Series Reprint

That new box looks amazing... although a bit of a high premium for storage. I also love the Build-a-Tyrant mat. I must admit, I am a sucker for the Chip Theory Games. I have all of Hopolomachus and nearly all of TMB.

Fishbelly · Post by **Fishbelly** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:34 am

baelthazar wrote: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:07 pm Just as soon as I felt confident in my Altar Quest pledge and how much money I was likely going to spend...

Too Many Bones: Slice and Dice + Series Reprint

That new box looks amazing... although a bit of a high premium for storage. I also love the Build-a-Tyrant mat. I must admit, I am a sucker for the Chip Theory Games. I have all of Hopolomachus and nearly all of TMB.

Too Many Bones is my favorite game so I was a day one backer, though I'm not 100% sure about the trove chest storage. I own everything for TMB, but I wonder if the huge box would be too unwieldy to easily move around? But glancing at the somewhat messy slew of boxes behind me, a storage solution does sound appealing.

I suspect if the pledge manager stays open long enough I will give in and add it to my order.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:51 am

I backed it, but just at the entry level for the expansion. I figure I'll toss on the new gearloc and the expansion "intern" characters in the pledge manager. But I'm not paying 75 bucks for a storage solution alone.

I love TMB, but I do admit to sometimes getting frustrated with it. It seems like in most cases, you're better off just maxing out your stats instead of worrying about skills. It can take literally an entire day to play (even with some of the lesser tyrants). And the battles are just too cramped for my liking. I'd have been happier with a hoplomachus style battle map, although I doubt that would work when it comes to playtime and balancing.

But at the end of the day, those complaints fall away when I'm ooh-ing and ah-ing over a skill combo I think will turn out amazing in combat, or agonizing over whether or not I want loot or training points from an encounter (training points, it's always training points).

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:06 pm

hepcat wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:51 am But I'm not paying 75 bucks for a storage solution alone.

Plus shipping. There's nothing in that box, but shipping companies will charge based on its volume.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:22 pm

Then they should at least let us pack a different kickstarter in the damn thing to save money on THAT one!

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:46 pm

I'm in for just the expansion. I still need to pick up Undertow if they have any copies at GenCon this year.

It's a tough game, and I haven't even come close to exhausting the content in the base box yet. But I just love the component quality and gameplay. It's one of those games that I feel is worthy of owning as part of my collection even if I don't get it to the table as much as I would like. I really need to get back to it at some point.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:50 pm

I *hated* TMB, but I did just pick up Hoplomachus Origins, because apparently something is wrong with me. Or I like Gladiators. Hard to say. Have you noticed how there's no more "Kickstarter season" - companies are just running KS projects all year now?

The DVG Kickstarter that was cancelled last month because of the way they had it structured was relaunched a few days ago with a structure that (I think) makes more sense. However, they've once again listed it as KS delivery in October and I would be willing to bet that after the KS closes there will be delays and "issues with the printer" and magically it'll be pushed to Q1 2020.

And that's why as much as I want to support this game and the creator, I cannot support DVG via KS anymore. I'll get it in retail when it becomes available; I'm fine with it.

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:53 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:50 pm However, they've once again listed it as KS delivery in October and I would be willing to bet that after the KS closes there will be delays and "issues with the printer" and magically it'll be pushed to Q1 2020.

And that's why as much as I want to support this game and the creator, I cannot support DVG via KS anymore. I'll get it in retail when it becomes available; I'm fine with it.

Having spoken with numerous manufacturers, turn around time for most is three months + however long it takes to get from the factory to your door. That is not taking into consideration any time left to make changes to art files or product samples. I only had a quick look at the page but I don't see any complex production items so I would say end of October is optimistic but possible if everything is ready to go on the print side.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:01 pm

Just as a point of reference, the last KS project I backed for them (Warfighter Pacific) had the same time table. Ran from March to April, promised in August of 2018. Arrived in March of this year. I don't believe for one minute this KS will deliver this year, mainly because of who is running it. It'll get delivered, but to represent it the way they're currently doing it I think is quite disingenuous.