I’ve certainly heard it suggested that quite a few campaigns set an unrealistically low goal, because the extra attention they’ll get from “funded in 17 seconds!” makes up for the risk. (Of course if it’s a large company with deep pockets this is an easier risk to take.)
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There have been a couple games that have “funded” then cancelled the campaign themselves with plans to relaunch because the money they had raised wouldn’t be enough to let them “make the game we really want this to be” or something like that. I assume they were playing this game of setting a funding target that was actually too low and it hurt them.
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Yeah, it’s a ridiculous charade, but then that’s crowdfunding. I’d love to just be able to print the games and sell them through stores withut going down that route. Honestly, if I make enough money from DotD that’s what I’d want to do with future games. The issue is
a) crowdfunding is such an established route that it also accounts for marketing and people just expect it now
b) with no indication of how many to print it would be very easy to quickly bankrupt yourself as a small publisher, and
c) getting into distribution is extremely hard.
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I just got an update on For Northwood which included a plug for the In Dreams campaign which is ending within the next 24 hours. I guess I’ll call that good marketing, as I’ve now pledged for that.
It’s a solo/journaling RPG using a custom card deck with surreal Dixit-ish artwork and an integrated pseudo-random story prompt system, and it won honours in a 54-Card Game Design Contest at BGG.
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Oh, I‘ve always wanted something like In Dreams. I could never make it work with Tarot cards because I just don‘t remember all the meanings and they are not truly meant for that. And I love „Dixit“ cards—I really need to make a geeklist with all the games that have these.
Backed it.
And regarding my mystery package. It arrived yesterday, it‘s „Sefirot“ (it was one of the prime candidates, because I knew it was close to shipping and the publisher is in Austria and it is a small obscure project).
Sefirot is a pretty (very pretty) deck of Tarot cards. There is also a game with those cards but I didn‘t back that. I could probably look up the rules on BGG.
The cards are incredibly pretty. I am just sad they ended up putting „gold leaf“ on the cut (side) because it makes the cards stick together and impossible to shuffle But very very pretty. Probably the most beautiful Tarot deck I own at this point (it is #4 or #5 I think).
I am glad I didn‘t accidentally back an Awaken Realms (also Poland) campaign and forgot about it. Imagine getting like ISS Vanguard or so and not knowing you had ordered it? I might have kind of enjoyed getting a huge surprise game but the self-doubt about my mental faculties would probably take away some of that joy. I thoroughly document my acquisitions and a thing like that better not happen.
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Expansion for Hidden Leaders:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bffgames/hidden-leaders-forgotten-legends
I backed the original because it was very cheap, and I’ve quite enjoyed the couple games of it I’ve played. But I don’t feel it needs or will benefit from an expansion. Am I wrong?
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I don’t know about that specific game but I find usually when it’s time for an expansion my steam has already run out on the game. If I’m re-learning the game and with extra rules the game is basically finished, if I can remember the game properly at the time the expansion comes out then it has a chance with an expansion.
Mostly though, I’d rather put the dough to something new I think.
(btw, I just bought the second expansion for Res Arcana, pearls, 99% because it’s hard to find in the UK in english, and yes, that is exactly the opposite of doing what I say I do in the lines I stated above).
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There are some expansions which feel as though they are the bit that was cut from the original game to fit the budget and now it makes proper sense.
There are others which spoil the oriiginal.
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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/contentiongames/slay-the-spire-the-board-game
This might sound sarcastic or dismissive, but I promise it isn’t–why are so many people backing this? To my eye, this just looks like the video game, but way fiddlier and four times the price–it looks less interesting than the video game, but at the same time less interesting than other board game deckbuilders. Maybe the co-op aspect is selling it?
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Possibly because the original game is an awesome deck builder and coop deck builders are rare enough. Maybe also people that have not played the computer game but heard about how it was “boardgame-y”? Just some speculation. I get it. I look at the campaign and think: oh that’s such a fun game, I need to play again and maybe some people want to share that with their friends?
PS: going to play a round on my Switch later 
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I think people like getting things they’re fans of. For a game that hasn’t been updated in years the slay the spire Reddit still a really active sub which suggests that people really do dig that thing and many players have put in hundreds of hours.
Also while £100 feels like a lot it is increasingly more normal for games that don’t have minis and if you were happy to pay £50 is not really that much more if you really want it. You know you can adjust it in your brain as deciding to spend less on one punt you might have taken elsewhere.
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There’s also the assumption that it will be easy to get other people to play it. I feel like that’s a big factor these days, unless you have a reliable group.
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Speaking of prices of games, and I know this is a bit of a derailment from the thread topic, but when the hell did $45 become the standard price for Monopoly!? Or at least themed versions? Clue as well. Miniature Market was having a sale and when scrolling through the sale pages, I noticed a number of Monopoly and Clue editions “on sale” for $42, with retail listed as $45.
Those games are supposed to be like $20-25 at most, barring some super-deluxified edition!
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I backed the Castles of Mad King Ludwig KS at 1€ to keep my options open I have enjoyed the occasional game on the app and I mostly didn’t back the previous campaign because it was more about all the super-CE and giant plasticized extras. Anyone have opinions about the game they care to share? How does Bezier do on KS? (Queen is at it again with something something Alhambra, I haven’t even looked at the campaign page and just scrolled past)
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I think Dice Tower were really positive on the king Ludwig version compared to the suburbia one.
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I have noticed the raise in general. I think transport costs may be behind it, even for giants like Hasbro.
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That Alhambra thing has a couple of things going for it - £50/$50 which feels like bargain bucket nowadays. Also its a neat looking small thing.
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I like Suburbia, but I’m very negative on The Castles of Mad King Ludwig (and even more so about the giant plasticized version, which I saw being played recently, and thought looked absolutely hideous). However if you’ve played and enjoyed the game, then I think you didn’t suffer my main problem with it at all, in which case I wouldn’t worry about my opinion!
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I didn’t hate it that much, but it is probably my least favourite way to structure an auction or draft. Almost anything else would be better.
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Got my The Palaces of Carrara yesterday. Unboxed it, counted all the components, and assembled the cardboard inserts/boxes for the various components. Those boxes kinda sucked. I don’t see how they are better than bags (or adding my own component boxes). One kept falling apart on me as I tried to squeeze it in with the others (I haven’t bothered gluing them yet).
Now I just need to figure out how to get it played.
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