What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

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llew silverhand
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What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by llew silverhand »

Just curious to see what all folks have kicked in on, what succeeded, and what failed.

Here's my list:

Current:
Successful:
Failed:
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BasiliskWrangler
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by BasiliskWrangler »

Here's my thing with Kickstarters: when you list the "failed" project(s), you only mention the one that didn't reach it's funding goal.

However, what I am expecting in the next year is that one really big game, where lots of people poured in hundreds of thousands of dollars, which still can't make it to the finish line.

See, many of these Kickstarters are put up by knowledgeable, proven game developers who will use the money as intended, to finish their dream project. But some (many?) Kickstarter projects don't have a proven development team behind them. Some of these people are going to get a big wad of cash, and without proper management, will likely squander that money before they can properly finish the project. Or, in a more sinister take, they never intended to produce said game and they just wanted the money.

I know...I am cynical. I hope that a few inevitable undelivered projects don't ruin the concept of Kickstarter. I may want to take advantage of the Kickstarter thing for our next game, so I hope it is still a viable option a year from now. We'll see.

But I do applaud you, Mr. Silverhand, for supporting the indie game community. It truly is people like you that let people like me make games for a living. Thank you.
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llew silverhand
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by llew silverhand »

BasiliskWrangler wrote:Here's my thing with Kickstarters: when you list the "failed" project(s), you only mention the one that didn't reach it's funding goal.

However, what I am expecting in the next year is that one really big game, where lots of people poured in hundreds of thousands of dollars, which still can't make it to the finish line.

See, many of these Kickstarters are put up by knowledgeable, proven game developers who will use the money as intended, to finish their dream project. But some (many?) Kickstarter projects don't have a proven development team behind them. Some of these people are going to get a big wad of cash, and without proper management, will likely squander that money before they can properly finish the project. Or, in a more sinister take, they never intended to produce said game and they just wanted the money.

I know...I am cynical. I hope that a few inevitable undelivered projects don't ruin the concept of Kickstarter. I may want to take advantage of the Kickstarter thing for our next game, so I hope it is still a viable option a year from now. We'll see.

But I do applaud you, Mr. Silverhand, for supporting the indie game community. It truly is people like you that let people like me make games for a living. Thank you.
I do see your point, and there are times I wonder if my money will produce anything. So far only 7 of my investments are either completed or so close that I have the pre-release PDFs in hand. Kickstarter is a wonderful opportunity for Indie Devs - for both electronic and physical gaming. Right now I am resisting kicking in on several more projects, mainly because if my wife knew how much I've kicked in this year already she'd probably throttle me... :)

I'm a huge Indie fan - and honestly, that ride for me started a long time ago with Demise (back in...1998) - but was rekindled here with Eschalon, almost 5 years ago now. Since then I've found so many great devs, and I look forward to finding more down the road!

By the way, BW, if you feel this should be over in General Discussion, please feel free to move it - I just posted here out of habit :D
Llew Silverhand - Once and Future Gnome King
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blatherbeard
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by blatherbeard »

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal ... finite-rpg

the only one ive even had an inkling of backing.

that said, i backed it for 250.

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So they all went home.---Story knots within blatherbeards Beard.
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llew silverhand
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by llew silverhand »

blatherbeard wrote:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mal ... finite-rpg

the only one ive even had an inkling of backing.

that said, i backed it for 250.

Look for blatherkaides eating and drinking emporium in your travels.
Malevolence looked very intriguing to me, and I contemplated it - I still have it on my tracker, in fact. There's a fairly good chance that once it is completed, I will pick it up.
Llew Silverhand - Once and Future Gnome King
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by Dragonlady »

Kickstarters I've backed are one for Order of the Stick comics and Project Eternity ($170 - son did some too but don't know how much). I'm leery of others and watch yet more of them.
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by Rune_74 »

I honestly think that you should take advantage of it now. Eschalon 3 could get a cash infusion by you doing it plus give you free publicity.


One thing people have to know about kickstarter is that it isn't a preorder system. You have to do your research and look at the projects. It's not much different then the stock market in the fact you can lose the money you invest or nothing. Hence I usually only donate enough to get my copy of the game.


The difference with escalope 3 is that you know where you are, you know what is left and how close you are to finishing. You could easily bring in 10k and probably more if you bundle the older games with the higher tiers. This would also get you some practice at kick starting for your next project.
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by Kreador Freeaxe »

The negative side would be that running a decent Kickstarter can be a full time job for the duration of the campaign. That would take away from current active development of Book III. Also, remember that a not-insignificant percentage of any money brought in through Kickstarter goes to fees, taxes, and so on. It's a tough balance to keep.

I've contributed to a few, and made pledges in others that didn't happen.
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by Rune_74 »

It is a it of work, yes I agree. But Thomas already has more assets then most companies that do it.

I'm willing to bet 95% of the people using kick starter don't even know he exists. This is not only a great way to offset costs but also get the name out there. And that is key.
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by blatherbeard »

Malevolence was completed they just wanted to polish the game for 6k or so. They made it for themselves, contemplating making a card game and using the funds from the video game for it.

The project hit over 33k.

Just an example of what you can get if your not looking for huge amts of cash as a true indie dev.

especially if you have a great idea or awesome game.

Which is why im so into both eschalon and Malevolence.

and really, i credit you guys. I had never bought an indie game until i discovered Eschalon.
The armies joined in a bloody battle on this fine day, then storm clouds broke, and it rained.

So they all went home.---Story knots within blatherbeards Beard.
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by Rune_74 »

blatherbeard wrote:Malevolence was completed they just wanted to polish the game for 6k or so. They made it for themselves, contemplating making a card game and using the funds from the video game for it.

The project hit over 33k.

Just an example of what you can get if your not looking for huge amts of cash as a true indie dev.

especially if you have a great idea or awesome game.

Which is why im so into both eschalon and Malevolence.

and really, i credit you guys. I had never bought an indie game until i discovered Eschalon.
See, this is all the reason to consider it for book 3 and if that goes well it will make the next easier as well.
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by Rune_74 »

Even with being funded I think it would be good in a marketing standpoint as I said already. The thought of offsetting some of the cost has to be a good thing. Why avoid a possible area for new clients?
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by quasimodo »

I've spread about $1000 over a dozen different projects. I certainly don't expect them all to make good games, but if even a couple are successful its better than what I had before Kickstarter. I don't care for first person/third person RT action games and that is all the AAA RPG companies are making.

I have a great deal of respect for Basilisk and Spiderweb for being able to fund themselves, but I am willing to help most anybody who has a good pitch for a turnbased RPG.
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Re: What I've kicked in on Kickstarter for, so far...

Post by Sslaxx »

SpaceVenture (ex-Sierra guys), Quest for Infamy (Sierra fans), Project Eternity (Obsidian). Kinky Island (Screen 7). So yeah, two RPGs and two old-school point-and-clicks. These are what I've backed. I'm most confident in Quest for Infamy completing, then Project Eternity, then Kinky Island, then SpaceVenture. Hopefully something productive will come from all four, but it's a risk I knowingly took. Oh well.
Stuart "Sslaxx" Moore.
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