My Experiences with Kickstarter

[Darryl Smith]

Just a little post on my blog about the various campaigns I have supported on Kickstarter:

Ambushed in the Alley

Buckeye Six Actual
https://checkingmy6.blogspot.com/

[Northern Monkey]

I have still never backed one, though I have been tempted on a few occasions, you seem to have been lucky in not having any issues compared to some of the stories I have read. one other thing that’s stopped me in the past is that(and I may be completely wrong on this) but I kinda assumed that by backing a kickstarter you got some sort of good deal out of it whilst helping the project get off the ground, many that I look at don’t seem to offer any real incentive.

My attempt at a Blog: http://ablogofwar.blogspot.co.uk/

[Guy Farrish]

I thought it was just me.

Maybe I don’t understand the concept correctly, or perhaps I can’t read small print properly but I look at crowdfunding/kickstarter deals and think…why?

I don’t want to be desperately mercenary about it and I’d like to help some of the schemes I see, but in every case I’ve looked at, I’ve thought ‘where’s the reward for putting the money up front’? I know if it doesn’t get funded I don’t lose my money (I’ve heard the horror stories where it does get funded and you lose your money) but what is the reward over saying ‘no thanks I’ll wait and buy it if you get round to it and if you can’t produce it, I can live without it thanks’?

I look at the ‘stretch goals’ and rewards I can buy into and I think – hang on, I would have put up the money to get this far – surely I should be getting a better deal than the average punter? And usually I can’t see that I would. Maybe I’m reading them wrong but honestly I can’t see the point.

[paintpig]

The idea of stretch goals and more importantly “rewards” have muddied the idea of crowd funding. Crowd funding was a very simple concept, you had an idea for a good or service that needed financing… you dont have enough money to get it out there, banks dont like lending but there is a ground swell of people that do see the benefit of your idea and are willing to put a small amount into it to see it come to fruitition because they would like to purchase it. Simple.

What we have now is an I want, gimme, gimme beast of a system instead of a prepay-preorder concept. I have put money into a dozen or so Crowd Funding projects, all bar two delivered in a timely fashion with one being interrupted by the death of a key player the other being bogged down in latin temprement.

This new concept of Crowd Funding means you have to do your home work, you are to become a venture capitalist and they dont muck around, still even the best VC’s make a wrong bet occasionally. Remember that a campaign has to not only appeal to you but you have to decide whether it would have broader appeal for it’s target audience and that the people with the great idea have the means to make it work once it is funded. The best recent example I pledged for was Zombicide Black Plague, it was the 2nd in the Zombicide series so it had history in both the ability of the concepts proposers and public appeal, the figures were sculpted by industry professionals and the proposers were a well established entity (Cool mini or not). Upshot I received the game (with heaps of very nice figures ) on the very day they aimed for.

My latest backing has been for Tercios Miniatures and being a Spanish company they were a little harder to background but I did my homework. This is as risky as I’m likely to take when it comes to my hard earned, however I’m reasonably confident the project will succeed, not so much with the time frame….. and they are figures I want and will be happy to wait for. There is a link for you below to follow the ups and downs of this KS and laugh at me if it goes pear shaped.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1418344245/tercios-miniatures/description

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel
Slowly Over A Low Flame

[Phil Dutré]

I have backed 10 or so gaming-related projects, and most of them have delivered so far. But you have to do your homework. I have mostly pledged with established companies (although not all), but even then, you have to be patient sometimes 😉 Longest delay so far is 2.5 years and counting. But since this is an established company, they will deliver. Beware of KS projects from unknown companies which promise a lot of stretch goals. If the company or person does not have a proven track record, I only pledge for small amounts in projects that are very honest and fair (i.e. only promise a single thing for your money without promising you lots of free stuff).

I have a limit on the amount of money I pledge in KS projects. If one project delivers, it “frees up” some money I then can “invest” in a new project.

It’s not that different from investing some money on the stock market. Do it only with surplus money (i.e. money you can afford to lose in a worst case scenario), and put a limit on how much you want to have out there. Works for me.

[Author]

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