Quote from: Jacob Marley;582184I got the feeling that James M. felt his notes on Dwimmermount were a strong enough basis to support the Kickstarter. This wasn't his first dog-and-pony show; he is a published author of game books. So, I take him at his word when he stated that family issues (health issues with his dad, I think) were the root cause of the delays.

I apologize, I was talking more of generalities, and not this particular issue specifically.

Its interesting that under the Kickstarter terms and conditions it seems you are not entitled to a refund as long as Kickstarter deems that the project is being undertaken in 'good faith'.

Quote from: Benoist;582193Stats are suppposed to be spelled out for ACKS (which is a modded Moldvay-Cook B/X) or Labyrinth Lord (the direct clone of B/X) if I'm not mistaken?

Yes, Dwimmermount will be compatible with both. I believe they will be two separate books.

File me under "mild concern" (then again all I shelled out is $10 for the PDF). It seems Malizewski had some serious RL trouble and both him and the Autarch crew have been apologizing profusely.

Quote from: jadrax;582207Its interesting that under the Kickstarter terms and conditions it seems you are not entitled to a refund as long as Kickstarter deems that the project is being undertaken in 'good faith'.

Yes. I didn't know that either before checking out that thread.

Quote from: Melan;582166Also, one way to avoid that kind of thing is to start the Kickstarter with a completed or close to completed manuscript.

Its a bit of a chicken and egg situation, I mean art is probably the single most expensive thing in any RPG production (barring shipping and printing costs), and its hard to wow the crowds with an artless kickstarter.

The Zweihander stuff for example is amazing, but envision the same thing with no art or very basic graphics, there wouldn't be much interest. So you need the moneys to get the kickstarter rolling, but you don't need the kickstarter if you have the moneys.

At that point you're using kickstarter as a fancy preordering tool, something it excels at. Not much good for a nameless nobody however. Yes, its hard to get people to hand you cash when you haven't any track record or actual product.

are any of the backers out of pocket from this?

As a ten dollah backer, I don't mind the delays in Dwimmermount - though I am getting a case of the "Who needs another megadungeon"s lately -  but I just know this means nobody is *ever* going to see Petty Gods.

Quote from: Roger the GS;582240As a ten dollah backer, I don't mind the delays in Dwimmermount - though I am getting a case of the "Who needs another megadungeon"s lately -  but I just know this means nobody is *ever* going to see Petty Gods.

Nobody's ever going to see Dwimmermount, either.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;582233are any of the backers out of pocket from this?

I am in for $60.00.

Family emergency aside, I think the whine about "why is he posting four times a week instead of working on Dwimmermount" has a certain ring to it.  I can understand the concern.

Quote from: The Traveller;582227Its a bit of a chicken and egg situation, I mean art is probably the single most expensive thing in any RPG production (barring shipping and printing costs), and its hard to wow the crowds with an artless kickstarter.
...
At that point you're using kickstarter as a fancy preordering tool, something it excels at. Not much good for a nameless nobody however. Yes, its hard to get people to hand you cash when you haven't any track record or actual product.

This does not apply here, though, since James has written several RPG supplements - way before he started his blog, actually. Also, the issue is not procuring art and doing the layout, it is turning a bunch of handwritten notes into a manuscript, then a printed product. Different stuff.

Quote from: thedungeondelverNobody's ever going to see Dwimmermount, either.

That's exaggerating. If people want to worry about something, they shouldn't worry about getting something for their money, they should worry about what they will be getting. So far, the levels I have seen as a PDF-level backer have been a bit too heavy on the lairs and storerooms and "used to be a sacristy, now empty" stuff. I mean, ASE made me enthusiastic as hell while I was reading it (alas, it was some of my friends who ended up playing it, and we meet too rarely for me to participate), and this product doesn't do that so far. It's very vanilla.

Family crisis aside there are a number of things JM should be held accountable for. Runs With Scissors was over the top but it's thanks to him that these issues are being addressed. The blog posts thing is very telling. He family crisis didn't seem to impact them at all. JM has also not said anything to the public about his delays. I feel sorry for Tavis who has had to wear all the shit while JM makes multiple blog updates.

Quote from: Melan;582251Also, the issue is not procuring art and doing the layout, it is turning a bunch of handwritten notes into a manuscript, then a printed product. Different stuff.

A lot of established RPG companies pay their artists on a "when the sales come in you'll get your cheque" basis, but realistically they have a track record. Speaking from a different perspective, the arts students looking to pad out their portfolio are a bit thin on the ground.

Quote from: Jacob Marley;582170I helped fund it. I also don't have a problem with the delays - those things always happen.

(Of course, I am losing interest in the project.)

I too am losing interest in this project. Instead I'll read and play Esteren and Conspiracy X, the books for which arrived in a timely fashion on my doorstep.

Big delays in production kill the internet-impulse-buy buzz.