Unfortunately, there's nothing going on right now that's drawing my interest, so be sure to follow the cardinal rules of KS backing:

Be patient and wait for projects that are actually interesting. Do some homework, and from the projects you're interested in pick one from a creator that has a solid reputation in KS, IRL, or both.

Shoot OHT, considering the forum, you're implying interest in an RPG KS, but there's tons of other stuff there too.

Cheapass Games is about to do a Kill Doctor Lucky kickstarter.  Totally worth it.  Their last Kickstarter, Give Me The Brain, was totally worth it as well and arrived on time and looking great!

Quote from: Christopher Brady;857731None.  Don't do it.  Do not work on promises that rarely deliver on time, or that will likely burn out.  There's nothing in a Kickstarter, especially when it comes to table top that's worth the potential headache.

As I said, don't work on vague promises, work on products delivered already.

Total crap.

Now there are green flags and orange/red flags when it comes to which projects to back, but personally I'd just bide your time and wait until you see  some RPG that takes your fancy. (Scan the KS and IGG pages once a week or something).

If you do want to dive in immediately, I think the biggest upcoming one is Delta Green.

But there are always plenty of little projects that you can back for ten bucks or so for the PDF only.

Quote from: Motorskills;857769Total crap.

Just because YOU got lucky doesn't mean everyone else will.  The Law of Averages does not care who, or what, you are.

Don't do it.  Do NOT work on promises.  Work on products delivered.  I don't think one of those actually hit it's promised release date.  In fact, some of them take years to come out, even if they do.

The only thing you can do is pick a respected name, and hope for the best.  Do you do what when you buy a TV?  Or even pick up groceries on a promise that it will deliver on the day in the future.

Kickstarting is a dumb idea, and promotes the fact that Gamers are gullible fools who would love to back an idea, a promise that may or may not deliver.  But because most of the denominations are so low, if they don't come out, the loss will be written off, with a wistful 'Oh well'.

Don't do it.  Save your money for something that actually exists and is tangible beyond an idea on paper, or someone's head.

Overall, KS has been great for me - both RPG stuff and non-RPG stuff.
My experience has ranged from good to great.

In some ways, the charity projects have been the most fun. I am absolutely loving the Lightsail space project with Bill Nye and I got to help a DIY heavy metal festival kick ass and got 25 demos from local bands.

Slacktivism? Kinda sorta.

My only semi-regret has been the Robotech wargame from Palladium, Wave 2 of the minis is a year late and probably will be 2-3 years late. However, I got Wave 1 which I can easily sell for more than price I paid for all the minis. So if I wait, I can sell the whole package at profit or decide to paint and play.

Why semi-regret? The minis are a pain in the ass to construct so I am going to have to decide whether I am going flip it on eBay or drop $1000 to have all the minis built and painted for me. I have no talent for minis.

And even that was $150. I've wasted that in the past 6 months on three restaurants with 5 star Yelp reviews only to feel the meal was worth 2 stars.

I don't back pie-in-the-sky projects where the creator has an idea and a wish. I like seeing prototypes, detailed plans, track records and most of all with RPGs, I like seeing the beta as soon as I pledge.

Heck, how different is that from flipping through a book at the FLGS?

Hey, I just got my Monsters Macabre PDF for Chill/Cryptworld!!

I've only read monsters A through C (Batsquatch! Creeping Eye!) and there's no doubt it was worth the cheap purchase, especially the new kewl monster powerz.

Quote from: Luca;857742Just do your homework and things will likely work out. For those on which you can't find enough info either forget it or accept the loss upfront.

Something you can do immediately and easily: click on the KS creator name, the page lists the number of previous KS as " created". Click on that number and go check how previous projects panned out.

Thats great IF they ever did one previously.

But that totally screws the legitimate startups. And KS was created to fasciliate startups. That is is becoming more a venue for "known" publishers gradually is the problem.

Last year I backed the Fallout game and one of my friends backed both the Facerig voice-sync animator and the Shadowrun PC game. Those all went through fine.

Way of the West was the exact opposite and the "Heroquest 25th anniversary" game has become an epic beyond epic train wreck.

And the "Doom that came to Atlantic City" disaster no one saw coming, not even the designer and artist until it was too late. It had two well known people working on it and all looked fine.

And game Salute has taken to using fronts and other tricks so you really have to dig to find out.

https://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/171113/game-salute-cautionary-tale

Sure they get the game eventually. But that is 40+ incidents alone and getting harder to pin them down.

Quote from: Omega;857805That is is becoming more a venue for "known" publishers gradually is the problem.

Agreed. However, I think if a new publisher who follows the Sine Nomine model (aka 99% of the writing is done, just asking $$ for art), I believe they can get some traction via KS.

Boardgames are hell to produce because of the variety of components which have to then be packed into the box for fulfillment.  New companies are probably better off starting with a non-CCG card game since all you need is cards, text, art and the box.

Quote from: Spinachcat;857821Agreed. However, I think if a new publisher who follows the Sine Nomine model (aka 99% of the writing is done, just asking $$ for art), I believe they can get some traction via KS.

Boardgames are hell to produce because of the variety of components which have to then be packed into the box for fulfillment.  New companies are probably better off starting with a non-CCG card game since all you need is cards, text, art and the box.

Some KS claim to be "90% done!" and then, well, they aint.

With an RPG you have that yin-yang of do you do the writing beforehand. But maybee dont get funded, or wait for funding then start. Selling an "idea". Personally I wouldnt fund an "idea" as it may never see completion.

Quote from: Omega;857852Some KS claim to be "90% done!" and then, well, they aint.

That's absolutely true.

The Palladium Robotech KS is an example of an KS where the creators believed they were at the finish line, instead of realizing they were at the starting line.

However, those RPG KS where there is a downloadable beta as soon as you pledge, the backers can see exactly what % of the project is actually complete.  I'd even be okay with a 50% done beta if after pledging I saw the 50% was good stuff.

I am surprised more publishers don't follow the Sine Nomine model.

Of course, presenting a beta is a double edged sword. A young metal band was seeking  funding for their debut album and posted a couple songs for backers to hear...and after a listen, I decided not to pledge.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;857773Just because YOU got lucky doesn't mean everyone else will.  The Law of Averages does not care who, or what, you are.

Never get out of bed in the morning, some people have been hit by cars.

You're talking absolute nonsense. Are there risks, have there been scams, let-downs, whathaveyou?

Absolutely.

But KS continues to be hugely successful  for RPGs, and other sorts of games for a reason. For the vast majority of projects IT WORKS.

I haven't been lucky, my experience is totally typical.


(As an aside, I think the jury is still out on whether small / new outfits are being harmed by the big guys joining in. My feels is that there is room for everyone, but time will tell.

Either way, it doesn't affect the OP.)

Quote from: Christopher Brady;857773Kickstarting is a dumb idea, and promotes the fact that Gamers are gullible fools who would love to back an idea, a promise that may or may not deliver.  But because most of the denominations are so low, if they don't come out, the loss will be written off, with a wistful 'Oh well'.

No, Kickstarting is a great idea, because it lets people create cool stuff without already having access to the capital required to create it.

The big thing to realize is that Kickstarter carries the risk of an investment without actually being an investment.  There is no guarantee that the cool thing will ever be created, and there's not much protection for people who get ripped off.

So, the best thing to do is to research the people running the Kickstarter, to see if they are likely to deliver (eventually).  Also, like investing, never put in more than you can afford to lose.

I've backed 17 Kickstarters, and 13 of those were fully delivered.  Most of them were a little late, but not by more than I was willing to wait.  Of the 4 that haven't fully delivered, 2 have partially delivered and the other 2 aren't late yet.

My worst Kickstarter experience was with the Peril on the Purple Planet kickstarter, only because the shipping costs were much higher than I anticipated.  The biggest problem there was that they invoiced it AFTER the Canadian dollar tanked, which made it about 50% higher than it would have been when I actually received the product (which is awesome and worth it anyway).

It's easy to get screwed on Kickstarter, but with a little due diligence it is also a great way to help people create some cool stuff that might not exist without it.

Quote from: Omega;857805Thats great IF they ever did one previously.

But that totally screws the legitimate startups. And KS was created to fasciliate startups. That is is becoming more a venue for "known" publishers gradually is the problem.

Well, the problem is that the legitimate startups are being held back by the people who ran kickstarters and then failed to deliver, or failed to deliver well.  

The solution is really the same as with any similar endevour - make your point that what you're delivering has the best chances of succeeding.  If it's an RPG, have a beta document.  If it's a boardgame, make a print-n-play and share it, and make a few copies by hand and send them off to trusted reviewers.

If people can't use your reputation to judge if you're worthwhile, then you've got to convince them that you've got the chops to get it done.

to go back to the OP's request, the Kickstarter from arcdream for the new edition of Delta Green just started, and is half way funded.

if it is anything like the previous edition, it should rock.