Success with TAG Raid? Where? :D Thankfully they didn't and Aristeia is an actually good game with a good ruleset and well written manual.
Not sure why this discussion in the characters section and at all... I HATE kickstarters. The idea behind kickstarters was a different one many years ago. Now it is only about avoiding risks and therefore often bad game design is getting much money for fancy stretch goals and a bunch of boardgame quality miniatures. There are good games on Kickstarter but... I want to be able to buy a game in a store and maybe get more people into it later. Many kickstarters miss a retail version later on.
Hopefully Aristeia hasn't been launched on KS as Defiance or TAG Raid which are one shots. Aristeia is a really good game, and supported by CB for rules : updates of Aristos (even through a part of the community of players) and AGL yearly.
Aristeia could have been on KS if and ONLY if it used KS as a starter to appeal on a board game community but not on a all-in basis: Base Game + 3 First Extensions (unlocked) Exclusive Stretch goal for quality of life material (Plastic Token, Better Arena/Obstacle/Walls) Unlocked optionnal Metal miniature Unlocked organized play and additionnal support (AGL rules, Ladder, Tournament, ...) Clear communication that the game is not KS exclusive (opened for Local Game Store and parternship with local distributor) Teasing on further extensions and guarantee on game support outside of KS
Crowdfunding seems better for "One and done" games that aren't going to see regular support and annual tournament seasons. Side projects rather than product lines, if you will. There are exceptions (Warcaster, some CMON stuff) but I've not seen many games launch as a Kickstarter and then become regular product lines. Also not sure why you would want Privateer Press to do it either.
That is a valid question, but there is not an A! related subforum I can think of moving this thread to
The issue is kickstarters are effective and you're just one person. Many more people will be interested. It's a pre order platform and this isn't a bad thing.
Maybe we could think of Aristeia future launch on KS to grab more people from other gaming background (not miniatures), with a new version of : - Hexadome (CB does really good cardboard scenery) with options to get the one we would like (so different names with bonuses on AGL pdf file) - including scenery pack (chek at those scenery packs from Defiance and TAG Raid) - proposing new teams of Aristos (4 or 2 per team) before retail - 2 height of games, like a 3D hexadome where you can play on 2 floors, switching from one to the other thanks to lifts or teleports portals as in latest scenarios?
Actually it's a very bad thing. First, it is not actually a preorder platform, and although it's not really an issue for a CB product, there are enough horror stories that this should be pointed out. But secondly, and more importantly, crowdfunding has turned into a transfer of risk. The original pitch was that crowdfunding would allow projects that otherwise wouldn't see the light of day to become a reality. When a company that has the means to produce the game turns towards crowdfunding, they are transferring all the risks they should normally take towards individuals, while completely escaping the gatekeepers that could protect consumers. You can now produce a game using no money of your own, and make your revenue before a single review is published. Of course, the counter-argument is personal responsibility. But that's essentially saying all the consumer-protection laws established in even the most permissive countries serve no purpose, and I don't think that's the general opinion.
This is why I mostly stepped back from pledging on Kickstarter. Get your job done and contact a publisher and negotiate. Those guys have a good amount of experience to help you as well. You want to play Star Trek 3D-chess-style Aristeia!?
I really, really disagree. It is actually a preorder platform though. This is true of anything that's a pre-order. Video games, whatever. It's a pre-order platform.
No, it only look like it is, which is problematic. And again, no, it is not the same. The main difference? Legal protection. When you preorder, you are still protected by your consumer laws. Including the ability to send back the item for a full refund (and yes, even on Steam if you follow their TOS). You have no such protection with crowdfunding. Whether that difference matters to you is another question, but they are absolutely not the same. This why Kickstarter has a whole page titled “we are not a store”…
