Kickstarter

I thought I'd talk about some of the stuff I've backed on Kickstarter for this week.  Now I live in the UK so I often see games on there that I just can't back, some of the shipping costs on projects to the UK are sky high.  Have backed a few that were EU friendly and a couple that were low cost enough that it made it worth it.  It is my biggest issue with Kickstarter really, that so few projects can ship to me without paying almost as much for the postage as for the actual game.

Saying that I really like Kickstarter, I think it is a great way of getting games printed that might not have been released otherwise.  I do think it is going a bit too far for some companies, there are plenty of companies still using Kickstarter that could afford by now (with so many successfully games previously released) to produce games without Kickstarter.

So what Projects have I backed?

A History of the Great Empires of Eve Online
By Andrew Groen

My first projected backed on Kickstarter was not a game but actually a book.  I backed this when I was playing Eve years ago.  Because of Eve's sandbox and player made content I loved the idea of a history book about Eve.  Even better the planned range of the book was going to stop just as I started playing (around Jan 2010).  This would cover the time I wasn't involved in the game so I wasn't following the Eve News then and didn't know much about what happened at the time.

Anyway this book has been delivered.  The book is beautiful, maps, art, timelines etc. but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, it is on the top of the pile though.  The production on the book is really good, I got a physical copy of the soft cover but a PDF of the hard copy which had full colour and additional art.

Vast: The Crystal Caverns
By Leder Games

Vast: The Crystal Caverns was the first game I backed.  It was originally known as Trove, but has changed it's name to Vast.  I liked the idea of the game as soon as I heard about it.  I really liked the idea of a multiplier game where everyone plays as a different person with different powers and different goals to win the game.

The game set players against each other with each trying to complete their own goals.  The Dragon has to try and escape the Caverns, The Knight wants to kill the Dragon, The Goblins are trying to kill the Knight, The Thief is trying to steal the Dragon's loot and the Cave is trying to kill everyone.  Plenty of games offer players with different goals or slightly different play styles but these are completely different.

I have spoken about this game before it had it's name changed.  It still hasn't delivered (but latest update says it should be soon so fingers crossed).  I look forward to playing it and the updates for it do look great.  Hopefully once it is delivered I will get a few plays under my belt and do a full review of the game.

Crimson Creek
By Toystorian Enterprises

This is a game that I didn't really know much about when I backed.  I watched though a few of the videos and had an idea of how the game worked but I was really attracted to the theme of the game.  It is very Friday 13th, the game is a small card game with some deduction and possibly a hidden traitor as the players try to survive until morning while trying to work out who is possessed by Klein "The Hatchet Man".

The game looks great and it had such a low price point that I wasn't to worried about backing it with very little information available at the time.  I like deduction and hidden role games so that did appeal to me.  It is small so easy to take and play at the pub or a friends.

The game unlocked all it stretch goals and it added plenty of extra bits to the game.  The game hasn't been delivered but the updates look great.  I love the art style for this game, it is dark but still cartoony so it doesn't put too many people off.  It have a very 80's B-Movie feel to it.

Wits & Wagers Epic Geek Edition
By North Star Games

So this project was actually cancelled without funding.  The project was badly run and set up, the pledge levels were badly set up.  The amounts that you needed to pledge to get a copy of the game were high for what you actually get with the game.  Shipping was EU friendly so that was a plus for me.

I decided to back the game anyway, I had always like the game play of Wits and Wagers but heard that the sets were very "American Centric", this set looked like it could fix that by having questions about stuff I might actually know about.

It's a pity that it was cancelled and I hope that when it is re-launched later this year it is better organised hopefully with more realistic pledge levels and goals.

7th Sea: Second Edition
By John Wick Presents & AEG

This was a Kickstarter I just had to get in on when I heard about it.  I was actually in Spain at the time with very limited internet and I wouldn't be back until after the campaign finished so couldn't look into it too much.  The project was huge and raised a large amount.  When I joined it was already unlocking stretch goals left and right, a pledge got you a huge amount just in stretch goals.  I decided to get in on the cheapest level that would get me a physical copy of the book which also included plenty of stretch PDF's as well as 7th Sea 1st edition PDFs.

I do love RPGs and have been trying to introduce my group to one but haven't been able to really do that with the RPGs I own at the moment.  I though a pirate theme might be something I could get them on board with.  It is a theme I like and I heard a lot of good things about the first edition of the game.  It is a pirate game with plenty of typical fantasy elements.

The project ended up making more than $1million.  I think in terms of projects I have backed this was the best deal for the amount that was included.  I have started getting through some of the PDFs for the 1st Edition.  The project has been releasing things on a regular basis rather than waiting until everything is ready and doing a huge delivery.  I really like that about this project.

Corrupted Kingdoms
By Artana LLC

This was another game that just really jumped out and me and I decided to back.  The previous game that Artana put out was  Tesla Vs Edison which received very high praise.  It is also a great theme and something that I don't think I have covered elsewhere in my collection.  The reviews from preview copies sent out were really positive so I thought that I would take a jump and back.

In the game you are a monster corporation trying to influence government.  It would be a good theme without the monsters involved, but I think it is just as good with them.  Players will try and send people out to influence politicians and try to control votes to get bills passed that fit their agendas.

This is another project that hasn't delivered yet but again the updates look promising, the art is really well done, if a bit cartoony, but everything looks really well done.

This War of Mine: The Board Game
By Awaken Realms

This was really my first big game that I backed.  I saw it on Board Game Geek and was instantly intrigued, there was just something about it that I couldn't resist.  I watched through the whole of Rahdo Runs Through on the game to see how it plays and it looks really good.  It has a slightly Dead of Winter feel to it but without the zombies.  It has a very dark feel and includes a big story telling and moral choices elements to the game.  I think the theme, civilians trying to live and survive in a war zone, is handled very well.

The game takes place over a week with players controlling a group of survivors living in an abandoned building. During the day players will try and improve their home, clearing rubble, searching the basement and building new things to make their lives better.  At night some survivors might go out looking for more supplies while others sleep and some guard the house.  The game offers some hard choices for players to make and sometimes doing the right thing can be the worst choice for the players.  At the end of the game each survivor will get a little epilogue about what happens to them after the war based on the decision you make as a player during the game.

The game looks fantastic, the art and miniatures are really well done with some really good writing available in the story elements and flavour text that I have seen.  It also has a great way of teaching the game, instead of reading the rules you set up and the game teaches you the game as you go along.  Even better, the game was being made in the EU so was actually pretty cheap for me to get in the UK.

Plague Inc: The Board Game
By Ndemic Creations

Another game that was based in the EU so had a really good pledge level price.  I loved the computer game version of Plague Inc, I have it on my PC and smartphone.  This game has been created by the same guy and the same company so I'm hoping it will feel the same.

The game play seems similar to the digital version.  You are controlling a virus and trying to destroy humanity.  Unlike the digital version there are multiple viruses and you are competing to be the most deadly disease.  As your virus spreads you will evolve to make it more infectious, harder to cure or more deadly.  Looking at the game play footage I think they have captured the essence of the game well, not only the evolution of your disease but also the worldwide events that happen as the world either tries to defend itself against you or countries hosting the olympics getting 1000s of healthy people to travel to an infected country.

This is another game I was really drawn to because of the theme.  I really hope it lives up to my expectations and I think it will.  Plus after a few games of Pandemic, who doesn't want to play on the other team.


So these are the projects I have backed on Kickstarter so far.  I do like the idea of backing projects and helping these smaller games out.  Yes I like getting a game but normally you aren't getting the games cheaper than waiting for retail and I am not the sort of person that has to have every exclusive promo for every game.  I will keep checking Kickstarter and seeing what pops out at me.  If it isn't too over priced for delivery and the game looks good I will carry on backing.  I do know there are risks of the projects never getting made, and me losing my money but as yet I haven't been burnt and always look into the companies making the projects, especially if it is a sizable sum of money.