Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms

[Blackhawk]

I'm still keeping to not backing games on Kickstarter. This year I've backed exactly one game-related project, and that was an expansion to a game I already have. In fact, if you just look at new games rather than expansions, I haven't backed anything other than Maladum in the last two years.

[baelthazar]

This launched yesterday from Modiphius, but I forgot to share:



Do you like the idea of Roman soliders whooping on Cthulhu? Then this is your game. What's interesting is they're offering tiers not only based on physical rewards vs PDFs and STLs, but they've also scaled them. In other words, if you're interested in small-scale skirmish fighting you don't need to back at higher levels - because those rules and models are in the additional books. Can't say I've seen this kind of tiered system before (that scales from skirmish up to army-level), but I think it makes a lot of sense given the theme.

But yeah, a little something for everyone here, I think.

Given how terrible the card quality and how many errata where in their Homeworld boardgame, I would think super hard about backing anything Modiphius again.

[Smoove_B]

Oh yeah? That's not one I'd bee following. That doesn't sound great - publishers do seem to be cutting weird corners with contents. I was punching/sorting my copy of Plum Island Horror and the tiles are all top notch - thick cardboard. But the cards? Very flimsy.

[Blackhawk]

Modiphius is a weird company. They do have a few great games, but they also like to go to extremes to cut costs, and their full retail products tend to be pretty expensive.

[Smoove_B]

I guess I've only been following them with their books (solo rpg and skirmish games) lately. This looked like a logical step - taking skirmish rules and offering STLs.

[Blackhawk]

This looked like a logical step - taking skirmish rules and offering STLs.

Which is what they did with Fallout Wasteland Warfare, except that they offer the minis already made, and most of the terrain as stls.

[baelthazar]

Modiphius is a weird company. They do have a few great games, but they also like to go to extremes to cut costs, and their full retail products tend to be pretty expensive.

I was also really ticked off about how thin the paper they decided to use for Utopia Planita (the Star Trek RPG book of ships). I almost feel like I am going to rip it every time I turn a page. I was DEEP into their stuff (and the Dune RPG is really quite interesting) but I'm just not fond of the 2D20 system as much as others.

[Blackhawk]

When they have done expansions for Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, the cards were punch-out paper included with the book. It was thick paper, but it wasn't anything like proper cardstock. For the prices they charge, it just felt cheap.

[Smoove_B]

I appreciate all the info. I have zero experience with them as actual board game publishers - I only know them from various books I've purchased and there's never been an issue with them.

[Blackhawk]

Their content can be really good, but their pricing and some of their money saving tricks (like the punch-out cards) leave a bad taste in my mouth. It was enough that I've largely back-burnered FOWW for now.

[hepcat]

Well, this is interesting.

About 47 years ago, I backed a game on Kickstarter called Myth: Journeyman. It was an interesting concept with some interesting mechanics....that ultimately fell apart for me because of numerous gameplay issues that would appear when playing.

Cut to last year, someone bought up the franchise and sent out an email mentioning that those who had bought into the sequel way back during the Clinton administration were going to get some updated material.

Today, I just got two miniatures (in a box WAY too big for two small miniatures) for Myth.

Now I"m kind of curious as to what Myth 2.0 plays like. I have everything still, so I should grab a copy of the updated rules and give it a shot.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, I have a box of stuff coming as well. I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I love the game so much, but I also hate it. It's weird.

[hepcat]

I see it as a precursor to Gloomhaven and other card driven dungeon crawlers. I also really loved the quest system with the random cards you would draw to build your quest.

But the way weapons were handled, as well as other things I can't quite recall now but that cause me to wince due to muscle memory, turned me off it at the time.

Still, I'm curious to see if they fixed it in any way.

[Smoove_B]

The short answer is no, not really (2.0 rules). It's better, but it's not what you want (most likely). The stretch goal characters are still unbalanced and depending on how you're playing (solo, running two characters; playing with someone else running 2 vs 4 each), you still likely need a core mix of classes to likely be successful.

What remains to be seen is how the Ulisses Spiele version of the game will work ("Dawn of Heroes"). I think they've really modified it significantly, for better or worse. You can get a free PnP demo at DriveThru to see what's coming...

But in short, they're essentially reorganizing everything and most of the stuff we own isn't going to work. They're retooled iconography and mechanics. We should be able to use the minis and maybe the tiles but I think the cards are completely out. The giant starter box (and all the expansions) have been redesigned as well. I think they're going much smaller (understandably) to keep costs and complexity lower. So in some ways, having all the stuff is good, but we're likely also going to need to repurchase "standee" sets with all the upgraded physical components.

[hepcat]

Hmmm...interesting. I didn't know about Dawn of Heroes. I'll check it out.

Although my goal now is to divest myself of all these games I'm not 100 percent on board with. I dropped my car keys the other day in a room full of board games and I had to just sell my car because I knew I was never going to find them again.

[Blackhawk]

Well, FWIW, my experiences to date with Ulisses Spiele have been excellent, including backing quite an number of their Torg: Eternity crowdfunding campaigns.

[Smoove_B]

I've had similar experiences with them as a company overall. I have no doubts people just learning about Myth and experiencing it for the first time through their re-launch are going to be happy. I'm just not entirely convinced they're going to convert people like me that were part of the original launch of the game and are now seeing it "re-imagined".

[hepcat]

Especially since the majority of us that have the original game are well into our eighties at this point.

[Skinypupy]

I got a shipping notice today that Tanares Adventures is on the way.

[Punisher]

Especially since the majority of us that have the original game are well into our eighties at this point.

Wait.. you're past 80?!?.
I would have never guessed it bit it is obvious in hindsight thanks to yoyr golden girls fetish...

[Blackhawk]

I believe that his bole was set to hyper.

[Punisher]

I believe that his bole was set to hyper.

I don't know. How else do you explain his GG fetish?

[Blackhawk]

Gerontophilia?

[hepcat]

Good taste?

[baelthazar]

I got a shipping notice today that Tanares Adventures is on the way.

Me too... but it's not go past the "label created" stage for me.

[hentzau]

Tempted by the Port Royale kickstarter by Firelock Games. A semi-historical skirmish game set in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated the colony of Port Royal...pretty much Mordheim with pirates.

I really love the Firelock games and minis, and own tons of it, but have never gotten any of it to a table.

[Skinypupy]

I got a shipping notice today that Tanares Adventures is on the way.

Me too... but it's not go past the "label created" stage for me.

Yeah, I'm only seeing "label created" as well. I thought that meant shipment was in process, but perhaps I jumped the gun a bit.

[baelthazar]

I got a shipping notice today that Tanares Adventures is on the way.

Me too... but it's not go past the "label created" stage for me.

Yeah, I'm only seeing "label created" as well. I thought that meant shipment was in process, but perhaps I jumped the gun a bit.

Mine are still at Label Created. Did yours change?

[Skinypupy]

I got a shipping notice today that Tanares Adventures is on the way.

Me too... but it's not go past the "label created" stage for me.

Yeah, I'm only seeing "label created" as well. I thought that meant shipment was in process, but perhaps I jumped the gun a bit.

Mine are still at Label Created. Did yours change?

Shows delivery next Tuesday.

That’d be awesome, as I have a friend I haven’t seen in about a year coming over for a game night that day.

[Malificent]

Mine never left label created and showed up yesterday. Spent 4-5 hours sleeving cards and moving things into storage boxes. Going to be a nice setup when it is all together.

[hepcat]

In other news, the new Duel of Ages (Worldspanner) is about to start shipping.

[baelthazar]

Mine never left label created and showed up yesterday. Spent 4-5 hours sleeving cards and moving things into storage boxes. Going to be a nice setup when it is all together.

Got mine today. It's going to be a long haul moving everything over but it looks fantastic!

[Fardaza]

After reading up on it, I just backed the reprint of Agemonia. (I think I have until tomorrow to change my mind if I want to.) It looks like just the right level of story, combat, and non-depressing world (looking at you Oathsworn) that I will enjoy. It's scheduled to ship in January, so I have time to cleanse the palate with many other smaller games.

Dungeons of Infinity is supposed to arrive this month or next. That will give me something to bite into also.

[hepcat]

I've got Dungeons of Infinity and Isofarian Guard (new printing) shipping around the same time. I think because they're the same company, they'll probably ship together. Which strikes me as a kind of underhanded since I was charged shipping based on two shipments, I believe. Oh well.

[Smoove_B]

Just as an FYI, coming on 6/27

Tales from the Red Dragon Inn - Second Printing

The award-winning dungeoncrawl game returns with quality-of-life improvements and unlocked stretch goals from the original KS campaign!

[hepcat]

Sigh...I'm two chapters into it. I swear, I should have learned my lesson by now: don't buy games until 2nd or even 3rd printing/edition.

[YellowKing]

Got a notice today that Vagrantsong: Encore finished production so I should be seeing that by end of summer I'm guessing.

That is a fun boss battler, and though I never finished the campaign, I enjoyed it enough to back the expansion. They also put out a revised edition of the rulebook that I'll be getting.

I once got in a ridiculous argument on a FB boardgame group because I posted about it in the solo gamer's group. And this guy was arguing that "you can't play it solo." At this point I was several scenarios in playing it solo just fine. Sure, there were a couple of spots between scenarios where you had to make an arbitrary decision with hidden information, but it was easy enough to just flip a coin and move on.

Even though I explained how I was playing, and even though other people were chiming in saying they were playing it solo as well, he kept bitching about it because the player count says 2-4. Despite numerous posts about other truly non-solo games were people were using fan-created automa, etc. to play. What difference does it make if it doesn't have a 1 on the box? If you can run a game solo and have a good time, it's soloable.

[hepcat]

Was that me?

[Skinypupy]

Tanares arrived today. First impressions: This box is gorram ridiculous.

More to come…

[baelthazar]

Tanares arrived today. First impressions: This box is gorram ridiculous.

More to come…

It sure is! And I think you meant "boxes" plural.

Apparently League of Dungeoneers, Worldspanners, Crossbows and Catapults is all about to ship soon too.