I'm sick of Kickstarters

[Parmandur]

Goodman.

I did the Fourth printing for DCC, and just got the first batch of material: they are still going some ludicrous deals on Kickstarter.

 

[JeffB]

I did the Fourth printing for DCC, and just got the first batch of material: they are still going some ludicrous deals on Kickstarter.

They do. but they toned it down after MA, which was over the top...

 

[Parmandur]

They do. but they toned it down after MA, which was over the top...

Live and learn?

 

[JeffB]

Live and learn?

im not complaining, it was a steal!

 

[MNblockhead]

Lastly, I'll get some hate for this, but probably the one thing I like most about KS RPGs is that I don't see as much of an emphasis on catering to political correctness. If you want an old school type of product with all the childish testosterone driven humor and art from the "good old days", then you can do that so long as you get enough backers to support you. In the end, crowd funding offers more choice, and again, I think that's a good thing.

To an extent this may be true (I don't know of any sources of data to confirm or refute your perception). If so, I think it is simply a function of Kickstarter allowing people to take risks and cater to niche markets. There is less of a need to cater to the mainstream. This can go both ways, your 1930s through 60s style pulp-fiction artwork and themes on the one hand to games that bend gender roles on the other.

That said, looking at Kickstarter's Prohibited Items list (https://www.kickstarter.com/rules/prohibited?ref=rules), I don't think that you can stray too far from mainstream standards of decency. Just some examples:

• Offensive material (e.g., hate speech, encouraging violence against others, etc).
• Pornographic material.

See also, their Community Guidelines (https://www.kickstarter.com/help/community):

Don’t be a jerk.

Conversation is an essential part of our community — we encourage backers to talk to creators and to talk to each other, especially when they have questions. All we ask is that those conversations stay honest and considerate. Don’t post obscene, hateful, or objectionable content. Don’t post personal information. Don’t post copyrighted content without permission. If you don’t like a project, don’t back it, simply move along. Please always have respect for our shared space and the other folks visiting it.

Finally, see their blog post in response to a controversy over a "seduction guide" project (http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2014/06/04/kickstarter-new-policy-gosnell-wake/):

Let us be 100% clear: Content promoting or glorifying violence against women or anyone else has always been prohibited from Kickstarter.

So you are not going to see a project for a new release of F.A.T.A.L. ("From Another Time Another Land" on the one hand, or a an RPG based on Valerie Solanas's S.C.U.M. Manifesto (S.C.U.M. = Society for Cutting Up Men).

While I strongly support Freedom of Speech, I also support the right of private enterprises to set content guidelines.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Goodman.

Cheers. What was it in particular about their 5E Kickstarter adventures that you didn't like?

 

[JeffB]

Cheers. What was it in particular about their 5E Kickstarter adventures that you didn't like?

I found the adventures to be nowhere near the creativity and quality level of the adventures they produce for their own games like DCCRPG or even the MA project. The 5e line from them feels like bandwagon products (as did FGGs adventure books)

 

[dco]

Sure. Nobody wants risk. It's $20 risk to each customer or a life-changing bank loan to the creator. You make your choices. It's not a problem, though. It's just a choice.

It's clear people see problems inherent to the Kickstarter system, that doesn't mean they don't have the choice to use it or not.

 

[Parmandur]

I found the adventures to be nowhere near the creativity and quality level of the adventures they produce for their own games like DCCRPG or even the MA project. The 5e line from them feels like bandwagon products (as did FGGs adventure books)

I kinda got that vibe from the cover art; a bit drab, not so heavy metal?

 

[JeffB]

I kinda got that vibe from the cover art; a bit drab, not so heavy metal?

We had a big discussion about the art over at the 5e section of the OD&D proboards and the GG forums. Joe G finally made a comment that it is what they were sticking with to differentiate it from DCC. IDK if that will continue or not. Its been a couple years.

That said, my issue was between the covers.