Kickstarter Deal-Breakers (Poll)

[Xamnam]

There are several options I selected up there that that would stop me, but honestly, the most common one is simply that the cost of the base whatever-it-is of the kickstarter is higher than I was ready to casually spend on first blush having just learned of it.

 

[J.Quondam]

Long time frame and excessive stretch goals are usually big turn-offs for me. But mostly it boils down to costs, especially if it's something that will eventually end up generally for sale anyway.

I also ticked "Other" to address one additional thing: avoiding FOMO. I (almost) never immediately back something; instead I click the button for a notification before it ends. That simple act to delay usually dissipates my urge to impulse buy.

 

[Mike Myler]

"The crowdfunding page is slapdash or poorly-written."

After many years of running and pledging to Kickstarters I'm convinced that a page without typos does worse than a project page with typos.

 

[not-so-newguy]

"The crowdfunding page is slapdash or poorly-written."

After many years of running and pledging to Kickstarters I'm convinced that a page without typos does worse than a project page with typos.

Huh? Not doubting you here, but why do you think that? Seems like an obvious turn-off to me

 

[CleverNickName]

The most important thing for me is this: does the Kickstarter have a full functional quickstart or preview of the game? if not, it isn't ready for prime time and they should not be crowd funding it yet.

There are several options I selected up there that that would stop me, but honestly, the most common one is simply that the cost of the base whatever-it-is of the kickstarter is higher than I was ready to casually spend on first blush having just learned of it.

Poll options added, feel free to update your votes.

I'll keep my eye on the thread for other "Other" voting options to add.

 

[Mike Myler]

Huh? Not doubting you here, but why do you think that? Seems like an obvious turn-off to me

From spotting typos on I think every Big Kickstarter page I've seen. It confuses me too.

 

[CleverNickName]

From spotting typos on I think every Big Kickstarter page I've seen. It confuses me too.

I've seen some doozies over the years....everything from the occasional typo or grammar error, to upside-down images (yikes) and broken HTML tables. None of those were deal-breakers for me, and the creator is usually pretty quick to fix them when they're pointed out. But when those errors are in the teaser photos of the actual project--or worse, the "teaser photos of the actual project" are obviously Photoshopped stock photos--I run for the hills.

 

[ART!]

My choices:

Slapdash or poorly-written. This is an immediate nope for me. There was a recent project for some game about sentient apes, but in every instance where they should have said "apes" they used the word "monkeys". As intrigued as I was by the concepts, if they can't get that right then I have to wonder what else they haven't thought through?

The shipping costs for the product. Every once and a while there will be something from a creator in a country far enough away that getting a printed copy of their product will make the cost more than I can afford for whatever it is they're offering.

The use of AI artwork. This is another immediate nope for me. As someone who has been a professional artist and is married to a professional artist, I have a real problem with AI-generated imagery (I'm not prepared to call it "art"). I really like that Kickstarter requires (?) people to answer questions regarding the use of AI in their projects.

The product has already met its goal. There have been times when I really wanted to support what a creator was doing, even if what they're making isn't quite my thing, but I didn't have money burning a hole in my pocket. In situations like that if the funding goal has been met or clearly will be, I'll move on.

 

[Corinnguard]

I picked Other. The very first Kickstarter I backed was for EN Publishing's Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition back in 2021. I had decided to back it after being invited by a friend to role-play 5e with his group and another friend of mine, and joining the ENworld community. Before I did the latter I would visit ENworld.org to read any article that caught my eye. Some of those articles were about Level Up and what was in it. I liked what I saw and so I did something I had never thought of doing before. I decide to back something on Kickstarter.

I think getting sneak peak of what's in a Kickstarter helps as you get to see and know what the product is going to be like before you get it. It also probably helps when you visit a place like the ENworld.org forums and actually get to 'meet' some of the products' designers. Namely the A5e crew. So I am more inclined to back a Kickstarter if it's from them than anyone else.

Yes, I have set a very high bar for myself.

Aside from Level Up, I did back the Kickstarter from Endless Realms' bestiary. I backed this one because I have seen their artwork on DeviantArt.com long before it's Kickstarter was launched.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The single biggest one is no PDF-only option, since I don't routinely buy physical product any more. I'm made leery about some other things (too much physical stretch goals is a red light warning) but that one pretty much, as is a nope-out is ones for a couple of game systems I really don't want anything to do with.