What's your Kickstarter success rate?

Morrus · Dec 1, 2015

I realised today that over the last few years I've backed 14 Kickstarters but only received rewards from 5 of them.

What are your Kickstarter stats?

The Crimson Binome · Dec 1, 2015

I've backed 15.
Of those, 10 have delivered.
Of the remaining, one is still on schedule (and reputable).

All told, I've "lost" almost $100 on undelivered campaigns.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Dec 2, 2015

Eighteen completed, one underway.

One had the level I bought into (an app version of the Holdfast Fighting Fantasy-style gamebook) didn't work out for reasons beyond the folks' control and they offered us make goods (two other apps instead), one game was completed but a terrible mess (but it included dice and a bag, so there's that at least) and all the rest are either complete or nearly so (TimeWatch is off to the copy editor, woo hoo!).

I'm pretty happy with Kickstarter, but I've also backed away from projects that looked like they might have problems. (I really wanted Axes & Anvils to be a success, but I'm glad I trusted my gut and pulled out.)

Jester David · Dec 2, 2015

Backed seventeen:
Order of the Stick, Rebuilding ENWorld, Eclipse Phase: Transhuman, both Pathfinder Online KS, Prismatic Art collection, Hex, a Shadows of Esteren, Relaunch Know Direction, Reaper 1-3, Advanced Bestiary, Reading Rainbow, Karthun, Ghostbusters, and now Tome of Beasts.

Tome of Beasts just finished. Karthun is also ongoing and rather late (delivery estimated in September) but small publisher. Ghostbusters is shipping so any day now. And Reaper doesn't owe me anything until next September.
My Know Direction reward is a little late. But I haven't pressed as I had an exclusive thing, and there's generic rewards still ongoing. And Order of the Stick got 80% of what I paid for out, and just waiting on a few PDFs.

My success rate is pretty high. 100% for funding and pretty high for getting what I paid for.

Olaf the Stout · Dec 2, 2015

Overall I've been pretty lucky. All of my 61 Kickstarters have delivered so far (bar a couple of minor stretch goals still outstanding that I don't mind if they don't get done) or are on track to do so. Less than a third delivered on time, but I've generally been ok with that provided the project creator has kept the backers informed.

Of all the projects I've backed, I was happy with almost all of them. I wouldn't back a computer game Kickstarter again, but that's because I have discovered I'm not overly interested in seeing how the game is made and due to a lack of time, I haven't even played any of the games. So I figure I'm better off just buying the games on sale for $5-10 a little while after they've been released.

Outside of that, I wouldn't back a Games and Gear Brushes Kickstarter again, but the brushes I got are still ok value for money for what I paid. They just aren't anywhere near the W&N quality which they said they would be.

The 2 Chaosium Kickstarters have been very badly run, but since Sandy Peterson and co have taken back control of Chaosium things seem to be headed in the right direction again and I'd definitely give them another chance.

Everything else has been good enough that I'd at least consider backing any new Kickstarter they run.

Considering the number of RPG/miniatures/gaming projects that crashed and burned, delivering nothing I feel lucky to have somehow avoided them all.

Stormonu · Dec 2, 2015

About 63%. I've backed 4. Two have delivered early on Wave I, no more than 2 months late for the remainder. One was an outright scam, but I only lost $12. The last one I'm waiting on has delivered about half, but it's looking like the second part is going to be a no show.

Despite my two wildly successful KS backings, between the ones I'm watching that I didn't back and have failed or bogged down I'm not intending to ever kickstart again. I'm not a risk taker and I'd rather just wait now for the stuff to show up retail.

dd.stevenson · Dec 2, 2015

100%, assuming Torment doesn't flop out of the blue.

But I only back projects proposed by people with perfect track records.

exile · Dec 2, 2015

I have backed 36. Two are late, but I haven't given up hope. One is pending, but I have backed the company on several other successful Kickstarters. Two are in progress. Two have failed. The rest succeeded, but two really under-delivered. Of the two that under-delivered, one actually still netted me everything I actually wanted.

Leatherhead · Dec 2, 2015

100%

But then again I have only backed one.

Jan van Leyden · Dec 2, 2015

I have backed only one, the notorious Appendix N by Brave Halfling Publishing. According to my reckoning I should have received seven physical goods more than two years ago.

John Adams delivered several PDFs over the years. Last Saturday, one item appeared in my mailbox.

Technically the success rate ist more than 0%, but as a whole I see the project as unsuccessful.

This result combined with an endless stream of excuses led to my decision not to support any crowfunding project anymore, at least not as far as RPG items are concerned.