Dear crowdfunding publishers: Chill out with the content stretch goals

[Malmuria]

I have backed two kickstarters, one yet to fulfill, that got delayed due to the fact that some sort of deck of cards was in their stretch goals. It is clear that the logistics of printing cards was different enough from that of printing books that it slowed the whole process down. In both cases it is frustrating as I don't particularly care about the deck of cards.

I've also seen an increasing number of kickstarters that have almost no info in the "risks section." To the point of not even having a complete sentence, just the phrase "shipping delays" or something. Meanwhile KS still doesn't have a rating system so you can't see if the people you are backing have any track record.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I have backed two kickstarters, one yet to fulfill, that got delayed due to the fact that some sort of deck of cards was in their stretch goals. It is clear that the logistics of printing cards was different enough from that of printing books that it slowed the whole process down. In both cases it is frustrating as I don't particularly care about the deck of cards.

I've also seen an increasing number of kickstarters that have almost no info in the "risks section." To the point of not even having a complete sentence, just the phrase "shipping delays" or something. Meanwhile KS still doesn't have a rating system so you can't see if the people you are backing have any track record.

I have backed more than four dozen Kickstarters (I know, I need an intervention). What I look at is the past projects by the creator and see where they are in the process. Someone who's created multiple projects and delivered on none of them yet? That's one I wait for the product to hit store shelves instead.

And yes, Tarot cards are now a thing with creators, even when it seems fairly superfluous to their core product. I would look for someone publishing through DriveThruRPG if you see cards, since they actually have an arm that does cards, and it shouldn't prove the hiccups that someone going at it alone might run into.

 

[Malmuria]

I have backed more than four dozen Kickstarters (I know, I need an intervention). What I look at is the past projects by the creator and see where they are in the process. Someone who's created multiple projects and delivered on none of them yet? That's one I wait for the product to hit store shelves instead.

And yes, Tarot cards are now a thing with creators, even when it seems fairly superfluous to their core product. I would look for someone publishing through DriveThruRPG if you see cards, since they actually have an arm that does cards, and it shouldn't prove the hiccups that someone going at it alone might run into.

I've backed more than two, but two that ran into this specific problem. I've backed a few where the creator said that they just need more time, and I'm totally cool with that. But when a project floods the zone with swag and then can't deliver, that's a massive fail.

 

[humble minion]

Personally I'd much prefer additional content than masses of miscellaneous clutter like character sheets, dice or dice bags, cards, bookmarks etc etc etc, and if i have to wait longer for it then I'm fine with that. I get no value out of stuff like metallic page edging or book ribbons, but i understand why creators include them as stretch goals. They're an additional and very visible thing that can be delivered without adding too much time to the production process.

Problem is, of course, that once you commit to a target delivery date on kickstarter, you have no way of pushing it back a month or two - even when the campaign is still running - after you've hit an unexpected number of content stretch goals and have to spend a bunch more time on layout and editing. Which is understandable I guess, otherwise you're pulling the rug from under the people who pledged based on your initially quoted goal. I wish there was a better and more flexible way of doing it though.

 

[Malmuria]

my favorite stretch goals basically involved the creator paying a bunch of friends to pack and ship things. "pizza"and "napkins" were among the stretch goals.

 

[SteveC]

My suggestions for Kickstarter success based on friends who completed two highly successful board game Kickstarters:

1. Have the writing completed before the Kickstarter begins. If you're producing a physical product it may not be completely feasible but you should at least have a prototype. Get a copy of the rules as soon as possible, preferably during the process.
2. If you're doing physical deliverables and are using China to produce it, you need a contact in the country that can shepherd you through the process. I can't stress this enough.
3. If shipping is involved, take that out of the project and give people an estimate based on current numbers.
4. Unless you have a source in the country, reconsider shipping to certain parts of the world. My friends single biggest problems were with shipping to Australia and New Zealand. They lost a ton of money to make people happy there. Also put an FAQ about VAT for shipping to parts of the world that use it. It's something outside of your control but people will complain about it.

The single biggest thing I can say about Kickstarters as a consumer of them is that it's absolutely shocking how many of them get delayed (sometimes for years) when the creator doesn't have them ready to go before the KS runs. I just got an update from one that I had completely forgotten about when the creator had health issues. Fortunately I had just backed it at the PDF level but there were people who put hundreds of dollars into that KS. I'd say that designer's reputation is ruined at this point.

One more thing: there are people who consistently run solid Kickstarters for RPGs and I have found that they are very approachable and will give you some solid advice if you just talk to them about it. It's not an accident that the people who put out consistent solid product and deliver on time (or nearly so) are also great ambassadors for their product.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Tons of stretch goals are one of the warning signs that make me leery of backing a project. Half the time it's stuff I don't even need, and is likely just going to add delays. Furthermore, it can show a lack of focus and scope creep: warning signs of poor project management.

 

[Ath-kethin]

I am setting up to launch my first Kickstarter campaign in a few months, having backed more than 70 in the past few years, and I mostly agree with your points. Companies like Monte Cook and Goodman are the exception when it comes to fulfilling with stretch goals.

The book/game module we will be launching is 90% written (we playtested it at Gen Con a few weeks ago) and we will only have some fairly modest stretch goals because I want it to finish and deliver on time or, ideally, ahead of schedule.

But Monte Cook himself strongly recommends having stretch goals, and he gives a good reason for them. In his book Kicking It: Successful Crowdfunding, Cook points out that stretch goals are how you get backers to bring in more backers. The trick, as he also stresses, is making sure that you account for the added work those stretch goals entail ahead of time, so they don't slow down campaign fulfillment.

When implemented well, stretch goals are the difference between a successful campaign and a wildly successful campaign. You just need to be sure that the work is done, mostly done, or that you have a reliable means to get it done on time.

 

[CleverNickName]

I wonder what it would be like if there were a way to opt out of stretch goals. Like, once a project hits its funding goal, a backer could go down the list of stickers and dice and premium leather whatever, and just click a "No Thanks" button next to each. Judging from this thread, I bet that about a third of all backers would use that feature.

 

[payn]

I wonder what it would be like if there were a way to opt out of stretch goals. Like, once a project hits its funding goal, a backer could go down the list of stickers and dice and premium leather whatever, and just click a "No Thanks" button next to each. Judging from this thread, I bet that about a third of all backers would use that feature.

Logistical nightmare for the producers. Dont see it happening.