Kickstarter Bloatware

[humble minion]

Being a 2024 non-adopter has saved me a chunk of money on kickstarter D&D supplements.

 

[Aldarc]

Yeah, that's been how I've kept the lid on in 2025, which was my lowest number of campaigns since 2020: "Am I going to use this in the foreseeable future?"

So, supplements and adventures for games I'm playing or expect to in the next year (Shadowdark, Mothership, Pirate Borg, Thousand Year Old Vampire). Everything else can wait until something changes.

This year was pretty high for me, but it was investing big in a relatively small number of games that I had played and will play more (i.e., Dragonbane and Fabula Ultima) or games that I expect to play (e.g., Outgunned Adventure and Twilight Sword). In total, it was just four crowdfunders for me this year.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I'm guessing this must be about wanting certain physical books that are lumped together with other material at higher tiers? Because I can't say I ever ran into a problem backing at a tier that had, say, all the digital options. I realize I may not be typical in rarely getting a physical book any more.

 

[Belen]

I'm guessing this must be about wanting certain physical books that are lumped together with other material at higher tiers? Because I can't say I ever ran into a problem backing at a tier that had, say, all the digital options. I realize I may not be typical in rarely getting a physical book any more.

Correct. They load the physical tiers with junk.

It is one reason EN Publishing projects are always a back for me. They are reasonable.

Monte Cook Games always offers real value too. Their tiers are books and more content.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Correct. They load the physical tiers with junk.

Okay, that explains why I haven't seen it, since I rarely even get a core book in physical form any more (only when I'm certain I'll be running the game).

 

[MGibster]

The only Kickstarters I've participated in have been for table top role playing games and miniatures games. For the miniatures games, like Zombicide Black Plague, one of other reasons I participated was specifically to get the add ons. While purchased the KS with the intention of painting everything, I ended up selling a bunch of the add ons for more than I spent on the KS. The prospect of receiving a lot more miniatures for the same price is a big incentive for me.

For the TTRPGs, I've gone with Delta Green and various Deadlands products. I just received my last DL Kickstarter which came with a boxed set, a source book about the Pacific Northwest, some maps, a few pre-generated characters printed on card stock, and if there's anything else I can't think of it. I welcomed all the extras save for the pre-generated characters of which I'm indifferent towards.

I've seen some Kickstarters with add ons I found completely superfluous. Items like stickers or tchotchkes. That wouldn't keep me from participating in a KS for something I wanted, but I'd rather not have that kind of junk sent to me.

 

[djotaku]

Yeah, that's been how I've kept the lid on in 2025, which was my lowest number of campaigns since 2020: "Am I going to use this in the foreseeable future?"

So, supplements and adventures for games I'm playing or expect to in the next year (Shadowdark, Mothership, Pirate Borg, Thousand Year Old Vampire). Everything else can wait until something changes.

This is why I pushed back my purchase of the new official Daggerheart supplement. I have a bunch of other non-Daggerheart campaigns planned and I probably won't get to Daggerheart before at the very October-ish. So I didn't see the reason to tie up my money now.

 

[Clint_L]

With miniatures-based Kickstarters, which are my main thing, the stretch goals are the difference between me backing or not. For Reaper and Dungeons and Lasers KSs, the stretch goals can double the value of your pledge, basically. However, I think this falls into the category of what the OP described as "more content."

 

[Simon The Hunter]

With miniatures-based Kickstarters, which are my main thing, the stretch goals are the difference between me backing or not. For Reaper and Dungeons and Lasers KSs, the stretch goals can double the value of your pledge, basically. However, I think this falls into the category of what the OP described as "more content."

Yeah I've backed a few STL mini based KS's and the extra stretch goals and bonuses for backing are defo an extra incentive for me. I think with these kinds of KS's, you don't often seem to get frivolous addons, some may include pdf's of particular monster stat blocks for the mini's, or an adventure perhaps, but there never really seems to be a pound of useless trinkets...

 

[Micah Sweet]

This is a side discussion from the failed kickstarter project thread.

Is anyone else tired of the kickstarter bloatware?

I am getting so tired of all the cards, dice, stickers, and other junk. It is the equivalent of bloatware.

You back a tier that has the content you want and are forced to take a load of junk.

Instead, give me more content or expand the book.

I think it is just a way to charge prices out of line with actual value.

Thoughts?

Agreed. I don't back any Kickstarter for the bling.