Critical Role Critical Role's Kickstarter Breaks $1,000,000 In About An Hour!

For those hoping for a new D&D cartoon, Critical Role has just launched a Kickstarter for an animated show based on their livestream campaign. It broke a million dollars in about an hour, and has 45 days left to go...

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"Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina reunites your favorite D&D heroes for a professional-quality animated special!"

Also on offer are theme song MP3s, production art prints, sticker sets, dice, playing card sets, plushies, pin sets, canvas bags, and more.

 

[jgsugden]

They could. And suddenly they have double the work to do. And in four years, people are getting angry.

Note that my suggestions did not require significant time or cost. In fact, beyond the cost of a pie, a VHS, and perhaps a copy of Paranoia, there is no signfiicant costs... and they could do the things during the normal CR time.

It’s easy to come up with ideas for stretch goal, until you realise you’re working solidly for the next 10 years to produce them, clawing after that final KS “score” as though it itself is the goal.

That is true when you continue to add big materials without planning, but some of their current goals are 'near no cost' activites, like having people run a one shot. They can add a lot of those things and release them over a full year. It is very easy to find fun things to add here that are cost, time and resource sensitive.

It’s why I don’t do stretch goals on my Kickstarters. Sure, I get a lower total; but I also fulfill the Kickstarter and then move on. No chance of 7th Sea happening.

The biggest mistake a KS creator (or, indeed, backer) can make is to believe the biggest final total is the goal.

I don't disagree, but Stretch Goals can be wisely run, beneficial, and not money holes.

 

[Morrus]

I don't disagree, but Stretch Goals can be wisely run, beneficial, and not money holes.

And they have been wisely run, and beneficial.

I don't have any insight into their plans. I'm sure there will be something else coming. But demanding stretch goals just for the sake of increasing the 'score' isn't really useful to anybody.

 

[jgsugden]

And they have been wisely run, and beneficial.

I don't have any insight into their plans. I'm sure there will be something else coming. But demanding stretch goals just for the sake of increasing the 'score' isn't really useful to anybody.

Errr... you do realize the "score" is money, right? They're asking people to give them money for very little in return. Running up the "score" is really useful to them. If you disagree, you can send some of your score to me - I accept Paypal.

 

[Morrus]

Errr... you do realize the "score" is money, right? They're asking people to give them money for very little in return. Running up the "score" is really useful to them. If you disagree, you can send some of your score to me - I accept Paypal.

OK. Well done.

 

[kenmarable]

I'm pretty sure your cost estimates are absurdly low. These are professionally produced shows. A Paranoia one-shot would cost just a wee bit more than just buying a copy of the game. How much do they pay for character art for their one-shots? How much do they pay their crew to film, edit, format, and post the videos? How much do they even pay for electricity for 4+ hours of running all of that equipment an extra night? How much does it cost to transcribe and close caption 4+ hours of video? How much do they pay to create an opening intro for their one-shots? How much do they pay to advertise their one-shots? So on and so on.

Sure, they *could* just do it all cheap by putting a simple camera(s) on them sitting around a table with no sound engineering or captioning or art or any of that other stuff. But if they did things that cheap, they wouldn't be in the place they are now or maintain the reputation they have.

They know what they are doing. If they say they don't have the time/resources/energy to do more, they know far better than we do.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Note that my suggestions did not require significant time or cost. In fact, beyond the cost of a pie, a VHS, and perhaps a copy of Paranoia, there is no signfiicant costs... and they could do the things during the normal CR time.
That is true when you continue to add big materials without planning, but some of their current goals are 'near no cost' activites, like having people run a one shot. They can add a lot of those things and release them over a full year. It is very easy to find fun things to add here that are cost, time and resource sensitive.
I don't disagree, but Stretch Goals can be wisely run, beneficial, and not money holes.

You make it sound like it takes exactly zero time to plan, run, film, edit and produce their shows. You don't think that the crew filming, editing and producing the one-shot will need to be paid for their time, as well as the people appearing in the one-shot? These aren't exactly one guy filming his home game on an iPhone. They are professionally produced shows with very high quality production values. All that cost time, effort and money to do.

It seems to me like they realise just how much they have on their plate and have decided not to bite off more than they can chew at this point in time. If I was running a Kickstarter I'd rather leave a bit of money on the table and hit my projected timelines rather than adding in more stuff to get a higher funding amount, but potentially run very late in delivery.

It's not like there's nothing stopping them from running another Kickstarter at a later date. If they deliver this first one successfully it will give them a good base of people willing to back them again next time (plus they will learn a heap from running this Kickstarter).

 

[Hussar]

Errr... you do realize the "score" is money, right? They're asking people to give them money for very little in return. Running up the "score" is really useful to them. If you disagree, you can send some of your score to me - I accept Paypal.

The question is, money for what? It's not like Kickstarter is supposed to line your pockets. It's supposed to fund a project. The project is funded, end of story. There's no need for extra money, and, frankly, just setting up to get extra money that you absolutely (they have funded their project TEN TIMES over) do not need, is pointless.

Say they do this. They extend stretch goals with a bunch of, frankly, pointless crap that, as you say, doesn't actually really cost much. What are they supposed to do with the extra money?

Kickstarter is NOT a store. It's not, and never should be, the goal to get as much money as you can. The goal is to fund your project and then get that project done. Could they rake in extra cash? Sure. Ok. So what?

Setting modest goals, achieving those goals and then doing another kickstarter later to fund the next project is how Kickstarter is supposed to work, isn't it? Kickstarter is not there to line a project producer's pockets.

 

[Tiles]

All money raised above the 8.8 mil goes directly to increasing the quality of the ten episodes. Better animation, better music, etc. Its not to line someone’s pockets. They are actively asking for more money to raise the per show budgets. So the project isn’t ever fully funded until the per episode budgets are maxed. Right now they stand at a minimum needed to produce stage and are hoping to increase to a network like budget per episode. So they are FAR from fully funded. They would love to invest more into the existing ten shows and could motivate the critters by stretch goals that maximize funds. A million dollar stretch goal could net a lot of cash if you only need to pay for an extra stream (which has a legitimate cost). But if it nets $500,000 towards the better show quality it seems well worth it.

 

[jgsugden]

Folks, most of these one shots will take the place of a regular CR night when someone has a known conflict. Not all, but most.

Regardless, this is a pointless argument.

 

[ClaytonCross]

All money raised above the 8.8 mil goes directly to increasing the quality of the ten episodes. Better animation, better music, etc. Its not to line someone’s pockets. They are actively asking for more money to raise the per show budgets. So the project isn’t ever fully funded until the per episode budgets are maxed. Right now they stand at a minimum needed to produce stage and are hoping to increase to a network like budget per episode. So they are FAR from fully funded. They would love to invest more into the existing ten shows and could motivate the critters by stretch goals that maximize funds. A million dollar stretch goal could net a lot of cash if you only need to pay for an extra stream (which has a legitimate cost). But if it nets $500,000 towards the better show quality it seems well worth it.

I am REALLY glad they didn't add another stretch goal. I would defiantly prefer they focus additional funds on quality then push for another story arc for example then with there lack of meat and great etc to drive the funds, end up not being able to complete it. Having it with a completed Briarwood story arch is good. They should do a new kick starter with new rewards for future story arch separately so each has his own weight and rewards to drive funding. I get the 1 episode they initially announced turning into 1 longer episode and the original stated desire of a Season 1 sorry arc. I hold no issue with them getting more funds, but I am glad they are not pushing for more and are just stating it will go to quantity improvements.