DC20 Kickstarter launch on June 4th


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Distracted DM

Distracted DM
Supporter
Sorry. I think my point got lost up-thread.
I was comparing 13th Age 2e's recent Kickstarter to that of Shadow of the Weird Wizard - another game by an established designer that maintains backwards compatibility with the previous edition. Both Kickstarters finished with a similar amount - which were around what DC20 made in a single day of funding.

In the case of DC20, I think it demonstrates the impact of viral marketing (especially on YouTube).
Currently, I think there's a sizeable demographic wanting cinematic, heroic roleplaying games. PF2 is doing well, MCDM set records, and DC20 is raking it in. 13th Age 2e should've played to that audience.
Was there a single video on YouTube that showed how combats work in 13th Age 2e, how you can build unique characters, how the Escalation Die ramps up battles, how powers and abilities make the classes feel different?
By not taking advantage of the built-in audiences of YouTube influencers, 13th Age (while funding) didn't maximize its reach or excitement. And I wonder if anyone's going to be talking about it when it releases next year.
Neither 13A nor SotWW nor PF2 have sizeable dedicated YT audiences- MCDM's record-setter was because of Matt Colville's YT following. I don't know DC20's creator well but he's a popular YT creator. That's where all this stuff starts- monetizing your YouTube audience; and I don't know that an existing company like Paizo could create a figurehead like that.
 

TwoSix

Master of the One True Way
I would be curious to know what full games have had very high funding campaigns, fulfilled at least a couple years ago, and currently enjoy a robust life (supported and actually played).
Tough to say. Looking at the list of million dollar kickstarters, a lot of them were post pandemic and quite a few of them haven't even gotten the physical releases to the supporters yet.

And quite a few of them are add-ons and supplements for 5e.

Mothership and Shadowdark seem to still be doing pretty well, get mentioned fairly often on OSR adjacent sites, and I think still have new products coming out.
 

Reynard

Legend
Supporter
Tough to say. Looking at the list of million dollar kickstarters, a lot of them were post pandemic and quite a few of them haven't even gotten the physical releases to the supporters yet.

And quite a few of them are add-ons and supplements for 5e.

Mothership and Shadowdark seem to still be doing pretty well, get mentioned fairly often on OSR adjacent sites, and I think still have new products coming out.
Shadowdark definitely feels like a success story in this regard.

I wonder if the is a dedicated crowdfunding RPG analysis blog out there somewhere. I know Morrus puts up numbers for the Million Dollar Kickstarter Club and such, but I am interested in what the post funding lives of these games look like.
 

TwoSix

Master of the One True Way
Shadowdark definitely feels like a success story in this regard.

I wonder if the is a dedicated crowdfunding RPG analysis blog out there somewhere. I know Morrus puts up numbers for the Million Dollar Kickstarter Club and such, but I am interested in what the post funding lives of these games look like.
It would be an interesting read, but probably a little niche and hard to gather relevant metrics for.
 

Belen

Hero
I think some of the Free League Kickstarters have had continual popularity: Blade Runner, The One Ring. At least they're getting supplements and have a presence at conventions I attend.

I'd say the biggest Kickstarter success "full game" was Savage World Adventure Edition. It looks like it funded with $500K and delivered in 2019. New supplements and settings coming out all the time.
I would suggest looking at Cypher and Monte Cook as one of the most successful KS-funded RPGs. They run at least one Cypher related campaign a year.
 

Retreater

Legend
... nor PF2 have sizeable dedicated YT audiences
Let's consider Roll for Combat, who have regular video streams and a PF2 actual play. Let's look at their last several crowdfunding campaigns.

Secret Dragons [$224K]
Monster Ancestries [$90K - Backerkit]
Legendary Races [$112K]
World of Battlezoo [$92K]
Eldamon/Strange and Unusual [$286K]
Bestiary/Dragons/Indigo Isles [$301K]

Like, yes, some of these are lower than 13th Age, but they are mostly in the same ballpark. While these are supplements and not core rules, they're also not building off a decade fanbase. I think 13th Age would've had a better showing if there was a greater effort to promote it on YouTube.

How about more traditional outlets? Did they come to ENWorld? (I know there was a blurb on a column about other Kickstarters.) But was there a deep-dive? An interview?
 

Distracted DM

Distracted DM
Supporter
Let's consider Roll for Combat, who have regular video streams and a PF2 actual play. Let's look at their last several crowdfunding campaigns.

Secret Dragons [$224K]
Monster Ancestries [$90K - Backerkit]
Legendary Races [$112K]
World of Battlezoo [$92K]
Eldamon/Strange and Unusual [$286K]
Bestiary/Dragons/Indigo Isles [$301K]

Like, yes, some of these are lower than 13th Age, but they are mostly in the same ballpark. While these are supplements and not core rules, they're also not building off a decade fanbase. I think 13th Age would've had a better showing if there was a greater effort to promote it on YouTube.

How about more traditional outlets? Did they come to ENWorld? (I know there was a blurb on a column about other Kickstarters.) But was there a deep-dive? An interview?
I don't think you grasped my point 😅
Roll for Combat are YT content creators. You listed their successful crowdfunded projects. That's exactly what I said- YouTubers with dedicated audiences that will buy their stuff without batting an eye, because they're fans of the creators.

None of the 13A designers have big YT followings.
Monetizing your YouTube Audience is a thing. I drove to PAX East one year exclusively because Matt Colville was doing a talk there on it (that was literally the title of the talk), and at the time I was considering doing content creation etc. and was a fan. I think this was after S&F's Kickstarter, but before K&W's. If people really like your content, they're going to support you- some of them will buy your stuff even if they don't realistically expect to use it.

13A 2e/Pelgrane Press/Heinsoo+Tweet don't have huge YouTube or other content-creation video audiences. Their Kickstarter has to get by on reputation, generated interest, social media recommendations, and previous customers.

P.S. You don't NEED to have a massive content creator audience to do huge numbers on a crowdfunder, we saw Shadowdark got a lot of content creator/social media recommendations- but I didn't know Kelsey Dionne's name before that. I think I heard about the Kickstarter from... maybe Questing Beast?
 

Jaeger

That someone better
Long term support and core rules sales are a good measure of success, but don't overlook initial sales. They matter too.

They do insofar as they give a "turbo boost" to one's initial potential player base.

But if you want to increase your games reach and network effect, the follow up matters a whole lot more.

"Unsupported" games player networks tend to shrink over time.


that more than anything else imo, SotWW and 13A both have established designers, but I don’t think they have much of a media presence

Lots of chatter out there - you have to do something to seperate yourself from the pack.

And being an established "game designer" isn't enough on its own anymore. That being said, it sure seems to help when you have made your name in the 5e sphere first...
 

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