Kickstarter-Style Preorders: The Future of RPGs?

[Bluenose]

The most successful modern wargaming company - GMT Games - has been using a preorder system (the P500) to fund its games for over a decade now. It's a very useful system for niche products - especially expensive ones, as wargames tend to be.

For the P500, you pledge to buy the game (at a reduced price). You pay no money until just before it is produced, and a couple of months later the game is mailed to you. It helps weed out the ideas that sound good but no-one actually wants to buy them.

There are miniature manufacturers who do something similar. Propose a range you'd like to see, and if sufficient people express concrete interest in buying the figures then they'll get them sculpted and cast. That's how I got my Hawaians. And the range sells normally as well.

 

[gamerprinter]

One thing that I don't see mentioned yet, if a given Kickstarter doesn't make the budget, in not enough patron signups to support it, so it fails to be created. You get your money back. It's not like pre-ordering a product that doesn't get made and you're out you're money - that can't happen with a kickstarter project.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

One thing that I don't see mentioned yet, if a given Kickstarter doesn't make the budget, in not enough patron signups to support it, so it fails to be created. You get your money back. It's not like pre-ordering a product that doesn't get made and you're out you're money - that can't happen with a kickstarter project.

If the projects were being launched today, I bet both Ptolus and OpenDesign would use Kickstarter or something like it.

 

[Weregrognard]

Kickstarter offers a bit of reprieve from inherent risk with a project. I had used Kickstarter to get a documentary I am doing up and running (non-gaming related). It is great for these types of projects.

Not to derail the excellent information thus far, but what is the documentary about, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[gamerprinter]

If the projects were being launched today, I bet both Ptolus and OpenDesign would use Kickstarter or something like it.

Not Kickstarter per se, but patronage (done inhouse) but the same thing, is how OpenDesign creates all their material.

 

[Ahnehnois]

One thing that I don't see mentioned yet, if a given Kickstarter doesn't make the budget, in not enough patron signups to support it, so it fails to be created. You get your money back. It's not like pre-ordering a product that doesn't get made and you're out you're money - that can't happen with a kickstarter project.

A good point.

I would add, however, that the risk is that the project is funded and a product is produced, but that it doesn't meet the backers' expectations, either because what's in it doesn't match the brief that was given beforehand, or because it just isn't good quality. I almost never buy a book (or most anything else) until I hold it in my hands, look at it, and evaluate it.

Can you tell I'm still pissed off at having preordered Dragon Age II?

 

[gamerprinter]

That's why most successful kickstarter publishers are known factors ahead of time - I don't think it's idea for the brand new publisher. A new 3pp needs to produce high quality free material, or publish high quality low cost material that doesn't require a kickstarter to prove they can publish something that subscribers want and consider as quality. Once you have a track record of putting out good stuff, then looking to kickstarter for a bigger project makes sense.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Responses in reverse chronological order:

Not Kickstarter per se, but patronage (done inhouse) but the same thing, is how OpenDesign creates all their material.

Open Design actually used Kickstarter for their latest project "Journey's to the West." I believe they plan to continue using it in the future since the infrastructure is better than what they have in house.

One thing that I don't see mentioned yet, if a given Kickstarter doesn't make the budget, in not enough patron signups to support it, so it fails to be created. You get your money back. It's not like pre-ordering a product that doesn't get made and you're out you're money - that can't happen with a kickstarter project.

There is a difference between making a budget and getting the product out. A Kickstarter project could still be still be funded, but then never produced (though it might have some kind of claw-back ability).

In fact, Paizo use a variation of it - what else is their subscription scheme? It's a preorder model.

I grant that in both models the customer pays without seeing the product, but there are also a number of difference, such as only paying if the funding comes through and having different tiers of payment.

 

[jaerdaph]

I have yet to participate in a Kickstarter project, but I have my eye on an upcoming one. I did participate in a couple of "patronage" style products for ICONS - Hero Pack 1 and Hero Pack 2 that line artist Dan Houser put together and really enjoyed the experience.

I do have one question I can never seem to get answered. I know that if a Kickstarter project doesn't make the funding goal, it doesn't get funded, and I don't get charged if I pledged - I get that. What happens when the Kickstarter project DOES get funded, the person(s) behind it get the money to do the project - and then they don't follow through? Does Kickstarter refund my pledge or provide some sort of security or guarantee?

 

[jaerdaph]

I do have one question I can never seem to get answered.

Wow - that sounded awfully passive aggressive confrontational and I really didn't mean it to be...