Pumpkin Spice Joins the Million Dollar Crowdfunder Club

There's a couple of current crowdfunders that look like they might join the Million Dollar TTRPG Crowdfunder Club. Free League's Dragonbane: Trudvang looks like a dead cert, and Roll & Play Press (backed by UK Actual Play Mega-Group The High Rollers, who will be appearing at the 02 Arena later this year as part of the D&D Fan Expo) have Altheya: The Dragon Empire, which looks like it is in with a good chance.

One project which has just passed the million dollar mark is Pumpkin Spice, which describes itself as a 'magical cozy RPG'. Ending in just a couple of days, it's a TTRPG where you run a magical cafe. It's a rules-lite, narrative game in which you play a coven of witches who run the aforementioned magical cafe while protecting the 'Fount of Magic' from those who would corrupt it.

You can play a Hereditary, Green, Coven, Solitary, Secular, or Traditional witch, each with 6 traits and different magical powers. The game comes in a full-colour hardback book, accompanied by a book of adventures. The game also uses special dice called Essence Dice, with each face showing a different Essence. There is, of course, the usual dizzying array of add-on merch which accompanies most million dollar crowdfunders--t-shirts, cards, notebooks, bags, even a vinyl record with a soundtrack for the game.

Pumpkin Spice comes from Italian publisher Acheron Games (Brancalonia, Lex Arcana, Inferno), and runs until 8pm GMT on March 5th.

 

[SpellObjectEnthusiast]

FWIW, I strongly suspect that the marketing effect of this tactic is at best indirect. It keeps things happening, which keeps the people who already backed interested, and thus makes them more likely to spread the word. But I'd be surprised if anyone looks at the campaign and goes "Oh look, they've unlocked 30 additional cards – awesome, I gotta get in on that!"

Its also encouragement for people who already backed at low levels to either upgrade to a higher tier or add add ons. The all-in tiers get to be a better "deal" as more stuff is added and you get a constant email barrage reminding you of that fact.

 

[Morrus]

FWIW, I strongly suspect that the marketing effect of this tactic is at best indirect. It keeps things happening, which keeps the people who already backed interested, and thus makes them more likely to spread the word. But I'd be surprised if anyone looks at the campaign and goes "Oh look, they've unlocked 30 additional cards – awesome, I gotta get in on that!"

The effectiveness of stretch goals is somewhat contested.

 

[bsss]

There's a lot of what I'll call "shadow patterns" in how to organize an effective crowdfunding thing. I don't necessarily agree with them or think they're particularly effective either, but it's the way the game is played right now.

 

[Clint_L]

Yeah that's my response, too. I'm kind of gobsmacked this has such broad appeal.

Who would have thought that so many old white guys who were socially awkward nerds in the late 70s and early 80s would be interested this.

Wait....are you saying that doesn't describe the gaming demographic anymore?

The Legends and Lattes book series has been extremely successful - I have to think the publishers of this KS have to at least be aware of it (good books, too; I just finished the latest entry). And this KS ties into the burgeoning romantasy genre. So, yeah, we old white guys are not necessarily the target demographic, but that's okay.

For me, this seems like way too narrowly focused a premise, but I wish them well!

 

[UnplayedRanger]

The Legends and Lattes book series has been extremely successful - I have to think the publishers of this KS have to at least be aware of it (good books, too; I just finished the latest entry). And this KS ties into the burgeoning romantasy genre. So, yeah, we old white guys are not necessarily the target demographic, but that's okay.

For me, this seems like way too narrowly focused a premise, but I wish them well!

There's also the growing "cozy video game" market that's been picking up speed over the last 10 years.

 

[Tigris]

Looking at the stretch goal unlocks, they really gamified spending money, huh? 20k for, say, an individual card in a deck, or one pregen, is not a strategy I've seen before. Is that "normal" these days?

This is quite typical (or at least not uncommon) when you look at boardgame kickstarters. So I am not surprised to see something in a TTRPG kickstarter, which has physical components, either.


Its clear that they know how to make a kickstarter using all forms of marketing and image selection etc.

 

[humble minion]

And this KS ties into the burgeoning romantasy genre.

When/if some publisher works out how to turn the terrifyingly, monumentally vast romantasy-reading demographic into a romantasy-RPG-buying customer base, D&D might actually finally have a genuine challenger after 50 years.

(This is hyperbole, just in case it wasn't clear enough, but the point stands. There are a LOT of people reading this stuff. A very successful fantasy author of my acquaintance tells me that romantasy isn't just keeping fantasy publishing financially afloat right now, it's keeping publishing itself afloat)

Cosy fantasy is an easier adaptation to the medium because it's so often centred around finding your people, about small groups of close friends, found family, etc etc etc, that aligns really well with the practical needs of a game that has 4 players and a GM or whatever sitting around a table. Your ACOTAR/Fourth Wing etc etc etc type romantasy don't really work that way. You have very much one main character, who often is very isolated in an unfamiliar environment and who is all alone, while the rest of the cast support HER story. It's much less an ensemble type of storytelling. Tolkien and Lieber etc gave heroic and epic fantasy a template for adventuring parties - whether the Fellowship of the Ring or Fahfrd and the Gray Mouser - which D&D could riff off when working out how it told stories. Cosy fantasy is a good fit for a similar reason - you have that natural dynamic of a group that fits with the genre. Modern romantasy though - a harder fit. And of course sex is so central to the genre, which makes for an extra possible level of awkwardness around the table...

 

[Maxperson]

I'd back it. The thing keeping me from Shadowdark the most is well.... the dark. Dark Fantasy just isn't my vibe.

Also, gald to see Pumpkin Spice doing well.

They're all doing pretty well.