Kickstarter Top Ten Tabletop Game Kickstarters: Why So Successful?

So this is a thread about a post by Matt Forbeck about an article on icV2. "It's clear that tabletop game projects are among Kickstarter's most successful categories, with five projects at over $1 million, and three over $2 million." I mean, this list is so epic that Monte Cook's half-million-dollar Numenera doesn't feature on it!

Interesting. Why do you think tabetop gaming Kickstarters perform so well? Is it the nature of the audience to collect things? Is the format of a tabletop game something that lends itself towards the Kickstarter model? Is it related to the tabletop gaming community and networks? Or do we just love the idea of crowdfunding?

1	Dark Heaven: Bones minis by Reaper Miniatures	$3,429,235	08/25/12	17,744	$193.26
2	Zombicide: Season 2 by CoolMiniOrNot	$2,255,018	03/31/13	8,944	$252.13
3	Kingdom Death: Monster by Kingdom Death	$2,049,721	01/07/12	5,410	$378.88
4	Game Tiles by Dwarven Forge	$1,908,155	04/30/13	5,398	$353.49
5	Robotech RPG Tactics by Palladium Books	$1,442,312	05/20/13	5,342	$270.00
6	Sedition Wars: Battle for Alabaster by CoolMiniOrNot	$951,254	06/30/12	4,278	$222.36
7	Myth miniatures by MERCS Miniatures	$926,112	04/24/13	5,360	$172.78
8	Ogre Designer’s Edition by Steve Jackson Games	$923,680	05/11/12	5,512	$167.58
9	Relic Knights by CoolMiniOrNot	$909,537	09/09/12	3,459	$262.95
10	Zombicide by CoolMiniOrNot	$781,597	05/06/12	5,258	$148.65

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[Janx]

apparently tabletop gamers are more free with their money?

 

[Nagol]

Well, when you take the ratio of dollars spent vs. hours entertained, it can be one of the cheaper pastimes in our modern age -- even at these inflated funding prices:

$20 movie good for a single viewing = $10 / hour
$60 video game good for a single play-through of about 20 hours = $3 / hour
$200 game good for a couple dozen plays averaging 4 hours each = $2 / hour

 

[Radiating Gnome]

Man, 4 of the top ten are Cool Mini Or Not? They're doing something right.

The big lesson on that list is that the *real* money is in minis, not games. #3 Kingdom death is a Boardgame, but I'd bet money it's really about the figures that come in the box.

Not one of them is an actual RPG. Which is not really a surprise -- there's a lot more material expense in producing these minis and games. Number of backers is key,too. So many of those in the top ten are right around the 5K mark. Numenera comes in at 4658, better than several of the top ten, but the backer price point could be a lot lower (38 at $3(an iphone app), for example).

 

[xnosipjpqmhd]

You missed a recent one.

6 Cthulhu Wars by Sandy Petersen $1,403,981 07/07/13 4,389 $319.89

 

[Dragonblade]

Its value. The two I backed on that list, Reaper, and Myth were so successful because they provided a base buy-in that became a better deal by throwing in more and more stuff as goals were met.

I'm far more reluctant to support Kickstarters that are expensive to start, and whose stretch goals merely unlock add-ons that I have pay additionally for. In the case of Reaper and Myth (and Numenera), I got additional free stuff AUTOMATICALLY as more people came on board. This encouraged me to actively recruit more backers and become an advocate. As the deal and effective discount got better and better, this process accelerated until it actually became sort of foolish not to back it because the deal was so crazy good, and kept getting crazier as things snowballed.

Thats the secret. Offer a good value to start, and add more cool free stuff to a certain pledge threshold as more people come on board.

 

[Umbran]

I think of it as direct sales. With the gradual fading of game stores, we need to get games from somewhere - if they are willing to sell to us, with perks, and deliver to our doors/computers, of course we are going to hand them our money.

I would assume online communities take a role - I mean, how many kickstarters get advertised here alone? I assume it is much the same elsewhere. That means easy access - no need to search around for things we like, as they're getting shoved at us pretty constantly.

There are probably a few more subtle effect which gamer geeks are apt to be influenced by. There being an early adopter. There's feeling responsible for the game product getting made. There's exclusivity of some of the materials and perks (rarity makes them seem more valuable to us), and so on.

 

[Alphastream]

I think what this reveals is that the traditional RPG model of selling through stores left money on the table. The stereotype of gamers lacking money seems true at the store level - $20-$40 RPG books can be seen covered in cobwebs at many stores and any gaming table routinely only has 1-2 people that own a bunch of books. But, it is also true that there are gamers with money willing to purchase heavily when the right offer is made. We see gamers buying leather-bound premium versions, opting for multiple expansions, etc. Look at Zombicide. A fine game, but for many of us either too expensive or the single game is fine. I mean, really, how often will the average gamer play it? But, when you have a way to sell to everyone, including those that really love Zombicide, then it all works. That just can't happen at the gaming store or book store under the old model.

I suspect our hobby would really transform if the store could offer those kinds of options to customers. Something beyond special ordering and more like what Kickstarter offers.

 

[Gundark]

Its value. The two I backed on that list, Reaper, and Myth were so successful because they provided a base buy-in that became a better deal by throwing in more and more stuff as goals were met.

I'm far more reluctant to support Kickstarters that are expensive to start, and whose stretch goals merely unlock add-ons that I have pay additionally for. In the case of Reaper and Myth (and Numenera), I got additional free stuff AUTOMATICALLY as more people came on board. This encouraged me to actively recruit more backers and become an advocate. As the deal and effective discount got better and better, this process accelerated until it actually became sort of foolish not to back it because the deal was so crazy good, and kept getting crazier as things snowballed.

Thats the secret. Offer a good value to start, and add more cool free stuff to a certain pledge threshold as more people come on board.

Yeah, this. FATE core was great because of all the stuff I got for the cost of a pdf was staggering. Zombicide Season 2 gave all these exclusives and bonus stuff that I didn't want to miss out on.

Interface Zero 2.0 for Savage Worlds said "hey you unlocked the ability to buy something extra"....meh, no thanks

 

[Koloth]

It could also have to do with long term value. My Reaper Bones minis(Vampire level with several add ons) and SJG Ogre game will be useful, playable and supported long after D&D Next has been relegated to the trash bin. I am increasingly reluctant to support companies that obsolete games on a 3-5 year cycle. Especially when a filled out set of game materials can run $300+ . Boardgames, minis, dice, and terrain tiles tend not to suffer frequent version cycling.