Two $1M+ Tabletop RPG Kickstarters At The Same Time!

Up until now, there have been three tabletop roleplaying Kickstarters which have broken the $1M barrier. Now there are TWO about to do so at the same time!

The Seeker's Guide to Twisted Taverns has 7 days to go and is at about $1.1M at the time of writing.

The One Ring 2nd Edition has 5 days to go and is at about $1.4M at the time of writing.

So who are the three previous $1M+ Kickstarters? Counting only tabletop RPG Kickstarters (so not video games, or Critical Role's $10M+ for its animated show) the leading contenders were Matt Colville (twice one with $2.1M and one with $1.4M!) and John Wick's 7th Sea (with $1.3M).

The One Ring is currently now in 2nd place. The question is whether Twisted Taverns can pull into 3rd place?

 

[darjr]

Perhaps Colville can spend a little of that money on a hair cut

Don’t you freaking dare!

I love those luscious locks!

 

[BRayne]

He and Colville have Youtube channels. Runesmith has over 300k subscribers plus Patreon. Colville has 371k. Both love RPGs and offer directly what thousands of gamers want. They also get to know other writers, artists, designers, and creators which both helps them offer attractive kickstarter products and gives them free word of mouth from other RPG creators.

The One Ring is a combo of Free League and Lord of the Rings. Although Free League uses Youtube as well they only have 4700+ subscribers. But they are also a well known company with a great kickstarter track record. And there is LotR combined with a 2nd edition of a popular RPG for LotR.

I feel like the names Runesmith got to collab on the trailer help too. Jocat (lead animator) has 790k Youtube subs and Annapantsu (vocalist) has 1.06m.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

I am not sure the rising tide is really lifting enough niche boats. The oxygen for truly innovative games is being sucked out by either D&D 5th or in this case, Tolkein fans.

A rising tide lifting all boats does not mean that that all Kickstarters are going to do equally well. D&D is by far the most popular system, so D&D books are more likely to raise more money that an indie book.

The question we really want to ask is whether indie books now are doing better off than they were previously. I think this is a very hard question to tease out, and I have no data to back it up, but my suspicion is that its better to be an indie designer today than it was 10 years ago.

 

[darjr]

I think Johnathan Tweet is every bit a genius game designer as Monte Cook and I wish him and this kickstarter well. I loved this game so very much. I think it's one of the games every game designer should play or run or mod. Every DM too for that matter. I also think this kickstarter will deliver successfully. The comments below are about funding and advertising and marketing it and it as a your example alone.

But I do think it's a poor example to use as a counter to the all ships thing.

I'm amazed and pleasantly surprised this kickstarter funded.

A. Everway IS a niche of a niche of a niche. It’s probably one of THE most boutique of RPGs out there. I think any old timers that would have gotten Everway already have. And if you see the comments it IS mostly folks who already own it.

Second, before this kickstarter you could get a brand new in shrink wrap box of Everway on ebay for less than the complete pledge here.

iii. This is the organizers FIRST kickstarter. That alone can be a problem for a kickstarter to get momentum. I don't know why they didn't start with smaller kickstarters first and build up to this one. I think it was a huge mistake. Russ's example is a wonderful one, especially if you are new to kickstarter or running your first kickstarters.

Finally, "other reasons" i won't bring up here, but they hurt word of mouth and wider promotion.

I think Johnathan Tweet is every bit a genius game designer as Monte Cook and I wish him and this kickstarter well. I loved this game so very much. I think it's one of the games every game designer should play or run or mod. Every DM too for that matter.

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[Morrus]

my suspicion is that its better to be an indie designer today than it was 10 years ago.

As one, I can assure you it is.

Of course, most of that is because of Kickstarter.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I am not sure the rising tide is really lifting enough niche boats. The oxygen for truly innovative games is being sucked out by either D&D 5th or in this case, Tolkein fans.

Case in point: The Everway Silver Anniversary Kickstarter.
It is Jonathan Tweet's masterpiece of innovation and creative art, and Jonathan Tweet has that Wizards of the Coast heritage, and yes, that probably helped fund Everway in four hours.

I'm sorry, I don't follow. Their success isn't helping other projects succeed, and your proof is ... a project that succeeded in four hours?

I back more projects on Kickstarter than I care to admit and just backed several ZineQuest books which are, almost by definition, the smallest and nichiest projects around. I've backed a (truly terrible) RPG for kids, published by a dad with more enthusiasm than proof-reading skills. I've backed a spiral-bound notebook full of random tables that, honestly, I could make myself, but which I was delighted not to, especially since the guy making it is a lovely page designer and the product looks and feels like a million bucks. I've only backed one project that I would consider failed, but the folks behind it pivoted to getting everyone game codes from the company that was supposed to adapt their RPG for mobile platforms.

And that's not even considering all the money I've dropped on Etsy for dice and dice bags. (Seriously, if you haven't looked there, you're missing out.)

This is arguably the moment in history when more indie publishers of games and game-related materials are succeeding in the market than any other. (I bought a dice bag for my son for Christmas from a housewife in St. Petersburg!)

Some projects don't succeed, but that's always been true. But creators can now bypass the former gatekeepers of big publishers and distribution outlets to sell directly to the public. "Niche" isn't an obstacle to success on the Internet, where you can find an audience for, let me check my dice bag, dice that feature the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail with a decreasing number of appendages on each side or a die where the pips are icons from videogame RPGs.

 

[darjr]

@Whizbang Dustyboots i love you. I’m not sure if we need help or not....

 

[imagineGod]

I'm sorry, I don't follow. Their success isn't helping other projects succeed, and your proof is ... a project that succeeded in four hours?
...

Do the numbers. Everway is a work of creative genius that brings something fresh.

Not saying throwing millions at taverns is not good for the hobby. Just saying the fastest and highest rising boats are basically either more 5rh Edition or tools and accessories for 5th Edition. Sort of like the Hollywood movie sequels/reboots formula. The blockbusters do not often bring fresh ideas compared to the money thrown at them. And yes, just like Indie games, Indie movies have more opportunities to be made nowadays due to the ubiquitous nature of technology lowering barriers to entry and finding niche audiences.

Still it is not a shining example of creativity when many of the successful RPG projects are basically children of D&D (a dg at Children of Due, here).

Anyway rant over. Got lost watching the millions tick over on page refreshes that I lost sight that various RPGs have saved people during lockdown. So good on all.

 

[Morrus]

Just saying the fastest and highest rising boats are basically either more 5rh Edition or tools and accessories for 5th Edition.

Two of the five $1M+ TTRPG Kickstarters were 7th Sea and The One Ring. While 5E is clearly dominant, other games are doing just fine.

 

[imagineGod]

By the way I eventually became backer 19000 because that is the power of 5th FOMO.