Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Why My Games Won't Ever Be Kickstarted

There are several important things a successful kickstarter needs,and I have none of them!

A kickstarted game needs lots of incedental rewards to be successful, like t-shirts, special dice, posters, and the like. I don't do those things. Like, at all.

A kickstarter requires a principal who can actively solicit attention on the various media. I couldn't get attention giving away free beer.

The more well known the principal is, the more likely the kickstarter will be successful. I am effectively invisible.

A kickstarter needs a principal who is comfortable talking up the product. I feel the need to apologize for bothering people.

Kickstarted games which have strong genre centers while individualizing the genre tend to be more successful. I have trouble even naming the genre of most of my games.

A game with a principal who has a vocal fanbase is more successful. My loyal customers understand the first rule of Flying Mice Games is no one talks about Flying Mice Games.

Kickstarters with videos and music and the like tend to be more successful. Doing this would require taking attention away from my games. I'm in this because I like to design games, not because I like to produce videos.

Kickstarted games which reward supporters with mention of them in the product tend to garner more attention. This just seems so distateful...

Kickstarted games which use standard systems which people already know tend to be more successful. Well, I'm right out there!

Kickstarted games whose designers belong to a recognized group of like-minded designers - like OSR or Story Games - are more successful. Like Groucho, I wouldn't join any group that would have me as a member!

So, any kickstarter I initiated would just... pretty much fall flat on its face. Not only that, it would suck away time and effort from doing the thing I actually want to do, which is design games.

4 comments:

  1. I tend to avoid Kickstarters if they have add ons like t-shirts, posters, etc. If you are writing a game, write the game, give me good game add ons (like adventures, additional conteny, etc) and leave the t-shirts to Hot Topics.

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  2. I have since learned that my first point is not valid, Steven. Seems the successful kickstarters that have these doodads are successful in spite of, not because of, them. :D

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  3. I'm not sure that I'll agree with all of the above Clash. You talk about the game to those of us willing to listen which is super. There are points that I think you are off the mark on but do I care? Not if you don't. As long as you will write the games I'll be there reading and playing them.

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