Kickstarter Madness!

Just because I think crowd-funding is interesting, I thought it would be worth going through some of the many campaigns I've supported and give a brief run-down on where they're at. If you're not into Kickstarter or crowd-funded games, you can click here to read something else.

Coming Soon:

Age of Conan expansion - Starting tomorrow (October 9th, 2014). This one is really interesting in the sense that FFG has let the original designer/publishers have their remaining stock. The expansion should modify Conan's role within the game, although I don't know how or to what extent. Disappointingly this expansion won't add space for additional players to the game.

Currently Running:

Carnevale - An interesting one here in that it's both and expansion and a second edition in one campaign. I supported Vesper-On a few years ago and picked up the entire range at that time. I'm in for the new book and Strigoi (vampires!) faction, but it's doubtful I'll add much more. I may even lower my pledge, but haven't decided yet. The exchange rate to GBP and shipping from the UK really makes it tough to cough up the cash, especially since I have experience building these figures already, and they can be very frustrating. This game is definitely worth a look though, because the setting is genius and the game is a lot of fun.

Strange Aeons 2nd Edition - This one is close to my heart as it's developed by a local game designer and friend, Uncle Mike. I've helped with the play testing on this edition and between the updated rules and new models...there's absolutely no reason anyone with even a passing interest in Lovecraftian horror should pass this up. Go pledge right now!

Recently Finished:

Dungeon Saga - Essentially Dwarf King's Hold 2.0. I really wasn't going to pledge on this one, and sort of regret doing so, as I have all of the existing DKH products. That game is pretty decent and I probably don't need any more dungeon-crawling madness. It's not a genre I'm super enamoured with, but I have a few friends who quite like it and it's by Mantic. I love all the stuff I have from them thus far and I'm sure this one will be worth the pledge in the end too.

Rise of the Kage - This one took me some time to decide on. I have two starter sets for GCT Studio's other game Bushido. I really love the models, but have held off on buying more from the Bushido line due to the high prices, plus shipping...not to mention the conversion from GBP to Canadian dollars. I liked the look of the board game, and with a small add-on for a few extra cards, I essentially get more stuff for Bushido as well. You really can't beat that.

Not Yet Delivered:

Dreadball Xtreme - This one is slated to be delivered some time in November of 2014. Due to things being pretty quiet from Mantic, I have a feeling they might be a little behind schedule. In all honesty, I'm not really worried about any delay. I'm only now finishing up the paint work on my Orx team (my fifth completed team) and I have another eight to do. There another ton of figures coming for this campaign as well.

DUST Tactics: Operation Babylon - I went in big on this game and I'll admit now that I rather regret having done so. I picked up some of the FFG-released items and, while it is very nice looking, I'm not sold on the game play. That said however, the Battlefield rules that are in the new book look like they might cover off the sort of game I'm looking for. Storing all of THIS stuff is going to be quite the nightmare...rather like their mess of a pledge manager.

Guardians Chronicles - If this ever shows up I'll be surprised. Delivery of this game is almost 15 months late. Communications to backers has been brutal. Not only would I never support another IELLO-run KS, I will never buy another game from them again. Ever.

Guild Ball - I backed this one after seeing a demo game play video on Beasts of War. We printed out the paper dolls and preview rules that were available during the campaign and played a few games. I liked the idea of a miniature sports game that used skirmish war game rules instead of a discreet board. The minis were rather pricey, but I'm hoping they'll be usable in other fantasy-style games or RPGs. It actually sounds like this campaign will be on time for December delivery!

Incursion - Another one that's well past their delivery date. It does sound like they've been dicked around by their manufacturing partners, but again the communication on this one has been shit: once a month, if we're lucky. I picked up a first edition copy of the game with painted miniatures a few months ago and it's good enough that I don't know whether or not I'll keep my 2nd edition when (if) it finally arrives.

Lagoon: Land of Druids - This one I backed on a whim. The price of the game was fairly low and the art and components looked stunning. Whether or not the game will be any good, or something I'll play often remains to be seen. Production and communication on this one have seemed very solid thus far, and shipping is slated to begin any day now.

Peachy 3D Printer - This is the only non-gaming campaign I've ever funded. I actually joined via the pledge manager, which means I don't get the emailed updates directly, so I have to keep an eye on this one myself. They've run into several technology snags with this project which translates into delivery delays. However, the transparency on the KS updates is very high and the product looks very promising.

Secret Weapon Tablescapes - I keep forgetting that I pledged for two sets of tiles from Secret Weapon. Justin has done a great job keeping the backers informed and I believe they're actually ahead of schedule on this one. Shipping has either already started or will do so soon. More stuff to paint and store...like I don't have enough of that already. On the other hand, these things look very versatile and the painted samples we've seen are excellent!

Incomplete Delivery:

Acthung! Cthulhu - I picked up a few of their miniatures to use with Strange Aeons, and all of the books in PDF. I have to admit that I've only skimmed most of them, and am unlikely to play the RPG. It's not that I wouldn't like to, as I think the mixing of WW2 and Cthulhu is a great spot for role-playing. It's more that it's nigh impossible to get together a group to play RPGs, let alone a multi-session campaign style game that I think A!C would require. I think I'm just waiting on the final edits of the last two books to be available. They've been pretty quick about delivery and the communication was solid.

Deadzone - I pledged for way too much stuff on this one and haven't even played the game. There were a few items missing from my second shipment, but after contacting Mantic the replacements were dispatched to me in short order. It is frustrating that some of the base game Enforcer figures are still delayed and that I'm waiting on those to really have a solid Enforcer faction, but in reality I can't complain. There are a ton of great figures already in my possession and there's not reason I can't play the game now. And man-oh-man the new sci-fi zombies that just arrived look splendid...

Judge Dredd Miniatures Game - Ugh, this one is still not finished. I'm waiting on some zombie bikers from Mongoose, which to-date I don't even think are sculpted. The "Block War" expansion book that the campaign was originally for has since been rolled into a new edition rule book that you have to pay for and I don't have. I've got my copy of all the free rules and I'll stick with that. The likelihood of me really getting around to more than a few dozen of these figures in the next decade is low. They're nice and hopefully the zombies will show up some day. Until then, it's nice when another small bag of models lands in the mailbox. I just keep adding it to the rest of baggies of metal I have.

Sentinel Tactics - This campaign delivered early. That's right I said it; EARLY. Unheard of really. Even though I didn't like the last expansion to the SotM card game I wanted to support this game. As you might have guessed, I love miniature games, superheroes and board games. This looked to combine all of those things together. Backers are still waiting on some of the painted items (which I didn't pledge for) and some of the stretch rewards like extra maps. I've only played once but it was fun and I'm glad I picked it up.