I would say interest is this is very niche, because with an intangible product such as an RPG game, the people who make the pledges have to share the same vision of the game as the creators, or at at least have enough foresight to know how the project could end up.

I think it has potential, but it has its downsides for a publisher. For me, the biggest downside is that it locks you into a project that has to be fairly tightly defined up front. If you change your mind about something significant, or decide that you'd rather work on something else... well, too bad. You've got the public's money and the public wants their stuff the way it was sold.

I don't offer pre-orders. I don't financially leverage in any way products that I haven't already got finished and proofed. The downsides are numerous, including the need to pay for all the production up front and the loss of marketing exposure, but it has one huge upside for me- I can walk away from a project at any time. If something just isn't working, or it's annoying me, or something brighter and shinier appeals, I can just drop a project and go. I don't owe anybody any money or any explanation because I never took their money in the first place or promised them any rose gardens.

I like my customers, but I like them as customers, not creditors. If I was absolutely certain that I wanted to do an expensive project that I couldn't cover up front, or wanted to fund a print run for an item that was already ready for sale, or some other such cut-and-dried situation, then I might well go in for Kickstarter. But for me, the extra stress that comes from owing my customers would spoil the fun of the work.

Quote from: SineNomine;457299or wanted to fund a print run for an item that was already ready for sale, or some other such cut-and-dried situation, then I might well go in for Kickstarter.

I think that this is where Kickstarter will fit in most of the time.  I don't think it will be a huge boon but I think it will help for situations where people would print a thousand copies of their book and then run around to cons praying somebody would buy it.  They'd either have the customeers lined up or know ahead of time that it's not going to work and not get stuck with a big printing bill.

Kickstarter is absolutely ridiculous. You want to make something - do it. Don't ask other people to shell out for something before it's done.

It's also great for someone like me, who might have a completed text draft, but no art, layout, or editor.  I can finish the initial draft, and use the Kickstarter funds to pay people to get the book properly finished.  It might still just go up on Lulu for printing, but at least this way I have the opportunity to bring it up to a level of production I otherwise couldn't possibly afford on my own.  

There's a lot of ways to use Kickstarter to fund a project beyond "here's my idea, please fund the entire thing".

Further, for those with difficulty focusing on a single project, I should think having an actual deadline and commitment might be an aid.  I know it would help me.

I just pledged at Kickstarter for the first time (new Delta Green novel, Through a Glass, Darkly) and I really like the concept. But as other has mentioned, I think I would only pledge for a product I knew would be worth it. So a DG novel by Dennis Detwiller; I didn't even have to think twice. A new book, rpg or other, by someone I did not know, based solely on a short description, I'm not sure. So I think it's a concept that works best for established people/companies.

I'm wary of all these sponsored models - not for the fear of being ripped off, but what you get at the end of it.

It suggests mechanical design by rote rather than inspired, cooking up a storm sort of design. Dunno, just my gut feeling.

Quote from: One Horse Town;457326I'm wary of all these sponsored models - not for the fear of being ripped off, but what you get at the end of it.

It suggests mechanical design by rote rather than inspired, cooking up a storm sort of design. Dunno, just my gut feeling.

I don't see how.

I don't know about you, but I work better on a deadline.

Quote from: SineNomine;457299I think it has potential, but it has its downsides for a publisher. For me, the biggest downside is that it locks you into a project that has to be fairly tightly defined up front. If you change your mind about something significant, or decide that you'd rather work on something else... well, too bad. You've got the public's money and the public wants their stuff the way it was sold.

Ugh... yeah.  I had to make a medium/minor change to my project, but it turned out that everyone who commented said they liked the substitution I made.  So it worked out.  Still, it could have gone badly.

That said, it looks like I'll need to announce another change that will have a more visible impact to the project.  I think people will still be happy with the result because the changes (if they must be done) are purely cosmetic.

I've only supported a couple of projects thus far...Part-Time Gods by Third Eye Games, because I am a huge fan of the author's previous works, and I know that the only reason he went with the Kickstarter was to see if he could fund it by GenCon instead of by the end of the year (the original planned publication date).

The second is Caladon Falls by Savage Mojo, which IS done (the PDF is out), but apparently something, somewhere was preventing them from funding the print run on their own right now.

I don't have the money to throw in premium donations for these things, and I don't have a need to be "written into a setting", so I basically look at it as a pre-order that I don't pay for if the funding falls through.

Quote from: brettmb;457304Kickstarter is absolutely ridiculous. You want to make something - do it. Don't ask other people to shell out for something before it's done.

I'm with you on this when it comes to the "ransom" model; I'm wondering if it makes any difference to you that the "Kickstarter" model doesn't actually make anyone "shell out" UNTIL the project reaches its full level of funding, though?

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;457488I'm with you on this when it comes to the "ransom" model; I'm wondering if it makes any difference to you that the "Kickstarter" model doesn't actually make anyone "shell out" UNTIL the project reaches its full level of funding, though?

It's the same exact thing. It's like going out looking for investors. How much of a return on investment are these people going to see?

Quote from: brettmb;457549It's the same exact thing. It's like going out looking for investors. How much of a return on investment are these people going to see?

They either get a game they want, or they keep their money.

Oooh, how horrible.

Quote from: brettmb;457304Kickstarter is absolutely ridiculous. You want to make something - do it. Don't ask other people to shell out for something before it's done.

This ignores several factors.

(1) Projects which require capital in order to exist. Saying "just go make it" might work for a novel, but it's not going to work for a lot of projects -- particularly projects which require manufacturing.

(2) There are cost-savings which become possible in mass production. If you can get a bunch of people onboard with a project before it's produced, it can end up being cheaper for everybody involved.

In practice, Kickstarter is no different than any other system for pre-ordering a product. The only real difference is that it includes more protections for the consumers.

Quote from: J Arcane;457550They either get a game they want, or they keep their money.

Oooh, how horrible.

That's fine if you want to do it as a group, but to expect a company that will ultimately profit from it to solicit donations is a bit dodgy.