Monthly Rambling: Kickstarter Retrospective [Part 2]
For those who missed Part 1, this is a two part post where I explore my boardgame crowdfunding history, focusing specifically on three things: (a) what I got versus what I thought (b) is it OOP gold or discount bin stuffer (c) do I have backer’s remorse or Gollum’s greed?
Without further ado, let’s continue with Part 2!
GLOOMHAVEN (2015 - $386,104)Better than expected?
My expectations for Gloomhaven were colossal. My family and relatives got annoyed with me. My friends thought I had joined a cult. It was the only thing I could talk about. And I almost did not get my copy because the FLGS that handled our group pledge had seemingly run off with our money (it even ended up being reported on The Dice Tower). Thankfully I was one of the minority that managed to get my copy and Gloomhaven did not disappoint. The experiences I have had playing a campaign with 4 Players has not been beat. If I had to narrow down what made Gloomhaven so great for me to three things, it would be (1) character class design (2) continuous playability with & without the original party (3) the combat system.
Kickstarter Price: RM499 & Retail Today: RM699
Backer Today?
Obviously Frosthaven is out now and is a better version of the system in many ways, however I would 100% back Gloomhaven again if it were kickstarted today.
PALADINS OF THE WEST KINGDOM (2019 - NZD$907,127)Better than expected?
Paladins of the West Kingdom was one of those boardgames where I read the rules and KNEW, this is my jam. It reminded me of the intricate & puzzly designs of Vlaada Chvatil where resources and progress are all interlinked and require tense tightrope walking to navigate. I knew what I was getting and it turned out to be so good that I had to import the big box and expansion all the way from Greece just to have it.
Kickstarter Price: RM259 & Retail Today: RM259
Backer Today?
Sadly this crowdfunding campaign was the one that made me stop backing projects by Garphill Games. I got my copy after the retail copies had arrived in the store and not only that, as you can see in the comparison above, I paid the same price for it. So I always choose retail from that point forward which seems perfectly fine with Garphill Games themselves.
EVERDELL (2018 - $609,902)Better than expected?
Everdell is such a clever boardgame design. It brought back a cute and homey aesthetic to boardgames that appealed to families and kids, not just hardcore ex-MTG junkies and grizzled high fantasy RPG players. It was better than expected in that everyone was surprised at how the gameplay progressed and how rewarding the boardgame would be to clever plays. The only thing I could say in hindsight is that the Evertree’s appeal whilst hot, certainly didn’t last forever. But ooo the berries certainly did.
Kickstarter Price: RM570 & Retail Today: RM536
Backer Today?
Another tough one because I actually missed the first kickstarter of Everdell and only joined when they launched the Pearlbrook expansion, which as it turns out, was not the best of the half a dozen or so expansions that came next. I definitely won’t back the all-in, the setup would kill me each time. So if I were to back it again, it would probably be with the Bellfaire expansion since I actually really like the forest locations.
DWELLINGS OF ELDERVALE (2019 - $524,794)Better than expected?
The rulebook was my bedtime, toilet, lunchtime reading. The updates page was my bookmarked for daily visits, the comments page was constantly scrolled. I created fan art! FAN ART! Who had I become?! I followed maritime shipping lanes, tracked FLGS arrivals across Asia and made fulfilment updates by country. When it finally arrived, I was so glad my FLGS convinced me to pick up the Legendary Edition because it was so, so good. The box was unbelievably huge but was filled to the brim with unbelievable fun and careful thought put into making the inserts both functional and efficient at the same time.
Kickstarter Price: RM956.46 & Retail Today: RM909
Backer Today?
A hundred times all-in yes.
CASTLES OF MAD KING LUDWIG COLLECTOR’S EDITION (2021 - $1,561,758)Better than expected?
Padawan Minigeek loved Castles of Mad King Ludwig as did I, and so it made sense to pick up the Collector’s Edition of a beloved boardgame. Moreover, they would finally have the Polish tile artwork which was fantastic in the base game. However, having the retail game already in my collection made the anticipation and expectations for this Collector’s Edition a mere simmer. Production wise, I am unfortunate split in my opinion. So everything is top notch except… the score board and the towers which are humongous, taking up way too much space on the table for a component that is static and has minimal gameplay value.
Kickstarter Price: RM549 & Retail Today: RM- (OOP)
Backer Today?
So Padawan Minigeek has fallen out of love with boardgaming entirely so I don’t have a partner for Castles of Mad King Ludwig anymore. And yet, I would back the kickstarter if it were launched today. I honestly have come to really love the boardgame, surprisingly a lot more than its cousin Suburbia which I also own, and owning a copy with the Polish tile artwork has always been a secret dream of mine.
CREATURE COMFORTS (2020 - CAD$528,208)Better than expected?
Creature Comforts caught my eye for two reasons: (1) The happy dappy artwork (2) Man was it cheap. Honestly I expected a cutesy, simple and quick boardgame that would work well with younger children. So playing Creature Comforts for the first time was a small revelation. I loved the Travelers that made rule changes to the play, the warm feeling I got when getting Comfort Cards, but I was a bit puzzled by the main mechanic of using dice for resource collection where you commit your worker placement before determining the strength of your workers through dice and was totally meh on the Improvement Cards.
Kickstarter Price: RM199 & Retail Today: RM329
Backer Today?
I had to pause to think about this one. I don’t really need Creature Comforts in my collection but man it really is a steal at the kickstarter price. Ultimately I don’t think I will be backing again, due to the reasons above with the awkward worker placement and the slightly irrelevant Improvement Cards.
FROSTHAVEN (2020 - $12,969,608)Better than expected?
So this is a honorable mention because although I have received the boardgame, I haven’t played it yet. On all accounts, Frosthaven outshines Gloomhaven in nearly every aspect and I am really hoping to get started on it soon with Padawan Babygeek.
Kickstarter Price: RM549 & Retail Today: RM- (OOP)
Backer Today?
Without question. I am an Isaac Childres fan for life.
ANDROMEDA’S EDGE (2024 - $1,645,205)Better than expected?
Another honorable mention since Andromeda’s Edge hasn’t been fulfilled yet. Although I am not as excited as I was for Dwellings of Eldervale but I have played Andromeda’s Edge on TTS and really enjoyed my time with the boardgame. The battles are faster and more fluid, the space races are varied and the boss powers are interesting.
Kickstarter Price: RM949 & Retail Today: RM- (OOP)
Backer Today?
I guess this is to be determined.
So all in there were thirteen crowdfunded boardgames, of which I would re-back 9 of the 13 projects, which is a decent 69% of the total. Whilst 13 boardgames represents 18% of my total collection, it is interesting that crowdfunded boardgames represent a total of 38% of my total collection when it comes to value. Although I find that I approach crowdfunding projects in a more tentative and reserved manner, it would appear that it continues to be a significant avenue at which I purchase boardgames, particularly high value, high production boardgames.
I have been very fortunate in that I have not lost any money of unfulfilled crowdfunded boardgames (although it was a close thing with Gloomhaven) which I think would have weighed heavily on whether I continue to support crowdfunded boardgames. I have been backing at least one project at an almost annual rate but I do notice that the gap between kickstarter fulfilment and retail release seems to be shortening significantly, and I think if it does become universally short enough, it would take very significant kickstarter only stretch goals to convince me to stick with the crowdfunded version.
So that’s the retrospective on my kickstarter experiences. Hopefully it has been interesting and perhaps even educational for you the reader.
Until next time, keep calm and play better.
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