kickstarter.com has become a great way for publishers small and large to make their games a reality. Below is a quick list at some of the games that are still open for funding. Click on the game names to be taken to their official kickstarter.com pages.
If you find a game still open for funding that we aren’t showing below, feel free to add it in the comments!
Kittens in a Blender: The Card Game
Redshift Games – 5 days left
Puzzle Strike 3rd Edition + Shadows Expansion
Sirlin Games – 9 days left
New Fire, the Aztec-inspired RPG
Jason Caminsky – 24 days left
UFOLOGY: The Card Game
Cave Banana Games – 26 days left
Ground Floor
TMG – 28 days left
The Reliquary Collection
Bibelot Games – 28 days left
Ace of Spies
Sprocket Games – 35 days left
Tammany Hall
Pandasaurus Games – 39 days left
Disaster Looms!
Break From Reality Games – 41 days left
Defenders of the Realm: Battlefields
Eagle Games – 45 days left
Wrong Chemistry
Mage Company – 53 days
To discover more board games on kickstarter.com click here
Funny looking back now, but a friend of mine bought Kittens in a Blender and had no idea it was a kickstarted game.
I am proud to present a game that my business partner and I have put on Kickstarter, Hoplomachus: The Lost Cities. We have recently just reached our goal, and we keep on growing. We would be honored if you guys took a leap of faith with our game!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2025187024/hoplomachus-the-lost-cities
I discovered kickstarter about a year and a half ago when a friend launched a game via it. Good news it was published. Better news- showed the site to my wife and now there is an endless stream of kickstarter games for my presents throughout the year.
Our own game, Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule! is now on Kickstarter with 22 days to go. 🙂
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/springboard/goblins-drool-fairies-rule
It has helped out some pretty great games that would have likely not gotten the funding they need to progress. A personal fave of the wife and I, Nature of the Beast by Eye Level Entertainment, got there third expansion for their card game out because of Kickstarter. It is a great game that does not get all the press that the other major card games out there get.
Thanks, Andy. I’ll check that out then will have to have a proper think about this. 🙂
I second that emotion, Granny.
I just looked at my backer history, and I have backed 12 board game projects with 10 having funded already and 2 set to fund soon. Of the ones I have already received, my results are all over the map, ranging from very pleased to utterly remorseful, and I have certainly learned from my mistakes. I would suggest the following for potential KS backers for board games (though some of this can apply to some non-board game projects, as well):
1. RTFM. A fancy promo video or a personal appeal is nice and all, but look for the meat before you fork over the bread. Instruction manuals or thorough gameplay videos provided early in a project mean that the designer already has the game completed (including playtesting), but, better yet, are good indicators of whether the game is actually for you. Ground Floor (of which I am a backer), mentioned in the article, is an excellent example of when this is done right.
2. Don’t believe the hype. Lots of people want to get in on something early, but do not let impulsiveness get you into something you will regret. Want to back a project? Sleep on it, and if you still want to back it the next day, go for it.
3. Are you completely a completionist? Backer rewards are rarely, if ever, game breakers and are more often just niceties. Some are not even exclusive to KS backers, so make sure you read up or ask about exclusivity, if that matters to you. Regardless, if you are someone who typically relies on reviews before you buy a game at your FLGS or online retailer, you should stick to the status quo. Since most games released from KS projects will end up at stores eventually, dodge inevitable regret by holding out. If you are the pioneer of your playgroup and/or like extra bling, then backer rewards are made for you.
4. Speak into the mic. Being a backer gives you a voice and often a direct line to the publisher, designer or both. Have a question? Post it in the updates or send a message via the project page. No response or one not to your liking? You can always cancel your pledge. Quick responses with professional and helpful answers mean the project runners have their act together. I was a backer of the Sentinels of the Multiverse Infernal Relices/2nd Edition project at a lower level until I asked a question and observed fast action in the form of new backer levels, which led to me bumping up my pledge significantly.
In summary, I cannot stress the 4th point enough. When in doubt, ask questions and cancel your pledge if it ceases to feel right. Trust me, you will regret backing a bad project more than not backing a good one.
Rob,
In case it’s the only thing holding you back, Ogre has international shipping available (including to the UK) on the Kickstarter page (it’s not cheap, but you get a free copy of Pocket Ogre). Check out their page for more information!
Don’t remind me of Ogre! It looks great, but they won’t ship the game outside the USA at the moment. :o(
You have to be careful with Kickstarter, as you can end up backing some pretty mediocre games. I actually like a few of the games I’ve funded, but there have a been a few stinkers. Read the rules (if available), and really contemplate whether you need the game… and are not just tempted by the “extras” they promise. One purchase can lead to a firestorm of Amazon Payments bombarding your inbox… “What? I funded 4 copies of Zombies in Bikinis?” It’s a rabbit hole… a deep, dark, rabbit hole.
Granny has been there.
Ogre has 2-3 days left, for any that want giant old-school tank action (or want to help towards getting Car Wars worked on)
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847271320/ogre-designers-edition
@Magno
Indeed and now even mainstream publishers are Kickstarting their own games and new expansions DotR: Battlefields above for example, and Sentinels of the Multiverse is funding their own 2nd edition. It will be very interesting to see where this new type of funding takes the industry and the publishers… Will Fantasy Flight Games Kickstart a few projects soon? I’m not an economist, I cant imagine where this is taking the industry…
Yeah, no kidding. I mean, Zombiecide what $750k!!! For better or worse, Kickstarter has changed the face of game publishing
I’ve already got my money down for the Kittens in a Blender expansion, and I’m ever so impatiently waiting on the release of Zombicide.