Crowdfunding
It's a pretty neat development come from our ever-more-interconnected society. While I don't pay much attention to the personal projects, I find it fascinating that we're at a point where creative types can turn to their fans (or would-be fans) and raise money rather than going to a company or investors that might offer the funds with strings attached. Frankly, if you're giving someone a million dollars, you really ought to have the right to attach some strings, but this way each "investor" can toss in what they're comfortable with sans that control and it can pile up pretty quickly in some cases. Of course, to be really successful there, you need to already have an audience and you need to be able to reach them.
Me, I'm pretty conservative when it comes to such things. I don't even like signing up on new web sites, and I'm not going to do so to toss a couple bucks at a project that strikes my fancy. I see risk in these funding projects, so I'm only inclined to even seriously consider ones that A) I want to personally see/own the end result of and B) I'm reasonably confident will be completed. To date, I think I've only actually contributed to one, Star Citizen. The Wing Commander games were so awesome in my teen years that I decided yes, I would like to see their creator do something similar. Even having raised over $2 million on Kickstarter (and over $7 million on their own site), I know it'll be a while before I see the result, but I'm okay with that.
This all comes up because White Wolf/Onyx Path finally just put up their Exalted 3rd Edition Kickstarter. They've apparently done this with some books before, and it makes some sense as a way to gauge interest and not overprint what can be kind of expensive to produce. I have a certain fondness for Exalted. I think the setting is decent, and I really like the premise, but the execution has had some problems over the years. So, a new edition? Well, I'm interested. I was also recently interested in a Planescape: Torment quasi-sequel, but decided I wasn't quite sold on it yet. It's something I may well be willing to buy when it's done, but investing in advance? Ehhh... I don't quite have enough faith in it for that.
Which is where things get a little awkward with the Exalted book. They're only doing a print "Deluxe" edition through the Kickstarter. After that, it's all PDF/print on demand (which I'll admit to not having tried out with an RPG book as yet). So I can't just wait and see what it looks like on a shelf. And with an RPG book, I really do prefer a physical books still. Digital copies are still awkward to deal with, even if decently indexed. And then, you don't get a "Deluxe" (ie. physical) copy until the $110 mark. That's a bit steep, though it does come with extras and I understand shipping is an issue.
On the other hand, there are some elements of this setup that I find pretty cool. At the already-passed $150,000 total mark, their stretch goal was a 15% bonus to everyone on the creative team. That's a pretty nice "feel good" thing for people who believe in the work.
Then there's the weird. If they get 200 people to pledge to levels that include them (starting at $375), they'll produce an "Orichalcum" limited edition of the book with an embossed sheet of gold on the cover. That's very atmospheric and kinda neat, but... I can't imagine owning a hardbound RPG with gold on the cover. I'd be way too afraid to ever use it. I guess there's some "gamer geek cred" that would go with such an item, but I'd have to be a much richer person to consider that level of frivolity.
All very interesting, both pro and con, but I'm still on the fence. I am pretty confident at this point that the book will be produced, so that's one check box. But is the book something I would want to own? Odds of playing the game are relatively low, but that isn't always a determining factor. I'm not sure. Thankfully, I have a few weeks to think about it.
Me, I'm pretty conservative when it comes to such things. I don't even like signing up on new web sites, and I'm not going to do so to toss a couple bucks at a project that strikes my fancy. I see risk in these funding projects, so I'm only inclined to even seriously consider ones that A) I want to personally see/own the end result of and B) I'm reasonably confident will be completed. To date, I think I've only actually contributed to one, Star Citizen. The Wing Commander games were so awesome in my teen years that I decided yes, I would like to see their creator do something similar. Even having raised over $2 million on Kickstarter (and over $7 million on their own site), I know it'll be a while before I see the result, but I'm okay with that.
This all comes up because White Wolf/Onyx Path finally just put up their Exalted 3rd Edition Kickstarter. They've apparently done this with some books before, and it makes some sense as a way to gauge interest and not overprint what can be kind of expensive to produce. I have a certain fondness for Exalted. I think the setting is decent, and I really like the premise, but the execution has had some problems over the years. So, a new edition? Well, I'm interested. I was also recently interested in a Planescape: Torment quasi-sequel, but decided I wasn't quite sold on it yet. It's something I may well be willing to buy when it's done, but investing in advance? Ehhh... I don't quite have enough faith in it for that.
Which is where things get a little awkward with the Exalted book. They're only doing a print "Deluxe" edition through the Kickstarter. After that, it's all PDF/print on demand (which I'll admit to not having tried out with an RPG book as yet). So I can't just wait and see what it looks like on a shelf. And with an RPG book, I really do prefer a physical books still. Digital copies are still awkward to deal with, even if decently indexed. And then, you don't get a "Deluxe" (ie. physical) copy until the $110 mark. That's a bit steep, though it does come with extras and I understand shipping is an issue.
On the other hand, there are some elements of this setup that I find pretty cool. At the already-passed $150,000 total mark, their stretch goal was a 15% bonus to everyone on the creative team. That's a pretty nice "feel good" thing for people who believe in the work.
Then there's the weird. If they get 200 people to pledge to levels that include them (starting at $375), they'll produce an "Orichalcum" limited edition of the book with an embossed sheet of gold on the cover. That's very atmospheric and kinda neat, but... I can't imagine owning a hardbound RPG with gold on the cover. I'd be way too afraid to ever use it. I guess there's some "gamer geek cred" that would go with such an item, but I'd have to be a much richer person to consider that level of frivolity.
All very interesting, both pro and con, but I'm still on the fence. I am pretty confident at this point that the book will be produced, so that's one check box. But is the book something I would want to own? Odds of playing the game are relatively low, but that isn't always a determining factor. I'm not sure. Thankfully, I have a few weeks to think about it.
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