Kickstarter Advice + My Sister Hates Good Games (Specifically These Kinds… )
My sister hates cooperative group board games.
Ya know, the ones with no winners or losers. The games where everyone playing is on the same team, trying to “beat” the game itself”? Kind of a “pass fail” for the whole room’s mood.
My favorite is hand’s down Space Alert. Is it a great game to crack open a cold one and enjoy some relaxing leisure? Heck no; it is a heart-pounding stress roller coaster that will make you question your friendships. But it is FUN AS HELL.
But my sister? Hates them. With every fiber of her being. She would rather play Scrabble with all vowels. Calls games like Forbidden Desert “glorified high school group projects”.
And honestly… SHE’S NOT WRONG… and it’s a great excuse to talk about a TEMPTATION when it comes to kickstarter campaigns…
During the beginning of the 2020 covid pandemic, there was a lot of “inside time”…
And I thought I was the cleverest little boy in the world when I decided I wanted to play Pandemic DURING a Pandemic!
(My wife and I also INSISTED on getting a 6 pack of Corona Extra and taking a photo for posterity’s sake… our (Lord willing) future grandkids are going to think we are soooo cool)
Unfortunately, the friends I played “zoom board games” with didn’t like it/know how to play it, so I thought I was stuck.
I discovered Pandemic had an app… but quickly realized that I had to PAY to play with other players. That was a no-go… imo one of the strengths of board games is that you buy them and then can play them for free forever after.
So, discouraged, I settled to play the single player version, which was still free.
And you know what?
I LIKED IT MORE.
So much so that I have not played in a group setting since. Honestly I am not sure I will ever play it again (tho I heard Pandemic Legacy is one of the best games EVER).
Why?
It is SO… MUCH… EASIER.
I don’t have to haggle and defend and argue and reason every single decision with everyone. I can just assess the situation and act, making me 1) 100% responsible for the outcome and 2) the games go waaaaaay faster.
I was able to remove all of the “high school group project” parts of the game and just let it be a game!
Now, as I said before, this is not a GOOD example to emulate… this story reveals a TEMPTATION about running kickstarter campaigns for your tabletop games, which is this:
"This will be best if I design the tabletop game all on my own…”
It’s the temptation that things will be best if you have total control. After all, YOU are the creator; YOU have invested hours and money and precious brain cells that diminish with every passing minute.
But here is the problem:
Kickstarter… when done best… IS a group project.
At least, it is in the eyes of the most important people: your SUPPORTERS.
And in this situation, it is there perspective that counts.
These people have heard your pitch and bought into the vision. They are giving you money to help your game succeed. They are excited as they wait for it to finally be released. And guess what?
These are the EXACT people you want providing input on your game.
These people should be play testing, creating features, and offering opinions on art and graphic design. Anything they can help with you should find a way to let them help you. You should even have a top tier pledge level that allows people to sit in on meetings.
Because the more you help them, the more ownership and engagement they have with your tabletop game. Which means:
The better your authority…
The better your reputation…
The better you live out your values…
The more people in the community find out…
The better your game will actually be…
Will it be more work for you, like playing with a group is for me playing Pandemic? Absolutely.
But in your case, what you are missing out on is some of the best organic, relational marketing you could ever dream of.
