What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY?

I'm honestly intrigued from a purely intellectual perspective, since I'm not a big traditional dungeon crawl guy, to see what FFG does with Descent in the age of The Big Dungeon Crawl Kickstarter.

I actually think the app thing is a smart direction. Supporting a real workable app is leveraging the actual strengths of a large company like FFG and Asmodee and the partner relationships it can manage that many (most?) dungeon crawl kickstarter developers could not.

Agreed. While I didn't care for the gameplay aspect, the JOURNEYS IN MIDDLE EARTH app is very well done. I haven't played in awhile but the IMPERIAL ASSAULT app is very similar and they have like 4-5 campaigns now I think. Of course the long term concern of the app bricking due to Apples endless software updates is a possibility ( I weep for the no longer functional SPACE HULK app ) but so far so good. On the downside, the core game for JiME was sorely lacking in terms of components versus IA - you're paying for the app content, but not seeing a physical payout in terms of components in the box.

Msample wrote: Agreed. While I didn't care for the gameplay aspect, the JOURNEYS IN MIDDLE EARTH app is very well done. I haven't played in awhile but the IMPERIAL ASSAULT app is very similar and they have like 4-5 campaigns now I think. Of course the long term concern of the app bricking due to Apples endless software updates is a possibility ( I weep for the no longer functional SPACE HULK app ) but so far so good. On the downside, the core game for JiME was sorely lacking in terms of components versus IA - you're paying for the app content, but not seeing a physical payout in terms of components in the box.

I've used both the current Descent (Road to Legend) and Imperial Assault (Legends of the Alliance) apps and they both are great so if they have expanded those then they have a good product. Also if it is going to be the main mechanic for the product then there hopefully will be a lot more electronic content produced, the content was missing for the existing apps probably because it was side-dish to the main course.

Update: Crikey - $175, they're certainly following kickstarter trends

Ah_Pook wrote: Earthborne Rangers looks cool, but let me tell you the ways that I'm not dropping $150 blind on a huge pile of a card game that ive never played.

I was a little surprised/disappointed at the price this has come in at. I know crazy prices are an accepted thing on Kickstarter, but still... it feels a tad pricey.

I'll be watching the upcoming play throughs with interest but after the KS launched I definitely went from 'shut up and take my money' to 'hmmm... keep talking'.

I thought Arydia, the fantasy campaign adventure epic from the designer/publisher of Xia, would be an auto back from me. It launched today: www.kickstarter.com/projects/faroffgames...-paths-we-dare-tread

But damn, $165 plus $25 shipping is just too damn much for me. That shipping quote is an estimate, it could very well be higher by December 2022 (or later if delayed).

Very disappointing, although I understand why it's priced that high.

I will say that it's also frustrating seeing BGG threads for people asking for reviews before it launched and then seeing it get paid previews from MvM and Dice Tower, mostly because it shows the language of preview vs. review has no chance of ever being resolved.

I wish them luck, but my reaction is sort of the same as yours. It helps that it isn't a genre I'm especially in love with so not super tempting.

Suspect the next year or two are going to have some absolutely eye popping sticker shock with the nightmare shipping situation.

Arydia offends my eyes. Looks like a bunch of spreadsheets for small children.

Xia had some of the same vibe, pretty home grown production.

charlest wrote: I thought Arydia, the fantasy campaign adventure epic from the designer/publisher of Xia, would be an auto back from me. It launched today: www.kickstarter.com/projects/faroffgames...-paths-we-dare-tread

But damn, $165 plus $25 shipping is just too damn much for me. That shipping quote is an estimate, it could very well be higher by December 2022 (or later if delayed).

Very disappointing, although I understand why it's priced that high.

Yep, that has probably just shut the door on me as well (especially as I'll have to add 20% VAT on top by the sound of it).

Wow, that looks fucking -dreadful-. I liked Xia well enough but I get a migraine looking at Arydia.

Given that the Kickstarter market has become a speculator's game I don't think higher prices pose any real danger to the publisher. People are comfortable that they'll be able to sell at no loss and potentially at great gain, so that part of the risk is removed.

None of you guys were planning on opening the outer box on these and damaging their resale price, right?

Arydia -- prepainted minis. Haven't seen that in a while. I wonder how many Uighurs it's going to take to get that done. Love the snap-in heads. Seriously, that's kind of a cool way to provide a ton of variability in a reasonably tight package I can picture the baggie full of disembodied heads thrown in with the rest of the components. Representation!

But wow, that is one big-ass box. A lot of shit.

I keep coming back to the question -- at what point do you opt to spend this money on a legit RPG and a deluxe campaign for it, which is more or less scratching the same itch? This is a structured game trying to fill that role, and I don't know if it's the best medium for the job. "Customize your character to suit your play style" is much easier in the more malleable ruleset of a traditional RPG.

I think a lot of people find the freeform nature of an RPG intimidating, but they want the feel of one. Hence all the Descents, Gloomhavens, and so on. They are sometimes good games in and of themselves, but I’ve stopped buying them because they always make me wish I was just playing an RPG.

It took me a while to realize and accept it but I don't actually like open-world video or board games very much with few exceptions. I generally prefer more structure and a path to follow. I don't want to live in the game I just want to play it.

After hemming and hawing for the entirety of its campaign I caved with 15 hours to go and backed Earthborne Rangers. After the initial sticker shock I realised it's pretty equatable to Marvel Champions or Arkham Horror when you break down the numbers. The shipping to NZ is fairly brutal tho.

That said, I do like the environmental ethos behind the company and their efforts to pioneer a more sustainable and environmentally aware way of doing things in the gaming space.

As for the game itself it looks really fun and I dig the unique world/story they've created for the game. It takes place in a hopeful, post-apocalyptic setting. The core box and first expansion have you exploring a valley filled with mountains, forests and lakes as you complete missions and encounter mutated animals and creatures. I've watched 2.5 play throughs and followed it pretty closely so am feeling confident that I'll enjoy it when I get it to the table around this time next year.

I've resisted Kickstarter entirely until now so during the sign-up process I thought it wise/prudent to leave the box asking if I wanted weekly email updates detailing all the new Kickstarter hotness unchecked...

Dungeon Degenerates 4th printing finally passed the $100k mark, which is a first for Goblinko (including their initial campaign). After playing an alternative campaign starter from one of their lore zines a couple of days ago, I'm still very much into what they're producing.

Currently in for all of the new booster packs and I'm still considering picking up the art book.