When is crowdfunding not crowdfunding? When it's a preorder...
You know my argument: No matter how your try and define it, Kickstarter is basically a preorder system where a minimum goal needs to be met before a project is funded.
Now, Kickstarter takes their own cut on top of the cut the credit card companies take (that second cut used to go to Amazon Payments.)
If you had the experience, visibility and presence in the hobby you could pretty much run a Kickstarter WITHOUT using Kickstarter. A preorder with a funding goal to turn on the presses. Oh, and of course, having everything already to go right from the start.
That is what Frog God Games is doing with Quests of Doom 2 for 5e.
Instead of using Kickstarter, we are raising the funds for the printing of this book on our own.
This product is currently available for pre-order. Once we have raised enough money to print a run of hardcover copies, we will produce and ship the books.
We have raised $3400 of our $5000 goal so far!
When pre-ordering in hardcover or PDF format you'll receive the PDF instantly! (there is something to be said about instant gratification)Here's the actual description:
Six Adventures for First and Second Tier!
From the weird and terrifying interior of the Spire of Iron and Crystal (cover) to the heat-misted Jungle Ruins of Madaro-Shanti, this sequel to the two-volume Quests of Doom offers a whole new set of adventures for Fifth Edition. These adventures are all for characters level six and below, so the book isn't going to sit on the shelf and gather dust. Are your players up to the challenge of old-school First Edition style play? Make them earn those experience points.$25 for the Hardcover is a very fair price. I may just have to bite at this one...
Monte Cook did this with Ptolus back in the day.
ReplyDeleteas did others - the circle is now complete.
Deletethis may raise less funds but there is no percentage lost to KS
KS often isn't even a pre-order - it's a donation with the hopes that they'll give you something. A pre-order would give some amount of legal protection.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Frog God Games, of course, they have the track record both in terms of delivery and quality that leads to the sort of trust that helps them do this. Not to mention that they have the PDF already available, showing that they're just trying to cover physical printing costs rather than try to sell something that doesn't exist at all.
You HAVE legal protection with KS. The TOS say that the creator MUST either fulfill your reward or refund your money. If he doesn't, you can cancel your payment (if it's not too late) or take him to court - just like with any other online purchase.
DeleteThieves and con men like to say "Kickstarter is an investment" and "Kickstarter is about goodwill, not a purchase". Don't believe their lies. You are OWED your rewards or your money back.
If a RPG publisher has the infrastructure to sell a book themselves without DTRPG or similar middleman, then, yes, escaping the KS fee is beneficial. For small time self-publishers like myself, paying KS a small percentage saves me from paying DTRPG a whopping 30%. More money goes to me and, therefore, into the product itself.
ReplyDeleteA question about the "legal" protection with Kickstarter - is it enforceable? Has anyone ever brought a case to court, aside from the infamous Cryptozoic case? I usually don't back crowdfunding due to such disasters as Dwimmermount and Exalted 3. I'll support the publishers by buying when they appear on DTRPG or in the local game store. I'm not down on all crowdfunding, I've just been burned several times and its very hard to earn my trust.
DeleteI'd rather support an indy publisher like you, Venger, who already has a cash flow and is taking the risk than shifting it onto backers.
DeleteFGG has built an email list of backers from their previous KS projects and their daily deal offers that they can now use to reach out directly to their fans rather than hope people find their website. That coupled with Endzeitgeist reviews, a strong following on Paizo and a great reputation also help. Very smart.
ReplyDeleteFGG has built an email list of backers from their previous KS projects and their daily deal offers that they can now use to reach out directly to their fans rather than hope people find their website. That coupled with Endzeitgeist reviews, a strong following on Paizo and a great reputation also help. Very smart.
ReplyDeleteI love reading story books. I am willing to buy an Quests of Doom 2 book. But available for pre order only. I think, pre order means give before paying some amount for legal protection.
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Kelly Wallace