What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY?

My girlfriend, who has a half sleeve tattoo of a phoenix, gushed over an ad for Phoenix Farm and now that's a KS I'll be backing in April.

I recently received a copy of Primal: The Awakening as well. My take is a little different than yours.
I can't argue that a player aid with the turn structure, Monster behavior icons and terrain effects would have been an easy include, I think the rule book does a great job explaining the game. I don't know why the blue cards would need a reminder that it removes struggle... That is what the blue card does. All the other stuff on the card are bonus effects. As far as keywords relevant to characters, they all have a player aid card that covers their unique keywords.

I also think the game is highly successful at what it sets out to be. Is it overproduced, sure. could you sell off the minnies and make a good chunk of what you paid for the game. I think you could. How far did you guys get into the game. For me the movement segment works amazingly well. Decent amount of nuance without much fuss.

I think the game works great. It builds off the core gameplay of Marvel Champions where you pay for cards played with cards from hand, but adds to it with interrupts from your teammates with card draw or taunting the monster, or with the monster interrupting your turn because of things you have done or situations in the game. It also has deck and equipment customization that set it apart from Marvel Champions.

Maybe I am just the perfect audience for it. But this is exactly what I wanted when I backed this game. A slightly different game from Marvel Champions that has Character / Deck growth like Arkham Horror and giant monsters to kill in the vein of Monster Hunter.

When I contemplate backing any Kickstarter game, or even consider buying any game or game expansion, I force myself to answer the following questions:

1. How much does this cost?
2. How much space will it take up?
3. Who will realistically play this game with me?
4. How often will this game realistically get played?

The first two questions are not that helpful, because I always have some money and storage space for just one more game, though not really enough for a lot more games. The critical questions are the last two, because I don't need or want another shelf toad. This is why my collection tends to skew towards co-op and solitaire games, because I can always play them by myself and get good value, assuming the game is good.

Having a lack of players is why my basement is not overflowing with games right now.

The latest update and gameplay preview video on S.T.A.L.K.E.R from Awaken Realm may see me ask for a refund. They have become known now for changing their design after test players feedback and they use, from what I can make of it after a few projects now, very average players and have been watering down their original designs to accommodate the lowest common denominator - fair enough, they're a business and want to sell as many units as possible, but it puts original backers looking for a new and unique game in a shitty spot.
They did it with ISS Vanguard and the 'Ship Book' (their play testers couldn't understand it) and I sucked it up as I hoped it would still be OK and the rest of the game great, then with the Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin project they also offered a version 2.0 of Fall of Avalon that was friendlier take on it that I gracefully declined the update kit for my v1.0 for (as well as making new rules for Etherfields when they sent Wave 2 out) - and I will be very pissed if they do it to Nemesis: Retaliation. I'm thinking they'll now become (for me) a $1 pledge and then wait to see what game turns up when the Pledge Manager opens.

So now it appears, but I will sit down and go through it more thoroughly (I'm overseas travelling with poor internet and lack of time), that many of the stealth and stalking mechanics are gone or dumbed down and it may now just be a shooter/dungeon-crawler that I have heaps of (including a stealth-shooter Reichbusters) - so the sensible thing is probably to get a refund, or I could wait it out for another 12-18 months and sell it when it arrives.

That is disappointing, I was more tempted by that game than any other in recent times. I didn't go for it, but they keep showing me ads for the late pledge. I will stay strong.

southernman wrote: The latest update and gameplay preview video on S.T.A.L.K.E.R from Awaken Realm may see me ask for a refund. They have become known now for changing their design after test players feedback and they use, from what I can make of it after a few projects now, very average players and have been watering down their original designs to accommodate the lowest common denominator - fair enough, they're a business and want to sell as many units as possible, but it puts original backers looking for a new and unique game in a shitty spot.
They did it with ISS Vanguard and the 'Ship Book' (their play testers couldn't understand it) and I sucked it up as I hoped it would still be OK and the rest of the game great, then with the Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin project they also offered a version 2.0 of Fall of Avalon that was friendlier take on it that I gracefully declined the update kit for my v1.0 for (as well as making new rules for Etherfields when they sent Wave 2 out) - and I will be very pissed if they do it to Nemesis: Retaliation. I'm thinking they'll now become (for me) a $1 pledge and then wait to see what game turns up when the Pledge Manager opens.

So now it appears, but I will sit down and go through it more thoroughly (I'm overseas travelling with poor internet and lack of time), that many of the stealth and stalking mechanics are gone or dumbed down and it may now just be a shooter/dungeon-crawler that I have heaps of (including a stealth-shooter Reichbusters) - so the sensible thing is probably to get a refund, or I could wait it out for another 12-18 months and sell it when it arrives.

Wow, I know you played all of these a lot. That's really too bad they're designing away any edges.

I confess that once I back a KS ( relatively rare ) I don't pay much attention to development etc . I suppose I could do the $1 thing and decide later etc but frankly it starts becoming a hassle in my mind. At least when I prepub from GMT. MMP and the other wargame companies its basically fire and forget. Crowdfunding starts to grate on me with the constant barrage of emails, open the pledge manager, verify shipping info, etc.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/chaosium/ho...ew-more-discovery-p1

Horror on the Orient Express seems like an interesting game, and I have a lot of respect for the designer, Adam Kwapinsky (Nemesis, Lords of Hellas). I also like that it's a single session game. That said, I doubt I will back it, just because it doesn't scream "must have". I am also suspicious of the dollar amounts they have employed for their first two stretch goals. They are enormous divisions. They are also doing daily unlocks as well, but unless they change the amounts between goals (not unheard of), I don't think there will be too many extras.

Necromolds arrived this week. My four- and two-year-olds are already molding monsters and smashing them when I’m in a different room. It just makes me happy that it exists. The aesthetic, the lore, the absolute toy factor of leaving mashed clay carcasses across the battlefield. An absolute masterclass of merging game, theme, mood and setting.

Hot tip. Trick Shot is in the warehouse now after fulfilling the latest Kickstarter. It’s your best chance to grab it since Wolffa continues to avoid regular distribution.

I didn't know that Necromolds had shipped! I'm still waiting for Firefly, too.

Going back a little ways to the discussion on Primal: the Awakent.

Not sure why your buddy has buyers remorse. The game is exactly what was promised in the Kickstarter. It took a lot longer than expected. But they said this is what the game play looks like. That’s the game play they delivered. It also took forever to get a rule book.

The opening description is a massive co-op deck crafting boss battler.

Exactly what the game is. I understand dumping on bad kickstarters. And this one can fall into that category when you look at how long it took. But it did exactly what is said it would.

I get not enjoying a game. King of Monster Island fell pretty flat for me recently. But if your buddy has buyers remorse from Primal: the Awkening it’s because he did not due any amount of effort before dropping money. There was no bait and switch on this one. No 100% rewrite of the game because what was promised was unrealistic.

Anyway. Would love to talk more about this one because I’m having a blast with it.

Is there a link for Trick Shot?

jay718 wrote: Is there a link for Trick Shot?

wolffdesigna.com/collections/our-products

Despite my hemming and hawing, I ended up backing Thunder Road: Vendetta: Maximum Chrome, and also Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition.

I've spent more money on worse things.

I also backed the RPG Coriolis: The Great Dark. I bounced off the first iteration of the game (Coriolis: The Third Horizon); it was just a little off in a lot of different ways that left me meh. This has a tighter cycle of play: ne'er-do-well space drifters raid ancient alien precursor ruins for artifacts, loot, and fame. There's a weird mind warp thing that corrupts you the lower you go into the ruins. The setting has a really compelling not-quite-Dune vibe: Middle East vibes, great houses, louche and decadent nobles.