Over the next few days, I'll be covering a number of Kickstarters that went live over the past week. As I've already griped about regarding Alien Dungeon and other half-successes/failures, there are certain things that need to be done regarding pitching a Kickstarter that allows options for your prospective pledges, but also limits the logistical nightmare of production on the company's end. Most of the crowdfunding I'll be posting about are pretty solid on their planning
Polyversal 6mm Miniatures System is a god-awful mess.
Don't get me wrong. It looks like a potential winner. A solid set of sci-fi rules for 6mm/1/285th - 1/300th/Battletech scale models is great. Working with current manufacturers to assemble a "starter set" with minis that are already in production seems a bit odd, but could work out well.
The pledge levels make my brain spin:
$25 - pdf copy of the rules
$30 - limited edition printed copy (first 100)
$35 - printed copy of rule book (Assuming softcover, unlimited # of backers)
$55 - Copy of boxed set WITHOUT miniatures or combat tiles (100 backers)
$55 - Copy of boxed set WITHOUT miniatures or combat tiles (EU Friendly 100 backers)
$60 - Copy of boxed set WITHOUT miniatures or combat tiles (unlimited backers)
$60 - Copy of boxed set WITHOUT miniatures or combat tiles (EU Friendly 100 backers)
$120 - Copy of boxed set with miniatures and combat tiles (100 backers)
$120 - Copy of boxed set with miniatures and combat tiles (EU Friendly 100 backers)
$125 - Copy of boxed set with miniatures and combat tiles (unlimited backers)
$125 - Copy of boxed set with miniatures and combat tiles (EU Friendly unlimited backers)
$165 - Copy of boxed set with minis, combat tiles, plus 2 skyscrapers + stretch goals
$205 - Copy of boxed set with minis, combat tiles, plus 2 skyscrapers + stretch goals (EU Friendly)
and there's still FIVE MORE pledge levels after that !
I love a "lead-free" option, I appreciate their commitment to support their European backers, the skyscrapers are impressive:
Polyversal 6mm Miniatures System is a god-awful mess.
Don't get me wrong. It looks like a potential winner. A solid set of sci-fi rules for 6mm/1/285th - 1/300th/Battletech scale models is great. Working with current manufacturers to assemble a "starter set" with minis that are already in production seems a bit odd, but could work out well.
The pledge levels make my brain spin:
$25 - pdf copy of the rules
$30 - limited edition printed copy (first 100)
$35 - printed copy of rule book (Assuming softcover, unlimited # of backers)
$55 - Copy of boxed set WITHOUT miniatures or combat tiles (100 backers)
$55 - Copy of boxed set WITHOUT miniatures or combat tiles (EU Friendly 100 backers)
$60 - Copy of boxed set WITHOUT miniatures or combat tiles (unlimited backers)
$60 - Copy of boxed set WITHOUT miniatures or combat tiles (EU Friendly 100 backers)
$120 - Copy of boxed set with miniatures and combat tiles (100 backers)
$120 - Copy of boxed set with miniatures and combat tiles (EU Friendly 100 backers)
$125 - Copy of boxed set with miniatures and combat tiles (unlimited backers)
$125 - Copy of boxed set with miniatures and combat tiles (EU Friendly unlimited backers)
$165 - Copy of boxed set with minis, combat tiles, plus 2 skyscrapers + stretch goals
$205 - Copy of boxed set with minis, combat tiles, plus 2 skyscrapers + stretch goals (EU Friendly)
and there's still FIVE MORE pledge levels after that !
I love a "lead-free" option, I appreciate their commitment to support their European backers, the skyscrapers are impressive:
But I my eyes glaze over when I explore the options available to pledge, even if I know that half of them don't pertain to me.
The worst part is that there are plenty of 1/285th sci-fi rules available on Wargames Vault that would be cheaper to experiment with.
Thanks for this feedback, as the designer of Polyversal, I will pass this along to my publisher, Collins Epic Wargames. I will say that we spent a lot of time carving out pledge levels that would appeal to backers at different levels of experience. For those interested in a good starter box for 6mm sci-fi (or to expand their own armies) I recommend the $120 Battlegroup Commander level. For the veteran of many 6mm wars just looking for the rules, dice, and counters, we added the Adjutant level at $60. I understand your point about too many levels. That is partly the result of offering EU-friendly options for our many European supporters. It was also partly to offer the various excellent buildings from The Phalanx Consortium without having to require complex add-on variables after the close of the Kickstarter. If Byron or I can answer any questions you have about the project, feel free to ask. Thanks for blogging about Polyversal. I have worked on it for more than a few years now, and am very excited to share it with the world. Ken
ReplyDeleteYes, thanks for covering it. A god-awful mess is a bit harsh honestly... Sorry for any confusion on the pledge levels. The two basic ones that will work for most people are those mentioned by Ken Above. All others are variants on them or offer options specifically requested by our fans / backers. Several were offered after the kickstarter began in order to help with EU friendly shipping options, etc. Finally, most have a limited version of the same reward to reward early backers at those levels.
ReplyDeleteAgain, sorry if this is confusing. There are visuals on the project page of what's included with each reward and I think it's explained pretty decently there.
It's a great system, so, we do appreciate your look at it.
Best,
Byron