Continuing the series on Crowdfunding, I want to talk about what level to pledge at. This ties some into the article that I wrote about crowdfunding and FOMO which you can find here. I thought about lumping the two of them together, but I think they work better separately. Because with picking a pledge level, sometimes you aren’t looking to talk yourself out of something.

With FOMO, it’s about controlling a desire for what you want to back. But in this case, you know you want to back that game on Kickstarter or Gamefound, but what level do you decide to back it at, and what should you be looking out for?

What Are Common Crowdfunding Pledge Levels?

So, before we talk about what level to back at, let’s talk about common levels. Because there are a few that I would say you see fairly often.

Retail

This is going to be the version of the game that will hit retail.

Game Play

This is going to be a pledge level where you can get everything that might have anything to do with game play. So, more cards, this level, and expansion, this level of pledge.

Deluxe

At Deluxe, it is going to contain the fancy pieces. It might not have all game play but it’ll have upgrades pieces like metal coins, screen printed meeples, things like that.

Retailer

This is not the retail level, the retailer level is if you want to get access to the pledge manager and order several for a store.

Print and Play

Print and Play is going to let you get the game without getting the game. You get the files for the game that you can print off and use. This is pretty common for roll and write games, or small card games.

What To Consider When Picking A Pledge Level?

There are a few things to consider when picking what level you want to pledge a game at. But we’ll start with one of the big ones, how much game play content do you actually need? And then what will add enjoyment to your experience.

How Much Do You Actually Need?

This is a bit of a FOMO thing, but how much do you really need. At this point, you know you want the game but is it worth getting everything for the game? And not even at the side of FOMO, how much will you actually play. Do you feel like you’re missing out, or is this just going to be more stuff that you will have sit on a shelf?

I know that there are some games out there, where having more makes it harder to play. I believe it’s the Sator Box for Black Rose War that there is just so much to sort through that it’s almost impossible to get it to the table. So you don’t want to end up with too much stuff that it makes the base game harder to table as well.

So look at how much you get in the pledge. Let’s talk about the opposite of the Sator Box, Marvel United has a ton of stuff in it, but that doesn’t change how easy it is to play the game. You grab a character, villain, locations, and go. The only thing that might be slower is finding the minis. And the variety makes the game even more fun to play. So consider how much you actually need.

Will It Make The Game More Enjoyable?

This one pertains more to stuff like the deluxe version of a game. Metal coins are cool and all, but will it make the game more enjoyable? Minis are cool, but are they going to make it more enjoyable than standees would? The answer to those questions might be yes. It might make the game more immersive than it was before and give you a better experience.

On the other hand, much like all the game play content, it might make the game harder to get to the table. Do you pull three boxes off of the shelf now instead of when you pull one off the shelf? And is that going to make you more likely to pull it off the shelf?

I like when games, like Dwellings of Eldervale, give you deluxe components that fit in the main box. I don’t need to worry about grabbing anything more, just the one box. And I’m not sorting through deluxe and regular components to find what I need. I think that’s a smart way to do it. It does mean I have regular components I can’t use.

On the flip side with Dwellings of Eldervale, if you didn’t get deluxe, you end up with empty space in your box. And that’s an issue as well because I don’t want stuff sliding around. Now there are holder for the deluxe bits but they are empty, so to me that’s a bit odd, I’d prefer a smaller box in that case.

So, What Level Should I Pledge At?

For me, the place I start is at the game play level. I look to see how much it is going to cost to get everything for game play. And sometimes I’ll back at that level and other times I won’t. It depends on cost and how much there is.

But for me, game play is always the starting point at where I look. With game play, you know what you are getting the whole of what you can play around with. And some games don’t need everything, I can give some examples here.

Going back to Marvel United and Marvel United X-Men, I don’t need fancy tokens. The extra thick location tiles, not interested. But I do want all the characters because the game is easy to play even with everything.

On the flip side, when I backed Primal, I didn’t back extra monsters, I just got the base game. Yes, the different monsters will behave differently. So I am missing out on game play content. But I also get a lot. And I don’t think that I need that extra variety. I’d take it because the monsters are cool, but I don’t need it.

Crowdfunding Pledge Level Final Thoughts

The milage on what you pick might be different for you than me. I do think it’s important to look at what you get in the game play level and decide on how much you need. I will also say, don’t back the retail level. If they are planning on going to retail, get it there, and get free shipping if you go through an online retailer.

The only reason, I see, to back at the retail pledge level instead of getting it at retail would be to support the company. And I do approve of that reason. I back stuff from Indie Board and Cards for Aeon’s End and now Astro Knights that will come to retail, why, because I want to support the company and get it slightly sooner.

How do you decide what level to pledge at?

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