This has happened to me a few times. I’ve gotten in on a Kickstarter campaign only to think, this might not be for me, or I know someone getting the game. I don’t need to pledge these games, but I am still interested. So I drop my pledge down to $1, or maybe I even end up cancelling it. But then, I think about it more and someone does a video on it. In that video they say, late pledging is available. Now I face the question again, do I want to late pledge for this game?

Why Do They Offer Late Pledges?

I think it’s pretty obvious, they want to make more money. And they want a second chance for that FOMO (fear of missing out) to kick in. But for other reasons as well, generally the bigger a shipping run that you get, the cheaper it is to make the game. Again, this comes down to making more money. But it also comes down to their ability to produce more games to sell later.

But really, as much as I want to be nice and talk about costs getting lower, it’s about tapping into peoples FOMO. That thought that, well, this game might not come to retail, I should get it now. The retail version won’t have these eight to eighty things, I should get it now. The retail version might not be here for two years, I should get it now. All of these can be valid reasons, so let’s take a look at them.

It Might Not Come To Retail

This one is a valid concern for a lot of crowdfunding. Using Kickstarter or Gamefound, you can create a bigger game or a smaller passion project. So by bigger game, I mean something that wouldn’t fit on a shelf well. ISS Vanguard, for example, from Awaken Realms they can maybe to a retail version of the base game, but not for everything, there is just too much stuff with it. In your small FLGS, they won’t have spot on a shelf for a massive game, let alone 5 of a massive game. And smaller games from small publishers, they just won’t hit retail at all because they probably don’t have the supply chain capability.

And for a lot of these games that have small print runs, or if they are big and very popular, the secondary market is going to be expensive. When Tainted Grail first hit the secondary market, pledges were selling for two times as much. Spire’s End, a solo card game that you could have gotten on Kickstarter for $70 with shipping was going for $150 on eBay since it was out of print.

I Want It Sooner

I consider this one to be more into that FOMO range. You can wait to get a game later. As a content creator, I could see wanting it sooner. I want to get the content out while it is relevant to people looking for it. If a game has been out for a year and then I put something out, less views and reads. That only matters for me if I actually unbox it or play it when I get it. If not, then I can wait for because my content won’t be relevant to as many people.

But that’s it from the content creator side, what about if I just want a game because I want to play it? Then I certainly don’t need it sooner. Yes, I might be all hyped and excited for it, but will I really be missing out if I don’t get it in the first wave of shipping. Am I really missing out if I wait until it hits retail? The game is still going to be the game, and most likely I have other games to play.

The Kickstarter Has More

This one is kind of a valid reason. Or at least I can see the reason for it. I love Marvel stuff, so I want to play as Gambit in Marvel United: X-Men, so I get it on the Kickstarter knowing that the base box only might come to retail. I didn’t need to get everything, but I did. That said, it’s going to give me so much more to play with than the retail version of the game. Higher price tag, obviously, but so much more game.

Now, in the case of Marvel United, it was more characters, more villains to play against, just generally more game in total. Some Crowdfunding, it’s more about the deluxe components. The Kickstarter won’t have any game content that you can’t get later in retail. What it does have is fancier pieces. To me those are a bit ore of FOMO item than game play content.

But, game play content can be FOMO as well. Do I need 200 different villains and heroes for Marvel United between Marvel United and Marvel United X-Men? I doubt I’ll ever play with all of them. I justify that one because I love Marvel and cover Marvel on a podcast. That said, there are plenty of games, Black Rose Wars: Rebirth on Kickstarter right now for example, I don’t think I would get through all of that content. Sure, it could be cool to have, but will I use it? And will I have a consistent group to play it with?

How Do I Late Pledge?

Honestly, my track record isn’t where it should be on this. I late pledged Witcher: Old World recently and Isofarian Guard. I’ll talk more about what I late pledged coming up. But I don’t always use the main reason of, this won’t come to retail. Sometimes a game just looks cool and I can’t stop thinking about it. That’s generally how I decide. Do I keep seeing the game and thinking something along the lines, I really want to play it.

But I really want to focus on games that I’ll be less likely to see elsewhere. Witcher: Old World, I know someone who has backed that. Did I need to back it to, no. I want the game though, so I backed it at the base level, because that seems like enough game. On the flip side, Isofarian Guard, I doubt that’ll hit retail. And I don’t know anyone who backed it. I am guessing I’ll watch reviews of it and be glad that I backed that when it came out.

So What Have I Late Pledged?

Witcher: Old World

I had a $1 pledge on this one, so it is only kind of a true late back. And I know I probably shouldn’t have late pledged this one. Like I said, I know someone who is backing it already. I could have just played their copy. But this game really interests me. I was keeping an eye on it from the beginning with the theme. And I really am interested in the game play. There is a level of story to the game which I like, but it isn’t a campaign game. I don’t know why, but it reminds me of Zona: Secret of Chernobyl that way. And I like the idea of thematic but a single game.

Isofarian Guard

Of course, this one is definitely one that isn’t going to retail. It’s a game that has a box the size of Gloomhaven or maybe closer to Frosthaven. This one also I don’t know anyone who is getting it. The fact that it is a one, maybe two player game makes it less likely people I know will get it. This game looks like it is right up my alley and I think that it’s one that I can stream. Granted, seeing it now big it is, it might be hard to fit onto the table or onto the camera, I’ll have to experiment with the set-up.

Time of Legends: Joan of Arc

Another massive Kickstarter that I just couldn’t justify when it was out there. But I kept on seeing things about it, so when I found out that there was a late pledge for it, I looked into it. This one got me because of the setting. It takes the story of Joan of Arc and you play through that or actual battles. But it also leans into the lore of the time, where history wrote about things like werewolves or dragons for things that couldn’t be explained. So it has that historical element but also a fanciful element to it. Again, not one that anyone I knew would be getting or coming to retail.

Uprising: Curse of the Last Emperor

This one I just fully blame on the GloryHoundd YouTube channel. They got to play this and it looked really interesting. I was looking at it before that, but then I didn’t back it. When it was on DrGloryHogg’s Top Kickstarter game of 2020 list, I looked into the late pledge. The game just draws me in because it’s a cooperative 4x game. There are two AI enemies that everyone has to beat in order for the group to win. It’s an interesting concept, and it has some of the best standees I’ve seen in a game. I don’t know what it is, I just want those. Probably could have seen how this one did on the secondary market/retail, but I just want to get my hands on it. I’ll need to cover this one right away when it comes in.

Roll Player Adventures

Another one that I know someone who got it, in fact the same person who is getting Witcher: Old World. But this one I kicked myself once the Kickstarter was done for not backing. I knew he was and I could likely play with him, but I really like this game. Roll Player Adventures was one of those games that I got to play at GenCon in 2019. It was probably the best experience of the con, or up there with playing Deranged. The game play is just fun and the fact that you can play Roll Player and then bring that character into Roll Player Adventures is awesome. Again, maybe could have waited on this one, but I’ll do an unboxing right away when it comes in.

Those are all that I have coming up. Have you ever late pledged a Kickstarter? What was your reason for doing so?

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