Initial Opinions

This has been a mixed bag of opinions from people in the board gaming community. A number of people are kind of balking at it because “is that what a crowdfunding site is for”. And some people, myself included are kind of “meh” on it either way. I think the big complaint from some people is that it’s on a crowdfunding site. Now, keep in mind this isn’t being crowdfunded, it isn’t having stretch goals. This is a product and game that are going to happen.

And I think it is worth pointing out, these people don’t have an issue when Stonemaier games does preorders for their games. Or really any company does preorders for their games, it’s more that it is on Gamefound. So it’s a bit hypocritical, and generally comes across more as an issue with how they think CMON operates versus a preorder system. I’m not going to get into that part of it, but I’m going to call it out as what it is.

But Why Does Gamefound do Preorders

So what is the advantage of having Gamefound do their preorders versus a company doing it on their own site. Firstly, that means that you don’t need to maintain as much of an eCommerce site as you would otherwise. There is inherent security with financial transactions that you need to think about. Gamefound is built to handle those transactions. Actually, that’s the main point of the site. Yes, it’s a crowdfunding and pledge manager site. But when it comes down to it the main point is to get you to put money into a game and run that transaction. When that happens, that is when a game can be made.

Now Gamefound just offers a function that most publishers were doing on their own anyways. The difference is, the site is built for providing updates, it’s built for collecting and protecting the transactions. And I, as someone who has done software and web development, am all for a company specializing in what they are good at. CMON should make board games.

Gamefound and other like sites, if they can provide a preorder service or storefront services even, should. Because I don’t trust a board game company to run security like they should. This isn’t a knock against them, it’s more just a statement of fact, it’s a bigger liability to spread yourself too thin or not have the correct resources. And with my money, I’d prefer to have it better handled.

Why Should Game Companies Use It For Preorders

I kind of went over one reason. It allows a game company to focus on what they know how to do. They know how to make games. They don’t need to worry about security and other things. But that isn’t the only reason.

I think more companies should run preorders and push preorders. And on their own site, that’s sometimes hard to drive the traffic there. People look for new games on something like a Gamefound or a Kickstarter or other crowdfunding site. So it automatically gets more eyes on it. And doing preorders is useful for a company because they know how much to order.

Stonemaier and Lorcana

Let’s look at two examples of Stonemaier, even with preorders generally can’t produce enough to keep up with what they have coming out. So it creates a scarcity and panic around tracking it down. Or Lorcana, Ravensburger should have known it’d be bigger than what they printed, but they created a scarcity that if they hadn’t fixed quickly could have killed off Lorcana. A good preorder system can help with that.

The other reason, and this might be an issue with CMON doing it, but again, we don’t know CMON’s finances fully, so how much money they have sitting around who knows. But if a game doesn’t need stretch goals, a preorder is better than crowdfunding. It, again, gives you an idea of how many copies you need. If you sell 10,000 copies in preorder you know to order another 10,000 copies, or something like that, for retail. You probably also know that if you only get 1,000 preorders not to order 200,000 copies.

But it also helps in that it doesn’t create unneeded bloat. There is no need for a stretch goal. It is just a game your game as it is. No need for expansions with 10 extra minis that add nothing. No need for linen card and box finish. And for a company like CMON, I think that’s a good thing. It helps them know how much to order, but it also helps them create and keep a focused game.

Final Thoughts on Gamefound Preorders

For me, I believe that the positives heavily outweigh any negative. This is a practice that a ton of companies already do. It is just now on Gamefound. And for me, that is a great thing. It means that a game gets more eyes on it, it means that a game company can probably sell more preorders. There is less risk involved for the end user because it’s a secure system built for financial transactions. Overall, I think it’s a win win for the companies and the consumers.

In fact, I’m going to go so far as to say, I want other companies to do this. And I want Gamefound to offer a storefront option to board game companies. Instead of them using whatever other third party options are out there for them, build it into a company that knows how to work with board game companies. And a company that can increase the visibility of it. But even if they don’t, I hope that more companies start to use them for preorders.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you see an issue with Gamefound having a preorder system?

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The New Games

Thunderstone Quest

This is one of the games that was on a great sale. And when I say great sale, I mean about as amazing a sale as I’ve seen. I got a massive box, 16lb game, at basically a dollar per pound before shipping. Plus a few expansions for it. It’s a deck building game that I’ve been wanting to play for a long time. With that sale price point, it was easy for me to pick up. And if it’s not for me, I’ll move on from it, but I suspect that I’m going to like it, a lot.

Pumafiosi

This one came up, as two one more on the list, from The Dice Tower. Pumafiosi sounds like a great three player game, though it can be played two two or up to five. But at three I think it sounds the most enjoyable. In fact, it was on The Dice Tower three player game Top 10 that they did a week or so ago.

But this is a game where you want to play down the card that is in the middle. Then if you do, you get to score that card. So, that is the main reason why it sounds best at three players. You have three cards, but you want to mess with it, so that the right card gets played. Because you score points after each card play. And depending on where you play your card, if you win with the middle card, you can mess around with the points and give people negative points.

Jump Drive

Now, The Dice Tower isn’t the only YouTube channel that got me to pick up a game. Meet Me at the Table and Colin with two of his playthroughs got me to pick up games from the Race for the Galaxy line of games. Jump Drive is one of those games.

In Jump Drive you are building up an engine of cards. They mainly give you two things, more card draw, or more victory point, or ideally both. You play out cards by discarding other cards from your hand to get them into play. And the player with the most points at the end of a number of rounds wins.

I got this one for the solo play. The solo play is the same game, there isn’t interaction with multiplayer. But solo play also made the game look like about a 15-20 minute solo game with a bigger experience than some, though not too big that it’d be a massive table hog.

New Frontiers

The other one that Colin from Meet me at the Table showed off was New Frontiers. I’ve already played this one a few times. I won’t go into massive detail, but you can find out more on that game here.

Pre-Orders

Paper App Dungeons

The first of two pre-order games is Paper App Dungeons. This is a solo roll and write dungeon crawler campaign of a game. I expect a loose campaign, but it sounds like you can level up your character as you go. My one concern might be that the game is too simple, as it does sound really simple. But for a little roll and write game, I’m going to give it a whirl and see if it’s one for me.

Mind Up!

The other game in that pre-order is Mind Up!. This is one from the Dice Tower as well in terms of why I ordered it. Mind Up! is a filler type of card game, which I tend to enjoy. But one that has some interesting strategy going on. You are playing out cards to win other cards. And the cards that you win get added into scoring columns. The same color always goes in the same column, so you are trying to optimize getting cards in your scoring column that gives you the most points.

But, to go with that, everyone is playing out cards. So where your card falls in numerical order determines what card you get. So there is luck, and you might pivot because of that. It doesn’t stop there, though, because the cards that you just played out, those are the new cards that you try and get. And at the end of the round, you collect the cards you score with, and that makes you hand for the next round. It is going to be random, but it sounds like a ton of fun.

Crowdfunding Games

Aeon’s End: The Descent

Now we’re into crowdfunding games. And I’m going to be fairly brief on these. Mainly because you only know so much about them if they are crowdfunding. I know the most about Aeon’s End: The Descent because I love Aeon’s End. I am excited to get more of this cooperative deck building game. The basics are you are building a deck to be able to defeat a monster. But you never shuffle your deck so you can kind of try and stack it.

25th Century Games – Import Collection

This is the big crowdfunding game that I’ve done. I’m not going to go into all of the games because there are a lot. But 25th Century Games is doing something cool. All of the games exist that they are crowdfunding, but they haven’t had US releases or don’t have an active one. So they are bringing them all to the US. Let’s see what the big list looks like.

• Circus Flohcati
• Dracula vs Van Helsin
• Hamster Roll
• Jalape-NO!
• Jekyll and Hyde vs Scotland Yard
• Mojo
• Penguin Party
• Run Run Run
• Tasso Banaa
• Vampire Queen
• Witchcraft

When this comes in I’m going to have a lot of games to play.

Snowfall Over Mountains

Snowfall Over Mountains and the next one are from Pencil First Games. I tend to like their smaller box games. Snowfall Over Mountains is a path and route building game. It looks like a fun and I think I’d say peaceful little game. And that’s what I’m looking for from the Pencil First Games that I own. Floriferous is one of my favorite games.

Sunrise at the Studio

Sunrise at the Studio falls into the same camp. However, this one is going to have more set collection and some different mechanisms as compared to Snowfall Over Mountains. But I like the aesthetic of the game. And to me, it looks like another fun and smaller box game from Pencil First Games.

Final Thoughts

It hasn’t been that many games. And I’m trying to slow down even more. But I’m excited for most all of them. I know from the 25th Century Games bundle, not all of them are going to be for me. But I know that I’m going to find some that I love. And just finding and being able to get Hamster Roll, which I have played, that one is going to be worth it.

Of the ones that are already here, I’m ready to get Pumafiosi played. I think that is going to be a fun one. I’m not sure how often I have three players to play it, but I’m hoping that I’ll find enough opportunity to check it out. And I’ll try the two player version as well. But I expect that I’m going to like it best at 3 or at five. We’ll see how quickly I can get a review of that one up.

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Is Crowdfunding an Investment or a Pre-Order?

This is a challenging question yet a simple question to answer. Crowdfunding was created to be an investment system. And it is still that. However, some companies treat it as a pre-order system and that muddies the waters. But at it’s heart it is an investing system into a small company or individual to help them support a dream.

Why Does This Matter?

Well, if it is purely a pre-order system, then a company 100% owes you a board game at the end of the process. And the board game should be basically ready to go. A pre-order should be for a fully designed game that just needs to get over the finish line.

And investment, it is going to come with more risk attached to it. The game is not going to be completed, it is going to be developed enough to show it off, but it won’t be ready to hit print once the funds are transferred over. And for your investment that expectation is the game will be produced and you will get a copy. But that is the expectation, not the demand.

But the Waters are Muddied

The tricky thing is that some companies use it as a pre-order system and that changes how it’s handled or perceived for the other companies where it truly is an investment into their success. Now, because Queen Games is shipping out big boxes quickly, or Claustrophobia was ready to ship and in a warehouse before the campaign was done, people see it as a pre-order system. It’s been that way for other companies, why not for company X? Well that company actually needed it for an investment.

So What Should Expectations for Crowdfunding Be?

I do think that on both sides there needs to be a resetting of expectations. Why, because we’ve seen companies go under. The standard for companies needs to change as we look to crowdfunding in the future. And the expectation of investors (backers) needs to change as well.

Backers

Let’s start with the backers, because a lot of the issue and responses I seen do lie with the backers. Firstly, for the majority of companies, even more of the larger ones than you think, they couldn’t produce the content they do and the amount of content that they do without being invested in with crowdfunding. Companies are not getting rich from board games, in fact, the margins are razor thin on crowdfunding because crowdfunding platforms take some of the money.

So let’s get back to the mindset of what this is. It is an investment. And if you are not able to invest the money to back a game and not get that game. Then don’t invest the money in the first play. We’re seeing some of that right now with smaller campaigns often not funding because people are choosing what to invest in. But back before inflation started increasing rapidly, people are still getting mad that an investment they made then isn’t fulfilling now. If you can’t afford to lose that money, you can’t afford to back it.

Or if it’s about not getting the game. If you are worried about that loss, buy it at the 150-300% mark-up later on eBay. If money isn’t the concern, it’s the concern that the game might never deliver, then change your strategy and buy it second hand on eBay, Board Game Geek Market, or elsewhere.

Companies

Companies, I don’t think that this expectation really shifted that much. But it is the most important thing you can do right now. And I will say, that the amount you do this and what you share in this matters a lot. Keep your backers informed all the time. Even if there is nothing to update, you need to update a minimum of once a month post campaign. For me once a month is ideal, but twice a month might satisfy some people more so.

And you might think that most people don’t read those updates. Let me let you in a little secret, you are right. Most people don’t read the updates. But you still need to do them. Firstly, it reassures people that you are still there and care. Even if they don’t read it, the fact you’re updating shows that you are still active with the project.

But the other thing is when things do go sideways, inflation happens, COVID happens, the shipping crisis happens, production costs go up, materials go up, last mile shipping goes up, you can talk about it. You let people know what is happening early and often, people will be more forgiving. And if, heaven forbid, your company goes under or a game won’t deliver like planned, or you need to ask for additional funds to get pushed over the last little bit, now you have already warned people.

Yes, people will still be mad. But that is one them, that goes back to what I wrote above. If you don’t communicate, though, that’s on you. If you pretend that everything is fine, or go radio silent when things aren’t, that is on you. I am your investor, I want to know how my investment is doing.

The Sad Truth of Crowdfunding

Let’s wrap up with the downer bit, right now we are going to see more of these small companies going out of business. Holy Grail Games and Grimlord Games are two that I can think of with outstanding projects. Also the company that made Alba a puzzle book story as well. And I would not be shocked if Mythic Games follows that direction shortly.

I am privy to three of those. Alba was cheap, I don’t mind losing that money, though sucks because it is a book and should be a more stable project. But when that company went under the one who bought their assets talked about how the numbers were low. Grimlord Games, they didn’t communicate at all, don’t be like them.

Finally, Mythic Games, this is one that they haven’t gone under yet. I’m just waiting on HEL: The Last Saga, if that will ever come. I expect to be asked to double my pledge. But let me be clear Mythic Games. Start communicating right now. Communicate heavily about finances and about cost increases, decreases, and changes you might need to make. This is on your to try and save your reputation. Because with Darkest Dungeon and 6Siege, you haven’t done that.

And like I said, I expect to see more, mainly smaller companies this happen to. When it does, remember, these people aren’t stealing your money to get rich. They work with thin margins hoping to bring you something they are passionate about. Probably without business knowledge they should have. So try and give grace, be frustrated, sure, but don’t be mean. That doesn’t help our hobby grow and at the end of the day, that is what we want.

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Sleeping Gods

This game is one that I almost backed on Kickstarter, but I didn’t for one main reason. Looking at the Kickstarter, I loved the artwork, I thought the game play looked interesting, I was just worried it would land for me like Near and Far did. I like Near and Far, don’t get me wrong. I think that that the game play is solid and the story is solid. But the story is lacking, for me.

So I was concerned that Sleeping Gods would kind of fall into that same line of things. And with a lot of other games out there to be back two years ago, I think, I didn’t jump on it. I also knew that the game would be available at retail as well. And then reviews for the game started coming in, and people really liked it. The game play seems more my style, and the story seems more focused. And, of course, the game sold out. Board Game Geek has it (or had) for pre-order, so I figured it was time to hop on it.

Ratcatcher

This one also was a Kickstarter that I wasn’t sure about. Firstly, it is a solo only game, which I have found out that I like more than I thought. But when it was on Kickstarter I wasn’t sure. And I’m a little hesitant to back, or was, a solo only game. This is one, however, I was less sure would actually hit retail.

In the case of Ratcatcher, what drew me in was a solo play on the GloryHoundd YouTube channel. I’ll put the video below. But that game play looked like a lot of fun. The game seems to do what I like in a solo game a lot of the time. It provides an interesting and shifting puzzle in a small package. Now, it does spread out on the table, but overall, I really think this one looks like fun.

Grove

Another solo only game on the list of things that I’ve pre-ordered. This one I did back on Kickstarter. You can read up on it in my Back or Brick article. This one I didn’t hesitate to back on Kickstarter because it’s a follow-up to a game that I already love, Orchard. Orchard is a great little solo game with a little footprint and super fast play time. Grove looks like it is going to be more of the same, and that’s very interesting to me because I’ve already played Orchard over 60 times. I can imagine Grove will get played as much.

Marvel Dice Throne

No shock on this one, I’d think. I love Dice Throne, it hasn’t been on my top 100, yet. But you take a game I really like and an intellectual property I’m clearly in love with, I’m going to back the game. It’s been under 24 hours and it’s just under $900,000. So it’s doing extremely well at a time when some Kickstarters are cancelling. I wasn’t really all that concerned about this one cancelling.

If you are interested in Marvel Dice Throne, it will be coming to retail. But the Kickstarter version does come in a single box, and the price point is going to be cheaper on everything. That means if you want to get the playmats, card sleeves, or the dice tray, the time to get it is now. I’ll be talking about it more tomorrow when I do a Back or Brick for it.

Similos Spookies

This one wasn’t pre-ordered, just ordered, so it’s in my collection, though it showed up a few days too late for the October board game night when it would have been perfect. Similos is a party game where you are working together to figure out clues as to what the groups card is. The game is a lot of fun and you can mix and match the different sets from Mythology to Animals and now to spooky monsters.

I knew I was going to get this one when it became available. The game play is a ton of fun, and if I can add in something spooky or spoopy to my game collection, I’m probably going to do that. And as replayable as Similos already is, I’m not going to say no to having even more sets that I can mix and match together.

Which game would you want to get to the table first? Are you backing either of the Kickstarters, Grove or Marvel Dice Throne?

Point of Sale

Normally I’d do a bigger article as I did sell a fair number of things recently, but they were all RPG books, so I wanted to talk about them in one lump, because there’s really one reason I’m getting rid of all of them. While I do like a lot of different RPG’s and I’ll gladly play them, I’ve come to realize I’m just running D&D. Dungeons and Dragons is the game that I know best. It is the game I buy the books for new character classes or settings for.

I am always going to have more D&D content to run. And I haven’t kept up with other games. While I have run some Star Wars games, I am not that likely to again. The same goes for the other systems, while they are fun, I won’t be playing them over Dungeons and Dragons, so might as well sell them.

Now, I did keep one non-D&D thing. That was the Fate core book and Fate Dresden Files. I haven’t ever used those books. I am not sure that I ever will, But I love the Dresden Files, so I wasn’t ready to get rid of that one right now.

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Detective: Vienna Connection

One of my best gaming experiences in 2020 was playing through Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game. It shot it way up my list for Top 100 Board Games, see how high it got. And then I was waiting for more of it to show up, Dig Deeper and LA Crimes expansions. This takes the game in a totally different direction. You are less detectives, in the original think more FBI anyways, and you are spies or working against spies or both. I love the theme on this one and I like that it is taking it in a different direction. Why did I pre-order it, because you got some cool upgrades that I think will make the gamey even more fun.

Arkham Horror LCG: The Circle Undone & The Forgotten Age

Arkham Horror LCG is a game that I have really enjoyed. It’s bounced around my Top 20 games of all time and I really need to play it more. It works for me because it offers really interesting game play while still telling a story. I love the hand management aspect to it, the deck construction and leveling up. And you can just grab the big boxes and just play through those without getting all the small packs to play the arcs. This might actually be what I start tackling when I stream on Wednesday. The game is just a lot of fun.

Will I eventually get some of the small packs and finish off what I have, I might. But right now, I can play through the main campaign from the base box and go from there. Those expansions might be harder to get, but the game is just so much fun that I want to try and play it more. Also, it is so good solo.

Super-Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up!

I believe that I have said I like roll and write games. And Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade is one that is a ton of fun. It is surprisingly thematic for a roll and write. Can it 100% emulate a pinball machine, no, but it is close. I like the tables that I’ve played a lot, and this adds more. I think that sometime I might set-up a mini tournament sort of thing, play through all four tables a few times and see what my best combo of scores might be. That could also be fun to do on Malts and Meeples over a few times or with viewers who have the game.

From what I know, this is just going to add in more tables. Now, I don’t need that yet, but this is the part that is delaying it. Right now not 100% sure on the date that it’ll come out but best guessing put it around September. That is a long ways out.

Time of Legends: Destinies

I considered backing this when it was on Kickstarter. A game by Lucky Duck Games, known for Chronicles of Crime, this uses their QR code system for an app assisted story driven experience. The game comes with a number of scenarios to play through. So it’s more a scenario game than it is a campaign game. But it still should have immersive story telling elements. And that story telling and the hidden secrets that each character have, that really interested me.

I couldn’t swing it when it was on Kickstarter in 2019, but now I am grabbing it retail. Also a pre-order item, this one should be out sooner, though I won’t get it. That is the downside, of course to doing a pre-order, you have to wait for the latest game in the pre-orders to ship.

What Sounds Most Interesting?

Of course, I am excited for all of these games. I really enjoy all of them and the expansions are for games that are high in my Top 100. But Time of Legends: Destinies is really interesting to me. It is a story driven game, but it’s not a campaign game, it isn’t a cooperative game even. So I want to try it out and just see how it works. I think it might scratch that itch for some narrative gamers but who like competitive as well. How about you, which would you want to play first?

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