It has been predictable for a while. Perhaps right from the start of the enormously successful launch of the Kickstarter for Kingdom Death: Monster. Now the time has come. The Kingdom Death Kickstarter is reaching for a Million Dollars in pledges. It will be the first board-game, among the first 10 games, and among the first 20 Kickstarter campaigns ever to overcome that magic mark!
Kickstarter and the One Million Dollar Mark
No doubt. There is something special about the ‘One Million Dollar’-mark, Kickstarter or not.
For Kickstarter in particular, it demonstrates how much the crowd-funding idea – and the crowd-funding site Kickstarter.com – have moved into the mainstream in 2012.
One. Million. Dollars!
As of 2011, no Kickstarter project ever broke the one-million-dollar-barrier.
In 2012, no less than 17 Kickstarter projects managed to collect a million dollars or more in pledges. The Pebble-Watch Kickstarter took down the 10 Million dollar mark for good measure. A few more video games – such as Elite Dangerous – are about to join those 17.
Reaper Miniatures’ Bones Kickstarter famously made over 3 Million. To date, it is the only miniature-related Kickstarter that made over a million dollars. And since Reaper Bones “only” kickstarted miniatures, there is – technically – no Kickstarter in tabletop games sub-category that topped 1.000.000,- USD. Kingdom Death will be the first.
Congratulations Mr. Poots!!!
The Secrets of Kingdom Death: Monster
What are the things that made Kingdom Death: Monster so phenomenally successful?
Well, this is not a scientific study, but these factors (in my opinion) had a lot to do with it.
#1 – Innovative, mould-breaking game-play
The previewed game-play for Kingdom Death is both ‘old’ and ‘new’.
‘Old’, because it taps into classic fantasy game-dynamics of challenging novice adventurers, who in turn grow more experienced, better equipped, stronger with each challenge. Wired.com called it the revival of D&D game-design, which is oddly fitting.
‘New’, as it breaks with the already-familiar routines of board game Kickstarters.
In my email-interview with Adam Poots, one ‘standard’-question I asked him was if there would be ‘factions’ and boxed sets for different parties. I was surprised by his answer that there weren’t any. In the short history of boardgame-Kickstarters, the practices to whip up some 4 to 8 more or less creative factions, to work through and expand with stretch goals, had become so self-evident, I failed to see how any ambitious Kickstarter could do without.
Of course, that is only one example. It is certainly a lot more that is unique about the game of Kingdom Death: Monster (as much as we have seen so far).
Kingdom Death: Monster became a runaway success because it broke the routine!
#2 – Unique Art Direction
This one should be self-evident if you only so much as skimmed the Kingdom Death: Monster Kickstarter or the Kingdom Death homepage. A Kingdom Death miniature is unmistakable. The creative vision and ideas of Adam Poots and his creative team are clearly visible in each sculpt and art-piece I saw.
Other highly successful Kickstarters – such as Relic Knights or Sedition Wars – also stood out with a very distinct and unique visual feel. It clearly pays off to be unique.
The Kingdom Death Million Dollar Stretch Goal: The King
True, there are and most certainly always will be lots of miniature Kickstarter-campaigns pitching surrogates for popular – if perhaps expensive – miniature lines from other well-known gaming companies. The ‘bitz-business’ is alive and kicking outside Kickstarter, so it certainly will keep appearing on Kickstarter (and other platforms) as well.
However, there will always be limits to how much these Kickstarter can achieve. Filling gaps left by other companies or game-lines can do no more than meet existing demands.
The magic of being shown something truly new, unique and never-seen-before, as done by Kingdom Death and others, is that it awakes the curiosity, the appetite for something new.
To me, looking for “that-one-odd-conversion-bit” or “stand-in-miniature” that keeps eluding me to complete project X, or plunging head-first into an entirely new, fascinating miniature cosmos are two very different things. The former does have its place. But only the latter tends to blind me to the realities of my wallet, as good Kickstarter far too often do.
#3 – Credibility with the Fans
Not only Kickstarter grew exponentially over the last year. So too did the business of peddling more or less informative ‘how-to-succeed-on-kickstarter‘ books.
I have not read any of them, but if they are similar to the better online-readings out there, I am sure they will all invoke the power of the network, facebook-friends, community and other means to go “viral” with your Kickstarter campaign.
It is more than just Facebook though! (Source: Appsblogger)
Adam Poots had – over the last 2 to 3 years – build himself a name with credibility within the niche of the miniature-hobby that enjoys high-quality, boutique resin miniatures.
As a long-time, rather narrowly focused Games Workshop-fan, that certainly was not a community I was aware of. I even must have missed the initial hype surrounding the release of the infamous ‘Wet Nurse’.
And yet, when I started digging around for Kingdom Death material during the Kickstarter – writing posts like this one – I felt like I ran into enthusiastic, even ecstatic Kingdom Death-fans on ever forum, board and miniature-painting-blog I came across.
The rather outworn term of ‘viral’ seem too mundane to describe the efforts by Kingdom Death fans, who went out and spread the word. Not because they wanted to ‘promote’ the Kickstarter, but because they knew – from experience – that Kingdom Death was offering genuinely amazing stuff and were eager to let other people know about it.
Oh, and of course, it also helped that Adam was posting, blogging, answering questions and responding to feedback – 24/7 it seemed – on almost ever corner of the internet.
Anyhow.
Enough Kickstarter-philosophy from the commentator on the side-lines.
What about you? Why do you think Kingdom Death: Monster is such a hit? You agree with my ramblings? Would you add anything?
I am looking forward to your comments!
Z.
About Zweischneid
