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Old 06-30-2020, 04:32 AM   #141
philreed
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

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Originally Posted by ericbsmith View Post
There are no physical products in the KS, so there almost certainly won't be any in the BK
EDIT: The below is wrong. I misread the statement. Correct, there are no physical products at all. I read the above as stating there is no BackerKit. That was my error.

(Leaving the below so there's no question as to what I was wrong about.)

This is an inaccurate assumption. We are using BackerKit for this campaign if the project closes successfully. We need their tools to manage add-ons and how backers will spend their credit.

Last edited by philreed; 06-30-2020 at 07:55 AM.
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Old 06-30-2020, 06:27 AM   #142
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

I continue to see "this makes no sense!" and "what's the catch?" comments regarding the upcoming GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge. For those unaware, I thought I'd use personal experience to demonstrate how and why the GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge exists and how, yes, it's real.

Last fall, in October, I ran a personal Kickstarter campaign to create a single 14-page PDF. Systemless fantasy RPG support, the PDF included no game statistics and the $1 pledge was all that it took for a backer to get the new PDF.

But, there was more than just one PDF. The project stretch goals, if unlocked, would each add another 14-page PDF to the project's rewards. Ultimately, by the time the campaign came to a close, there were 1,951 backers who pledged a total of $11,110 to the campaign. For the $1 pledge, backers received a total of seventeen 14-page PDFs.

How, you may ask, did 1,951 backers generate over $11,000 in support? The project offered more than just the $1 reward level. For example, the $20 reward included several of my earlier works, and 310 backers selected that $20 level. (Over half of the funding right there!)

By working as a group to support the campaign, all of the project backers created an incredible deal where everyone received a bargain. Those who had been following my work were able to spend just a buck, as those new to my work spent a bit more to get the new stuff and some of the older titles.

Now, that $11,110 in support was excellent, but that isn't where the story ends. To this day, I offer the seventeen PDFs at a price of $15 (for all 17) in my personal Kickstarter campaign. Since that October project last year, over 1,000 supporters of my other works have chosen to include that set of seventeen PDFs in their rewards. That's another $15,000 in revenue -- over and above the $11,110 generated in the original campaign -- that has come in thanks to that work.

Even after we subtract the Kickstarter fees and the cash spent on stock art, the overall project was still very much worth my time and, better still, it helped to introduce even more gamers to my personal works. At a buck, a lot more people were willing to give my efforts a shot, and many of those who said "I'll buy that for a dollar" have come back again and again to support my newer works.

Late last year, as I was crunching numbers on the personal work, I realized that we could try something similar at the office. The $1 reward wouldn't work -- overhead is much higher for a business than it is a single person -- but the basics of the approach could work for GURPS. So we discussed the idea, and we decided to give it a shot.

Sean and the team then went to work, planning out the dozen PDFs that we would create before launching a campaign. Once those were done, it was time to build the Kickstarter page and start sharing the word: "The more support this project gets, the better everyone's rewards!"

Which brings us to today, the day before project launch, and we're now left with a single question:

Can we unlock all twelve PDFs before the clock runs out?

Follow the project today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-pdf-challenge

Last edited by philreed; 06-30-2020 at 07:27 AM.
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Old 06-30-2020, 07:51 AM   #143
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

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Ultimately, by the time the campaign came to a close, there were 1,951 backers who pledged a total of $11,110 to the campaign. For the $1 pledge, backers received a total of seventeen 14-page PDFs.
From my perspective over at Gaming Ballistic, that number - the total backers - is HUGE. If I could pull in 1,000 to 1,200 backers for my campaigns, especially the new folks who might look at a back catalog of (say) Nordlond or TFT material and think "oh, yeah. That too" it would radically change my business, and my life.

Life just gets better above the 1,000 order count.
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Old 06-30-2020, 07:54 AM   #144
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

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The hint/comment that "no physical products" is an inaccurate assumption when it comes to Backerkit is really super interesting as well. It answers - or at least suggests - at something I was wondering about for post-KS print counts.
I should have been clearer. 50% of the statement "no print products" was correct and the other 50% "no BackerKit" was incorrect.

Also, reading closer, I was the one wrong. Tweaking now. (Clearly, more sleep is needed.)

And yeah, more eyes/backers is always a good thing.
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Old 06-30-2020, 08:04 AM   #145
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

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Originally Posted by DouglasCole View Post
From my perspective over at Gaming Ballistic, that number - the total backers - is HUGE. If I could pull in 1,000 to 1,200 backers for my campaigns, especially the new folks who might look at a back catalog of (say) Nordlond or TFT material and think "oh, yeah. That too" it would radically change my business, and my life.
I'd very much like to see this GURPS project hit 2,000 backers. I am not sure if that's realistic, but it's my personal goal for the campaign. We'll know soon enough how things will go.
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Old 06-30-2020, 08:16 AM   #146
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

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I should have been clearer. 50% of the statement "no print products" was correct and the other 50% "no BackerKit" was incorrect.
I'd assumed you were leaving open the possibility of making some of the physical addons from other recent KSes available - dice, dice bags, whatever might remain.
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Old 06-30-2020, 08:30 AM   #147
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

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I'd assumed you were leaving open the possibility of making some of the physical addons from other recent KSes available - dice, dice bags, whatever might remain.
No. No physical items at all in this project. Our warehouse team is already digging their way out of things; we don't plan to add more to their workload.

This project is only digital delivery, so that we can give the warehouse some space.
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Old 06-30-2020, 09:29 AM   #148
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[*]$99 - You get all unlocked PDFs and $125 in credit to spend in BackerKit on existing GURPS PDFs.
Does Pyramid #3 count?
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Old 06-30-2020, 10:05 AM   #149
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

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Does Pyramid #3 count?
We will be able to list PDF issues of Pyramid on BackerKit, so long as they are also for sale on Warehouse 23 when the project is live.
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Old 06-30-2020, 10:56 AM   #150
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Default Re: Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge

Anyone thinking of buying Pyramid back issues might want to review this recent thread reviewing favorite Pyramid articles.
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