GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

Kung-fu street urchins pursuing a lost legacy in a gang-infested steampunk metropolis.

See "The Irregulars" on Netflix. The "Irregulars" in this case are the Baker Street Irregulars, though Watson and Holmes are side characters, with the focus on the urchins. Not quite so much kung fu and more horror, though. 'The Nevers" on HBO is more steampunky and has some kung fu (or at least unarmed melee combat), but not so much urchins. So both maybe just inspiration for a blend somewhere in between.

[Baldo]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I assume you mean "differences from last year's campaign"? Nothing much in the content department, words or art...

If possible, I would like to see a couple of differences in the payment procedure. My (Italian) bank has a thing against Kickstarter.com, and routinely blocks my payments in dollars there, especially if done in the dead of night (in Italy). This happens with the basic $3 pledges too, and I'm forced to contact the Customer Service to enable these payments EVERY TIME...
My request is for an additional €3 pledge level for EU backers, at least, and charged at a different hour (Italy is GMT+1, GMT+2 right now for Daylight Saving Time).
Can you do this?

[philreed]

Originally Posted by Baldo

My request is for an additional €3 pledge level for EU backers, at least, and charged at a different hour (Italy is GMT+1, GMT+2 right now for Daylight Saving Time).
Can you do this?

No.

We have zero input/control over Kickstarter's payment processing. Everything financial regarding Kickstarter is under their control and that of their payment partners.

[philreed]

The project is scheduled to launch in July and there will be a limited number of some of the reward levels.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-pdf-challenge

[Anders]

You said that month-long kickstarters was a path to madness. Why is this?

[philreed]

Originally Posted by Anders

You said that month-long kickstarters was a path to madness. Why is this?

Every single day of a Kickstarter campaign is intense, challenging work that consumes almost every moment of the day. The longer the project, the more stressful the task of managing the project.

Additionally, the first 48-hours and last 48-hours are where the real activity happens for most campaigns. You want as few days between those segments as possible.

[Anders]

I wouldn't have guessed that running a Kickstarter was so time-consuming. Shows what I know.

[Kromm]

Kickstarter isn't "fire and forget" if you want it to succeed.

To get the most out of Kickstarter, you have to update the campaign page when stretch goals unlock, write and post updates, read and respond to comments on both the campaign in general and specific updates, expand the FAQ if the comments keep stumbling upon the same problems, publicize like crazy (interviews, social-media sharing, blog posts, etc.), and scramble to introduce targeted add-ons, reward levels, stretch goals, etc. in response to unusually bad or good backing. Behind the scenes, this can mean not just writing but also creating new graphics and sometimes completely new products at the 11th hour.

You can just say, "Here's the thing. See you all in a month," but you'll probably fail. You'll have potential backers evaporate because you didn't answer questions they wanted answered before pledging, or because they saw nothing happening and decided you flew by night. And you'll also lose money by not dynamically adjusting the offerings to meet trends and fluctuations visible in the comments (which you have to read) or in how people are pledging (which involves interpreting stats).

Phil does almost all of this for SJ Games . . . yet I still found the GURPS 2020 PDF Challenge tiring because I was constantly being asked for copy and interviews. I can only imagine that Phil was the walking dead.

Basically, Kickstarter is a barely restrained hype machine that consumes creator-community interactions for fuel. Burning that fuel means burning out those behind the campaign.

[Kromm]

More hype, with an image below for those who have trouble with the link.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Kickstarter isn't "fire and forget" if you want it to succeed.

I had a long post on this, but honestly, it was too long.

There's a LOT of setup before it even happens. The back-end interfaces are behind even crude layout and word processing and web-posting capabilities. Getting the SKUs, Items, Add-ons if any entered in is rife for error. Making the throw of the dice to figure out where to fund, how much to expect, and if you stand a chance at being profitable are entirely stressful.

There's a 2-3 day surge at the beginning (you hope) hopefully during which it funds. Then there's the doldrums where you get 1/12 or zero dollars per day. Then the "I'll wait until the end" surge. And the "oh, I missed it...can you make an exception for me?!" mails.

During all of that, marketing and creative work are likely in full swing. (Note: PDF 2021 is done, so that's something at least that's ahead of the game). Lots of marketing. So much marketing. And mostly...it doesn't seem to change the answer.

Then there's the Backerkit phase, where you get to deal with only partially compatible systems, roll the freakin' dice on shipping profiles, and deal with a lot of the same stuff.

Blergh. It's rough. Phil speaks truth.