Dreadball Kickstarter up and running.

[wittdooley]

Maybe, but for it to make sense surely some things need to be added to the basic box to increase its value. But if not the other two teams, then what? It can't be the star players as they are already bonuses for the 150 mark. It just seems silly.

The problem happens when you compare this $80 value to what you get from established board game companies at the $80 price point.

That's part of the reason I think Privateer's Sector 7 is going to absolutely bomb. I played it at GenCon, and the mechanics are actually pretty cool, but it's $70 doesn't come with any miniatures, and doesn't come with a ton of "stuff" in the box.

[eldargal]

Mantic posted this on the KS comments:

At the moment, the two extra teams are only available to backers at the Striker level (who will be getting them anyway, regardless of how far we get). Once we get far enough, we will be able to look at new ways of producing the teams and they will then be available as add-on purchases to everyone. On top of that, there will of course be free bonus miniatures for the people who've helped us get there! We will be announcing the totals for each goal as we hit the previous one, so when $40,000 comes around you'll know more!

So, my incentive to pledge now vs wait for retail/discounted retail is, what, exactly?

I think this is a huge mistake. There will be a lot of people looking at Reaper Bones over its last 30 hours and looking at this, and I' be very surprised if many of them don't just decide to go with Bones for simple value for money. Then you have Relic Knights ending in two weeks which isn't that much higher than Dreadball in terms of price per miniature and they are larger and generall nicer sculpts too. Certainly more varied.

Prices per model:
Reaper: 47c approx/ 220+@100 investment
Relic Knights: 5.50 9@50 investment
Dreadball: 5 16@80 investment

[energongoodie]

If I may say, I think that the market for the kickstarters you mention could be seen as different.

The Reaper Bones kickstarter is undoubtedly great in the sense of the amount of miniatures you get. However, I was at no point tempted or interested in those miniatures. Fantasy stuff just isn't really my bag baby. I will not pledge.

The Relic Knights has had me umming and arring. I already have the one shot relic knight. I like the other Black diamond stuff and the girls on bikes, but I think I will have a devil of a time getting someone to play with me. So I may or may not pledge.

I think the nature of this game will appeal to a certain someone who will not see it as a choice between these other kickstarter campaings, they will just see it as a new complete board game that's ready to rumble.

Lets wait and see what the extras turn out to be before we pass judgement. I am hopeful.

[eldargal]

It's true there isn't complete overlap between the target audiences, but even if you take scifi board games Sedition Wars offered 50 miniatures at 100 in the basic game box and the stretch goal added something like 30 more.

I see Dreadball and I just do not see anything approaching value for money. For 80 I would want the prospect of all four teams being included in the set, with the 150 option getting starplayers and another things as well. To make it worse there is little prospect of the initial deal sweetening that much as they have said the teams will be optional add-ons and everything else they could add, like better quality counters and hte like, really aren't a big draw.

Personally I'd have had the two extra teams added to 80 and 150, then had two more teams ready to go which would be added at 150 or as optional add-ons to 80.

[wittdooley]

Personally I'd have had the two extra teams added to 80 and 150, then had two more teams ready to go which would be added at 150 or as optional add-ons to 80.

Yeup. Can't believe they're going this route. But then again I've never run a kickstarter.

And as far as your comparisons go, I can tell you the Relic Knight minis are 4 or 5 TIMES as nice as the Mantic ones

[Gotthammer]

Yep, if that is the case I won't be pledging. 17 miniatures for 80 is frankly absurd right when Reaper are offering 200+ for one hundred and Dark Vengeance will be coming out with 60 odd for a similar price. 33 or so for 150 isn't any better. The sculpts aren't that nice either. Even taking into account that this is a board game, Sedition Wars provided 51 lovely miniatures for 100.

I think you're being a little harsh here. Those other Kickstarters only reached that number of minis after they'd started and gotten a crapton of cash to enable the mass production - they initial mini to dollar ration was much lower. GW also already has the capital and business model to mass produce and potentially loss-lead on Dark Vengeance.

That said, the way Dreadball has been set up leaves a bit to be desired and the price breaks are quite odd.


I've had a few thoughts on this kickstarter trend in minis of late and your quote above really helped crystalise some of them. Will have to find time to write it up now...

[eldargal]

Fair point about Dark Vengeance, but Sedition Wars 100 set still started with at least two dozen miniatures I'm fairly sure and Reapers started with 67. I don't recall what some of the other like Zombicide started with. I don't mean to be harsh but my first thought at looking this was 'wow, this is really impressive' but then looking at the prices it turned to 'oh, another Mantic dissapointment'. Bear in mind I'm basing this on the assumption the basic 80 set won't be getting more teams so the miniature ratio isn't likely to increase much.

Edit: Ok so the first stretch goal was reached and the third (60k) is two extra team members for each team added to each set, bringing the total to 20 miniatures. That is na improvement but given thatyou want people pledging as early as possible to build momentum I really don't think it is enough.

[energongoodie]

They have stated in an e-mail I got today that one of the forth coming teams is all female, in case that peaks your interest.

[eldargal]

So long as it isn't female Vermeeyn or whatever they are called I'm all for it.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

O_O

Female rats? *shudders*