Kickstarter Luck

There's been a lot of discussion of Kickstarter in my Google+ Circles, of late. And on RPG.net. And in various other places I visit.  On projects and when they were funded, delivered, etc.

I'm very patient with these projects - my first Crowdfunding project was Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity. It funded via the (now defunct) fundable.com in 2008.  The product arrived in 2010. So a two-year lag is not (to my mind) completely unforgivable. Provided the product is worth the wait.

I've had ... mostly good luck.  Here is a complete list of tabletop gaming projects I have backed, when it funded, and when (if I remember) it arrived. If there is an asterisk after the title, it indicates that it is from a newcomer to the gaming industry.

Note that only projects that funded more than six months ago are on this list.

Hellas: Princes of the Universe - Funded June 25, 2010; Delivered November of 2010

Early Dark* - Funded August 27, 2010; Delivered May 2012.

Powerchords - Funded October 1, 2010; Delivered ... um ... right.
What's the difference between setting money on fire and funding Powerchords?  Two years of updates in my e-mail inbox. You may note some barbs in here aimed at this project, because I think that this project deserved a bit of scorn by now. Especially when he keeps moving the goalposts, and the currently-promised product bears very little resemblance to what I initially threw money at.

Mob Ties* - Funded January 17, 2011; Delivered October, 2011. I've heard it described as being basically a retheme of Mall of Horror. And I can see it.  The game is not bad. Not amazing, but not bad.

Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple - Funded May 24, 2011; Delivered July, 2011. One of the lighter storygames I own. I really enjoy this one - and, as an added bonus - I can play it with small children.  It's light enough.

Kingdom of Solomon - Funded July 4, 2011; Delivered January, 2012. I really liked Steve Jackson Games' Revolution, so when I heard the designer had another game on Kickstarter, I didn't wait.  It was a must-buy for me.  And I don't regret the decision.

Children of Fire* - Funded August 3, 2011; Delivered October, 2011. I was shocked at how quickly this was delivered. The game had previously been a free PDF, but the layout in the print version is different from the old PDF. I was shocked at how quickly this arrived, given that it was someone who was new to the industry.

Far West - Funded August 25, 2011; Delivered: NOT  YET COMPLETE. I have received a short story anthology, but I'm still waiting for the game itself.  Gareth-Michael Skarka has been mostly keeping us up to date. At least his infrequent updates have been useful.

Chronicles of the Void* - Funded August 21, 2011; Delivered: NOT YET COMPLETE. The last update was in August of this year - I'm confident that they're working on it. I would like a few more regular updates, though.

Oh My God! There's An Axe In My Head! - Funded September 12, 2011; Delivered: NOT YET COMPLETE. The last update on Kickstarter was in August.

Board2Pieces Comics Compendium - Funded October 2, 2011; Delivered: November 2011. I was totally gobsmacked at how fast this one arrived.

Hellas: Wine-Dark Void - Funded October 8, 2011; Delivered:  March 2012. More good stuff from Jerry. If he keeps pushing it, I'll keep throwing my nickels his way.

Empires of the Void* - Funded November 27, 2011; Delivered: May 2012. I really enjoyed this game.  There were a few rough patches in the rules, but nothing that is deal-breaking. I liked it enough to back City of Iron from the same team.

Miskatonic School for Girls* - Funded December 5, 2011; Delivered: March 2012. I like the theme. I like the concept. But the game is a slow starter with very few actual decisions to be made. And it's very random. The only Kickstarted board game I have received that has been a disappointment.

Mutant Meeples - Funded December 4, 2011; Delivered: NOT YET COMPLETE. I was really surprised at this one, giving that the project creator is the same person who did the Board2Pieces Comics Compendium. It was really fast.  This? Is still faster than Powerchords.

Reclamation* - Funded December 3, 2011; Delivered: May 2012. I think this arrived the same day as Early Dark and Empires of the Void. It was certainly within a few days of them. Another one that I need to read more thoroughly once I find the box.

Pizza Theory* - Funded December 20, 2011; Delivered: March 2011. It's not a particularly deep game, and it tends to have a clear winner pretty quickly - which is one of the points of the game. I like it, but it's not one I'll usually seek out.

They Became Flesh - Funded December 12, 2011; Delivered: NOT YET ARRIVED. The last update said it'd shipped as of September 20th. Given my luck, I expect it'll arrive before this post goes live.

Tephra* - Funded February 4, 2012; Delivered: June 2012. NOTE: I'm still waiting for the Adversaries book (one of the Kickstarter bonus/promo items). Still the best RPG I've Kickstarted. Probably one of the best role-playing games of 2012. Seriously. It's not perfect (the layout and organization needs a bit of work), but it's good, with a great setting and some of the best crafting rules I've seen in a tabletop game.

Order of the Stick Reprint Drive - Funded February 21, 2012; Delivered September 2012

Hellas: Swords & Sandals - Funded March 24, 2012; NOT YET ARRIVED. But Jerry just updated a few days ago.  Books are due soon.  Given his track record so far, I have faith that it'll be here soon enough.

Gunship: First Strike - Funded March 31, 2012; NOT YET ARRIVED. A recent update said it was being printed, so I should have this one before too terribly long.  It's only been about seven months, so I'm not terribly concerned.

Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack - Funded April 11, 2012; NOT YET ARRIVED. A Lego-based miniatures combat game with mecha? Sign me up! Twice! I think the PDF is available for download, and the print copies will be here soon enough.

Dungeon World - Funded June 30, 2010; NOT YET ARRIVED. I'd be shocked if it were here as quickly as this. Unlike Powerchords, I expect to have this by GenCon of next year.

There have been a few which funded after this point, some of which I expect I'll have in hand before Christmas, and some of which I expect late next year at the soonest (despite their projected arrival dates).

All in all, my luck has been good with the game-themed Kickstarters.

Hopefully this luck will hold.