Kickstarter Status Update

I'm going to try to update this quarterly so that I can keep you all informed without spamming you with a steady stream of Kickstarter information.

Recently Arrived/Shipped
Chronicles of the Void - funded 8/21/11.  The only part of this project still outstanding is the soundtrack, which is a low priority for me. I was on the verge of giving up on this one when we got the PDF a few months back.

Rivet Wars - and it's as cute as I thought it'd be. I hope to get it to the table soon. Of note, so far I only have the base box. There's a bunch of promo stuff to follow. The game itself is ... okay.  But it's very cute, and I bought it because I enjoy painting cute things, even if I am way out of practice.

Oh My God! There's An Axe In My Head! - The game I thought was cursed. I was sure I'd never see this one.  And, having played it ... it's going to go on the shelf. It's too luck-driven with several counter-intuitive strategy ideas and I find myself really disliking the treaty connections the more I think about them.

Twin Tin Bots - this game has restored my faith in Kickstarter as a place to find fun board games. Miskatonic School for Girls almost caused me to give up. Dragon Whisperer was mediocre.  This game, however, is a ton of fun. It's almost a Robo Rally lite - only it's not a race and there's no randomness to the game.  It's all about effective programming.

Machine of Death: The Game of Creative Assassination - Based on the Machine of Death books (which I heartily recommend). I haven't even read the rules of this one, yet, but I'm looking forward to taking it for a spin.

The Card Game of Oz - this one was backed on my wife's account at my urging. I'm a sucker for Oz-related things which tie back to the books instead of to the movie (not that the movie was bad - I'm just a fan of the books).  Again, I haven't read the rulebook, yet, but it does look like fun. And - again - I'm a sucker for Oz.

Due Soon
Motobushido - the designer actually has this in his hands. It's my fault I don't have this one, because I told him I'd pick it up in person.  It just means getting to Portland. I already have the PDF, and I had a chance to play this with friends a few months back. It was the art that initially sold me on this one, but the meat of the game will keep me coming back.

Atlantis: The Second Age - I'll back Jerry's Kickstarter projects. Because he fulfills them, and (so far) the games have been fun.  This should be shipping soon.

Past Due But No Concerns
Alas, Vegas- I trust James Wallis. It's that simple.  When he ran Hogshead, there were delays on products all the time - but they made it to market and were worth the wait. I backed this as more of a "Yay! James Wallis!" than as a "I can get a game!"

Tales from the Floating Vagabond - Lee apparently spent some time in the hospital, so this is understandably delayed. I'm a fan of the original game, and I backed this out of nostalgia.  I honestly don't care if it ever appears - if it does, I'll be thrilled, but the original game is a ton of fun. And  - looking at the project, it's not due until April.  So it's not even past due, yet.

Call of Cthulhu, 7th Edition - Chaosium will get this out. Eventually. I only backed for PDFs, and they were due in October. But I'll get them when they drop.

Tunnels & Trolls - Much like many other projects, this has been plagued by illness on the part of the project creators. But Richard Loomis has been doing this for a while, and I trust him.

Knight's Quest - It's a card game.  They suggested December delivery, so it's not that late yet - I would appreciate some updates, though. The last update was on October 31 and said they'd be shipping by December 7 (which didn't happen).

Ortus - this one blew up bigger than the designer expected.  It was due in November, but he's done a great job of keeping us updated. And there has been progress.

Guide to the Village by the Sea - As I said above: Not worried.  Lillian is a trustworthy person who has been very busy of late.  But she's doing a good job of keeping folks updated on progress.

13 True Ways - If this had been out on time, it would have been out before the core book it's a supplement for.  I've seen playtest material for this one, and I know they're working on it.  Another team I trust to get it done.

Horror on the Orient Express - another Chaosium project. This pre-dates the 7th edition of CoC, but, again, they'll get it. And it'll probably be worth the wait, too.

Nightfall - this was a horror setting for 13th Age, which is one of the best (if not the best) RPG books we've acquired in the last few years.  And the original writer realized he couldn't handle it and handed it off to Nocturne to finish.  And Nocturne has been doing a decent job of keeping backers informed and (apparently) of making progress on the book.

Formula E - Game Salute. So it'll eventually drop. Maybe. But they have been updating us - and, realistically, this game looks like it'll be worth the wait.

Starting To Worry
Synnibarr - I backed it half as a joke. Because it's Synnibarr.  The game is legendary in role-playing circles, and not for the reasons the designer wants, either.  But the PDF we have is art-free, and I have no idea if that's a final PDF or not. And there's been no peep about the finished books. And there've been problems with some backers getting T-Shirts.

Cortex Plus Hacker's Guide - I have the PDF. In fact, I've had the PDF for a good long while. The last word we had suggested print copies last November.  But nothing, yet.

Emperor's New Clothes - I spent $5 on this for a bumper sticker.  I'm not worried about my $5 - but other backers backed for more bits.  This project was, in part, Game Salute's kicking off a new "bits" program. Given the fact that this project was to give backers white bits, and it's not filled yet, I'm not so sure it was actually successful.

Storm Hollow - Game Salute has not exactly been fast at filling their Kickstarter projects.  In fact, I'm exceedingly unlikely to back any more of them because of their high speed of fulfillment.  This stuff is likely to just wander onto a back shelf when it gets here.  Which is sad, because it had potential.

The Reliquary - a book of magic items for 13th Age.  It blew up well past their expected target, and they've been scrambling to get it out. They have been hit-or-miss with updates, but their updates (when they give them) have been very informative and detailed.

Ruse - a Steampunk Murder Mystery Card Game.  What could go wrong?  Game Salute. As of the 20th, they are supposedly shipping from the manufacturer.  We'll see.

Where Is My Stuff!?!
Powerchords - This has, for me, become the poster child for Kickstarters gone wrong.  It didn't smash its goal. It wasn't a runaway success. It just ... hasn't delivered. The designer pops up every now and again to let us know he's working on this or that. We have a photo of a stack of paper that is reportedly the manuscript - but it's not edited or printed. And we don't have PDFs, yet.

Far West - This ... I ... I like GMS' other work. Hong Kong Action Theatre! was very good, for example.  And, in person, I like GMS. We've met a couple of times, and he's never failed to be polite, smiling, and talkative. Admittedly, it's been at a convention setting and he's been working a booth.  But this project.  Several times, he's said, "The PDF should be out by [DATE]" - and, obviously, it hasn't. It's been a long string of broken release dates. This last week, we did get a 65-page sample. Two days after the latest broken date. And the sample is good.  The game looks like it'll be solid. But he really needs to finish it. And get it to us.

Witch Girls Book of Shadows - He's offered refunds on Facebook, but not on KS itself. The last update was in June, where he reported that his previous printer had gone out of business. Has he found a new printer? Given up completely? This was due in October of 2012.

Top This! - This game is by Yves Tourigny, who is a good designer.  So I know it'll be fun. When it eventually appears.  They broke a four month silence last week to let us know that their first production copy should be to them any day now. I guess we'll see.