A to Z 2016 : KICKSTARTER PROJECTS

It's safe to say that over the past year I've become somewhat addicted to Kickstarter (KS). I'm sure you've heard of it, but if not, Kickstarter is a crowdfunding site where people host various campaigns to help bring their labors of love/creations to life. There are a variety of products being pitched, from coolers to jackets to movies, and more much more. My obsession is board games (I myself find it odd that it isn't video games).

A few friends were really into the crowdfunding platform, always talking about it, so I eventually checked it out. I had only briefly been aware of its existence before then. It wasn't long before I was hooked and backing my first projects! I just checked, to date I have backed 16 projects for $661, just shy of the Devil, which KS surely is. To be honest, this is a drop in the bucket compared to some friends of mine who have likely spent thousands on campaigns.

I've tried scaling back (or my funds have run dry), but it's hard because there are so many board games out there that seem so interesting! Currently I only have three or four projects that haven't been fulfilled (completed and shipped). I thought I'd share a couple.

Millennium Blades

This game has probably the most unique themes I've seen. Basically, it's a card game that simulates Collectible Card Games (CCGs — think Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon). The first half of the game centers on players buying/selling/trading cards and building a deck. The second half involves players playing those built decks in a mock tournament. It should be a pretty interesting game, but I'm afraid it may be pretty niche.

It's actually in transit to me now!

In fact, a friend received his copy and wants to play tonight, but I will probably have to pass so I can actually finish up my A to Z posts. I am glad, though, that I can possibly try the game before opening my copy.

Alienation

This is a cute, family friendly game created by someone I "met" in a board game focused Facebook group (I believe him and his wife). I took a look at the Kickstarter campaign and thought that it would be a game my playgroups would really enjoy.

In the game, players take on the role of an intergalactic real-estate agent trying to optimize their corner of the galaxy while attempting to sabotage the competition!

This is another game that should be making its way to me soon!

Grimslingers

In Grimslingers, players are magically imbued characters being forced to duel one another for the amusement of an entity known as the Iron Witch (the one granting you these powers to begin with) in a sci-fi western backdrop. A lot has changed since the campaign went live, so it's hard to give much more detail than that, but I think that theme has remained intact. Besides playing upwards of 8 players (with an expansion), solo and co-op modes were also designed.

I've been excited for Grimslingers for a long time. I love the art design, the theme, pretty much everything. The creator has also been highly active with the community, as well. Green Brier Games eventually signed on to publish the game and it's been going through revisions and fine-tuning for a year (many of these being solo/co-op elements), but it's just about ready to go to print and have backer pledges fulfilled!

There's one other board game I just recently backed that should be coming this Fall. That one will be getting its own post. For more information on the above games I have the photos for each linked to their KS campaigns!

Have you ever backed a project/campaign on Kickstarter or another crowdfunding platform? What have your experiences been like? Do you have any pending pledges to be fulfilled? Have you ever used one of these sites to run your own campaign? If so, how was that experience?