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Salivating over new Kickstarter


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I am liking what I see here.  As of this writing, the current campaign is going well.   Especially given the last campaign, I do encourage them to be careful.  Play it safe.  Don't over extend yourselves.  I am totally cool with not going crazy over stretch goals.

 

Having said that, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't drooling over some of these stretch goals.  Serpent men?  Yesssssssss!  King Kull?  AT LAST!  More more.  What's next?  Given that they have gone down the King Kull rabbit hole, I am thinking Thulsa Doom, Tzun Thun and Brule.  Some kind of ghost mini to represent the serpents controlling the spirits of the dead would be nice.  If they are adding maps, a throne room/palace and gladiator arenas would be very thematic.  I actually discussed this under a previous post.  

 

Palace throne room.  If you're going to dethrone someone, they need a throne first!  I want a magnificent chamber to kill a king and place his bloody crown on my head.  We have a fortress or two, but not a really civilized, refined even genteel place in which to wreck havoc.  Imagine the centerpiece being a many columned throne room.  Then add side chambers for feasting hall, guard room, treasury, armory even a seraglio. Etc.

 

Gladiator arena.  It would be dominated by a giant arena in the middle.  Get some of those cool pillars in there.  Then surrounded by seating for the masses, and an emperors viewing box.  Finally adjacent rooms for letting gladiators and beasts in.  Dramatic, powerful and intense.  If you're looking for what culture would most likely have this in the Hyboria age, I would suggest Turan or Hyperborea.  Bonus if it can somehow double as a racing track!

 

I do kind of see why we don't have anything for Red Nails.  They are probably saving up for a Kickstarter all it's own.  Lots of characters, freaky monsters, unique maps and so on.  

 

How does everyone else feel about this Kickstarter?  I didn't even mention the solo/cooperative mode.

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Good to see them bounce back, and a lot of the new content looks really enticing. I think some of your ideas would work really well, too, but it doesn't appear very likely to happen. The biggest issue that concerns me is more of a philosophical approach by Monolith that seems counterproductive, which I'll sum up briefly.

 

Monolith is choosing to use Kickstarter, but they (or at least some at the top) seem to be opposed to the basic campaign model that Kickstarter actually does well, and it's the campaign model that worked for Monolith in 2015 with Conan for $3.33 million and with MB:P for $2.67 million. There's a reason it's called a "campaign" and not "here's some stuff, take it or leave it." The initial offering is enough to entice a certain number of die-hard backers, but if that's where you stop, that's pretty much all you will get.

 

Yes, they did (reluctantly it seems) offer some stretch goals, but they are reprints of models from the MB:P campaign, which isn't much of a deal for Monolith's faithful backers, who already own them. This liability is no secret, as they keep reminding us that you have to opt-in to get them, so they clearly understand that some backers won't even want them. That should never be the case with stretch goals because.... SGs are the lifeblood of a campaign! Unlocking SGs is how you entice potential backers to get off the fence and jump in, as the value becomes too great to resist.

 

The other key component of a campaign is revealing add-ons, which existing backers will be enticed to pledge additional funds for, unlocking more SGs and pulling in New backers. Monolith (or at least Matt) is making some effort here with Shadow Kingdom, and at least it is original content. But they still have almost a week to offer nearly 5,000 backers -- many of whom would like an excuse to give them some more money -- something to actually buy. And (as with Shadow Kingdom) it doesn't need to be finished yet, or even much beyond the concept art stage. They have a year (and if history is any guide, likely more than that) to actually produce this. Thats really the whole point of KS after all.

 

As I said, the new content that we have seen looks really good, and Monolith was able to draw a solid number of backers by offering good value on the 2015 remaining product. At the same time, I think this campaign could be doing significantly better if it were more of a ... well, campaign.

 

 

 

Edited by MeanBone
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Thanks for the feedback!

 

I would heartily agree that the more traditional campaign model would be great.  If I were to launch any sort of counter argument, it's that I could say that they were scraping the bottom of the barrel when they finished the first campaign.  AKA we're running out of good ideas.  They did start seeming a little desperate at the end of that last one.  However, I don't believe it.  Not only does this latest Kickstarter show there's plenty of ideas left, I have been posting a bunch of my own.  People have been crying out for Red Nails.

 

The "here's some stuff take it or leave it" does not appeal to me.  To be fair to Monolith, I do like some of the stretch goals.  Shadow Kingdom?  King Kull?  NOW we're talking!  I would like to see Tzun Thune, mirrors props, ghosts and a new board, but they've got all the essentials!

 

In general I do agree with your thoughts on strategy and the like.

 

 

 

 

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Yes Chaz, I grabbed them with a Barbarian Conqueror pledge for North America after someone dropped it. :dwarf:Even though I got the King Pledge in 2015, this deal was way too good to pass up. In addition to the new Conqueror box, the Barbarian pledge means 15 more dice, a second Overlord Tray for VS. mode, more minions of all types ... a ridiculous 210+ minis for ~$165. And I can always flip the duplicate heroes and boards to defray costs.

 

Glad to see the use of SGs, as the Facebook survey by Monolith made clear that people wanted them. It adds a level of excitement and positive energy, especially toward the end of the campaign. The models chosen from Mythic Battles: Pantheon were some of the best fits for the Hyborian Age.

 

Bravo to Monolith for a victorious campaign under some difficult circumstances!

 

PS: One small thing it would be nice to do if possible for Monolith's loyal MB:P backers would be to include the already-designed MB:P tiles and cards for Typhon and Herald of Typhon (Winged Ape). All MB:P backers already have the tiles and cards for Hydra and Python, as they were in the base pledge, but many likely do not have the tiles and cards for Herald of Typhon (from Corinthia crossover pack) and Typhon (Titans box). Maybe it could be an "opt-in" for MB:P backers? Just an idea.

Edited by MeanBone
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