JamesBeadle Posted January 28, 2014 Report Share Posted January 28, 2014 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/478379924/draco-magi The concept of the Kickstarter is to promote crowd funded quality games that aim at keeping the price controlled by not offering exclusive rewards. To receive the game (which looks fun) is only $20. I will probably not have much time to play the game itself, but I really want to support the concept and see more folks approach crowd sourcing with this model. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dashneeb Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Only $5k for art and another $5k for manufacturing? Hrmm... Not sure I entirely buy it. I'm guessing that the cards are of bad stock. I'd be wary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkieft Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Only $5k for art and another $5k for manufacturing? Hrmm... Not sure I entirely buy it. I'm guessing that the cards are of bad stock. I'd be wary. I see your a game manufacturing expert! Did you consider that this game is actually just under three decks of cards and some rules? There is no plastic pieces or game board that I can see. Which would significantly raise the cost. The fact is, you can create good quality custom cards for a pretty low cost. Since there is not much else to the game, it makes it really affordable. The MSRP is set at $25 which is about what most "all card" games go for (munchkin, etc) and the kickstarter price is a good deal forgoing retail mark up to raise the base capital. This is exactly how it should be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AscentStudios Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 I see your a game manufacturing expert! Actually, he kinda is. Reference: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1821440755/mega-mantm-the-board-game Did you consider that this game is actually just under three decks of cards and some rules? There is no plastic pieces or game board that I can see. Which would significantly raise the cost. The fact is, you can create good quality custom cards for a pretty low cost. Since there is not much else to the game, it makes it really affordable. The MSRP is set at $25 which is about what most "all card" games go for (munchkin, etc) and the kickstarter price is a good deal forgoing retail mark up to raise the base capital. This is exactly how it should be done. For your consideration - much of the prices you see on products like those you cite rely heavily on 2 things, a) volume and b) printing overseas. Not every game company can rely on either of those things. For instance, I have purchased all-card games with smaller circulations that top out at around $40 but have nice components, and others that are $25 but by necessity have had to make some sacrifices in component quality in order to keep the price low (or, god forbid, work with a Chinese printer sight unseen/without making day-of press checks). Many, many, many companies that use Kickstarter to produce a game do not do so to line their pockets - they do so in order to ensure they can actually raise the necessary capital, build a larger head of promotional steam than they could if they were bootstrapping, and/or actually pay themselves something for the time and toil they spend on making that game. Speaking as the owner of a company that has gone the traditional route for 8 years, I can't overemphasize how valuable those things are in a business with this much risk and customer expectations this high. And if they're doing really well, they can even use some of that money to lower the final MSRP. But I don't think it's a company's obligation to use Kickstarter to make a product cheaper. Personally, I think that trying to make Kickstarter a race to the bottom in terms of costs is a profoundly bad idea for the entire chain - if it is all about slamming costs down, companies selling in retail are hurt because of artificial expectations about what a game *actually costs* to bring to market through distribution; Kickstarter creators are hurt because there's an additional pressure to cut into their margins just like they would be if going through distro in order to make a lower price; retailers are hurt because people stop bothering buying in stores; and customers are hurt because the central hub of the gaming communities - the stores, clubs, and other communities where gamers meet - are sidelined. In the end, folks should be Kickstarting something in the hopes of making that thing become a reality, not to get as cheap a product as possible. Sure, it's a nice perk of investing, but that's not the point. The creators of those projects need to ask for the money they think need to bring stuff out, companies in distribution should not be actively discouraged from selling through stores, and retailers still need to have a seat at the table because they *actually provide tables* that all of us benefit from. Circle of life :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dashneeb Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Currently we manufacture card games, and as noted, we're working on our board game. Art and printing are our two largest single costs involved in anything we do. Art for a set can run anywhere between $15k and $20k, depending on how many things we can use for cheaper from other sources. Printing is expensive and while it goes down per unit if you print more, you're still paying for more stuff. I think if someone is charging what this guy is charging he's either doing a lot of the artwork himself, has someone willing to do it for ultra cheap, or hasn't bothered to price it out. Same goes for manufacturing. Unless he's getting it done at his local Kinkos. Even then, I don't think he's priced it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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