It's the thing that made me really slow down in getting games when I realized it. That and "buying this game does not significantly increase the odds that I'll play it." Sad but true if you have a lot of games but not a lot of time.
OK, I'm doing it! I'm going to sort my collection & start playing the unplayed and then find homes for games I won't play. My FLGS is having a swap-meet /auction event next month so I have no excuse revise my game collection.
So many of the good crowd funded games seem to get a second campaign, minus certain publishers such as CMON. So often it makes more sense to wait and see if it ends up being good and worth backing the second campaign.
While true, also consider that life is too short. What I mean by that is that it could be five years from the start of the first campaign to the delivery of a possible second campaign. That's a significant part of one's lifetime. That's one of the problems with Kickstarter, the campaigns are often measured in years. So backing that first campaign might just make sense just to be able to play the damn game regardless of possible or probable second campaign few years down the line.
Thanks for another great video Alex! Your video, To Back or Not to Back, has helped me save a lot of money. In fact, it’s my favorite board game video series period! Thanks for all you do!
I had a 6 month fever in getting into ks after reactivating my board game hobby with my children. realized how much I spent and suddently stopped. it is ok, I'll be getting new board games one per semester till the end of 2024!
My number one thing is most games that arrive at my door im way less excited for than when i backed them. So if i want a game when it actually delivers ill pay the premium now
My League of Dungeoneers box was staring at me through this whole video. I need to get that tabled before Arydia and Tanares show up or I could be in the "haven't played a game in a year since receiving it" club ... but first I need to get Frosthaven off the table. Great video, good advice, now I just need to follow it!
I think there is also something to be said about the unfulfilling dopamine hit you get from backing a KS, that doesn't have a lasting effect. I like to think of backing KS as being the cat chasing the laser dot. Its highly addictive, but ultimately not as rewarding as chasing a mouse. My advice is that if you feel an urge to back a KS, maybe go and buy a game instead. That will provide a more fulfilling and lasting dopamine hit.
@@BoardGameCo : For sure. There are plenty of valid reasons to back KSs. However, if getting a dopamine hit is a primary reason, then I think its worth considering that the dopamine hit won't be as long lasting as getting an actual game, and that backing a KS is more likely to see you coming back for more micro hits of dopamine in the future.
Thanks for the video "Past Alex". It made me think of all the games I pledged during the pledge manager that have delivered to the early backers while I still wait...and wait. Regardless, those were all good tips...except, well, you know, the pledge manager thing. Oh, and that number is two...and it's been almost a year. I'm just not as excited for them. Now looking forward to hearing from "Future Alex".
Great motivational video; thank you! One variation I've started trying to implement is, "If I back/buy this game, what game(s) in my collection will I cull?"
Another great video! I've only backed 2 games that I got in for $1. Like you said, I look at the couple of games that I backed and never played. In fact the only time I picked them up was to remove the shrink wrap. Been a long time since I backed anything.
Love all that you say here. I bet if I go through all of my games, I can get at least 90% of them for around the same price. Good games get reprints too. Or someone down the road will sell it at some point. The exception to this would be for nemesis lockdown all in pledge. It might be significantly more to track down all the extras vs what I paid for them. Do I need all the extras? That is a different conversation
Thankfully I have no patience to wait for stuff, so I never back anything. Unfortunately, that means I haven't been able to get things like Wonderland's Wars. It's for the best, though.
Zero. But I have 13 outstanding projects. I stopped backing a couple of months ago for all the reasons you have here. Looking forward to a future of not waiting years to not have a game.
I am relatively new to the crowdfunding crowed, (first backed game was Oathsworn 2nd edition), so luckily most points don't apply to me yet. Kickstarters do have an already built in factor which determines if I back a game or not and that is shipping. I exclusively go to the shipping part of a KS page first to see if it even ships to my part of the world. Either they don't or shipping would be so ridiculously high (some times more than the game itself) that it is an out-pass for me. I also exclusively play games with my brother so that is also a big deciding factor as to which games we should back or not. We have two backed this year, Zombicide White Death (will be our first Zomibicide game) and Isofarian Guard 2nd edition. I also backed Ezra and Nehemia because I am a big fan of Garphill Games and am starting to build out that collection. So I am a complete noob compared top other people when it comes to backing games on KS. But, as always, it was definitely an informative video as Alex.
I swapped to mostly $1 pledges about a year ago, especially for companies with more than one outstanding project. Saved my bacon with Mythic's Anastyr. I'm also not as swayed by miniatures anymore so that helps me say no. A big thing was finally having pledges arrive and realizing how much space they were talking up. Also seeing that I could get the games cheaper at retail for no real decrease in quality especially with the shipping hikes. Now I'm much more picky when backing, especially if I have something similar already in my collection. Unique or unusual themes will still get me on occasion. 😂 But there is less and less reason to back rather than wait for retail and see how it reviews with the final product.
Great video. I actually have over 110 backed games unplayed. I back way way way too many. And then I have another 100+ non crowdfunded games unplayed. My collection is over 2,000... that’s out of control. I never get to my favorites anymore. The FOMO of missing out on a great game is real for me. But I’ve been doing better this year due to lack of storage space now. And I’m beginning to part with some games both played and unplayed. It’s tough. I love games. But I will never get caught up or have enough time in this life to play them all and enjoy them the way they were meant to be. That’s what I keep reminding myself of. It’s slowly starting to help. The problem for me with crowdfunded games are that they are just too dang big. Too many boxes. Most of them are now campaign or similar it seems which can take many plays and thus other games aren’t getting played. And ultimately why I let them sit. Too much content. That’s the biggest downside of crowdfunding I see. It ends up costing more for things that really aren’t needed for the most part to enjoy a game. And unless it’s one of my all time favorites I don’t need the 10 extra expansions. So much more could be said. But I’ll just say THANK YOU for the video!
- Back only 1$ and then see if you are still excited enough after the campaign is over. Always decide with a clear head after the campaign! - Don't back just because you want to get the game earlier than other people. It usually won't work anyways. - Don't back if the game is overpriced when adding up all costs (pledge + shipping + VAT). If you don't factor in all costs you are cheating yourself and you compare apples with oranges when comparing to retail prices because in retail you technically also pay for shipping and taxes even when you seemingly get 'free shipping'.
This video made me feel really good about my crowdfunding. I have played all of them, most of them to the point that I'm happy with the cost per play. The two exceptions I ended up selling unplayed.
Games I’ve backed that I currently have: 4. Games that have been played already: Trial by Trolley - Nope. So my oldest back hasn’t been touched. One Fantastic Factories expansion (but not the other from the same campaign), Thunderstone Quest Champion box - opened to do a learning game by myself (but it finally will be my next played game when I get through the next (currently last) Legendary expansion I have), and Everdell’s big box, which I am currently playing through.
I'd like to add another suggestion that really helped me today: take a look at the games you've already backed, and when they are going to arrive. There's a solo game that I think looks really interesting, but I just know it is almost never going to get played because it is scheduled to arrive just a month after Final Girl, which I am planning on playing the heck out of. This isn't going to stop me from frequently looking at said campaign, but I think my wallet will be better off. In terms of unplayed games, I am actually at two (one of which is from years ago and one only from a couple weeks ago), so I'm not bad on that front! I also yesterday finally tabled a game I backed years ago, so I'm proud of myself for getting it off the shelf and I look forward to playing it more.
I am at 0 games owned at least a year that are unplayed. I have three kickstarters unplayed but all have arrived in the last month and we just had twins which has put a damper on big epic games for a bit. I can’t remember if it was you or KOA but someone suggested giving yourself a number you can back. That has really helped me I get 5 big games a year to back. And then a few small games and expansions.
There's 5 things that helped me curb my backing. 1. CMON. I decided I wanted everything for ZC: Invader, and the paid SGs just did me in. Wasn't even FOMO; it just hurt because the deluxe pledge wasn't the all in, so it just kept going up in price. 2. If Blockbuster for games existed, would I want to own, or just rent it? If the answer is rent, then I just want to play the game. 3. No first-time creators. If it's good enough, a 2nd printing will come around. 4. Basically, every game is sight unseen. It's like buying clothes online; you won't even know if it fits until it arrives. 5. Specifically for me, if it doesn't fill me with as much excitement as all the updates for Primal: The Awakening does, then it isn't worth my time.
The $1 thing I have done more often lately. Sometimes you back something and though you get those update emails you forget when things end. If you change your mind, but don't get to it before it ends then being out $1 is way better than the cost of the full thing you no longer are so sure about.
It depends on how you count. I have only two unplayed games. Both arrived in the last week. But I have ten other games with only one play. When I get a game I always play a solo variant first just to make sure I understand how the game works before teaching others. These other two games do not have a solo mode hence two unplayed and it is hard to solo social deduction and trick taking (For Northwood of course the exception). Recently I just paid a ridiculous price for “Return to Dark Tower” - easily double the kickstarter campaign, but I am not unhappy about it. I saved so much money by not backing as much lately that the rare times that I do have to pay more is fine. I did wait to be sure because as Alex said I have so many games that I love that do not get enough plays, I am fine waiting out to find the really good games and paying more for them later.
The $1 tip is golden. It takes out the fomo a bit. I'll be applying this. It also buys some time to make financial decision... And indeed we should all focus a bit more on the games in our collection, because let's be honest... we all have enough games already to last a lifetime :)
The $1 tip is good and I do this often. CMON games often are cheaper to preorder (in Canada) an online LGS (with KS stuff) than it is to back via KS . Mordred for example. I get my KS games played right away for the most part, however when is the 2nd play going to be? That's the question.
Yeah good points here. I totally regret backing a (looks to be great) game a while back and I just got caught up in the campaign. Had I backed for £1 I wouldn't have done it in the end. I have backed 2 others for £1 and didn't end up backing. Plus I have so many games, amazing games, that aren't getting played. I have 3 more games on the way... It's ridiculous. It's not even a money issue it just comes down to play time....
I’ve been playing board games all my life, I was introduced to Catan in 2010 and that changed everything, went from playing monopoly and card games to Dominion and 7 Wonders. Am now married with kids and kids are into gaming as well, now we play Ark Nova, Brass Birmingham, Mille Fiori, West Kingdom and South Tigris games. I HAVE NEVER BACKED A KICKSTARTER. And I don’t feel the need to. I watch a lot of board game content on you tube and I pretty much know if I like a game before I buy it because I research it. I buy or am gifted 8-12 games a year and slowly grow my collection and cull if I need to. I just don’t get the whole kickstarter thing. You can be deep into the board game hobby and never back a kickstarter. I don’t have a shelf of shame. I play the games I get within a couple months. Just feel like kickstarter takes away from the actual hobby of PLAYING GAMES. Rant over lol
Well it’s worth noting a lot of games in certain genres only exist via crowdfunding campaigns. I played Oathsworn two years ago at gen con, liked it, and the only way to get it was to back their reprint crowdfunding campaign.
I look at my shelf and the games I end up playing the most are the ones with generally quick setup times. I have so many $300+ all in games that I just dont play.. so why did I spend money on it... sigh.. okay anyways time to go back the next all in that I most definitely need and will be my lifestyle game for sure!
1: Back with $1. 2: Play the games you have but haven’t played yet. 3: Look at your average cost per game. Are those numbers reasonable? How often are you playing those $100 games? Lots of the time they don’t get played a lot. 4: Look at your favorite games, find the absolutely favorite game, try to find what options there are to get that hame today. At the end of the day, your favorite game could have been gotten cheaper than on KS. 5: How often did you back a game and not play it for a long time? How many games do you have that showed ip a year ago and you still haven’t played it?
I think my only problem with waiting until later is about a quarter of my collection get more expensive from the second-hand market if they aren't difficult to find after the fact. Especially CMON games. 🤣 I do the reminder thing a lot, though. I might have to do the $1 more often just so I have more time to decide if its actually worth it. 😂
My number of unplayed on my shelf is zero for kickstarter games over a year old. If you count print and play games on my hard-drive, then I have one game that have haven't printed and played.
hi there, defenatly the kind of video i like. The Boardgame hobby, has become a huge money hole and i felt, last year, a sort of bad mood seeing my 70 80 boardgames... I strongly work around my collection, sorting my games, and making a lot of room. Today, i'm at 26 boardgames, and i'm still making a bit of room. My goal is to stay between 15 and 25 at max, including all types of boardgames (familly, solo, duel, etc..) (And keeping one or two of the "types" i like the most (deck building, worker placement, tiles etc...) Finaly, i feel so much better ! I'm PLAYING instead of watching my games taking dust on my shelves. There is also, tons of people selling games on second market, you only have but choice, on how to spend your money better in this hobby. Buying boardgames together with your friends instead of having each one the same game... Waiting... waiting if the hype goes down... Seeing if you already have that type of game.. and which is already taking dust... And finaly... Is playing a 200$ boardgame ONCE per YEAR is a worth investment ? I don't think so, at all ! I made a french video on about "do we have too much boardgames" on our french channel, and that's i'm glad to see that these kind of videos are making people thinking and buying better. Take care Cheers from Belgium
I am not backing a lot for various reasons nowadays: - I backed enough games where I wait over a year then it arrives and I open it, and I dont feel like playing it - I dont like spending a lot of money, and Crowdfunding is expensive - Whenever there are a bunch of expansions I am out, I would love to buy the core game try it and then later add to it (Did with Final Girl, didn't back found it in retail, bought core+2 , then later added more to it and backed the next season. If I only can get the expansions now or through ebay later, I will ignore the game. - Generally to much posession is a burden. - We are still mostly playing All FFG Arkham Horror Files. All other games are just not working that good for us
All those exclusive stuff is really nice but the whole process takes too long for me. I am still waiting for my Mythic Battle Ouroboros Pledge and Robinson Crusoe Collectors Edition. Paid in april 2021. For Marvel Zombies and Marvel United: Multiverse I went with 1$ which is a smart choice but on the other hand it´s prolonging the fight against my fomo but this time I skipped both games and was never ever seen again on any backer page
The $1 pledge is the best one for me, so many pledges I never upgraded after the hype/FOMO died down. In the past year I only backed three things: - Current $1 pledge for dice throne missions as it would bring new life for all my current DT content but still unsure. - Shard of Infinity as I do not have any deckbuilders (they usually don't stay). - Santorini deluxe. That is all!
I have become a collector, as well as a gamer. I currently own over 1200 games. I have 171 still-unplayed games, 67 of which are from KS/GF, and I have another 74 pre-ordered (online, KS, GF, etc). This is not even counting any expansions, which basically doubles all of those numbers. My point is, I enjoy the collecting of games. It doesn't matter how excited I am to play them (which of course I am). I enjoy the anticipation of receiving them, the actual receiving of them, the opening and inventorying of them, the sorting and packing away of them, and trying to find room for them on my bulging shelves. I enjoy the seeing of them, and simply the joy of owning them. Maybe I should cut back? Time will tell. I am at least fortunate enough to not have the financial burden that this hobby creates.
I’ve made a rule for myself not to pledge for any more campaign games; I have so many and then more on the way, but only have limited time and people to play those with
Your question is 0 for me, casue I generally do play the game as soon as I get it or within a week. A better question for me would be, out of all the kickstarter games you backed how many have you played a year after the initial sets of play (maybe a month or two). now that number is pretty big
Backing at $1 helps... looking at you Spirit Fire. Plus knowing late pledge is a thing... looking at you Hybris. Mainly I have to ask myself, what is the game doing differently enough to justify room on my shelf? If it's just doing the same thing as other games I own in a slightly different way... It isn't enough of an incentive. Love campaign games and there are hordes out there to back, the story and mechanics can be very different from what I own. But campaign games take a well-managed publisher to deliver. Some have very flashy crowdfunding campaigns that look impressive. However, I am less trusting they will deliver. I am more careful in who I choose to back, Awaken Realms, Chip Theory, Sky Kingdom, CMON. They have proven they can handle it. Someone I have never heard of? I will pass. Chances are they will end up like LSG (super long delays) or worse yet like Mythic (may never get it).
#1 back anything by Mythic. That got me stop backing kick starters rather easily ;-) Once Tamashii arrives I will no longer be waiting on any crowd funded projects(I have written off Darkest Dungeon).
I have only ever backed two small kickstarter campaigns, but seeing the crap Mythic have been pulling has sworn me off backing anything on Kickstarter ever again.
I try to be mindful, but unfortunately I was not mindful enough with the amount of games I backed over the last 18-24 months, before having my partner move in knowing full well how many large boxes are likely to arrive on the doorstep over the next 18-24 months... All (semi) jokes aside, I do wonder at the $1 pledge. It's a good strategy, but do you think it would impact significantly enough on some campaigns, when publishers don't see the initial monetary returns they might anticipate from those following a campaign? Especially if they perhaps haven't been as honest with the funding goal? Completely theoretical, but say 3k people back a game that had a goal of $100,000, but 50% of those backers only go in for $1 and you're looking at only $1.5k of a $100k goal. The one thing I need to look at (and fail completely miserably at) is the option to just back the core game. I don't need all of the aesthetic only minis or five expansions I may not get around to playing, especially, as you say with the amount of unplayed games I already have. Am I realistically going to play a 50+ hour campaign and then extras... says the guy with All-ins for ISS Vanguard, Tainted Grail (FoA & KoR), Middara, ATO, KoF and more on the way *grimace*
Oh CMON, but that next video is free.. and it's about boardgames! But great tips, recently I found myself 'catching up' on reprints/sales of older games.. Rebellion, Underwater Cities, Skulls of Sedlec.. still not playing all of them enough, but between Witcher, DMD and Nemesis I'm kind of set with big games.. Still I enjoy the campaign show, currently on the 1$ pledge for Path of Destiny 😛
i dont have a game that showed up a year ago and has gone unplayed. Lords of Ragnarok is still in its original box though, unopened. ive already lost interest in 20 Strong, Tidal Blades 2, and Purple Haze. i do back way less games these days for many reasons.
To be honest, it has gotten real easy for me. With all the unplayed games I have, there really isn't much incentive to back more games. Vindication was the last new one, and only because I was getting it for free.
@BoardGameCo crowdfunding combined the bad part of impulse purchases with the bad parts of delayed gratification. One is not even sure when the game will hit. With normal delaying, one at least knows when things are over. I am personally waiting for the reprint of Pueblo to show up. It was an impulse backing. Preorders can be nearly as bad but at least it had a more reliable timeframe.
BG Stats tells me 88. When I look through that list I can see maybe a dozen where I have played it (generally only once), but didn't log the play. So, being generous, let's say 75 games that I acquired from crowdfunding and that have been in my collection for more than a year without playing them. I may have a problem.
“5 quick tips to sabotage the industry i work in”. Whats wrong with this community….Lets be positive and have fun in the space! We all know our personal finances and responsibilities, these vids are just unnecessary, and really unfair to those making games with the rough economy we are in.
Actually, “games you already have and love will get played less” is a really valid point…
This definitely warranted being its own tip!
It's the thing that made me really slow down in getting games when I realized it. That and "buying this game does not significantly increase the odds that I'll play it." Sad but true if you have a lot of games but not a lot of time.
@@twentysidesbut my head is like " this will be the game that will hook other people to play more with me"
It is almost neVer true😅
OK, I'm doing it!
I'm going to sort my collection & start playing the unplayed and then find homes for games I won't play. My FLGS is having a swap-meet /auction event next month so I have no excuse revise my game collection.
So many of the good crowd funded games seem to get a second campaign, minus certain publishers such as CMON.
So often it makes more sense to wait and see if it ends up being good and worth backing the second campaign.
While true, also consider that life is too short. What I mean by that is that it could be five years from the start of the first campaign to the delivery of a possible second campaign. That's a significant part of one's lifetime. That's one of the problems with Kickstarter, the campaigns are often measured in years. So backing that first campaign might just make sense just to be able to play the damn game regardless of possible or probable second campaign few years down the line.
I always enjoy seeing the different shirts/tops you wear.
Great points. Especially the $1 backing. I’ve starting doing this to stretch out time and see if I’m still bothered.
Thanks for another great video Alex! Your video, To Back or Not to Back, has helped me save a lot of money. In fact, it’s my favorite board game video series period! Thanks for all you do!
I had a 6 month fever in getting into ks after reactivating my board game hobby with my children. realized how much I spent and suddently stopped. it is ok, I'll be getting new board games one per semester till the end of 2024!
My number one thing is most games that arrive at my door im way less excited for than when i backed them. So if i want a game when it actually delivers ill pay the premium now
My League of Dungeoneers box was staring at me through this whole video. I need to get that tabled before Arydia and Tanares show up or I could be in the "haven't played a game in a year since receiving it" club ... but first I need to get Frosthaven off the table. Great video, good advice, now I just need to follow it!
I think there is also something to be said about the unfulfilling dopamine hit you get from backing a KS, that doesn't have a lasting effect. I like to think of backing KS as being the cat chasing the laser dot. Its highly addictive, but ultimately not as rewarding as chasing a mouse.
My advice is that if you feel an urge to back a KS, maybe go and buy a game instead. That will provide a more fulfilling and lasting dopamine hit.
Interesting way of putting it. I mostly agree with you and yet that occasional exception reminds me otherwise
@@BoardGameCo : For sure. There are plenty of valid reasons to back KSs. However, if getting a dopamine hit is a primary reason, then I think its worth considering that the dopamine hit won't be as long lasting as getting an actual game, and that backing a KS is more likely to see you coming back for more micro hits of dopamine in the future.
Its a pleasure watching your videos and the intelligent feedback you consistently deliver.. Thank you!
Great tips. I have really slowed crowdfunding and many of these resonates with me. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the video "Past Alex". It made me think of all the games I pledged during the pledge manager that have delivered to the early backers while I still wait...and wait. Regardless, those were all good tips...except, well, you know, the pledge manager thing. Oh, and that number is two...and it's been almost a year. I'm just not as excited for them. Now looking forward to hearing from "Future Alex".
Great motivational video; thank you! One variation I've started trying to implement is, "If I back/buy this game, what game(s) in my collection will I cull?"
Another great video! I've only backed 2 games that I got in for $1. Like you said, I look at the couple of games that I backed and never played. In fact the only time I picked them up was to remove the shrink wrap. Been a long time since I backed anything.
Love all that you say here. I bet if I go through all of my games, I can get at least 90% of them for around the same price. Good games get reprints too. Or someone down the road will sell it at some point. The exception to this would be for nemesis lockdown all in pledge. It might be significantly more to track down all the extras vs what I paid for them. Do I need all the extras? That is a different conversation
Thankfully I have no patience to wait for stuff, so I never back anything. Unfortunately, that means I haven't been able to get things like Wonderland's Wars. It's for the best, though.
Zero. But I have 13 outstanding projects. I stopped backing a couple of months ago for all the reasons you have here. Looking forward to a future of not waiting years to not have a game.
I am relatively new to the crowdfunding crowed, (first backed game was Oathsworn 2nd edition), so luckily most points don't apply to me yet. Kickstarters do have an already built in factor which determines if I back a game or not and that is shipping. I exclusively go to the shipping part of a KS page first to see if it even ships to my part of the world. Either they don't or shipping would be so ridiculously high (some times more than the game itself) that it is an out-pass for me.
I also exclusively play games with my brother so that is also a big deciding factor as to which games we should back or not. We have two backed this year, Zombicide White Death (will be our first Zomibicide game) and Isofarian Guard 2nd edition.
I also backed Ezra and Nehemia because I am a big fan of Garphill Games and am starting to build out that collection. So I am a complete noob compared top other people when it comes to backing games on KS.
But, as always, it was definitely an informative video as Alex.
I swapped to mostly $1 pledges about a year ago, especially for companies with more than one outstanding project. Saved my bacon with Mythic's Anastyr. I'm also not as swayed by miniatures anymore so that helps me say no. A big thing was finally having pledges arrive and realizing how much space they were talking up. Also seeing that I could get the games cheaper at retail for no real decrease in quality especially with the shipping hikes. Now I'm much more picky when backing, especially if I have something similar already in my collection. Unique or unusual themes will still get me on occasion. 😂 But there is less and less reason to back rather than wait for retail and see how it reviews with the final product.
Yes, sadly agree
Great video. I actually have over 110 backed games unplayed. I back way way way too many.
And then I have another 100+ non crowdfunded games unplayed.
My collection is over 2,000... that’s out of control. I never get to my favorites anymore.
The FOMO of missing out on a great game is real for me. But I’ve been doing better this year due to lack of storage space now. And I’m beginning to part with some games both played and unplayed. It’s tough. I love games. But I will never get caught up or have enough time in this life to play them all and enjoy them the way they were meant to be. That’s what I keep reminding myself of. It’s slowly starting to help.
The problem for me with crowdfunded games are that they are just too dang big. Too many boxes. Most of them are now campaign or similar it seems which can take many plays and thus other games aren’t getting played. And ultimately why I let them sit. Too much content. That’s the biggest downside of crowdfunding I see. It ends up costing more for things that really aren’t needed for the most part to enjoy a game. And unless it’s one of my all time favorites I don’t need the 10 extra expansions.
So much more could be said. But I’ll just say THANK YOU for the video!
Happy to help, I love games so I get it.
- Back only 1$ and then see if you are still excited enough after the campaign is over. Always decide with a clear head after the campaign!
- Don't back just because you want to get the game earlier than other people. It usually won't work anyways.
- Don't back if the game is overpriced when adding up all costs (pledge + shipping + VAT). If you don't factor in all costs you are cheating yourself and you compare apples with oranges when comparing to retail prices because in retail you technically also pay for shipping and taxes even when you seemingly get 'free shipping'.
This video made me feel really good about my crowdfunding. I have played all of them, most of them to the point that I'm happy with the cost per play. The two exceptions I ended up selling unplayed.
Games I’ve backed that I currently have: 4. Games that have been played already: Trial by Trolley - Nope. So my oldest back hasn’t been touched. One Fantastic Factories expansion (but not the other from the same campaign), Thunderstone Quest Champion box - opened to do a learning game by myself (but it finally will be my next played game when I get through the next (currently last) Legendary expansion I have), and Everdell’s big box, which I am currently playing through.
I'd like to add another suggestion that really helped me today: take a look at the games you've already backed, and when they are going to arrive. There's a solo game that I think looks really interesting, but I just know it is almost never going to get played because it is scheduled to arrive just a month after Final Girl, which I am planning on playing the heck out of. This isn't going to stop me from frequently looking at said campaign, but I think my wallet will be better off.
In terms of unplayed games, I am actually at two (one of which is from years ago and one only from a couple weeks ago), so I'm not bad on that front! I also yesterday finally tabled a game I backed years ago, so I'm proud of myself for getting it off the shelf and I look forward to playing it more.
I am at 0 games owned at least a year that are unplayed. I have three kickstarters unplayed but all have arrived in the last month and we just had twins which has put a damper on big epic games for a bit.
I can’t remember if it was you or KOA but someone suggested giving yourself a number you can back. That has really helped me I get 5 big games a year to back. And then a few small games and expansions.
Wow, so much wisdom and honesty!!! Especially since you're earning money yourself with crowdfunding. Highly appreciate it!
There's 5 things that helped me curb my backing.
1. CMON. I decided I wanted everything for ZC: Invader, and the paid SGs just did me in. Wasn't even FOMO; it just hurt because the deluxe pledge wasn't the all in, so it just kept going up in price.
2. If Blockbuster for games existed, would I want to own, or just rent it? If the answer is rent, then I just want to play the game.
3. No first-time creators. If it's good enough, a 2nd printing will come around.
4. Basically, every game is sight unseen. It's like buying clothes online; you won't even know if it fits until it arrives.
5. Specifically for me, if it doesn't fill me with as much excitement as all the updates for Primal: The Awakening does, then it isn't worth my time.
The $1 thing I have done more often lately. Sometimes you back something and though you get those update emails you forget when things end. If you change your mind, but don't get to it before it ends then being out $1 is way better than the cost of the full thing you no longer are so sure about.
I don’t feel comfortable answering your question of the day 😅
It depends on how you count. I have only two unplayed games. Both arrived in the last week. But I have ten other games with only one play. When I get a game I always play a solo variant first just to make sure I understand how the game works before teaching others. These other two games do not have a solo mode hence two unplayed and it is hard to solo social deduction and trick taking (For Northwood of course the exception).
Recently I just paid a ridiculous price for “Return to Dark Tower” - easily double the kickstarter campaign, but I am not unhappy about it. I saved so much money by not backing as much lately that the rare times that I do have to pay more is fine. I did wait to be sure because as Alex said I have so many games that I love that do not get enough plays, I am fine waiting out to find the really good games and paying more for them later.
The $1 tip is golden. It takes out the fomo a bit. I'll be applying this. It also buys some time to make financial decision... And indeed we should all focus a bit more on the games in our collection, because let's be honest... we all have enough games already to last a lifetime :)
The $1 tip is good and I do this often. CMON games often are cheaper to preorder (in Canada) an online LGS (with KS stuff) than it is to back via KS . Mordred for example. I get my KS games played right away for the most part, however when is the 2nd play going to be? That's the question.
Yeah good points here. I totally regret backing a (looks to be great) game a while back and I just got caught up in the campaign. Had I backed for £1 I wouldn't have done it in the end. I have backed 2 others for £1 and didn't end up backing. Plus I have so many games, amazing games, that aren't getting played. I have 3 more games on the way... It's ridiculous. It's not even a money issue it just comes down to play time....
I’ve been playing board games all my life, I was introduced to Catan in 2010 and that changed everything, went from playing monopoly and card games to Dominion and 7 Wonders. Am now married with kids and kids are into gaming as well, now we play Ark Nova, Brass Birmingham, Mille Fiori, West Kingdom and South Tigris games. I HAVE NEVER BACKED A KICKSTARTER. And I don’t feel the need to. I watch a lot of board game content on you tube and I pretty much know if I like a game before I buy it because I research it. I buy or am gifted 8-12 games a year and slowly grow my collection and cull if I need to.
I just don’t get the whole kickstarter thing. You can be deep into the board game hobby and never back a kickstarter. I don’t have a shelf of shame. I play the games I get within a couple months. Just feel like kickstarter takes away from the actual hobby of PLAYING GAMES. Rant over lol
Well it’s worth noting a lot of games in certain genres only exist via crowdfunding campaigns. I played Oathsworn two years ago at gen con, liked it, and the only way to get it was to back their reprint crowdfunding campaign.
I look at my shelf and the games I end up playing the most are the ones with generally quick setup times. I have so many $300+ all in games that I just dont play.. so why did I spend money on it... sigh.. okay anyways time to go back the next all in that I most definitely need and will be my lifestyle game for sure!
I love what you were wearing on this vid! Where can I get me one? How is it called? 😭😭😭
1: Back with $1.
2: Play the games you have but haven’t played yet.
3: Look at your average cost per game. Are those numbers reasonable? How often are you playing those $100 games? Lots of the time they don’t get played a lot.
4: Look at your favorite games, find the absolutely favorite game, try to find what options there are to get that hame today. At the end of the day, your favorite game could have been gotten cheaper than on KS.
5: How often did you back a game and not play it for a long time? How many games do you have that showed ip a year ago and you still haven’t played it?
If i back less games i'll have less games Alex.
I think my only problem with waiting until later is about a quarter of my collection get more expensive from the second-hand market if they aren't difficult to find after the fact. Especially CMON games. 🤣 I do the reminder thing a lot, though. I might have to do the $1 more often just so I have more time to decide if its actually worth it. 😂
Spending that extra to just get just the games you want can be better and cheaper than buying more games that you don't want.
You straight up don't need the cmon extras
My number of unplayed on my shelf is zero for kickstarter games over a year old. If you count print and play games on my hard-drive, then I have one game that have haven't printed and played.
All I wanna know is where can I get that hoodie/poncho thing you're wearing?????
hi there, defenatly the kind of video i like.
The Boardgame hobby, has become a huge money hole and i felt, last year, a sort of bad mood seeing my 70 80 boardgames...
I strongly work around my collection, sorting my games, and making a lot of room.
Today, i'm at 26 boardgames, and i'm still making a bit of room.
My goal is to stay between 15 and 25 at max, including all types of boardgames (familly, solo, duel, etc..) (And keeping one or two of the "types" i like the most (deck building, worker placement, tiles etc...)
Finaly, i feel so much better !
I'm PLAYING instead of watching my games taking dust on my shelves.
There is also, tons of people selling games on second market, you only have but choice, on how to spend your money better in this hobby.
Buying boardgames together with your friends instead of having each one the same game...
Waiting... waiting if the hype goes down...
Seeing if you already have that type of game.. and which is already taking dust...
And finaly... Is playing a 200$ boardgame ONCE per YEAR is a worth investment ?
I don't think so, at all !
I made a french video on about "do we have too much boardgames" on our french channel, and that's i'm glad to see that these kind of videos are making people thinking and buying better.
Take care
Cheers from Belgium
Thank you. This video helped me. ❤
spot on ! love you dude
\
Thanks :)
"Look at the sucess stories." There haven't been any :D I backed 6: Siege (RIP) and recently Cyclades LE (that one will work out hopefully)
I am not backing a lot for various reasons nowadays:
- I backed enough games where I wait over a year then it arrives and I open it, and I dont feel like playing it
- I dont like spending a lot of money, and Crowdfunding is expensive
- Whenever there are a bunch of expansions I am out, I would love to buy the core game try it and then later add to it (Did with Final Girl, didn't back found it in retail, bought core+2 , then later added more to it and backed the next season. If I only can get the expansions now or through ebay later, I will ignore the game.
- Generally to much posession is a burden.
- We are still mostly playing All FFG Arkham Horror Files. All other games are just not working that good for us
Ty for you'r videos!
I started backing this year. So i did not receive any backed product yet :)
All those exclusive stuff is really nice but the whole process takes too long for me. I am still waiting for my Mythic Battle Ouroboros Pledge and Robinson Crusoe Collectors Edition. Paid in april 2021. For Marvel Zombies and Marvel United: Multiverse I went with 1$ which is a smart choice but on the other hand it´s prolonging the fight against my fomo but this time I skipped both games and was never ever seen again on any backer page
most games do get reprint / reimplemented / expansion except foreign ones
The $1 pledge is the best one for me, so many pledges I never upgraded after the hype/FOMO died down.
In the past year I only backed three things:
- Current $1 pledge for dice throne missions as it would bring new life for all my current DT content but still unsure.
- Shard of Infinity as I do not have any deckbuilders (they usually don't stay).
- Santorini deluxe.
That is all!
I have become a collector, as well as a gamer. I currently own over 1200 games. I have 171 still-unplayed games, 67 of which are from KS/GF, and I have another 74 pre-ordered (online, KS, GF, etc). This is not even counting any expansions, which basically doubles all of those numbers. My point is, I enjoy the collecting of games. It doesn't matter how excited I am to play them (which of course I am). I enjoy the anticipation of receiving them, the actual receiving of them, the opening and inventorying of them, the sorting and packing away of them, and trying to find room for them on my bulging shelves. I enjoy the seeing of them, and simply the joy of owning them. Maybe I should cut back? Time will tell. I am at least fortunate enough to not have the financial burden that this hobby creates.
Back Darkest Dungeon, 6 siege or any last Mythic games is great to reduce the addiction to kickstarter.
I’ve made a rule for myself not to pledge for any more campaign games; I have so many and then more on the way, but only have limited time and people to play those with
I didn't back any game for two years, but 2023 is very different, oh my...
I hate that you tell me such truths! And it's good advice. Take my upvote and continued patronage, dang it! :)
Cal Kestis called. Says he wants his poncho back.
Your question is 0 for me, casue I generally do play the game as soon as I get it or within a week. A better question for me would be, out of all the kickstarter games you backed how many have you played a year after the initial sets of play (maybe a month or two). now that number is pretty big
Backing at $1 helps... looking at you Spirit Fire. Plus knowing late pledge is a thing... looking at you Hybris. Mainly I have to ask myself, what is the game doing differently enough to justify room on my shelf? If it's just doing the same thing as other games I own in a slightly different way... It isn't enough of an incentive. Love campaign games and there are hordes out there to back, the story and mechanics can be very different from what I own. But campaign games take a well-managed publisher to deliver. Some have very flashy crowdfunding campaigns that look impressive. However, I am less trusting they will deliver. I am more careful in who I choose to back, Awaken Realms, Chip Theory, Sky Kingdom, CMON. They have proven they can handle it. Someone I have never heard of? I will pass. Chances are they will end up like LSG (super long delays) or worse yet like Mythic (may never get it).
I look at my stack of never played, seldom played and then look at bank balance. It has to be something very special to be considered.
#1 back anything by Mythic. That got me stop backing kick starters rather easily ;-) Once Tamashii arrives I will no longer be waiting on any crowd funded projects(I have written off Darkest Dungeon).
I have only ever backed two small kickstarter campaigns, but seeing the crap Mythic have been pulling has sworn me off backing anything on Kickstarter ever again.
I try to be mindful, but unfortunately I was not mindful enough with the amount of games I backed over the last 18-24 months, before having my partner move in knowing full well how many large boxes are likely to arrive on the doorstep over the next 18-24 months...
All (semi) jokes aside, I do wonder at the $1 pledge. It's a good strategy, but do you think it would impact significantly enough on some campaigns, when publishers don't see the initial monetary returns they might anticipate from those following a campaign? Especially if they perhaps haven't been as honest with the funding goal? Completely theoretical, but say 3k people back a game that had a goal of $100,000, but 50% of those backers only go in for $1 and you're looking at only $1.5k of a $100k goal.
The one thing I need to look at (and fail completely miserably at) is the option to just back the core game. I don't need all of the aesthetic only minis or five expansions I may not get around to playing, especially, as you say with the amount of unplayed games I already have. Am I realistically going to play a 50+ hour campaign and then extras... says the guy with All-ins for ISS Vanguard, Tainted Grail (FoA & KoR), Middara, ATO, KoF and more on the way *grimace*
I stopped backing the moment I lost my job.
Tell an addict to stop getting his monthly fix....
$1 on Oathsworn and Heroes of might and magic saved me a lot of money
That first bonus tip, though…
Oh CMON, but that next video is free.. and it's about boardgames!
But great tips, recently I found myself 'catching up' on reprints/sales of older games.. Rebellion, Underwater Cities, Skulls of Sedlec.. still not playing all of them enough, but between Witcher, DMD and Nemesis I'm kind of set with big games..
Still I enjoy the campaign show, currently on the 1$ pledge for Path of Destiny 😛
i dont have a game that showed up a year ago and has gone unplayed. Lords of Ragnarok is still in its original box though, unopened. ive already lost interest in 20 Strong, Tidal Blades 2, and Purple Haze.
i do back way less games these days for many reasons.
Not sure if it's just me, but audio is a bit tinny. Odd robotic echo.
I should watch this one regularly.
To be honest, it has gotten real easy for me. With all the unplayed games I have, there really isn't much incentive to back more games. Vindication was the last new one, and only because I was getting it for free.
The cost and wait times alone made me stop. Retail games all the way!
Crowdfunding... When do we want to pay for it? NOW! When do we want to have it? WE HAVE NO CLUE WHEN IT WILL SHOW UP!
Lol yeps
@BoardGameCo crowdfunding combined the bad part of impulse purchases with the bad parts of delayed gratification. One is not even sure when the game will hit. With normal delaying, one at least knows when things are over. I am personally waiting for the reprint of Pueblo to show up. It was an impulse backing.
Preorders can be nearly as bad but at least it had a more reliable timeframe.
shipping and forex really shoot down most campaigns for me 😅
I have another tip! "Stop watching KS related TH-cam videos", that will help you in order to stop (kind of) FOMO 😊
who the hell does not have unplayed games?
Brutal but true
I definitely do the 1$ pledge thing and lose interest later
What if all you have is $100 crowdfunded games. 😂
BG Stats tells me 88. When I look through that list I can see maybe a dozen where I have played it (generally only once), but didn't log the play. So, being generous, let's say 75 games that I acquired from crowdfunding and that have been in my collection for more than a year without playing them.
I may have a problem.
So true! For every Gloomhaven, there are ten Tainted Grails.
So with that logic you are saying we should all keep backing?
Not sure what this is supposed to mean. Lots of people like Tainted Grail...
6. Just stop backing games. 😂
“5 quick tips to sabotage the industry i work in”. Whats wrong with this community….Lets be positive and have fun in the space! We all know our personal finances and responsibilities, these vids are just unnecessary, and really unfair to those making games with the rough economy we are in.
But it’s also very fair to the backers in this rough economy we are in.
Trade jobs with me and you won't have this problem.
Lol fair