Friday, March 29, 2013

So, Dwimmermount

I backed James Maliszewski's Dwimmermount on Kickstarter.

It looks like it's finally going to happen, but:

- it's going to be ACKS only, not ACKS and Labyrinth Lord.

- it's not going to be finished by James Maliszewski.

So it's not really what I wanted to back, when I backed it.

I sent in a request to Autarch for a refund. I'm sure what they will produce will be good, but it's a few too many steps removed from what I wanted.

10 comments:

  1. This is why I never support kickstarters. I believe in the traditional model:

    1. make a product
    2. offer it for sale

    in that order, not the other way around.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've supported a few, and I hadn't been disappointed. This one just changed, so I hope I can re-coup my money. But the others, no worries - Ogre is late but in production, for example, and my Reaper Bones will be arriving fairly soon.

      I think it's a good model but it's a risk for the backers.

      Delete
    2. "It's a good model, but it's a risk for the backers."

      I know you know this, but this describes 100% of all venture capital, which is what this is without the "and you own a share in the profits afterwards."

      Instead of a few angel investors, you spread the risk around. This allows you to raise more money in smaller chunks and also limit risk to each individual backer. In a low-profitability world like gaming (pen and paper), being able to fund a stream of projects is market research with real oomph. Activism instead of slactivism sort of thing.

      But at its base, it's VC, and thus inherently risky.

      Delete
  2. That's disappointing. Dwimmermount is like the flagship megadungeon project for the OSR. What's the reasoning behind the two changes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can read the update they posted about it here:

      http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2013/03/dwimmermount-project-update-49-last.html

      Delete
  3. Keep your ears open. There's an indication that the "ACKS Only" provision was a mistake in communication. And James M. did finish the draft, so it's really just an editing job left to be done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nah, it's still not the same thing. I would have waited indefinitely for what I pledged to, but since that's not what's on tap and I can ask for a refund, I'll take the money and move on.

      Delete
    2. That's fair enough. Plus, you can always change your mind later, since it will be available for sale.

      Delete
  4. Well, now I total expect to play it, since my group's current GM is big on ACKS. But it seems like there is going to be a more primitive version for LL, and translation between the two isn't hard, if you rely on the charts and not those stupid saving throw attack rolls in ACKS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wasn't going to play it with LL, but I speak "D&D" natively, so it would have been simple to convert if I wanted to. This was it's a double step. I'm going to pass.

      Delete

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