Is Kickstarter Bundling Too Much of a Good Thing?
When I saw the Kickstarter for Rikki Tahta’s new game Melee, a herd of thoughts stampeded through my brain. “He created Coup! I love Coup!” came first, followed by “Will my wife notice me backing yet another Kickstarter?” and “What will I do if a big box of games arrives in September?”
Too many games at once would be a nice problem to have, but it’s still a problem. And the new publisher strategy of Kickstarter bundling may just make it the next scourge of the gaming literati.
What Is Kickstarter Bundling?
In the past, Kickstarters have tended to be individual affairs. That’s no surprise given the many problems that can delay board game production. It’s hard enough to deliver one game, let alone two or three at the same time.
As Kickstarter-based publishers have matured, though, the publishing process has gotten more predictable. The pipeline looks more like Expedition Everest than actually climbing Mount Everest, and a skilled publisher can be reasonably certain of having several games delivered within a few days of each other.
Travis Worthington of Indie Boards & Cards is one of those skilled publishers, and he says that Kickstarter bundling is a big help to his business. According to Travis, “shipping is the least value add but highest source of errors and most time consuming part of Kickstarter projects. . . . [Kickstarter bundling] means I have more time to focus on the important things – game testing, development, art direction, promotion, et cetera.”
How much does it help? Travis says, “I would go crazy if I did three Kickstarter projects that were shipped separately.” The San Marcos Board Gamers have a long-standing policy of supporting publisher sanity, so Kickstarter bundling seems like a pretty good idea.
But Think of the Gamers, Man!
Still, it’s hard to imagine that the experience of getting games doesn’t change when you get them all at once. Getting a new game from Kickstarter is like having a little mini-Christmas, a long-anticipated moment of box-opening joy that deftly avoids the aftertaste of over-indulging and having to look at wrapping paper scattered all over the living room.
(Fun fact: getting Kickstarted games is even more like a mini-Christmas when it’s December. There are decorations and Christmas carols then.)
You can argue that gamers have gotten along just fine opening big boxes full of games from online retailers, and you’d probably be right. But there’s a reason that it’s romantic to give your lover one perfect rose, and it’s not just because it’s hard to tango with a dozen flowers in your mouth.
Fortunately, we live in America, which was founded on the principle that every citizen is free to buy as many board games as she likes. I’m not sure yet whether Melee will end up on my backed list, but it does look like a lot of fun. And hey, it’s not like Kickstarter bundling means I have to open all my new games at once, right? I’m a gamer, I’m all about self-control!
Oh look, shiny things. I gotta go!