I posted a blog post on BGG the other day, and wanted to get a little discussion on the topic going on this site.
http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/8665/kickstarter-is-not-an-atm
This is a cautionary warning more than anything else about the difficulties that you can run into with Kickstarter. A few big kickstarter names jumped into the discussion, but the take-away is: don't think kickstarter is going to make you rich or be easy.
I know most people on this forum are designing games for the joy of it and because there is an idea in their head that they can't get rid of. Just remember that and don't expect kickstarter to solve all of your problems.
I'm going the kickstarter route, and I've found it to be a lot of fun and pretty rewarding. I just want everyone to be duly warned of some of the pitfalls you can run into going this direction. It's a lot of work, funders aren't going to throw money at you just because you ask for it, and you better be able to back up your request for funds with a good looking game. Oh, and it costs money.
Thanks :)
It's just a funny thing. People see 50K raised on kickstarter, but if you have been following the Gunship updates (one of the current massive moneymakers) he is trying to raise 30K more so he can afford a 4K print run, which is the only way he can justify doing linen inset cards.
It's a funny business, and I just want to make sure everyone is well aware that while kickstarter is awesome and can bring games that would be otherwise overlooked to market, and bring in high production values.. it isn't a great way to get rich.
I'm expecting to lose money on my first game. And probably my next 3-4 after that, and my hope is I'll have some kind of built in audience and can turn the corner down the road... but if Tastey Minstrel is still losing money, it really gives me very little hope.