Zerbique KS backs Q2 2021
As you may know by now, I have too many games. So, I successfully managed to slow things down in Q1. Q2 was harder to go through unscathed.
I first backed Questeros. This is actually a bit of a mistake. Since the game may be played with a regular Tarot deck, I bought one for cheap in a bazaar, and wanted to drop my pledge to the PnP level, to “pay for the design”: no need to ship internationally a plain Tarot deck, however pretty, if all I needed were the rules. Except I have an issue with Kickstarter, which doesn’t account for my pledges modifications unless I do it twice in a row (as I have finally discovered). So I unknowingly stayed with my full pledge and now wait for the game. Ah, not a big deal, let’s say it’s a token of support for the designer.
I also backed Clash of Decks, now with an “s”, and I backed it no less than 5 times. I was so pleased with their move that I now want to distribute a few copies here and there. Or they might end up forgotten in a box. Anyway, this was a bit like the “deal of the year”, and affordability is a virtue I am happy to foster.
Next one is MiniQuest Adventures. Cheap, looks nice, small and indie campaign, it was an easy decision to go along with. People have raised concerns with respect to their ability to deliver, but I trusted them regardless. Also, it’s going to be manufactured in and sent from Spain, so to me in France, there won’t be the usual troubles with international shipping. This is going to be my dumbed-down version of Jaws of the Lion (it has a spiral campaign book!!), to pretend I play the same games as the grown-ups when they are deep within the beast.
The following was super tricky. Three games I really wanted got released on the same day: The Witcher: Old World, Quests: Heroes of Sorcado and Path of Light and Shadow, with expansion and solo mode. The first one got the most hype, and certainly is the one with the best value content-wise for its price, at least if you go with the Standard Pledge. The second one is a completely casual game that doesn't have very good artwork and is from a little-known designer. The third one looks the best, with art I can’t stop thinking about, and interesting design mechanics. Well, you can’t have everything. I went with Sorcado. What? Why? Well, sometimes a good campaign does wonders. During their campaign, I asked many questions in the comments section, trying to find something disappointing to rule it out once and for all. Well, the answers have been great. I was engaging with two passionate people that were obviously happy to do this game, did answer to negative criticism with good faith and an open mind, and were just a pleasure to interact with. They did deserve the pledge.
For the other two, I dropped to a $1 pledge. Path of Light and Shadow, in the end, is just too expensive for a game I might not play very often. I won't up it. As for the Witcher… well, let’s say I am happy to have the opportunity to up my pledge later on. I’ll go with Standard for sure in September but… will I go up to Deluxe? All-In? That’s the tricky part. But it’s a decision I don’t need to make right now. By the way, despite the bloat, the paid add-ons, the hype and the craziness, I think it was a great, epic campaign, and each negative ended up mitigated by a positive. The creator/designer also engaged individually with people on BGG and his replies were great, here again, not shying away from criticism. You can rake in 7M and be a decent guy, it seems.
In June, I got two more games: first, the second Domina Anthology featuring Margot: La fée. I already got the first one, and I’m always happy to support Japanese localizations when it remotely interests me; second, the To the Death! expansions, being a dedicated supporter of designer Brian Garber. Although, in all truth, I didn’t need this new content and I’m not sure I’ll ever go through the whole amount of content of the core box I already own.
And now that the Pledge Manager has closed, I have finally decided that I won't get Tiny Epic Dungeons in the end. Shocking, I know. The truth is, I couldn't convince myself to go through the annoying rulebook. The Tiny Epic games are simply not for me, with rules that feel unnecessarily fiddly and mechanisms I don't quite like. Tiny Epic Dungeons seems no different in this respect.
Miscellanea: I also pledged for two multiplayer games, Fjords and Hidden Leaders, and two Metroidvania video games, Unsung Warriors and Zapling Bygone. I also don’t count my symbolic $1 for Glory Second Edition, as I had already pre-ordered it back in January. Monothematic much, I know.
Four games received already: Questeros (haven't tried it yet although it has traveled a bit with me), Clash of Decks (didn't like it), To the Death! (well I still need to try out the core contents), and just tonight, MiniQuest: Adventures (not a scam in the end!). I'm surprised by the "weight" of the latter one (I mean the actual, physical weight).
So, I have received Questeros. Remember it was basically a mistake since I wanted to cancel my pledge but encountered a KS bug (still going on). All in all, I'm quite happy with how things turned out.
First, I had to become aware of this bug, and this game was affordable enough so that it wasn't too much of a burden, financially speaking. Second, it's from a publisher/designer I'm interested in and who've been nothing but diligent, nice and helpful in the campaigns I backed from him (the first one was Legends of Novus).
Third, the box is really nice. I was just pleased to receive it and open it, and it's been quite long since I had this feeling…