Yeah...I mean, I could do an audiobook version of the Anthology for them, but that's not something they can give people anytime soon. I know Ben is a Kickstarter fan, so he probably knows more about the process than I do, and ways of playing it for advantage.
I'd like to do a "making of" series/book, but again that's not a short-term thing and is something that I'd like to make available to all rather than sitting somewhere on the reward tiers. So I'm still thinking.
At the present rate, we only need 5k gaming and/or Ars Magica fans to put $50 each into the project and they are pretty much there. I know $50 is $50, but that's an achievable amount for many. And without it, we may never see those Diedne or 11th Century source books.
That's the first thing that comes to mind if you do not know Kickstarter mechanics (it came to my mind too!). But it appears this not really the case. Kickstarted projects usually have three stages: a ramp up for the first couple of days (almost never more than a week), a plateau, and then a final rush in the last few days (maybe a week, virtually never two). Increasing the length of the Kickstarter only tends to draw on the plateau. So a month really does seem a good interval.
From what I see, it seems to me that the plateau will be reached in at most another day or two, around the $20-30K mark.
The final rush up is rarely more than three, maybe four times the plateau value -- two or three times is more typical. That's why I fear the project will fail to reach the $100K mark, not to mention the $290K one. But I really hope I'm wrong, and wish them the best of luck!
Hmm, i´ll have to try and see if i can make it work then.
As I understand it, Kickstarter requires that projects be based in the US (and they're about to open up to UK projects, with their funding measured in pounds sterling), but backers can be anywhere in the world as long as they can pay through Amazon payments.
I should add too that, at David Chart's suggestion, they specifically included an all-digital reward level for non-US backers who would want to avoid the extra shipping costs:
[i]Pledge $150 or more
Collector's Digital Edition Contains all the Digital products: the Wallpaper, Game, Soundtrack, Anthology, Art Book, World Guide, and House Diedne. House Diedne is a full Fifth Edition Ars Magica sourcebook for this most mysterious of Houses, and covers both the Years of Conquest and the standard game timeframe of 1220 A.D. You will appear in the Credits as Magi and Magae. Not inclusive of previous rewards.[/i]
I concur : I can't start a project, but I can back one.
...looks like a good choice for those of us not in the US.
One of the best things you can do for a Kickstarter (other than pledge) is help get the word out to people who would likely to support it, but might not be aware of the Kickstarter site (which can be a lot of people).
And these can have a constant growth, too. The Numenera KS from Monte Cook kept a steady pace throughout, with several big push days in the midst of it. The key is keeping people aware of the project and encouraging support. One angle which might help, is that this works as a great gateway into Ars Magica-- learning the magic system without the stutterstep one might experience at a table without a veteran SG.
As for KS itself, it does require Paypal/Amazon to use properly, it doesn't take the funds until it hits greenlight, and the people running things need to be based in the US/UK. If you're outside of that area and want to run a crowdfunded project, I'd recommend indiegogo.
-Ben.
Interview with the developers over on the Sub Rosa website: subrosamagazine.org/?p=567
Thanks for doing that interview, Mark! I just enjoyed reading it.
Thanks everyone who has been helping spread the word -- and please do more of it! If this KS is to succeed, we need the strong support of ArM fans -- and lots of people who didn't yet know they are ArM fans, but will be soon!
I interviewed Black Chicken about their plans for the game, and you can read the account here --
jerome23.wordpress.com/2012/10/2 ... rter-team/
Hopefully of interest. 
cj x
Definitely of interest, and now linked from the Atlas blog.
Keep spreading the word, folks! We still have a long way to go, but we can drum up the backers to make this happen.
Hi, all.
Just wanted to get a read on the the value of all the signing bonuses. Yes, I know part of what we pay for is bragging rights and statisfaction for getting a great project started (and I recognize folks are in this business to make money) but I'm trying to see what that premium is before I put down my pennies:
Game: ??
Diedne book: ~$30 + $10 because that will be just darned cool
Years of Conquest Anthology: ~$15-$20 (calling it a small sourcebook)
T-shirt: $10-$15 (what I would pay for a t-shirt at the convention)
Art Book: ?? (Not a big draw for me, but others will enjoy it I'm sure)
World Guide: ~$30 (another sourcebook that would be very helpful to me as a non-historian)
For those rewards -- if I'm reading the levels right -- I would be paying 200-(between $85 and $105) = between $95 and $115 for the game and art book. Let's throw in another $20 because I'm a fan (and I am). What is it about the game that will make the game worth $75 and $95? I've read CJ's interview so I'm leaning in that direction, but I'd like an alternate pitch. What do we envision about the game that makes it worth that much?
Please note that I would like very much like to see the project succeed, but I have a 6-month-old and infant daycare is expensive and my hobby budget is significantly curtailed. Funding this would require me set aside some other activities that I very much enjoy and I just need an extra push.
Gratefully,
-K!
That's understandable.
I think there are four things that persuaded me, really.
- Diedne - official, in-canon Diedne. And I wouldn't be surprised if some of the absolute best Ars Magica talent is drafted in for the full write-up.
- The alternative setting - AD1000. Fans often list alternative settings/periods as something they want to see. This game provides that. For those who kick in for the kickstarter we get the book and I guess a bundle of other support content. But if you just go for the game, the world of Stonehenge AD1000 is still there, just in game form.
- The game itself, of course. There's a danger of forgetting that at the heart of this is a bunch of guys who love Ars Magica who have the ability and vision to turn the best tabletop experience into a single-player computer game. That includes the magic system, spells, lab work, familiars even. And they do appear to have a bead on story as the covenant and supporting grogs and companions are destined to make an appearance. I look at the hours that I've sunk into Skyrim and that's a genre that I'd happily pass over in an instant for a touch of Ars Magica.
- The future. I think this is going to be the gift that keeps on giving. AD1000 is a starting point. Stonehenge is a starting point. Looking at the support Black Chicken give their other games, I suspect we could be in for a long ride with the Years of Conquest game. Imagine a trip across the channel into Normandy, or into Hibernia, or the cold lands of the North. Imagine the next hundred years or so leading up to the 1220 start. And what next? Could we get the Ars Magica crusades? Once this game is out there, once that foot has been firmly wedged into that door, the possibilities are endless.
Personally, I'm happy to pay a little over the odds at this stage to help make all that happen.
My guess is that the computer game is likely to retail for $30 or so.
The Diedne collector's edition, with the fancy binding etc., would be similar to the $75 Over the Edge limited anniversary edition we did this summer, but with a smaller page count. Not sure what it's retail worth would be, since it would not have an MSRP (any copies found for sale after the kickstarter would be a secondary market, in effect, with supply and demand determining the price on somewhere like eBay or a Gen Con auction). For the non-collector's hardcover, it should be comparable to the usual $30 ArM sourcebook hardcover.
This is really the key point. While the rewards are nice, I think that at any of the higher levels what's really happening is patronage -- committing money just so that the project succeeds and comes into existence. Having two preschoolers and a newborn in our house, I fully appreciate the budgetary strain of daycare! And while I sure do want this game to happen, I don't want it enough to see fans deprive themselves of necessities over it. I'd love to see the project succeed, whether on account of a handful of $10,000 patrons or a crowd of $20 backers.
Remember that you can amend your pledge, too. So if you start by committing $20, while it's on the top of your mind, you know you're helping the project and at least getting a copy of the game. If you decide you can comfortably commit more, you have the ability to change your support level right up until the kickstarter ends.
Can you buy gift pledges John? I'm in for the All-Electronic Bundle of Fun ($150) and I'd be interested in going higher, but higher is $65, with shipping, and all it really gets me is "make up a spell for the game", which is cool and all, but not really my thing.
Is there any way I can give people a $20 copy of the game as a gift?
I honestly don't know. Maybe ask Larry over at the BCS forums? It would be nice if you can!
On many other KS I've been a part of, these sorts of add-ons are handled by setting the pledge and reward level, then pledging more and keeping the level the same.
-Ben.
Right. I think the reward levels are "minimum" to get that particular reward, but you can pledge more if you want to. Actually, that's a good idea...