Supporting My First Kickstarter

Over the last six months or so, we've seen many many RPG kickstarter / indiegogo / crowd-funding campaigns come and go. Up till now, though I've been very close to supporting a few, I've never "bitten the bullet".

My first support has gone to John Adams' Appendix N Adventures kickstarter!

Why this campaign? ...I want adventures! After a lifetime of only running adventures I've written, I've recently started running bought modules as one-shots, outside of the on-going campaign, and have really enjoyed it! I don't own the DCC RPG (well, I have the beta PDF), so I guess I'd run the adventures with Labyrinth Lord or Swords & Wizardry, assuming they're easily compatible.

John / Brave Halfling is a trusted name in the old-school scene, and from everything I've seen of him around on forums and so on, seems like a super nice guy. Even if only the basic goal had been met, we'd be getting two modules for $20, which is pretty good value I think. Now the campaign's nearing its end, we're getting six modules for $20 (the minimum pledge required to get everything), and possibly a campaign setting tying them all together, if the final stretch goal is reached! Now that's what I call amazing value!

I think John's honesty is what attracted me to the campaign. It seems he's got these modules he wants to get out there, has worked out a realistic amount of money he'd need to get things going, and that's that. Here's what he writes on the subject:

"Lots of folks have asked me why I set the “sweet spot” for this Kickstarter so low ($20) and how could I possibly be making any money off of it? That is a fair question and I would like to answer it here. In my 4+ years of hobby publishing I have learned a few things by trial and effort, by researching the industry, and by making many mistakes. This new line is exactly the kind of products I love to create! And this Kickstarter will enable me to create each of them in the quantities and at the level of quality I desire for them. For the first couple of years of BHP, I was able to fund projects out of my own pocket. But like so many people in our culture, I ended up being unemployed and underemployed for 13 of the last 24 months - and that reduced my ability to fund new projects. On the bright side, as our budget became tighter and tighter, my family and I have ended up spending more and more time playing games around the kitchen table. I know other families have as well. Times are still hard for many people. Each of these digest modules will retail anywhere from $5.95 to $8.95 (depending upon their size) and provide a session or two of gaming. That is very affordable. My goal for this Kickstarter has never been about making as much money as possible. Honestly, I am not sure using Kickstarter that way is very ethical. No, from the beginning, my goal has been to raise enough money to get this new line of products going and I am more than happy to provide all the modules and bonus goals in this Kickstarter to supporters at a greatly reduced rate (compared to the retail price) as my way of thanking them for providing me with the funds to release these modules in the quantities and at the level of quality they deserve."