Kickstarting board game projects can be really productive but the role you play as a backer, the economic as well as emotional investment you have in the thing, compared to the one of simple “prospective customer”, sometimes allows the inevitable ups and downs of any campaign to get under your skin. Or at least, my skin.
Among the many cases I could pick I’ll go with Return to Dark Tower by Restoration Games because it’s a game that I’ve been anticipating more than others and, as such, it has influenced my mood more than others. The game is currently being delivered to certain areas of the world while others won’t probably see it for at least another 3 months. As it is customary, debates rage in the comment sections and forums about the legitimacy of the company’s justifications and the right to indignation on the part of some backers. Inevitable mutual name-calling ensues which usually boils down to “self-effacing apologist fanboys” vs “whiny out-of-touch-with-the-real-world children”.
I was reflecting on my stance… fanboy or child? I guess, at times you can feel like either.
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Return to Dark Tower is late. But the fact is that it’s been late for some time now as it was supposed to be delivered 11 months ago. Back in February 2021 they announced that development had taken longer than expected and they needed more time to deliver a good game.
Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I angry or resentful? No.
After all, what can you do?! If the cake’s not ready do you really wanna eat it raw just because you want it now? Yes I wanted my game, yes I had anticipated it so much, yes I had already paid for it a year in advance but as a lover of games you knew that what we would all have to wait was for the betterment of the final product. And from a “customer” perspective everything was pretty fair: no one had the game yet and you didn’t see it floating around shops and online markets. We were all on the same boat… boats, funny I thought of this metaphor.
Then production was completed and, back in November 2021, ships started leaving China. In December delivery began… in some countries. At the time of writing this, the ship directed to my country has yet to leave port.
Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I angry or resentful? …unfortunately also yes.
Why? What’s different? To me it’s a case of feeling “third class”. Delays in production are not ideal but at least they lump all the backers together into one huge sad bunch. What’s happening now with delivery creates differences, it makes some of the customers feel neglected and taken for granted. It’s not about quality, it’s about service. Would I go back to a restaurant where I was served 5 hours later than all the other customers who had arrived at the same time I had? Probably not. The food might be great and it might even make you ignore a 20 minute delay but 5 hours will inevitably spoil the taste of the food you’ll eventually get.
I know I’ll eventually get the game and I am sure it’s going to be great but I can’t help but feel less valued than those who are already enjoying their copy or happily reselling it on eBay double the price.
Did Restoration Games wish for all of this to happen? They most certainly didn’t. Did they do everything they could to prevent this from happening? I guess they probably did?! But the way things stand, it doesn’t really “feel” like it to me.