Unpopular opinion: Kickstarter board games are killing local game nights

Last month my group tried to play three Kickstarter games someone brought. Two had rulebooks that contradicted themselves. The third had minis that didn't fit in the box. We gave up after 45 minutes and played Catan from 2014 instead. Anyone else notice these crowdfunded games skipping basic playtesting?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora_dixon16d ago

Did Claire just convert me? Yeah, she's right.

miles94619d ago

Hear me out though, I think you might be looking at the wrong games. Not all Kickstarter projects are like that. Some of the best games on my shelf started as crowdfunded ideas that went through tons of public playtesting before they ever got funded. You can't just grab any random campaign without doing a little research first. Most of those big flashy mini games are built from day one to look good in photos and hit stretch goals, not to play well out of the box. But there are plenty of smaller, simpler games that get funded by people who actually care about the rules being solid. Sounds like your friend just picked some duds, doesn't mean the whole system is broken.

claire_walker19d ago

Exactly, you can find good ones if you dig, but the whole Kickstarter model rewards flash over function by design. Most backers are buying hype videos and renders, not tested rulebooks or component fits. A few solid projects don't change how the system pushes unfinished product onto tables.