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Kevin Kenan's avatar

So many projects and each with considerable external production requirements. I don't envy that. But isn't this the sort of problem that crowdfunding was designed to help solve. First you produce an ashcan edition, get feedback and iterate to build momentum and hype, then use crowdfunding to fund the final polished production. If you don't want to run the kickstarter, then you can hire someone, right? If iterating on the ashcan edition doesn't generate the needed momentum for a successful crowdfunding, change things up or abandon the project for the time being.

I'm always destroyed by the logistics of having so many projects going. I start with grand ambitions, but really, all I can do reliably is one project at a time. The others simply have to wait. I might tinker on them here and there, but if I try to accomplish goals on many projects, I always burn out. It's taken me a long while to realize this about me, but that's how I am.

James Maliszewski's avatar

This is indeed the sort of thing that crowdfunding was designed to solve, but, after my disastrous handling of the Dwimmermount crowdfunding years ago, it's not a solution I feel I can ever take advantage of.

Kevin Kenan's avatar

Ah...well...that sucks. But maybe time has healed wounds?

James Maliszewski's avatar

Quite possibly, but I certainly don't feel like I can in good conscience take that chance, at least not at present.

Kevin Kenan's avatar

Gotcha. As a datapoint: if you produced minimal ashcan editions, I'd be in line to purchase, and maybe those purchases would help fund the next stage? I think that's sort of what Tuesday Knight Games did with Mothership, yeah? Though I think they also took advantage of crowdfunding.

James Maliszewski's avatar

Tuesday Knight Games is definitely an inspiration in this regard. I talk regularly with Sean about these and related matters and he's often advised a similar approach. Great minds and all that!

Michael Dozark's avatar

Thank you for sharing those thoughts. I have a project In working on now that isn't nearly as finished as your projects sound, but I'm starting to dread the exact same things. Maybe I should take your advice and scale back a bit for now.

Ben Laurence's avatar

Boy do I recognize myself in what you're saying, including the feeling of paralysis when confronted by logistical difficulties that make a path forward not obvious, or overwhelming. I definitely recommend publishing things piecemeal according to your own time frame.

Luigi's avatar

That's what I would too: get something out to start clearing the way, hopefully the rest will sort itself as things pick up momentum.

Self-publishing via Dtrpg seems like the way to go if you'd rather keep all control on your projects.

By the way, if cash flow is the issue and you find people willing to take a risk in revenue sharing, drivethru has a royalty sharing system that would handle payments to collaborators in a mostly automatzed way.

All you need is for them to have paypal.