Resolve and Temptation part 2

So many new flavours to try!

How many hobbyists decide on a project, buy the requisite components, build and paint them, then move on to the next project? Do you know any? I certainly don't. There always seems to be something new to try, something that catches your eye at a show, or pops up on a blog, or is previewed in some forum. All those "must have" buys get put to one side, just for the time being of course, you will come back to it. You just have to have the new stuff. Then another new thing comes along, and it's even better than the previous new thing. The previous new thing that was the best thing since sliced bread, it's suddenly been bettered by something else. There's a new sliced bread in town, for a few months at any rate, until the next show, or the next kickstarter reveals even better sliced bread. And so it goes on, your hobby cupboard is full of sliced bread, in lots of different sizes and flavours. Will you ever get through it all, or have all your dreams just become toast? Ta da, I knew the sliced bread analogy would lead to a punch line in the end. Probably not the best punchline since sliced....erm....let's stop talking wheat-based nonsense and move on to hobby talk. Here's a trio of kickstarter projects that have caught my eye recently.

Now that's what I call a troll

Blood Rage. I am a huge fan of Norse mythology, viking history, all things Scandanavian...well, maybe not the pickled herrings. This picture of a troll sums it all up for me, it says more about the genre than I could possibly put into words, but you could also look at the Blood Rage facebook page. I have been pondering a skirmish game set in a northern clime for a while, these minis could well be a part of it. The kickstarter is actually for a board game, so it remains to be seen if the minis will be available separately, but even so this is top of my drooling list at the moment.
Chance of backing: 70%

Conan. Another board game, with a very strong background, based on the Robert E Howard pulp novels. I really like the vibe of these sculpts and having seen the gameplay video, it looks to be solid all round. On the minus side is the duplication of the poses, something that may well change as the kickstarter develops. Conan is not a big deal to me, I'm more rooted in Norse/British/Tolkien mythology. If I really wanted a barbarian experience I would probably look to the rather wonderful Copplestone 15mm range. But if the variety of sculpts increases I could well be persuaded to change my mind. This project is very close to launch, if you want more details then check out the Conan facebook page.
Chance of backing: 40%

Stake firing cannon, oh yeah!

Vampire hunter. This was a very recent find, it does not seem to have had much publicity in the usual places. I cannot find out much about the team behind this, their facebook page has a few pictures of yet another board game with fine looking digital renders. Russian vampire hunters, what's not to like? I am really on the fence on this one, the concepts are right up my street, but I would like to see actual sculpts, have more detail on the gameplay, just more information all round. But still, those sculpts.....
Chance of backing: 50%

I have to add a rather large footnote to this post. If you have backed on Kickstarter, this will not be news to you. But if you are new to the crowdfunding thing, let me tell you of my experiences. I have backed six projects over the past couple of years, on both kickstarter and indiegogo. All but one have been late (Mierce Miniatures came in on time with a cracking product too). Some have been a few months late, some a year, some longer. This is the thing that reins in my frothing, the fact that I will almost certainly be here this time next year, still waiting for the goods to arrive. Two years ago, before my very first pledge, you could have added 30% on to each of my scores above. I guess I have finally come to understand the phrase, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

There is also the problem that you cannot know for certain how the product will look when it is finished. While the art concepts are mind blowing, and the pictures of the renders look great, and even pictures of the sculpts look good, you cannot tell for sure what you are buying until you hold it in your hand. And of course you cannot do that with a crowdfunding project, you have to pledge your money upfront, see the physical product many, many months later. It's a conundrum, but most kickstarters are heavily scrutinised on various forums these days, so do your homework before pledging. Another proverb comes to mind, look before you leap. Having sounded the warning, you can bet my scores will go up when these things are launched.