"AvP: The Hunt Begins.... again" Topic

Prodos Games just released the second edition of its popular but much maligned "dungeon crawl" board game based on the Aliens/Predator/Colonial Marines film and video game franchise. This revised version features all new one-piece sculpts in dynamic poses with integral bases and comes with the same miniatures as the 1st edition (5x Colonial Marines, 5x Alien Stalkers and 10x Alien Drones/Infants). It also includes a rulebook with revised and streamlined rules (the 1st ed. rulebook was a mess), a pre-cut foam tray for the minis and newly designed tiles, all in a more compact box than its predecessor.

Best of all, it only costs 2/3 that of the original (around $65 USD retail). I know Prodos isn't exactly popular especially among their KS backers for 1st ed. who haven't received all their stuff, but I never backed their KS and just received this from a vendor through Amazon.

Isn't this the one where the first edition KS hasn't been fulfilled yet?

Yep one of my mates is still waiting for his KS. Prodos told him he could travel to Poland to pick it up! He declined and is still out of pocket. Would not touch the company with a barge pole.

Are you suggesting sending money to a company known for cheating their customers?

I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just pointing out that what I got from Amazon wasn't such a bad deal. Whether you buy or not is entirely up to you.

BTW I almost never back KS's because of the potential risks involved. If you go in expecting high rewards for little investment without a "enter at your own risk" mentality, you may be disappointed.

Just wait til the final product hits the market before you buy. This way, you get exactly what you pay for like I did here. Of course, a product may not get funded in the first place, but why take risks?

So, lets start a bit of a discussion here about Kickstarter. What are the benefits and what are the pitfalls? What are the legal safeguards in backing a Kickstarter, and not receiving your pledge? Or is there some small print many folks just don`t read?

The benefit to backing Kickstarters is getting "exclusive freebies" and bonus rewards from a project meeting and exceeding its funding stretch goals as they're unlocked. By investing in the project before it's released, it makes sense that you stand to gain more than people who don't take risks backing the project. That's how companies incentivize KS's to make them more appealing to prospective backers.

However, sometimes companies overincentivize and make promises they find later that they can't deliver on. It's not necessarily due to fraudulent intent or incompetent mismanagement. They may have little/no prior KS experience, did not allow for potential pitfalls or unanticipated cost increases at any point during the process, or simply were too optimistic in their abilities to deliver on what they promised.

Prodos' "AvP: The Hunt Begins" is but the latest KS that disappointed backers by failing to deliver everything as advertised. Palladium's "Robotech RPG Tactics" and Defiance Games' UAMC Marines were other high profile "failures" that drew much ire on TMP.

As you might expect, many KS backers are opportunists and capitalists who back a project to get exclusive or "limited edition" stuff that they resell later on Ebay to make a profit because they're not available to the general public.

Nothing is guaranteed in a KS. It's a classic "Buyers Beware" situation. Only when a KS fails to meet its minimum funding goal do backers get refunded. Most people's gripes with KS is not that it didn't deliver the basics at all but that it didn't deliver all the extra stretch bonuses, or that the project was delayed.

I've backed 3 KS's in the last 5 years. Brigade Games "Disposable Heroes 2" and Devil Pig's "Strategic Resupply" and card game for their "Heroes of Normandie" game. DH2 was risk-free (no extravagant promises and Brigade Games is solid) and went without a hitch as expected, but I'm still waiting for the stuff from Devil Pig. There's been a snag which delayed "Strategic Resupply" but Devil Pig has a decent track record and communicates well so I'm not worried.

Great reply 28mm Fanatik as mentioned a couple of post above what happen to the guy who told to go to Poland to pick his pledge up? What sort of attitude is that? I`m guessing that the delays are due in most parts, that anyone worldwide can back and the KS has to deliver, or not.

what happen to the guy who told to go to Poland to pick his pledge up? What sort of attitude is that?

I don't know both sides of the story and all the "He said, She said" details, but I can't say I'm surprised. When a backer doesn't get the goods he will be understandably irate, and communications demanding pledge fulfillment with the company can be strained and even escalate into hostility.

It's a terrible attitude from Prodos regardless, and why I'm glad I didn't back the project. Nonetheless I couldn't resist getting it from "We the Meeple" on Amazon at a price of $59.99 USD considering that the 1st edition of the game costs well over $100 USD retail (okay okay, the cool new USCM and Predator sculpts shown below also had something to do with it). Still, I should have waited in hindsight because….

For those interested in this second edition I would suggest trying to get it through Coolstuffinc. The game is listed at an unbelievable $41.49 USD, though it's currently out of stock. Check back frequently or sign up for email notification when they're restocked.

coolstuffinc.com/p/239822

Tempting…. Stayed away from the KS originally, but was interested. Now, I'm glad I didn't back it. I may pick this up though.

You can download the AvP 2nd ed. rule book at their website. Just sayin'… ;-)

Those are some mighty fine looking minis…..mighty fine.

I'll pass on the company though from what I read. The big companies aren't very transparent to the backers at time it drove me bonkers w cmon and then mega con: mercs.

Mantic was pretty good.

impudent mortal which is a small company gave updates every week.

The chance of disappointment is higher with the big companies who deal w China and customs etc…. you'll get your stuff ….but by the time you do as with mercs I lost interest.

Now restocked at Coolstuffinc at $41.49 USD. Get them… or not.

coolstuffinc.com/p/239822

The alien stalker just looks dumb…"Help me, I'm stuck!"

The marine is just laughing at him…"Right where I want you"

The predator is just laughing at the marine…"Right where I want you"

The alien infant is outta there!…"Mommy!"

Scale comparison between 1st and 2nd ed would be nice, as I believe 2nd ed are smaller.

Prodos also reportedly lied at various times during the KS, delivered games to retail before backers, and took money from this KS to finish shipping a prior one (then suddenly found themselves short on this). So while the KS was successful, many people are angry with Prodos for perceived poor customer support. Some of that blame may lie with Fox, however other big IP games have made it through KS without much of a hitch… read into that what you will.

Spent over $200 USD on the Kickstarter and have still not gotten a thing.

I didn't get the kickstarter, but I've ordered from them online and friends have as well, and we've had no issues receiving products and they are very good quality.

THE HUNT BEGINS

link

Armand

Just my $0.02 USD on the benefits of Kickstarter since I just launched my first and perhaps only one last Friday.

It's true that for established companies the benefits to you are the stretch goals and freebies.

But for little guys like me -- the benefit is that with the help I get to make my miniatures and without the help I don't. I went to Kickstarter because I couldn't afford to self-fund anymore. According to my wife, anyway. :-)

There's a huge difference between us small-time creators and a company like Reaper or CoolMini or Archon Studios. (I won't use Prodos as an example lol). Kickstarter started out as a service to help the small timers but it's hard to turn down the millions they make from the big timers. Not a fault of KS, just reality of economics. They still level the playing field in that I have as much chance of getting my product out there as the big guys so I'm grateful KS exists.

Best,
Nicholas
Ob link to my KS:
link