Considering a Kickstarter to fund Quick and Dirty Map Tutorials Book!

[kjdavies]

Which is the difference between a Kickstarter and a product release - they are nothing like each other. A Kickstarter is not an announcement of a game release, rather it's an announcement of initial development of a project. It's stating, "I have a cool project I'd like to produce, but I have no idea if there really is a market for it. So in order to know whether there is, we've set up a Kickstarter with a goal of several products for X dollars to be collected within a specific funding period. If it's successfully funded, then we know you want it, so now it will be created."

Hi, Keith Davies here (mentioned earlier in the thread). I've seen both, actually. It's not uncommon that the (core) product is ready and just needs funding for production. It's not uncommon that it still needs to be written. It's also not uncommon that the bulk of the writing is done and they're looking for funding to get the layout, graphics, printing, and so on done. It all varies.

This one, you started with about half the book drafted and know how to do the rest. I'd consider it roughly in the third group -- it's not entirely written, but it's clearly not just getting started. You've got most of your production chain in mind, you've got realistic goals even if things get blown out of proportion and you do all the books rather than just the one. I have quite a bit of confidence you'll not only get funded (four days in and you're already about 75% funded, that's a pretty safe guess) but that you'll be on time or early, depending how many volumes are needed.

[Gamerprinter]

I just posted the first Kickstarter Update. It includes a free preview PDF download of the intended first guide book. It's open to all viewers, not just backers... check it out!

Update Link

Edt: Day 6, 85 backers, 93% to goal, only $259 left.

Strangely there's double the number of $25 backers vs. $15 backers, additionally strange there are 2 more backers at $70 than there are backers at $15 (I'm more familiar with the bottom tier as having the most backers, my current Kickstarter defies these odds.)

[Gamerprinter]

Goal met! We've funded the 25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide, now on to the first stretch goal, 25 Advanced Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book. Thank you, everyone for your support!

[Schwarzkreuz]

Congratulations! Its good to see projects evolving. Any Idea for new advertising the project? I had the feeling your interview pushed the Funding a lot.

[Gamerprinter]

I'm supposed to do a podcast sometime next week with G*M*S online gamers magazine. I'm looking for other advertising sources though.

[Gamerprinter]

A Quick Overview on the Stretch Goal Products:

25 Advanced Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide is really the second half of the first book. I originally planned on writing a 50 tutorials guide, but after I figured out the page count to do 50 tutorials, plus sample maps and all the discussion chapters that would have been a huge book (500ish pages) and if that were to be sold on a bookstore shelf as a full color interior book, it would cost like $80 which is too much, so I split the concept into 2 books.

Hand-Drawn Map Tutorials Guide is less quick and dirty, my plan is to offer hand-drawn work on 3 different map types - regional map, city map and an encounter scale map (castle or something) and as many steps as necessary to present them - perhaps 20 or more steps each, using my digital-to-hand-drawn to digital workflow technique. Then several tutorials for hand-drawn detailed map objects.

Using 3D Elements in Mapping Guide - I often use 3D to create detailed map objects, detailed portrayal of complex shadows, use to prepare an isometric/orthographic view map, and rarely 3D terrain. To give you a better product I may add a couple additional authors to write a chapter each. I invited Anna Meyer who uses Bryce 3D to create her 3D versions of the domains of Greyhawk, as Greyhawk maps is her productline. Anna is the one of the few pro female RPG cartographer I know - most cartographers seem to be guys. Waldronate is a software developer. He created Wilbur and Fractal Terrains which is an extension of Fractal Mapper, Wilbur is the more complex version of that. He's an expert a true 3D terrain - a real techie. But I think he can bring something good to a book on 3D mapping.

While I have a couple more stretch goals, the above is the main stretch goals.

I really, really want to fund these stretch goals at least! Let's see what we can do to get them into pledger's hands.

[Gamerprinter]

Here's a sampling of the map objects included in the $25 backer level - also posted as part of Update #3 of the Kickstarter.

[Gamerprinter]

FYI - nothing official yet, it depends on which books get funded by this Kickstarter. But for additional content on GIMP specifics, RobA is going to write some of the material for the guide books, Waldronate and Anna Meyer are going to write chapters in the 3D Elements in Mapping guide, and if we can fund it, Schwarzkreuz is writing a book as the last stretch goal.

So this is a project for you written by more than just me - many other favorite CG members are part of this project too!

[Gamerprinter]

Thank you, thank you - all you wonderful pledgers! We've hit the first stretch goal in the creation of 25 Advanced Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials. Now on to the next stretch goal for $3000 more, and my favorite kind of mapping: Hand-Drawn Map Tutorials Guide!

Map Tutorials Kickstarter

[Jaxilon]

Congratulations GP, awesome going!