Miniatures as an option
Miniatures in crowdfunded board games have become increasingly popular over recent years as we see projects exploding with backers wanting to get the figures.
If you look over the highest funded projects on Kickstarter you’ll notice the majority are packed with miniatures and it makes a lot of sense, they add to the cost which in return adds to the amount raised.
I see a lot of creators trying to find ways to include miniatures as they know it’ll help them make more money and get people excited.
Personally, I’m of the mindset that miniatures should be optional and while they can be a fantastic deluxified bonus, they don’t always need to exist. This is why with The City of Kings, The Isle of Cats, and Race to the Raft I’ve continued to offer them as an optional upgrade.
It may not be the way to make the most money, but I think it’s a great way of letting customers decide what is important to them and how much they wish to spend.
Perhaps you could give it a try next time you’re planning miniatures for a project.
Frank West
Frank West is a gamer and designer based in Bristol, UK. He published his first board game, The City of Kings, in 2018 and now works on other games and organising events in the local area. His goal? To design and publish games focusing on immersive themes, fun mechanics and beautiful components. If you have any questions or would just like a chat, feel free to get in touch at any time!
4 comments
ChewieHuey
11th October 2022 at 7:10 pm
Wait, what?!?! Minis for Isle of Cats? I’ve never come across these. I can’t imagine they are usable in the game. How does one go about obtaining them?
Frank West
11th October 2022 at 7:19 pm
You can see the announcement here: https://thecityofkings.com/news/the-isle-of-cats-and-race-to-the-raft-miniature-packs/
Alberto
12th October 2022 at 1:01 am
Frank, as a customer I am usually not very demanding for miniatures. Some of my favorite games are very shy on the mini dept, displaying mainly minis only for the player characters, and , cardboard tokens/standees for enemies (like Mage Knight, The City of Kings, and Gloomhaven).
I backed Perseverance with all the dino minis and I must confess that I regret spending the extra money. The minis are super beautiful, but they do not add to the gameplay.
I also think that standees can help showcase the (2D) art for the game. I think Vagrantsong has some very fancy-looking acrylic standees that make the game look impressive.
Obs.: I wish the monsters for City of Kings had some less abstract standees (even though I understand that the choice is related to t he randomized ability mechanic).
Frank West
12th October 2022 at 1:46 pm
Hey Alberto, I’m certainly glad to offer the non-miniature option, I also enjoy seeing the artwork on standees in some games and don’t always want the miniatures to replace everything.