Would you back a Pateron/Kickstarter for Smiteworks?

[Frunobulax]

If Smiteworks came out and said, "Hey we want to create this fantastic Unity system, but can't stump up cash for development" then I would fully be on board with a kickstarter, but I currently see no value to this model for this situation.

The truth is that we just don't have any real information to base guesses on. Smiteworks is being close-lipped, which is fine and probably a good idea. I don't fault them for it! I have been in similar situations and keeping your mouth shut is generally best practice. Still, if we want to speculate just for fun... we know they are at least *considering* a crowdfunding campaign for the Unity version, so they clearly don't think it's a terrible idea and at least some of them think it would help. As I said before, there are way too many variables for us to say one way or the other. all we can say is that they haven't outright rejected the idea, which means they see some potential merit. That tells me that for their specific situation, whatever it is, the team size or time frame is not necessarily wrong for adding new people or funding.

[Frunobulax]

I think that SmiteWorks running a kickstarter to support ruleset development wouldn't really happen as they have a small team and don't want to devote any resources to development of new rulesets. After all, it isn't just the launch of a ruleset, but the lifetime support for it, as well. They have their hands full with what they already have.

Well, as for the "lifetime support" for rulesets, that depends on which ruleset. The D&D sets clearly get the most development work, which is not surprising and fair enough since clearly they are most popular. Other rulesets, such as RMC, get no more support than this forum and zero money on development/improvement, so to say "lifetime support" is a little inaccurate.

It's about time that a discussion was had around if the community would support community developers thru kickstarter, patreon, whatever, to get a ruleset project off the ground that they want. Community developers made 98% of the rulesets that exist. Likely more would be made, if support was given for it.

I agree completely about that. Rulesets are definitely a little different than the underlying application in that they only really need to be written once and then can have relatively modest resources devoted to bug fixing and minor improvements. So, more than a new version of the main app, they would lend themselves to crowdfunding as kind of a "one shot" deal. Now, it's an interesting legal question as to whether a third party could develop and sell a ruleset for use with FG without the permission of Smiteworks, but that doesn't really matter since there's no reason to NOT work with them. I suppose I could go out and start my own Kickstarter named "Kickstarter to hire a Lua programmer to update the RMC ruleset for FG to CoreRPG and add many enchancements to it", but that's a bit more work than I feel like doing. I really wish Smiteworks would do it, though.

I most definitely would *generously* support such an effort (RMC Ruleset) through a crowdfunding site. I'd give $100 or more for an improved ruleset that was available to backers (only). I believe in supporting people who make the stuff I want. That may sound like a stupid amount of money, but an ultimate license costs more than that, and when I divide up my entertainment dollars, $100 for a near-infinite number of entertainment hours is a super deal. I would only be able to see about 10 hours of movies in the theatre for that. People often whine about the price of games but never look at it form a cost-per-hour perspective.

[LordEntrails]

If there was a ruleset I wanted (which there isn't) that had a KS to be developed by SW or some of the trusted community devs, I would back it.

[MadCar_1]

Yes if it added the following:

1. Native Mac support

2. Improved import and export capabilities. Still too difficult to develop homebrew content.
a) Wish there were a simple Excel or CSC import/export feature for adding lists, story elements, NPCs, ....
b) Wish there were interoperability between D&D Beyond and FG

3. Improved network performance

[Zacchaeus]

I agree completely about that. Rulesets are definitely a little different than the underlying application in that they only really need to be written once and then can have relatively modest resources devoted to bug fixing and minor improvements.

I'm sure Moon Wizard would completely agree with you that over the last couple of years the time spent maintaining rulesets is negligible and Ikeal has spent almost no time at all over the last few months maintaining the SW ruleset.

[Myrdin Potter]

A lot of time time on rule sets has been driven by two things (which benefit all of us). 1) additional functionality added to the main program which translates to needed changes in the rule sets to be compliant. Generally you see no improvement but if that plumbing is not done, the rule set breaks. 2) clean-up and extension of capability like the concentration check added to 5e this coming uodate. Changes need to be communicated to other rule set developers. We also have seen additional functionality like the ability to create spells and classes within 5e. Every toy 5e gets added seems to spill over to other rulesets.

So I think undercalling ruleset effort is not wise. There are not a lot of people that know lua and can develop a ruleset as well.

What I would participate in a kickstarter for:

1) proper editor for modules including a WYSIWYG editor for reference manuals.

2) Additional rulesets that are too obscure for the percentage of sales model to provide enough incentive for.

[donpaulo]

My answer is

MOST LIKELY (like 90%)

I chose depends because YES is not totally accurate

[celestian]

What I would participate in a kickstarter for:

1) proper editor for modules including a WYSIWYG editor for reference manuals.

I would kill for that

[Mellock]

SmiteWorks has said a few times there a kickstarter is a possibility when FG Unity becomes a product. I've already budgeted that in, so yes, I would back. I would also back other kickstarters, but I also haven't forgotten when someone tried a kickstarter-like campaign on Verkami for a FG ruleset editor. I backed that one, and even though a lot of people said it was a good idea, it failed miserably. So there's that.

[Xydonus]

SmiteWorks is a business offering a commercial product that many of us have bought into, are currently providing support with our wallets and continue to be an active presence on the community with games masters who bring in players who potentially may one-day purchase FG for themselves, as has happened in my case.

I think I provide plenty of support as it is for a company that seems to be doing rather well for itself especially with the recent procurement of big licenses. So I don't think I'd give anything more in a kickstarter, I've got to support myself at some stage...