This article was written by Krystine Therriault. You can find her on twitter here.
This week’s rapidly funded Kickstarter series includes campaigns across a few different categories: gadgets, product design, graphic design, tabletop games, and comic books. Each of these projects has exceeded their Kickstarter goal in the first week after launching and they still have plenty of time to gain more backers and reach some exciting stretch goals they have planned. My favorites are 1 and 4!
#1. Heated Butter Spreader
Creators: THAT!
Amount Funded: $22,830
Number of Backers: 756
Average Pledge per Backer: $30
Duration: Aug 29th – Sep 28th (30 days)
This project is for a butter spreader that is heated without using electricity, batteries, or hot water: “The heart of SpreadTHAT! is a copper alloy tube that is used to cool down CPUs in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. SpreadTHAT! draws heat from your palm and transfers it onto the butter, making the butter easier to spread.” This spreader is safe for kids to use and is still available on Kickstarter for as little as $20. SpreadTHAT! reward levels include condiment bowls, the classic SpreadTHAT!, red gold, and black DLC versions.
#2. US ARMY Playing Cards
Creators: Jackson Robinson
Amount Funded: $57,315
Number of Backers: 660
Average Pledge per Backer: $88
Duration: Aug 30th – Oct 11th (30 days)
The US ARMY Playing Cards Kickstarter project is licensed by the U.S. ARMY and includes 4 editions: the 1910 Kings Wild Army Deck, Premium Army Edition, Black Ops Edition, and Black Ops Display Deck. You can buy the decks separately for $10-$30 a pack or a set for $50, and the Black Ops Edition will only have one print run of 1,500 decks. The Kickstarter page explains “The ARMY playing card series is inspired by & honoring the men and women of the United States Army. Designed by artist Jackson Robinson.” Just 6 days after launching this campaign has already raised almost $60,000 and looks like it will be a popular collectible item.
#3. Reaper Miniatures CAV : Strike Operations
Creators: Reaper Miniatures
Amount Funded: $69,015
Number of Backers: 731
Average Pledge per Backer: $94
Duration: Sep 1st – Sep 27th (26 days)
This project is Reaper Miniatures’ third Kickstarter campaign, this time offering their new game edition white and gray miniatures, along with some stretch goal miniatures and different color options. “CAV: Strike Operations centers around an all-new edition of the game. During the Kickstarter we will provide everyone a link to download a free PDF copy of the base rules and see the changes we have made as part of the update.” Both previous projects have raised over $3,000,000 so it is no surprise that this one has been successful so far.
#4. Stuff and Nonsense
Creators: Cheapass Games
Amount Funded: $34,255
Number of Backers: 945
Average Pledge per Backer: $37
Duration: Sep 1st – Oct 1st (30 days)
The brief Kickstarter introduction to this project is that “Stuff and Nonsense is a tabletop game about would-be Victorian adventurers who never actually leave London.” Just that description had me curious and a little entertained.
This game only uses cards, but has a board game feel, and the storyline involved a Professor who lied about travelling to the South Pole. Now everyone is sneaking around London pretending to have gone on great adventures and trying not to get caught in the act.
For $30 you can get a copy of the game, and a postcard from Professor Elemental. Cheapass games also already had success on Kickstarter with three previous games, the first of which (Unexploded Cow) is being reprinted and available as an add-on.
#5. Brawl in the Family: The Complete Collection
Creators: Matthew Taranto
Amount Funded: $67,962
Number of Backers: 592
Average Pledge per Backer: $115
Duration: Sep 1st – Oct 5th (34 days)
Brawl in the Family: The Complete Collection is back on Kickstarter with the second and third collection books of the popular web comic. “Brawl in the Family is a video game parody … It mostly centers on Nintendo characters such as Kirby, Mario, and Link; the humor ranges from lighthearted and fun to heavy and heartwarming, but it’s generally family friendly (more or less a light PG), with no gore or cursing.” For $5 or more you can get a digital copy of book one, a paperback for $15, the other two books in hardcover or paperback (some signed), and even an advanced copy of the game that the creator of this project is currently working on!
#6. PLAYBULB candle – Color LED Flameless Candle with Mobile App
Creators: MIPOW USA
Amount Funded: $31,789
Number of Backers: 636
Average Pledge per Backer: $49
Duration: Sep 2nd – Oct 2nd (30 days)
The PLAYBULB candle is a flameless candle whose color can be controlled by smartphone, doubles as a candle holder, and can be blown out like a regular candle. You can buy a group of PLAYBULB candles and program the lights in groups to have different effects for a wide variety of occasions. The PLAYBULB can also act as a safe night light. These candles are embedded with a lavender scent chip and are available for $14 or more on Kickstarter.
Conclusion
With summer almost over and fall approaching there seem to be a lot of game related projects doing well on Kickstarter, as you can see from this week’s roundup. These games look like fun and involve a lot of work and creativity on the creators’ parts. The Heated Butter Spreader and PLAYBULB candle are adaptations of useful household items and all of these projects’ ingenuity has earned them success early on in their crowdfunding campaigns.
What one is you favorite? Be sure to also share which projects you’ve recently backed in the “Discuss Projects You’ve Backed” section of KickstarterForum.org.
