Delayed Robotech RPG Tactics - Palladium

[vutpakdi]

RRT is effectively dead, and there are enough very bitter folks who can't let go of the fact that they are highly unlikely to see any of the "Wave 2" items.  I am surprised that things went so badly after a brief exchange, and I hope that Carmen recovers.

 

I believe that Palladium underestimated costs and far overestimated demand.  Because of the success of the campaign, they expected RRT to be a blowout success and used the Kickstarter money to print far too much of Wave 1.  When RRT flopped, there was no money to proceed with the Wave 2 items.  Unless there is a large funding infusion, I don't see Palladium investing any significant money to produce Wave 2 items, particularly for Kickstarter backers from whom they will get zero additional revenue.

 

I'm chalking the experience up to a valuable and expensive lesson about going big into someone's first project.

 

Ron

[klarg1]

RRT is effectively dead, and there are enough very bitter folks who can't let go of the fact that they are highly unlikely to see any of the "Wave 2" items.  I am surprised that things went so badly after a brief exchange, and I hope that Carmen recovers.

 

I believe that Palladium underestimated costs and far overestimated demand.  Because of the success of the campaign, they expected RRT to be a blowout success and used the Kickstarter money to print far too much of Wave 1.  When RRT flopped, there was no money to proceed with the Wave 2 items.  Unless there is a large funding infusion, I don't see Palladium investing any significant money to produce Wave 2 items, particularly for Kickstarter backers from whom they will get zero additional revenue.

 

I'm chalking the experience up to a valuable and expensive lesson about going big into someone's first project.

 

Ron

 

I would agree. I don't see anything good coming out of this.

 

I don't see any way for the relationship between Palladium and its backers to be repaired, and neither side is behaving well. I'm extremely disappointed that I won't receive the balance of my backer rewards, but I have accepted that this was a failed project for a while now.

 

I hope Carmen recovers and moves on with his life.

Edited February 21, 2017 by klarg1

[ced1106]

I'm chalking the experience up to a valuable and expensive lesson about going big into someone's first project.

 

I'm chalking the experience up to a valuable and important lesson that if someone can't run a business before a KS, they're not going to change afterwards.

 

Dakka rumormill is that Palladium expected Ninja Division to do more work than their contract stipulated. 

[Club]

The kickstarter model isn't a new thing. It's actually pretty old. It was just made illegal for the longest time because the failure rate meant that it had a bad habit of eating people's life savings.

 

I've had a couple projects go sideways on me. I went in knowing that I might get nothing for my money, and gambled anyway. The failures irritate me, but rage would be misplaced; I have naught to blame but myself.

 

Tell me, how many of you see stores open, operate for a year or two, and then shut down? Same phenomenon.

 

I don't think palladium handed this well at all, but some research into them would show the possibility.

[odinsgrandson]

One of the troubles is that Palladium isn't admitting that it is over, and they failed.  At that point (per Kickstarter policy) they'd have to open the books and show how things went wrong (or they'd have to issue refunds- which I'm sure they don't have the money for).

 

Sure, their name would still be forever tainted in Kickstarter- and that extend to Palladium associated properties -even if someone else is doing the games (Carmen's position really sucks that way).  Although I think that owning their mistakes would do a good bit to help the brand since the last word I heard was that they blamed everything on Ninja Division (and I guess Palladium just forgot to read the contract?).

 

 

 

The thing that I learned from RRT is that any Kickstarter can fail.  I often feel safer if it is run by a company that has a proven track record outside of Kickstarter, but that just goes to show.

[Olaf the Stout]

One of the troubles is that Palladium isn't admitting that it is over, and they failed.  At that point (per Kickstarter policy) they'd have to open the books and show how things went wrong (or they'd have to issue refunds- which I'm sure they don't have the money for).

 

Sure, their name would still be forever tainted in Kickstarter- and that extend to Palladium associated properties -even if someone else is doing the games (Carmen's position really sucks that way).  Although I think that owning their mistakes would do a good bit to help the brand since the last word I heard was that they blamed everything on Ninja Division (and I guess Palladium just forgot to read the contract?).

 

 

 

The thing that I learned from RRT is that any Kickstarter can fail.  I often feel safer if it is run by a company that has a proven track record outside of Kickstarter, but that just goes to show.

 

Palladium has a proven track record, but not the type of proven track record you'd want to have. I think it was around 2010 that I read posts from ex-employees stating how Palladium still laid out their print products by hand, rather than doing it electronically like everyone else in the world has for many, many years.

 

Palladium fanboys literally saved the company a while back by buying an overpriced print that Palladium started selling as a fundraiser. When they released this overpriced print they told everyone that the company was at risk of going under if they didn't get some money in the door.

 

It was nothing more than begging for money with fans getting a small token of thanks in return.

[Sergeant_Crunch]

I just got KS update email.  Apparently PB has a new business.  Not sure if it will change anything but it would be nice to get the rest of my order....but I'm not counting on it any time soon.  At this point I don't remember what all I'm supposed to get.

[Jasper_the_2nd]

I have a spreadsheet somewhere....hopefully.

I'm not saying the KS comments folks are anti-palladium or anything, but several have already suggested the new guy quietly finds a new job and gets out while he can....

 

I just want my MKII Monsters....

[Sergeant_Crunch]

3 hours ago, Jasper_the_2nd said:

I have a spreadsheet somewhere....hopefully.

I'm not saying the KS comments folks are anti-palladium or anything, but several have already suggested the new guy quietly finds a new job and gets out while he can....

 

I just want my MKII Monsters....

Yeah, I was actually surprised that the initial comments weren't worse.  And I feel pretty much the same as your last line.

[klarg1]

On 6/20/2017 at 0:50 PM, Sergeant_Crunch said:

I just got KS update email.  Apparently PB has a new business.  Not sure if it will change anything but it would be nice to get the rest of my order....but I'm not counting on it any time soon.  At this point I don't remember what all I'm supposed to get.

 

I thought the last two updates were well written from a "Let's reset communications and start over" perspective, but at this stage, my apathy runneth over.

 

If the new guy gets something moving, great, I suppose, but I'm not holding my breath.

[petrov27]

I have little expectation or hopes but I will give that the new guy's communication is a significant change for the better

[Sergeant_Crunch]

Still waiting on Wave 2.  On the up side, if it ever arrives I might actually have time to paint by then.

[TheAuldGrump]

6 hours ago, Sergeant_Crunch said:

Still waiting on Wave 2.  On the up side, if it ever arrives I might actually have time to paint by then.

 

[Insert comment about old age homes here]

 

Yeah - I will admit that I gave up on Palladium a long time before the Kickstarter began....

 

The Auld Grump - K. S. is a great example of a person that should never run a business....

[vutpakdi]

I’ve written off Robotech RPG Tactics as an expensive lesson, so I’m not expecting to see Wave 2 (or 3 or 4 or however many waves there might need to be).  Sure, I’d like to be pleasantly surprised, but I’m certainly not wasting any more energy on this project.

 

Ron

[Sergeant_Crunch]

I pretty much have as well.  Though every once in a great while I'll check to see if they've made *any* progress.