Bones 6 Enthusiasm and Commentary

[WhiteWulfe]

On 5/13/2022 at 11:50 AM, Chaoswolf said:

If they were to do a Chronoscope KS, I think it might do alright,  especially if they have realistic expectations for it.

They'd be able to make smaller, more focused groups of figures rather than cowboys, zombies, and superheroes all in one group together like they've done the past few KS campaigns. I would imagine that would be more appealing to people. 

I agree.  I thoroughly wanted to support Chronoscape in the previous Kickstarter, but the fact over two thirds of it held no interest to me made it not even make it through the initial cuts for what I was going to spend my money on.  Smaller, more focused groups of minis would be especially beneficial.

[Minsky07]

13 hours ago, WhiteWulfe said:

I agree.  I thoroughly wanted to support Chronoscape in the previous Kickstarter, but the fact over two thirds of it held no interest to me made it not even make it through the initial cuts for what I was going to spend my money on.  Smaller, more focused groups of minis would be especially beneficial.

Wondering if people wanting the Chronoscope kickstarter also have realistic expectations. If it a lot smaller compared to fantasy numbers, the costs or\and number of figures in expansions might differ quite a bit. Especially considering that Chronoscope fanbase seem to be a lot more divided and less likely to purchase expansions out of their interest. Cthulhu\horror, SF and steampunk and modern seem a lot more person specific than subgenres of fantasy.

I would most likely pass such a kickstarter unless there were some interesting pieces in horror\sf that I could use outside of those specific genres.

[ttuckerman]

I have bought all Chronoscope expansions.  I have not bought many Fantasy expansions.

[GoldenPiggy]

7 hours ago, Minsky07 said:

Wondering if people wanting the Chronoscope kickstarter also have realistic expectations. If it a lot smaller compared to fantasy numbers, the costs or\and number of figures in expansions might differ quite a bit. Especially considering that Chronoscope fanbase seem to be a lot more divided and less likely to purchase expansions out of their interest. Cthulhu\horror, SF and steampunk and modern seem a lot more person specific than subgenres of fantasy.

This is exactly the issue that makes a Bones Chronoscope Kickstarter tricky.  Maybe if they had several "core" sets separated by theme (horror, cyberpunk, modern, for example), there would be enough buyers to cover costs of production.  Or, even better, skip core sets entirely and make them all encounter-based.  Start at 8-10 miniatures for $20 in each set, then add a few as stretch goals are reached.  Try for add-ons that would be useful across genres, or at least that will sell really well for one genre.  It won't be a multi-million dollar Kickstarter, but I think there are a few hundred thousand dollars out there for Chronoscope.

[kristof65]

1 hour ago, GoldenPiggy said:

This is exactly the issue that makes a Bones Chronoscope Kickstarter tricky.  Maybe if they had several "core" sets separated by theme (horror, cyberpunk, modern, for example), there would be enough buyers to cover costs of production.  Or, even better, skip core sets entirely and make them all encounter-based.  Start at 8-10 miniatures for $20 in each set, then add a few as stretch goals are reached.  Try for add-ons that would be useful across genres, or at least that will sell really well for one genre.  It won't be a multi-million dollar Kickstarter, but I think there are a few hundred thousand dollars out there for Chronoscope.

I would do it one of two ways (or maybe combine them)

Option 1: "Core" sets that sized similarly to a regular Bones expansion, in 3 parts, each focused on a single theme - Horror, Pulp, Cyberpunk, etc.   Start off with two of these sets, then add more as stretch goals. If the KS is successful enough, you could further focus future expansions, particularly for sci-fi.  Sci-Fi Egyptians is going to look quite a bit different to cyberpunk. 

 

Option 2: themed encounter or unit sets all priced at about $20 each.  Start off with five or six of these sets in various themes, and have a minimum pledge of $60 bucks that allows you to pick any three sets.  Each stretch goal adds a new set. 

Which one I'd go with would really depend on the backend economics, which Reaper would know better than I. 

Alternatively, option 3 could be a combination - start off with the "core" sets as in option 1, sprinkled with smaller encounters and units, but I think this might be harder to get right.  I think the other two options set better expectations. 

Personally, I'd consider a $100k Chronoscope KS that added a dozen models to the line as a success. 

[Fnordlover]

4 hours ago, GoldenPiggy said:

 It won't be a multi-million dollar Kickstarter, but I think there are a few hundred thousand dollars out there for Chronoscope.

I'm sure they'll break $2 million in the PM this time, but I think that Reaper's multi-million dollar Kickstarter days are dwindling away. Between disappointing Europe, the dropping of old hand Bones backers faster than new ones are coming in, and the state and direction of the world these days, I don't hold out hope for strong showings anytime soon.

[JoeGKushner]

4 hours ago, Fnordlover said:

I'm sure they'll break $2 million in the PM this time, but I think that Reaper's multi-million dollar Kickstarter days are dwindling away. Between disappointing Europe, the dropping of old hand Bones backers faster than new ones are coming in, and the state and direction of the world these days, I don't hold out hope for strong showings anytime soon.

 

I think one bit not mentioned is online game play.  Thanks to COVID, many people discovered Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds and other bits.  We probably have more active players than ever before but if I'm playing on Roll20, I don't need physical miniatures.

 

There's also 3D printers which allow for a ton of options in the market.  None no single publisher could ever keep up with.  I know Reaper changed the were bear to a void looking too much like one from Arch Villain Games for example. 

9 hours ago, GoldenPiggy said:

This is exactly the issue that makes a Bones Chronoscope Kickstarter tricky.  Maybe if they had several "core" sets separated by theme (horror, cyberpunk, modern, for example), there would be enough buyers to cover costs of production.  Or, even better, skip core sets entirely and make them all encounter-based.  Start at 8-10 miniatures for $20 in each set, then add a few as stretch goals are reached.  Try for add-ons that would be useful across genres, or at least that will sell really well for one genre.  It won't be a multi-million dollar Kickstarter, but I think there are a few hundred thousand dollars out there for Chronoscope.

 

And what type of 'horror' theme?

 

For example, let's say you have 1920s Pulp.  I'd pass on that.  But let's say it has a bunch of monsters in it.  Now I want the monsters but not necessarily anything else in it.

 

Ditto for sci-fi.  Monsters of sci-fi?  Absolutely.  Alien species?  Not so much.

[Olaf the Stout]

9 minutes ago, JoeGKushner said:

 

I know Reaper changed the were bear to a void looking too much like one from Arch Villain Games for example. 

It didn’t look similar to it. It looked like the sculptor had attempted to make a direct copy of it.

Edited May 17, 2022 by Olaf the Stout

[R2ED]

I find myself in a conundrum.  I love these minis. I think the quality and detail is getting better.  Sure, it's not GW good.  No, it's not as good as resin (if you have a 3D printer).  But the quality to cost is what i go for.  Bones 5 was my first buy in, and while i was waiting for 5 to deliver, i bought a 2nd hand set of Bones 4. It's easy to see the quality jump.  6 looks even better.  My issue is that I've got a mountain i can't paint fast enough to get through. 

 

I tried setting up that paint club that would get people involved in painting minis together so e could burn through that shame together, but it lost a lot of momentum.  In turn, because i can't paint as fast as I'm accumulating, i need some kind of plan on how to get through it all. 

 

How do those of you who have the same stacks 'o shame get through it?  I feel like I'm buying more organizer bins to keep fit it all into, which is silly.  I know my limits and it takes me 3 hours to paint to a level i really like.  I even bought speedpaints to help things along, but the quality of the job suffers.  Overall, I'd keep buying if i knew i could get through it.  I just am hoarding.  

 

Is there a group on here that trades or exchanges certain models?  Like if someone wanted abatch of particular models they could do a trade for with another person to help get more of what you would paint and get rid of that which you wouldn't.

 

I'm very happy to see what Bones 6 did.  All placed a pretty penny in.  I still buy their retail stuff, too.  My problem is getting to be a storage issue and needing to get through more before i add more.  Oh, and that's not even considering i have bones 5.5 on the way.  Or any of the other stupid kickstarters i did, too.  #firstworldproblem

[Evilhalfling]

I paint a lot of bones. 
what has worked well for me is a goal (paint the entire core set)  and a spreadsheet to track my progress on that goal. 
It also keeps track of everything I ordered in the each KS  (it falls apart when it comes to retail purchases) 

The Reaper Challenge League (on discord)  has helped me to find new and interesting ways to paint the figures that are on my list - 
either through a long running Trio group,  and challenges like limited pallet, themes, OSL or  April showers (paint something as wet) 
last year I painted 120 figures, higher than my usual total. 

offers to trade miniatures probably violate reapers buy/sell policies on the forums.  I use a facebook group titled buy/sell reaper and other ... 

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Evilhalfling

[aku-chan]

8 hours ago, R2ED said:

I find myself in a conundrum.  I love these minis. I think the quality and detail is getting better.  Sure, it's not GW good.  No, it's not as good as resin (if you have a 3D printer).  But the quality to cost is what i go for.  Bones 5 was my first buy in, and while i was waiting for 5 to deliver, i bought a 2nd hand set of Bones 4. It's easy to see the quality jump.  6 looks even better.  My issue is that I've got a mountain i can't paint fast enough to get through. 

 

I tried setting up that paint club that would get people involved in painting minis together so e could burn through that shame together, but it lost a lot of momentum.  In turn, because i can't paint as fast as I'm accumulating, i need some kind of plan on how to get through it all. 

 

How do those of you who have the same stacks 'o shame get through it?  I feel like I'm buying more organizer bins to keep fit it all into, which is silly.  I know my limits and it takes me 3 hours to paint to a level i really like.  I even bought speedpaints to help things along, but the quality of the job suffers.  Overall, I'd keep buying if i knew i could get through it.  I just am hoarding.  

 

Is there a group on here that trades or exchanges certain models?  Like if someone wanted abatch of particular models they could do a trade for with another person to help get more of what you would paint and get rid of that which you wouldn't.

 

I'm very happy to see what Bones 6 did.  All placed a pretty penny in.  I still buy their retail stuff, too.  My problem is getting to be a storage issue and needing to get through more before i add more.  Oh, and that's not even considering i have bones 5.5 on the way.  Or any of the other stupid kickstarters i did, too.  #firstworldproblem

 

I just accepted that I'll never actually manage to paint everything and simply collecting minis is part of the hobby for me.

It sounds pretty defeatist, but I've cut down a lot on the ranges I collect, given my collection a good clear out multiple times, and try to paint daily if I can. There's simply no getting around the fact that I'm a very slow painter and companies are going to continue putting out really snazzy stuff! 

[Guindyloo]

10 hours ago, R2ED said:

Is there a group on here that trades or exchanges certain models?  Like if someone wanted abatch of particular models they could do a trade for with another person to help get more of what you would paint and get rid of that which you wouldn't.

 

 

10 hours ago, Evilhalfling said:

The Reaper Challenge League (on discord)  has helped me to find new and interesting ways to paint the figures that are on my list - 
either through a long running Trio group,  and challenges like limited pallet, themes, OSL or  April showers (paint something as wet) 
last year I painted 120 figures, higher than my usual total. 

offers to trade miniatures probably violate reapers buy/sell policies on the forums.  I use a facebook group titled buy/sell reaper and other ... 

 

 

Evilhalfing is correct; you cannot set up/inquire about trades/buying/selling on any of Reaper's official social media. They made exceptions for the Secret Sophie exchanges and for the Box of Goodwill here on the forum, but those have specific rules and were set up with permission. They would not approve a group that does a specific request/request fulfillment sort of trading.

 

The BOGW is where I personally send off the figures that I know I'll never paint. I just keep a box marked "MINIS TO DONATE" and into the box they go to wait for the BOGW to come back to me or I have also been known to put a box on a table at Reapercon with a "free to a good home" sign. If you're not looking to recoup money and just don't want the figures to go to waste, perhaps you could do something similar. (Check with coordinators of any event you attend before doing a "free to a good home" box!)

 

Also as Evilhalfing pointed out, please check out the RCL: https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/93204-reaper-challenge-league-2022-edition/ We run it on the discord and I know a lot of people find it very motivating to challenge themselves to hit all of the categories and have a good time setting up duos, trios and large groups. I'm not gonna lie, I think that the setup is a little confusing, but the general rundown is that we have different categories that you paint and submit for and get points in exchange that you can enter into raffles where you can win various prizes from Reaper. On the discord we have a whole section dedicated to the RCL with channels for announcements, rules & info and we started a questions channel where you can get an official answer relatively quickly from one of us mods there who coordinate the RCL. You can also feel free to post in the RCL thread I linked above to ask questions if you want to enquire about anything before joining the discord.

[1dunnj]

5 hours ago, Guindyloo said:

 

 

Evilhalfing is correct; you cannot set up/inquire about trades/buying/selling on any of Reaper's official social media. They made exceptions for the Secret Sophie exchanges and for the Box of Goodwill here on the forum, but those have specific rules and were set up with permission. They would not approve a group that does a specific request/request fulfillment sort of trading.

 

The BOGW is where I personally send off the figures that I know I'll never paint. I just keep a box marked "MINIS TO DONATE" and into the box they go to wait for the BOGW to come back to me or I have also been known to put a box on a table at Reapercon with a "free to a good home" sign. If you're not looking to recoup money and just don't want the figures to go to waste, perhaps you could do something similar. (Check with coordinators of any event you attend before doing a "free to a good home" box!)

...

I was super excited to have found out about box of goodwill! I hope I catch signups for the next round. 

outside of forums, the best thing i can think is finding gaming freinds/locals that are into minis, but not as into them as you are. This way they are unlikely to have backed the same kind of kickstarters as you, but might be willing to take a few off your hands at cost. 

[R2ED]

Thanks to all.  Let me be clear, i want them, but I'm running out of room. In order for me to bring more in, i need to get some out.  I try to tell myself "don't back any more." But of course i cave to my own weakness of having more.  

 

I do like the sets or adventures bones puts together.  I try to think of things in dioramas and what i want to do to base them.  I looked the idea of the Egyptian or Green Gryphon, but i didn't pull the trigger on those.  I find myself drawn to the graveyard and adventuring parties more.   Do i need? No.  Will i likely cave in the PM? Yes.

 

I love the forums for all the input. Thanks y'all for the guidance.  

 

[JoeGKushner]

On 5/16/2022 at 10:29 PM, Evilhalfling said:

I paint a lot of bones. 
what has worked well for me is a goal (paint the entire core set)  and a spreadsheet to track my progress on that goal. 
It also keeps track of everything I ordered in the each KS  (it falls apart when it comes to retail purchases) 

The Reaper Challenge League (on discord)  has helped me to find new and interesting ways to paint the figures that are on my list - 
either through a long running Trio group,  and challenges like limited pallet, themes, OSL or  April showers (paint something as wet) 
last year I painted 120 figures, higher than my usual total. 

offers to trade miniatures probably violate reapers buy/sell policies on the forums.  I use a facebook group titled buy/sell reaper and other ... 

 

How about a link to that Reaper Challenge League on discord?