Kickstarter Reports, March 2023 Update

In 2022, we expanded our Kickstarter activities and we're showing no signs of slowing in 2023. Over the last few years, including those pre-pandemic years of 2018 and 2019, we have watched as the distribution network changed. Where once we could reliably produce a new game and then get a year or two to promote and sell the title, now far too many of our releases are one-and-done, making it more difficult to justify some of the smaller and stranger projects on our schedule.

Fortunately, Kickstarter has proven to be an incredible launchpad for ideas. From niche game expansions like The Rose Labyrinth to new editions of cult classics like Wiz-War, crowdfunding at Kickstarter has given us the opportunity to continue doing what we love best: making games. We continue to work at improving our processes and project management skills, and we know that no matter how hard we try, crowdfunding will always throw new wrenches into the gears to impact our plans. Still, despite a few delays, our overall track record is improving as we deliver more and more projects on – and sometimes ahead of – schedule.

What's next? Steve's Tabloids game (first mentioned here) is coming soonish, but we also have the Choose Cthulhu books (mentioned here), new Pocket Boxes, and more in the works. Before those, though, we have a Hack & Slash Kickstarter campaign that is scheduled to go live today. The Hack & Slash project will ship to Canada, the EU, the US, and the UK and is slated to run on our Warehouse 23 account.

Read on to see the active projects . . . and please follow us on Kickstarter – Steve Jackson Games and Warehouse 23 – to see what comes next.

Steve Jackson Games' Hack & Slash Game, Plus New Promo Cards

  • March 8 to March 16
  • Launches Today!
  • Please follow the new Kickstarter campaign to receive notice when this project goes live. In addition to the game, expansion, and new promo cards, this campaign also includes a Hack & Slash playmat and a Hack & Slash t-shirt. 

Hexagram #11, an Old-School RPG Zine for The Fantasy Trip

  • February 20 to February 28
  • 585 backers and on schedule
  • This latest issue has successfully funded and is now at print. In addition to the new Hexagram issue, we're also producing a new entry in the Quick Quest series thanks to the support of our backers.

Steve Jackson Games' Box of Astonishments

  • February 13 to February 16
  • 402 backers and on schedule
  • This latest grab box campaign has closed, the boxes have been ordered, and now we have to shift to assembling the rewards. Surveys and pre-orders have opened; if you missed the Kickstarter campaign, click here to pre-order a box! (United States addresses only. The box is too big and heavy for international shipping.)

Wiz-War, Tom Jolly's Classic Boardgame Returns!

  • January 23 to February 2
  • 1,769 backers and on schedule
  • The Kickstarter campaign is over, pre-orders are now open, and the factory is scheduled to complete manufacturing this month.

Rose Labyrinth Roleplaying Game Adventure Set

  • December 19 to January 2
  • 353 backers and on schedule
  • We're now shipping the project rewards. This campaign will not appear on this report again.

CARnage – Cars and weapons for auto combat games

  • November 25 to December 7
  • 1,172 backers and on schedule
  • Fulfillment is happening now! 

Munchkin Witches, 30 Cards for Steve Jackson's Munchkin

  • October 31 to November 10
  • 984 backers and (barely) on schedule
  • Manufacturing completes this month. Our estimated delivery is May of this year, and it's going to be tight. If we encounter shipping delays, we're very likely to slide into June, which will make this project late.

That's more open projects than we've seen in a few months, but two of them are currently in the fulfillment stage, and the others are either at print or head to print soon. I personally feel good about the state of our active Kickstarter campaigns and I look forward to taking more ideas to the site every month this year.

For more news on upcoming projects, please join our mailing lists by visiting this page and signing on today!

We do not yet have exact launch dates for our next Kickstarter campaigns, so please follow both Steve Jackson Games and Warehouse 23 on Kickstarter so that you don't miss anything.

-- Phil Reed