Well said, Sir Khelthros.Khelthros wrote:I'll keep this as professional as possible, and I won't spam.
I have received my Showdown + Battlecry + Wave 1 Add Ons and after putting together 9 figures...I quit. The product, in my opinion, is sub par. Without going into detail, the engineering of these pieces was hideous. So on that note, I am done with Robotech RPG Tactics. I have sold my 3 boxes and when I receive Wave 2, I will be selling those as well. I have been very frustrated with how the kickstarter was handled, but when my boxes came in I put it all aside and was quite excited to begin assembly and was let down once more. So for that, I am done. I honestly just want to break even and get my money back, so if I have to turn to the free market, I will.
There are people who love their product. For those people, I am genuinely happy. We all have different levels of tolerances, and that's great. There was a certain person who said if we were disappointed, we should re-evaluate our expectations. As we were promised "mouth watering detail" and the renders looked phenomenal, my expectations were high. After the kickstarter shenanigans, I lowered my expectations, and even still, I was disappointed. I do not think re-evaluating our expectations is wise advice, as it only made me angry as I'm sure it did others as well.
As for other Palladium products, I'll try to be concise. Judging as a company, I do not like Palladium Books. Their professionalism after the kickstarter is lacking. First, the GenCon fiasco. Now the retailer fiasco. So for this, I will not support Palladium Book products across the board. That being said, however, I wish no ill will on Kevin, Wayne, Jeff, or anyone. I'm sure they're great people and if given the chance to talk to them, I would gladly talk to them in a genuinely friendly manner.
Some advice I would give if you plan to do another Kickstarter. Here's a list.
1) Tier pledges by waves and limit each wave so that it's more manageable.
2) Separate International and Domestic with included shipping prices on each tier. Then alternate shipping (wave 1 domestic ships first, wave 1 international ships second, wave 2 domestic first, etc)
3) Have a retailer tier. You're quite determined to get the product to retailers. If they are truly interested, have a pledge for retailers, which get theirs after the other backers.
4) Hire someone who is dedicated to communication. A part time employee, possibly. If you maintain a strict posting schedule, (Reaper does an update on the first and third friday of every month). Transparency and communication is very important to us as backers. During the RRT kickstarter, we have 0 transparency. Especially on how the molds are being done and how Quality Control is being handled.
5) Possibly outsource shipping to someone who specializes in it. It costs more money, but is more professional than trying to wear 10 hats at once.
I just want to share my thoughts and feelings. If you disagree, please, do so in a friendly manner. I am attacking no one.
I hope that Palladium Books reads your well-penned letter and gets on the ball to make amends to you.