Kickstarter

Creator Rino Romulo Loyola on July 10, 2012

@Michael what matters is that we are moving forward. Any MK Product that has some semblance or basis with the real Mageknight is better than nothing.

What's important is to keep an open mind. Bakus, Anunub, Skyros, Corpheus, were no BIG Dominant threats in the MK 2.0 era. They were still threats but at least you didn't see just the minority of JUST them in every tournament. They are noteworthy but became average in a good way. In their decline of power rose a LOT of the other lesser tier MK 1.0 figures that got a boost in value simply due to surge and double-time.

The new Mage knight will be different but a lot cleaner. It is kind of inevitable that it would have a heroclix dial counterpart but I really do wish they don't make THAT the main focus.

I wish the Online element was still in play though. It would have helped a lot with the playtesting. For the online? I would have simply been happy with an MK Destiny's Soldier Online version.

We both represent the community Michael. But the real Voice is the Survey results. I really hope we get to see it so that all doubts be put to rest.

Creator Michael Remenak on July 10, 2012

I find the joy of the cancelling of this project a little confusing. The only thing that we have learned is that the video game in its current design is cancelled, and that the tabletop version will be re-launced. Beyond that, we know nothing of what the new game might be.

Hopefully, Wizkids will now begin a dialog with the player community. To help put together a framework of what the new game will look and play like.

@Rino: Don't assume that your 2.0 minis will be usable in the new environment.

Personally, I believe it will be better for the player community if the slate is wiped clean with the re-launch. Trying to design the next iteration of game that is backward compatible to all the previously released figures is a daunting task. It also creates a big barrier to entry for new players to the game. My hope would be to see a cleaned up version of the 1.0 system as a starting point for the new game. As for backwards compatibility, let the player community develop house rules to sort out any issues. Only new figures should be usable in the organized play environment. This may be difficult for some to accept, (myself included who has spent more than this project took in on the old versions of the game) but it is better for the play environment.

Imagine a new player that has totally bought into the new game. He has purchased every figure, and comes to play in his first event which is based on 1.0 rules (this was original project assumption). I drop Annub, Backus, and Skyros and clean his clock. The new player is now dejected because he can't compete without putting money into the secondary market. Unless the new game is specifically designed to counter all of the power figures from the past, or are very high on the power curve this is a very realistic scenario.

I'm keeping an open mind, but without this project there is no formal way to interact with Wizkids at this time.

Creator Yousef Al Abhoul on July 10, 2012

Awwww man :(
I wanted the digital version of the game, what a shame. :(

Creator E.F. on July 9, 2012

Postmortem analysis
#1.Clarity and inclusiveness = Success
{In order to capture the support of the Heroclix multitude = “modern age / tournament legal dials”}
{MK’s loyal throng, like a lemming hoard, will leap for physical figures that are both Dungeon /Heroclix grid and tape measure compatible}
#2 .Use a figure mold again and again to build low cost variants = success
{*, **, ***, Limited Edition, glow in the dark and unpainted monochromatic}
#3 .Be a connoisseur of skillful means by emulating the masters of similar projects = success
{Sedition Wars: Battle for Alabaster, “officially the #1 funded board game ever on Kickstarter” is an enlightening study}
{Mage Knight’s formative vibrancy pioneered the spirit of a MK resurrection}

Creator Alfred Harrigan on July 9, 2012

Great news! I think it was a mistake to have 2 products piggybacking each other. Hopefully soon we will all see each other sometime on the battlefield (physically not digitally)!

Maybe they will do a seperate kickstarter for each product line. I would like the chance to get a complete LE set as a backer.

Creator Kenntak on July 9, 2012

I am looking forward to the plans for the physical miniatures game!

Creator Rino Romulo Loyola on July 9, 2012

@ Kurt ... Man you must have a curse with you or something... Just like an Apocalypse Rider, anything that you touch dies... HEHEHE Just kidding. jok jok jok

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all those who PLEDGED and all those who commented on the Forums!

Don't be disheartened, WE WON!!!

We the players, collectors, and Wizkids, NECA MFV WON because they will be coming out with a product based on our inputs.

It is sooooo straight-forward. They make us happy by giving us close to the product that we want, and we make them happy by buying it.

MAGE KNIGHT MINIS!!! MAGE KNIGHT MINIS!!! My MK stuff will still be usable and we can pick of were we left of at Nexus!!!

Please share with us the POLL results! we're dying to know!

Creator Kurt Wasserman on July 9, 2012

Wait a minute,
Was the WHOLE point of the Kickstarter project here JUST to gauge the interest?

From Update #4
"Our goal for this Kickstarter was to gauge community interest in the revival of Mage Knight..."

I just pledged and 2 hrs later it gets cancelled!

Creator Bryan Emerson on July 9, 2012

I am a huge HeroClix player but have never played MK. I support WK and want to see this succeed, but being 1/3 of the way into this with only 1/43 of the goal raised is disappointing.

I think what everyone has said about doing the 6 physical figures around 50-100 would invest a lot more people. I could care less about the t-shirt, but I am a $170 backer for the figures. If you decide to try again if this one does not succeed, try dropping the price for the 6 figures (or keep the $170 price point for all 6 and add 1 random figure for $25) and I imagine you will have a lot more people interested in backing.

Creator Kyle Noseworthy on July 9, 2012

I backed the project for $1.00 so that I can comment. Not sure about the other backers, but I could care less about a digital version of Mage Knight. Bring back the table top game!

Creator m. jared swenson on July 8, 2012

Fine. 8 figures for 30 i could do. Booster packs would be what, 4 figures for 15? I could do that too.

Creator Michael Remenak on July 8, 2012

@m. jared swenson

I would like to see this too, but it is not likely given the current cost of oil. The LOTR stater had 8 figures for $30.

Creator m. jared swenson on July 8, 2012

I just want to spend the same amount as an original starter set. $30 for about 12 figures seems reasonable to me.

Creator Yousef Al Abhoul on July 8, 2012

A word of advice if the team behind MKR wants to meet their funding goal is to see how Zombicide and Sedition Wars: Battle of Alabastar. The key word here is $50 to $100 (depends on how much goodies you provide). A lot of people backed these projects for the $100 pledge because of the "value" they can get.

I know MKR is a digital game and these above mentioned examples are Board Games. However, since you already offered physical miniatures I think you'd get a lot more backers if you offer a lower pledge plan (between $50 and $100) that offers even more miniatures or "something" tangent.

I want to see this project to succeed and I am more interested in the Online Digital Game than the physical miniatures but I don't want to see the project not meeting its goal because the pledges didn't attract enough people.

Creator Rino Romulo Loyola on July 7, 2012

The survey has got to be THE Biggest thing I have ever seen done. It's incredible! Now THIS is a company that is reaching out to it's player database! Thank you in advanced for this major step. I and practically everyone would love to see the poll as it progresses. I'll have every gamer that I know to go online and fill it up. Finally our voice will be heard. Asides from this survey, feel free to continue checking out the websites in the list for further inputs.

Our MK prayers are being answered! The weekend will seem like an eternity. It is however nothing compared to how long we have waited for the proper return of Mage Knight. It shouldn't have ended with nexus.

To help you out with your decision, just check out the online stores too. MK 2.0, Dark Riders, Sorcery, and Omens are all practically sold out for a reason. I've tried introducing so many new potential players. They understood and loved the concept of the game. How the figures can be customized with relics and items. How spells can now be properly casted by Wand-type figures. What prevented the new guys from playing? The most simple of reasons, They couldn't purchase them anymore.

MK online carries with it HUGE potential. The thought of playing against anyone from anywhere at our convenience is simply mind blowing! In the future, we can even have Worlds Championship done ONLINE too! That saves a lot in travel expenses for both the company and the individual. I was the 2005 nationals champion in the philippines and traveling to the states at the time was a bit of a problem. Had I known that it would have been the last, then I would have gone definitely. Had MK Online been around then that would have also been a different story.

I can't wait to see the minis themselves. I've had dreams that I saw them being sold on the shelf. Have the 6 minis and the LE figs have slots to place in relics and Items and watch those $170 pledges soar even higher!

Creator Watervale on July 7, 2012

Excellent decision to do the survey! Hope the rests help in maybe refining the future of Mage Knight online and offline as well!

Creator Joel Dela Cruz on July 6, 2012

If there was a $50 - $100 reward that included miniatures I'd be all over that. Shoot if there was a $75 reward just for a starter and the digital game I'm sure you'd have a lot more backers.

Creator Ashen on July 6, 2012

@ Rino:
True, even the virtual MK game could be interesting IF it features free movement and captures the MK style...
But grid based movement isn't MageKnight. If I'd want this I could play HCO.

Creator Rino Romulo Loyola on July 6, 2012

Stephen Cheney please hear our pleads. 54 pledgers who are serious enough to dedicate $170 of our hard earned money to support a physical mini is but a tip of the iceberg. You have these much people supporting from "so little info" being given so far for the minis means that it can only explode further if you give us something more concrete.

It is quite obvious that practically everyone here has no qualms with parting with $15 for the online that will only even further enhance our physical mini by allowing us to play the same game online with somebody from a different state or even abroad. That would be a dream come true.

I know it's easy to just go for the tile base from a programmer's perspective. If you really want to appease the die-hard fans of Mage Knight however, then you really have to do free measurement game. The separate Heroclix dial will take care of compatibility with Heroclix anyway.

I know that the feedbacks may be a lot to take in, but this is your Fan Base. We have spent a whole lot more than $170 on mage knight over time. We will continue to do so. Please help fill-up this empty Void in our MK lives.

We believe in you! We believe in your company, We believe in Mage Knight!

Creator Kenntak on July 6, 2012

I am currently a $170 backer, but I am mainly interested in the tabletop miniatures game. I know quite a few others who are interested in that too, but the incentive structure of this project and the lack of information on the plans for the miniatures game have kept a lot of people I know from backing this project.

If this project is funded, what are the specific plans for the tabletop miniatures game? Will it simply be an add on to a previous incarnation of Mage Knight, and if so which one? Or are this plans to make it a newly designed release, with its own starter set and with boosters released at regular intervals, and of course backward compatibility for people that have old figures?

Additional information would really be appreciated.

Creator Kenntak on July 6, 2012

I am currently a $170 backer, but I am mainly interested in the tabletop miniatures game. I know quite a few others who are interested in that too, but the incentive structure of this project and the lack of information on the plans for the miniatures game have kept a lot of people I know from backing this project.

If this project is funded, what are the specific plans for the tabletop miniatures game? Will it simply be an add on to a previous incarnation of Mage Knight, and if so which one? Or are this plans to make it a newly designed release, with its own starter set and with boosters released at regular intervals, and of course backward compatibility for people that have old figures?

Additional information would really be appreciated.

Creator Joel Dela Cruz on July 6, 2012

How discouraging... I have this page open and it showed us at 15k the. I refreshed and now it's at 13k. I agree with a lot of folks that miniatures is key and the reward level where we get them Iis way to high. I really hope things turn around.

Creator Michael Remenak on July 5, 2012

@David How:

Don't forget Ogre, SJG did a great job!

Creator David How on July 5, 2012

Shadowrun and Sedition Wars are two examples of how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise this kind of money.

Creator David How on July 5, 2012

I heard about Mage Knight but never got to play it. While I want this to succeed, I think that you're probably asking for too much. $700k to be raised in 1 Month is very ambitious. The projects that achieve this sort of thing always have:
1. A solid track record of success
2. A great initial presentation
3. A lot of updates from the project owners
4. They are very clear about what is being delivered

This project rates about 1/4 for having half of the first point and half of the second point.
While I would like to see this come to fruition, I doubt this attempt will work.

Creator Alfred Harrigan on July 5, 2012

I would absolutely love for Mage Knight (the miniature game) to come back! But like some have stated, their isn't a whole lot of good info available to us. $170 is pricey for the boxed boosters of random figures. They should make it so that the Kickstarter backers got at least a guaranteed 1 of each in the set then I'll have more interest. Will this be the 2.0 dials (Nexus: the images seem to suggest it, but why assume)?

Creator Michael Remenak on July 5, 2012

@ Ashen: +1
*
Currently, I am a $170 backer because I want to show support for a new miniatures game. I would probably rarely play the video game as it has been vaguely outlined. $170 is a lot of money, but with the way this project is progressing I doubt I will need to pay.
*
A relaunch of MK COULD be the biggest project on Kickstater if it is run properly. Back when MK was first conceived, it was grass roots efforts that made it a success. Players organized events before Wizkids even had a "real" website, and the events were supported by rares from the Rebellion set. During this time, many personal websites were born in support of the games including MKRealms.com which was more popular for discussing strategy that any other location on the web.
*
For this project to be a success, I would recommend that WK reach out to the community to shape the project before it is even posted to Kickstarter. They should create a forum for discussing and sharing of ideas, run surveys to see what players valued most of the old system, and build momentum so at launch day one pledges skyrocket.
*
In a previous post, I outlined what is important to me about the original game. I'm sure not everyone would agree with me, but it is a start. For 3.0, I would like to see a game more like version 1.0. Personally, I don't care about being able to use my old figures at organized events. For casual play it would be nice to use them, but by no means would be a requirement. If WK wanted to tap into the database of old figures, and reprint them with new models I would be happy.
*
-Warlord Paragin

Creator Ashen on July 5, 2012

So, even though I didn't want to back this project (not because I don't like MK, I would love to see it making a comeback, but because of the way this campaign is handeld) I backed 1$ just do be able to comment.
@ Jason:
I had excactly the same thoughts. I backed Shadowrun, and it was great campaign with a lot of feedback from the community. With all the campaigns I backed I felt like the guys who had theit projects funded were extremely commited and wanted to see their projects happen, because they believed in them. With MFV I have the feeling its just trying to minimize the financial risk of reintroducing MageKnight. The funding indeed make a step backwards as one of the 2000 $ backers withdrew his pledge.
@ MFV:
Many of us want to have MageKnight making a comeback, but I have the feeling that you don't care about it all. You provide details very reluctantly (all the update information - and MUCH more should have been there when you launched the campaign), the details you provide don't have much in common with MageKnight (gripbased maps? This isn't HeroClix! A Atlantean steampowered Golem? Take a look at the original factions! The concept art for the videogame? This looks like Dungeon & Dragons Minatures, but does not resemble MK at all!) and most important of all saying 'We are bringing it back' is an...let's call it exaggeration. You are using the MageKnight IP to create a whole new game, but that's not bringing back MK.
What I, as a fan want, is MINIATURES! Not a video game that doesn't seem to have anything in common with MK. But I don't want them at the price for which you offer them. And 16 miniatures is not enough to play MK. This isn't HC in which some superheroes battle each other, this is about armies fighting. Of course we could combine them with the old MK miniatures, but the old 1.0 minis are a lot smaller and have totally different bases. Why not create MK 3.0 and make it backwards compatible? Create 50 models and use them for 3 strenght levels like in the original game, and we have 150 miniatures to start with.
This would be bringing it back!
If you really want this project to happen cancel this campaign and start from scratch. Take 2 or 3 months to create concept art and preview models, think about the background and the way MK should evolve in the future. Create fair tiers for pledging. Then restart this campaign.
And start to listen to the community and involve them more in the decisions you make.

Creator Jason Saldana on July 5, 2012

It appears that funding for this project is going backwards...

It would probably be a good idea to include more updates, pictures of the product (figures), videos of the gameplay, and more incentives for pledging. Successful campaigns like Sedition Wars and Zombiecide offered tons of stretch goals and optional items and started with a low goal. Other projects like Ogre Designer's Edition, Traveller5 and Shadowrun Returns asked for extensive community input and had surveys asking what goals and products the backers were interested in. With 25 days to go, things are not looking good for MKR.

Creator Rino Romulo Loyola on July 5, 2012

Big thanks for showing us a bit of the form construction of the Figures in your company. It would thrill us to no ends if you show us an actual Physical Mage Knight Product. It's great to see a Dormammu from Marvel Galactic Guardians but we really would like to see more of an MK Figure honestly.

Creator E.F. on July 4, 2012

Some more ideas
#5.Why not build glow in the dark physical Mage Knight figures using the same factory molds? Mage Knight, in 2002, produced unpainted glow in the dark figures using the same molds as it’s painted units. Figures like the popular glow in the dark *** Crystal Protector variant. Optional unpainted glow in the dark variants of the starter and booster figures is another low cost way to increase MK fan interest. If MK were to modify the glowing figures dials from the painted LE’s the result would be +16 more physical units.
#6. By using the same factory molds to create unpainted monochromatic variant’s MK can further increase the # of physical figures. Imagine a fire shrouded chaos mage made of glow in the dark scarlet plastic. Imagine a glow in the dark swamp witch in green. How about an unpainted steam golem of granite or gun metal plastic? With the same molds Mage Knight use to make *, **, *** and LE variants. Because the figures are probably in an embryonic stage MK, if given a sufficient # of preorder backing, can probably produce more variants with this kickstarter than they are currently. All ala carte via a yummy optional physical minis menu.

Creator Jason (the original, now decaffeinated) on July 4, 2012

I wholly support a true reboot of MK, and am pretty lukewarm about a video game. So my pledge is Really for physical MK which I'm guessing is intentionally bait for your video game. So be it, but you might want to check out my poll on the Mage knight forum of board game geek. The numbers are too small to mean anything significant, but 0 people currently like this smushed together video game with a few physical figures kickstarter. What's worse is that more people would prefer it cold and dead. Please reconsider how this is being presented. There is a lot of interest in MK and this KS may not succeed due to how it is set up not from lack of interest.

Creator tymbrimi on July 4, 2012

I loved the original game and even enjoyed 2.0. I agree that I would prefer a free measurement game rather then a grid, but for $15 I will enjoy what I get. (Look at Skulls of the Shogun for a good example of free measurement used well.)
I also think that if an option to buy packs of the physical figures were available before the $170 option you would pick up a lot more money per backer. Several people in my gaming group would jump in for those!

Creator Raymond R. Fernando on July 4, 2012

I really hope this pushes through, always loved the game!

Creator Jason Christopher Faught on July 3, 2012

@M. Jared, it is good to know that I am not alone in my camp. *It would be nice to see it happen, but not with my money*

Creator Rino Romulo Loyola on July 3, 2012

I understand that for the Swappable Heroclix Dial of course the Tile base of Heroclix will be used. That's completely Ok.

But as for the Mageknight Dial. Please definitely get this Through, we want a Free form battlefield with measured movement. We DO NOT want the mageknight dial structure to be based on a grid.

For the compatibility with MK 1.0 I applaud that! but they must be 2.0 applicable. At least give them slots for items or Relics as would the ONline game would probably do too.

Also, please don't be shy and show us some of the Physical miniature sculpts.

Creator m. jared swenson on July 3, 2012

After reading the FAQ, i have come to a conclusion:
The video on this kickstarter page is extremely misleading. You see 2 guys playing a game of classic MK with the figures and everything, and they even say "too bad they don't make this game anymore", to which a dressed figure pops out saying "did you hear? they're bringing it back!"
This would imply they are doing a re-release of the miniatures game. However your hopes are dashed when you find out its just a turn based electronic game and the only figures being 'brought back' are limited edition for the $170 backing.
I am excited the dials will be MK 1.0 compatible, and i'm sure the sculpts will be awesome, but i'm not spending $170 for a couple figures, especially since i'm not interested in the video game at all.
I'll keep my $1 backing in just so i can track this game and its progress, and i really hope it makes it, i really do, but its not promising me enough for me to put any more money into it.

Creator Michael Remenak on July 3, 2012

There were a few elements that made Mage Knight a huge success back in the day:

1) Cool, cheap, random, pre-painted minis in a booster format
2) The clix dial
3) A simple 1 page easy to memorize ability card
4) Free form battlefield with measured movement
5) 2d6 combat

It is very disappointing to learn that the new release will be grid based like Heroclix. While hugely successful, in its initial release Heroclix was a dumbing down of Mage Kight. When choosing a grid battlefield for Heroclix, Wizkids intended to address some of the issues related to a free form measurement system, but as many people know instead introduced a new set of problems.

In my opinion, the decision to use a grid in the re-release may very well cause this project to fail.

If a grid must be used, please consider a hex based system. While no system is perfect, a hex based design has inherently less flaws than a grid system.

Please reconsider the decision to use a grid. I would love to see MK return, but not as another Heroclix flavor of the week as so many Wizkids releases are.

Warlord Paragrin

Creator Robert Bell on July 3, 2012

I funded it because I'd like to see mage knight back in any form.

However- I'm not really interested in the whole grid thing, measuring is awesome- and Mage Knight on the DS pulled that off well.

All in all what I'm saying, is Mage Knight fans in general don't simply want a Mage Knight based game (all though they will pitch in some for it)- what they want is actual Mage Knight in a game. Campaigns and AI with the actual core rules would be awesome. Also, the ability to play actual mage knight with friends online would be awesome.

Thanks, and good luck!!

Creator E.F. on July 2, 2012

Some ideas
#1.Clarify that Mage Knight physical dials are 1.0, 2.0 and or Dungeon hero.
#2. Clarify that Heroclix physical dials are to be “modern age”.
#3. Clarify the # of figures in each booster.
#4. Last week I backed a game called “Sedition Wars: Battle for Alabaster” and they empowered backers to spend more with “some optional items you can add to your pledge, just increase it by the appropriate amount and we’ll send you a survey after the Kickstarter concludes so you can pick what you’d like.” Mage Knight is already building both starter and booster sets, for sorcerer on up level, so why not add an option to buy more ala carte? SW:BA raised 951,254$ all Mage Knight needs is 700K. Give the physical MK fans something to cheer about with a strictly limited # of optional items per backer, say 2-3 starters and 5-20 boosters max. Limiting the #’s will protect collectors from Limited Edition dilution while still allowing players figures to play with.

Creator Rino Romulo Loyola on July 2, 2012

42 backers for the $170 pledge (the one with PHYSICAL figures). I'm one of them obviously! We love the sharing of information about the Online aspect. If it does allows us to play our favorite Mageknight game with someone from a different State or even Country, then hands down that is a Dream come true. We've always wanted to challenge players from a foreign land .

We will play the online game of course for the aspect of convenience and ease of branching out to people out of our play area.... but what really REALLY REALLY!!! fuels our passion here is the Physical Figures. I understand that releasing tidbits of updates at a time generates suspense and excitement but please provide us so at a bit more rapid a pace. Your probably saving the physical aspect somewhat at the later portion... but we are already spreading the news about the Game. We want the people that we inform to come to this site and be BLOWN away!!! we need to BLOW them Away EARLY because there are 28 days to go and the more people know about it early on then the possibility for success increases like-wise. Don't be frugal with the updates. We've BEEN crazy waiting for this for a LLLLoooonnngg Time. :-) Please Tease us some more ... show pics of the actual Figures. People are already checking this out and we don't want to disappoint them. First Impressions after all lasts... Go MFV, Go Wizkids, GO GO GO MAGEKNIGHT!!! awwooo!!!

Creator Jason Christopher Faught on July 2, 2012

*Fond memory: Having a freaking wall of forest = untargetable archers guarding a core force of skeletons which I would launch out 8 inches with my lich (I think, its been awhile) and respawn with my necromancer, or gravediggers. Engine of death!

Creator Jason Christopher Faught on July 2, 2012

While I have fond memories of playing with my mage knight collection, I have been burned too many times by the greed that ruled the company. 1.0, castle, dungeons, conquest, 2.0 heroclix, horrorclix, pirates, haloclix? In the end, I was left feeling raped of my money. And now... You're going to ask no less than 170 for what, I'm guessing 10-12 figures? No sir, I say NO sir! Fie! And Bah Humbug to you, sir! Whew, it feels good to get that out of my system... Anyway, good luck, cause you're only getting this one last dollar out of me. (Unless you offer a much more affordable hard copy package, but somehow, I don't think that's going to happen.)

Creator Edward Hyena on July 1, 2012

I'm in for this. I would love to see Mage Knight, and the actual Mage Knight I remember, come back in some form. I worry that the goal here might be a bit too high. We need 10,000 backers at the current average pledge.

Creator Curtis Dalton on July 1, 2012

I gotta say I'm hopeful but.... $700,000? I don't know of many kickstarters that reach that, hell some of the most successful kickstarters only reach a fraction of that, do you think maybe you should aim it lower? Maybe try an make the digital game first then set your sites higher?

Creator m. jared swenson on July 1, 2012

Yeah what's up with that? At $170 we get a starter set? Is the minis game coming much later, or is it a limited print run?