Tell us a bit about yourself and Clans of Caledonia.
I was born in the United Arab Emirates but lived most of my life in Bavaria (South Germany). I studied philosophy & economics and Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship. Before Clans of Caledonia I worked as a consultant and business development manager.
What did you do to build up a following before you launched the campaign?
I playtested a lot and collected email addresses of playtesters. I submitted the game for the Hippodice game design competition (Clans of Caledonia was among the best 10 among 160+ game submissions). And I was quite active on BGG.
When did you launch your campaign and why did you choose that exact moment?
I planned to start in January/February but the graphic design took longer than expected. These months are supposed to be good for campaigns and leave enough time to produce the game before the game fair in Essen in October.
Did you expect to get so many backers?
No. I was hoping for €100k to €150k and even that seemed crazy high for most people I talked to. I thought a massive hit like Clans of Caledonia is not possible if you are neither CMON, nor Stonemaier Games nor based in the US. The most successful campaign from Germany was about €20k I think.
What do you think was the main reason for the success of Clans of Caledonia?
I think the game has a clear target group and satisfies the needs of this target group perfectly. Euro gamers love farming, modular boards, variable player powers and a solo version.
You had a money back guarantee. What was you tactic behind that?
If the perceived risk for potential backers is too high they won’t support your campaign. Some campaigns like those of CMON reduce the backers’ risk by giving them a lot of exclusives and game material. I didn’t want to go that route so I used a very strong money-back guarantee instead.
If there was one thing you wish you knew before you launched, what would it be?
Dealing with retailers took a lot more time than expected and distracted me from promoting the campaign.
What is your best marketing tip during the campaign?
If you prepared the campaign well, you won’t need to do a lot of marketing during the campaign. The massive success will make the campaign stick out and get a lot of attention.
What’s the best kickstarter advice you ever received?
Creating a landing page to collect email addresses months before the campaign. I tweaked the landing page to maximize the conversion rate.
What are your thoughts regarding stretch goals?
I personally don’t like too much stretch goal theatre. It is also the main reason why so many KS projects are heavily delayed.
What do you think is the most important element of a Kickstarter page?
The still image should look appealing and make potential backers get interested.
What is your favourite board game at the moment and why?
Avalon because it is tense and I can play it with more casual and more serious gamers.
Do you have any role models in the board gaming industry?
Jamey Stegmaier of course 😉
Anything else you want to add?
I think you should go all in or nothing. If you aren’t doing this wholeheartedly and are putting both all your efforts into this and making bold decisions, you will probably either fail or at least not be very successful (which means a lot of work while not making any money).
If you missed the Kickstarter campaign you can still pre-order the game via the pledge manager
Where can people reach you?
A series of Kickstarter interviews 