I'm not famous.

I'm not famous. If you're like me in that way, we're like most people in being not famous. We don't have millions of followers on social media. We don't have our own TV shows, movie franchises, cookbooks, or fashion lines. We're regular, everyday people.

Where am I going with this? Well, I've noticed that a lot of successful Kickstarter campaigns by first-time creators rely heavily on the creator's fame. Take, for example, the ultra-successful game "Exploding Kittens." One of the two creators was Matthew Inman, a.k.a. The Oatmeal. He did all the work and made sure that his zillions of webcomic fans knew about the project. And it was a smash hit.

But here's a secret: It's not a great game. We own it. We've played it several times. It's essentially a card version of Russian Roulette with humorous comics on the cards. But it was hugely successful. Why? Well, mostly, I suspect, because The Oatmeal commands a huge army of fans across various social platforms, and they are both a built-in market and an effective word-of-mouth machine. That's a huge advantage that someone like me, or you, just doesn't have.

So when we (my family) launched our Kickstarter campaign for ROBOT RISE!, I expected it was going to be tough to gain the eyeballs needed to get it funded. And it has been. Sure, we're just over 50% funded 6 days into the campaign, which is a solid start (and we're incredibly grateful), but that's with just 127 backers. If we had even double that, it would be funded and these pains of anxiety in my chest might just subside.

So, if you're a fan of the idea that success isn't just, or even mostly, about who you know (or who knows you), but that it also matters how hard you work and how good the game actually is, maybe you could check out the campaign page, watch the intro video (or, even better, the bloopers one at the end), and consider backing it.

And, if you get the game and you regret it, just return it to us (in a condition we can donate it to a local charity or hospital) and we'll refund your pledge. Thanks.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/happyharpygames/robot-rise-embrace-your-inner-mad-scientist
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/happyharpygames/robot-rise-embrace-your-inner-mad-scientist