Let's call it hubris. I figured that, since I've published dozens of papers and several books on capitalism, I could do it. But it turns out that my (seemingly) firm theoretical grasp of capitalism... did not actually prepare me to launch and market a product!
We're down to the wire: it's the FINAL 72h of the crowdfunding campaign for the game Billionaires & Guillotines.
I need your help.
We are getting very close to our goal, but the viability of the game is by no means certain. The exuberance for the game… has not been as irrational as we had hoped, and the project is at risk.
For those unfamiliar, “crowdfunding” represents a fresh layer of capitalist hell where, soon, we’ll all be raising money to get our appendixes removed or to pay off the state not to pressgang us into their Drone Wars. Here’s how it works.
Someone (like me and my publisher Pluto) with a good (or bad) idea asks for pledges to help produce a final product (like a game).
They set a sales target and a date and if (and only if) the target is reached is the pledged money released so that the product can be manufactured and shipped.
If the target is not reached, the project fails and the pledgers get their money back (how embarrassing).
Even though we are (as of writing) close to 80% funded, the future of Billionaires & Guillotines is in jeopardy. This is why I need your help.
If there is one thing I have learned about capitalism, it's this: privatize the gains, socialize the losses! And so I'm reaching out to you to help me sort out this debacle.
How you can help
Please support the project through a donation or by buying the game in the next 72 hours (by the end of May 1)!
Even a small contribution to the project makes a difference. You don't need to buy an (admittedly, expensive) game to help make this project a reality. We are also selling stickers and books, or you can make a donation.
Even if you don't like games, why not buy it as a gift. The art alone (by Amanda Priebe) is worth it!
Consider buying a copy to donate it directly to your local library, community centre or activist space. Just make a note in your purchase and we'll ensure it gets sent to the right place. You could even buy a copy for Elon or Donald to play on their rocket as they make their luxurious way
into the heart of the Sunto their beautiful Mars mansions.If you've already pledged, you can always add an extra donation to help us over the finish line.
Everyone who pledges will have the option of having their name mentioned in the game's instruction manual, increasing your chance of being deported to a dungeon “involuntary sub-luxury spa experience” next time you try to fly to the US.
How could this have happened?
There are perhaps for a few reasons we haven't yet reached our target yet.
We launched the campaign on the same day that Trump
announced his bonkers tariffsran perhaps the biggest insider trading scam in human history. The subsequent economic uncertainty, combined with fears of rising fascism, cooled the market for a relatively expensive impulse purchase. Plus, we needed to adjust our goals (upwards) to plan for increased costs due to manufacturing and logistics nightmares).Several of our "celebrity" endorsers very kindly backed out at the last minute because of (realistic) fears that giving a blurb to a game that appears to endorse violence against certain plutocrats in positions of authority could be quite dangerous (in fact, the game has already been targeted by the right-wing outrage machine - I’m not linking, you can search it if you want to). In spite of rumours to the contrary, endorsements make a HUGE difference, especially to the sale of a game very few potential buyers have even tried. These same factors also made it quite difficult to get media coverage (turns out "Weird Academic Begs for Money for Dubious Spicy Game" is not a winning headline pitch)
We assumed we'd get a lot more backers from the hobby board game community. But perhaps because I'm a new game designer, or perhaps because they prefer apolitical games, these buyers were not as forthcoming as we'd hoped. It also may have something to do with the fact that, even though I've tested this game with hundreds of players, including many professional board game makers and critics, this is the first game I've brought to market, and the first game Pluto has published.
Meanwhile…
If you're in Brussels on May 28 and 29, come see me talk about games and political economy with Wassim Alsindi at Au JUS!
If you're in London, join us on the evening of Friday, May 2 at the venerable Freedom Bookstore to play Billionaires & Guillotines.
You can download a sample of the game to print-and-play at home, or play it on the Tabletop Simulator app!
I recently wrote about the game for Jacobin and Tribune. I talked about it on Pluto's Radicals in Conversation podcast, and also on Pretty Heady Stuff. This Tuesday, an interview with me about it will air on KPFA's Against the Grain at noon Pacific time, and it will be available afterwards on their website and podcast.
Thanks for your help! I can't promise I won't make more stupid mistakes in the future.
All the best,
Max