I was flipping through some links earlier this week and something caught my eye. I saw that Ferti and the US distributor, Eagle-Gryphon Games are making a new expansion to their dexterity game, Pitchcar. Curiously, they are going through kickstarter to fund it, which looks like a first for Ferti. Pitchcar expansions are all well and good but I was particularly struck by a particular add-on.
Ha! That looks pretty familiar!
First off, I think it is pretty cool that they are making some of the fan made content into production quality pieces. From a design perspective, I’m curious how well their version tackles the problem of the thickness variation between the two sets and if their are any spacing issues with the two versions not having a consistent length.
I have no clue if the publisher ever saw my pieces and decided to make them officially but I do like seeing things develop like this. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this happen.
And it won’t be the last. A friend once offered condolences when he first saw Hasbro announce Loopin’ Chewie but I don’t feel bad or angry seeing a company make something I’ve already done. In fact, I usually feel the opposite- validation usually first comes to mind. The thought that the designs that I enjoy creating were marketable to someone and they decided to gamble on them to make them a reality is something that no one can steal or cheat me out of. I have no illusion of ownership to these IPs that I play in when I pimp out a game so when the legitimate owner decides to follow suit, whether inspired by me or just through the concept of multiple discovery, I enjoy seeing it.
Ultimately, I’d love to have the independence to mass produce the customizations I do and provide them to others that are equally enthusiastic. Unfortunately, I don’t have the means to do it even when I know the concept or design is good and others will enjoy it. Seeing a publisher take it and make it available to others is the next best thing in my mind.
I hope Ferti’s kickstarter campaign goes well and this fosters even more adventurous expansions to the Pitchcar line.