Bloom Games is a small operation, so self funding Motorsport was always out of the question. If I’m honest, one of the major reasons I shifted the game from a side/passion project into a full-on attempt at release is that I saw the dramatic boom in tabletop game funding that was happening. It gave me the idea that maybe Motorsport could realistically be something more than just a dream.

So I began to develop a plan to launch on Kickstarter. This is my first time crowdfunding a game (or anything), so I’ve spent a lot of time researching and understanding what’s needed to make a campaign successful. Anyone who’s spent some time on Kickstarter knows one of the most obvious and crucial parts of any tabletop game’s campaign is the stretch goals. People want to engage and see the unlocks happening and feel like they were a part of it! I totally get it. But when you pull up the Motorsport Kickstarter page for the first time, you will not see the stretch goals you are usually accustomed to seeing. I may be committing campaign suicide, but let me explain why I decided to stray from the typical stretch formula.

I want Motorsport to be the best game it can be. I want it to wow you when you open it for the first time. I want the box to look great. I want the cards to look and feel amazing. I want the dual layer upgrade trackers to delight you. I want you to nod in approval of the component tray with dedicated spots for each game component, where everything fits neatly. I want the gameplay to feel balanced and deliberate, with no tacked on components. I want you to feel like Motorsport is of utmost quality. And I want you to have this experience with the game no matter what.

In my desire to make the game as polished as possible, I avoided the typical component upgrade/addition stretch scheme you often see in a game campaign. I don’t want the quality or integrity of the game to be contingent on some lofty stretch goal. I’m not interested in distributing an incomplete version of Motorsport. So I got my quotes and set my funding goal based on the version of Motorsport that I would feel proud to ship. Does this mean the game will be harder to fund, especially for a first time developer. Yep. But I’d rather the game not fund at all than fund as some lower spec’d version that doesn’t represent the quality that I feel the game deserves.

Now, all that being said, I still recognize the fun and excitement of stretch goals. Fortunately, one of the things I can add to the game without compromising the quality or playability is also something that everyone will love: more cars! The base version of Motorsport includes 16 cars. If all stretch goals are reached, the game will end up with 48 cars and two additional vehicle ranks! And that is before you consider the potential 50 additional cars that will be added to the Founder version of the game through Elite pledges! The new cars will have unique stats vs. the starting 16 vehicles, so, while they won’t change fundamental gameplay, they will introduce new potential upgrade paths. I made sure that all types of cars are represented and included examples from across the globe. If you are an automotive fanatic, I guarantee you will find a favorite or two among the lineup.

Motorsport is a lot of things, but at its core, it’s about the love and enjoyment of cars and car culture. For that reason, I think the stretch goals suit the game perfectly. Give the people more of what they love! The stretch cars are teased with silhouettes and brief descriptions on the Kickstarter page, so see if you can guess what they are! Some of my favorite cars are among the stretch lineup. So share the game with as many people as you can! Use the clues to figure out what the stretch cars are! And spread the word so we can get them all unlocked!