Ogre Designer's Edition

Goal: $20,000 / Funding: $923,680

What's shocking isn't that this collector's-edition re-release of a cult classic board game from the '80s would meet its $20,000 goal. Kickstarter, after all, is where nerd nostalgia is monetized and long-dead franchises are resurrected. What's shocking is that the Ogre Designer's Edition, which costs $100, secured more than $923,000 in backing. Weirder still is the way the game's creator, Steve Jackson, gamed the Kickstarter process, transforming it into a long-term market-research tool. As funding grew and his posted goals were reached, the product was improved incrementally: Plastic pieces replaced cardboard ones. The dice were upgraded. When the total hit $300,000, Mr. Jackson promised to make a videogame adaptation. At $550,000, he vowed to hire a full-time staffer dedicated to making new Ogre games. Mr. Jackson even allowed retailers to buy in bulk at a discount through the Kickstarter page (and threw in extra game pieces, for in-store displays), an end-run around traditional distribution channels. Though the product itself is as niche as they come, the project demonstrates what a savvy, established company can do with crowdfunding. $100, kickstarter.com (project closed)

Their goal was $20k but they ended up with $924k ?!

Mother of God.

Kickstarter is the new eBay.