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History in the making: Andrew Groen’s Eve Online chronicle funded seven times over

Groen will write about the largest battles to hit Eve, and the machinations behind them.

Freelance games writer Andrew Groen asked for $12,500 to fund A History of the Great Empires of Eve Online. Between its three low tiers and absent stretch goals, it was a modest campaign by current Kickstarter standards – and he hoped that it might end up overfunded by $200 or so.

But as the campaign drew to a close over the weekend, Eve pilots had answered his good intentions with $95,729 – a total large enough to fund a “deluxe” hardcover edition.

Despite the 765% increase on his original target, Groen told our Rob that he expected to take home only a couple of thousand dollars from the project.

With the belated addition of the hardcover tier, he “basically made the decision to throw every penny into this book”.

“This isn’t like a videogame where it’s a digital reward and everything else… is just gravy,” the writer explained.

Around 50% of the money raised will go to printing and shipping – with about 4% dedicated to design and 5% to art. Another 5% will cover Kickstarter fees.

The hardcover edition will be “closer to a coffee table book”, printed in full colour alongside strategic maps, art and propaganda posters put together by in-game Eve factions over the years.

“My wife and I will basically subsist off of her income while I put all this money into the book,” said Groen. “I believe that is the best thing for everybody.

“Because for me that’s a better investment, financially. And for them, it makes more sense for me to spend more on better art, better paper, all of these different things.”

Were you one of the pilots who put money in the pot? If not, you can still place a pre-order on Groen’s site.