Theres' an interesting Gamasutra article out on OSRPG that I think explains exactly what went wrong, initially. Brenda and Tom were surprised by the community's need for information, and treated their initial Kickstarter pitch similarly to the way in which they would have approach a publisher, i.e. a loose sketch with few or no specific details worked out.
The problem with this is, as I am sure they now see in hindsight, Kickstarter backers are not publishers and they do not approach potential projects with the same interests, intentions, or backgrounds that publishers might. It's true that some popular old school Kickstarters have been light on details, but in every case the blanks could be pretty easily filled in. Wasteland 2 was touted as a direct successor to Wasteland, and that answered many questions (although many more were forthcoming). Double Fine's project was obviously an old school point and click, and the fans were interested in the MEDIUM (SCUMM style classic adventuring) and didn't mind not knowing the specific game content. Shadowrun backers knew in intimate detail the thematic background of their game, and the theme was initially more important than precise gameplay details.
OSRPG has no preexisting theme to secure loyalty. Brenda and Tom themselves absolutely share name recognition and fan loyalty, but perhaps not enough to drive a million dollars all by themselves. They do however have commonality with some IP that is easily capable of funding a Kickstarter... wizardry and anachronox. The problem as I see it is this, they used these titles in their resumes, and did not put their biggest accomplishments right out front and center to draw $ in.
Crowdfunding is not the same as pitching to a publisher. Publishers want to know, "will this make us money." Crowdfunding is a different kind of sales pitch, in the case of old school games combining nostalgic appeal and direct hooks (for some it can be established theme, for others iconic gameplay). I hope Brenda and Tom continue to refine their pitch, because it's not yet too late (although that first big $ window is over)... but more importantly... I hope future projects by highly talented developers learn these important lessons and don't mistake Kickstarter pitches and publisher pitches.
Well in that case Brenda & Tom definitely need each supporter :-|
