TOTAL CHUD VICTORY! Space King Reached 3 Million Kickstarter

Overview

The video celebrates the Space King board game’s Kickstarter as a major success, describing it as a “total chud victory.” The speaker claims that within about two hours of the announcement it passed $1M, then $1.5M through stretch goals, eventually reaching $3M—with more than 20 days left. The speaker also notes that this performance came with fewer backers than an earlier tabletop wargaming hit they compare it to.

Comparing Space King to Trench Crusade

A major portion of the commentary argues that Space King’s success should be compared—despite significant differences—to Trench Crusade. The creator claims that Trench Crusade was previously framed in “culture war” terms as evidence that progressive wargaming could still make money.

The speaker’s counter-argument

The speaker argues that this framing is incorrect. They claim that although Trench Crusade was marketed in a way that appealed to mainstream/“conservative” audiences, the project was allegedly driven by ideological backers who supposedly disliked that audience. They further claim:

• The game’s appeal to that audience was superficial (e.g., “it was art”).
• The developers allegedly held hostile views toward the conservative/right-wing audience.

Criticism of Trench Crusade: Delivery and Design

The video then criticizes Trench Crusade on delivery and design grounds:

• Alleged delivery failures: the speaker claims the game was expected by June 2025, but that delivery still has not occurred as of 2026.
• Backer complaints: they cite complaints about late or missing product.
• Rulebook issues: the speaker alleges the Kickstarter rulebook will be outdated relative to the later retail book (example given: 302 pages vs. 320 pages), and claims the Kickstarter version has not yet been delivered.
• Community-first promises: the project allegedly promised a community-first approach (such as 3D printing/STLs support), but allegedly failed to deliver on it.

The Speaker’s Defense of Space King

From there, the creator argues that Space King is fundamentally different in intent from Trench Crusade. They claim:

• Claims that Space King “mocks its own fans” are exaggerated.
• Space King is framed as shared parody/satire—described as a loving exaggeration. The speaker references Top Gun parody as an example of parody that mocks excess without rejecting the subject.
• Trench Crusade, by contrast, is described as a “trap”: marketed to attract a particular audience, allegedly embedding hostility and then insulting backers when expectations aren’t met or ideology doesn’t align.

Predictions and Outlook

The speaker predicts that Trench Crusade popularity will fade as more people “wake up” and as delivery/design problems become clearer. In contrast, they claim Space King popularity should continue to grow because it is portrayed as more coherent and genuinely cared about.

Presenters / Contributors

• Notch (the speaker; stated near the end as “I’ve been Notch”)