Michigan Kickstarter Spotlight - Echoes of Astra

Michigan Level Up | IGDA2

Author

Corbin Reeves
October 04, 2025

Hello Everyone!

We are here with a special edition of Michigan Level Up with a Michigan Kickstarter Spotlight! We sat down for an interview with Andrew Yang, founder of Parhelion Studio and project director for Echoes of Astra.

Andrew provided us with some insight into what it takes to run a successful Kickstarter campaign and shared some behind-the-scenes information on how to develop a TCG in the Anime space. We have both the audio recording of the interview for you and a summary for those who prefer to read rather than listen.

Echoes of Astra

Echoes of Astra is a physical collectible trading card game that combines world class anime illustrations with deep tactical gameplay. In Echoes of Astra, players take the role of a Sovereign, assembling and deploying their forces across the battlefield to capture combat zones and score victory points. The first player to hit 20 victory points wins the game. Knowing what order you attack with your units and when to retreat can make the difference between victory and defeat.

Interview with Parhelion

Summary

Would you like to give us a quick little intro about yourself and then maybe take a minute or so and tell us a little bit about Echoes of Astra?

My name is Andrew Yang, and I am the founder and project director for Echoes of Astra. I primarily handle art direction and the business aspects of the card game. Echoes of Astra is a tactical trading card game featuring world-class anime aesthetics. We aim to combine unique anime art with Western gameplay design principles, such as smaller numbers for readability and accessible rules that still offer a high mastery curve. A core aspect of our game is building an IP that mixes modern technology with fantasy, differentiating it from traditional fantasy TCGs by exploring what a magical world would look like as it advances into the modern era.

Your Kickstarter was funded in 20 minutes, which is huge. What kind of levers did you pull to help move that needle and generate such significant week one traffic?

We focused on leveraging our strong points, which are our past game experience and our anime illustration work. The biggest indicator for a Kickstarter's success before it starts is the follower count on the pre-launch page. We used various methods to build this count, with meta ad optimization being the most easily calculable. This allowed us to track the cost per follower and project our potential success. In the past, mailing lists were advised, but we were told the Kickstarter follower count is now more efficient for conversion. The general metric is that by the end of a campaign, about 30% of followers will convert, with 10% converting in the first week. Amassing a large follower count and hitting your goal within 24 hours is key to building momentum.

You mentioned world-class illustrators and high-caliber artists. How did you go about sourcing them and managing that pipeline without letting your schedule get out of control?

Our team's background is in the anime games industry, specifically working on mobile gacha games like hero collectors. For those games, you need a constant pipeline of new characters, voice lines, and designs for frequent updates. We were already familiar with these pipelines and had connections with famous anime illustrators worldwide. We also have experience working with companies in South Korea that produce large-scale anime illustrations and have our own internal art design team. This collective experience allows us to coordinate and scale production effectively, which is crucial when you need to commission 40 to 50 pieces a month rather than just one or two.

What are your plans for manufacturing and timelines, and how are you addressing the risks associated with shipping and delivery for a physical product?

I have some background in the wholesale business and supply chains. We plan to manufacture in East Asia and are in talks with Hopes Manufacturing, which handles many board games and card accessories. For shipping, especially as a smaller Kickstarter, it's best to work with fulfillment centers. This allows us to have distribution hubs in North America, Asia, and Europe, which saves on shipping costs for everyone. Instead of shipping everything to one continent and then redistributing, we can ship directly from regional centers. A major one used by many Kickstarters is GamesQuest, which handles logistics so we can focus on the game and product.

You've been working on this game for a while. How did you guys go about playtesting to validate the balance and fun?

Coming from the video game space, we found that iterating on a paper product is much faster. You can just scribble on a piece of paper and change numbers instantly. We started with internal testing, as many of our team members have extensive experience with TCGs like Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!. After that, we utilized local events, such as playtest nights at game stores in Michigan. We also attended Protospiel, an annual event in Michigan where you can prototype and test your game for several days, which was a great opportunity for feedback.

Your Kickstarter page is incredible, with a great hero video and reward ladder. How did you pick goals that would excite backers without creating bloat or consuming your margins?

We leveraged our strengths. For the page, we focused on the anime aesthetic and our unique IP, showcasing our characters and art. We also understood our player base. TCG players value not just gameplay but also collectability and a premium feel. We designed rewards that made early backers feel special, such as premium frame-break cards and serialized cards. For physical rewards, we were cautious. Offering too many accessories can be dangerous due to shipping and warehousing costs. Our primary add-ons are booster boxes and starter packs. We started with a digital art book and only offered a physical paperback version after hitting a higher milestone, ensuring we could afford it.

Did you guys internally have a goal that you were aiming for beyond the initial funding target?

Yes, we had several tiers of goals. First, there is the minimum goal, which is the bare-bones amount needed to get the product to market and fulfill backer rewards. Then, we had our ideal goal, which is the number that allows us not just to deliver the game once, but to expand and grow it. Finally, there is the dream goal for if we raise far more than expected, which opens up a whole new range of options. It's important to plan for the worst, the best, and what's expected.

Kickstarter campaigns often see a spike in pledges near the end. How are you planning to leverage that "fear of missing out" and what channels are you using?

Campaigns typically have a U-shape traffic pattern. One strategy is to create a lot of FOMO at launch with limited early-bird rewards, which spikes the beginning but can cause a faster drop-off. We opted for a more even U-shape. At the 48-hour mark, Kickstarter also sends a reminder to all followers, which helps reactivate the audience. During the flat middle period of the campaign, we use paid acquisition through platforms like Meta and Reddit. We track the return on ad spend, aiming for a safe range like a 1-to-5 return. Once we hit 100% funding, the cost of acquisition drops significantly, so it's a good time to increase ad spend.

If you had to recommend a marketing budget for most indie devs approaching Kickstarter, what would you suggest?

It's difficult to say, as it depends on your fundraising goal. For a campaign in the $100,000+ range, I would suggest budgeting at least $10,000 as a safe bet. You don't have to spend it all at once. You can test the waters, and if the return on ad spend is good after the first two weeks, you can invest more. A key caution with ads is to increase spending incrementally, by about 20% per day. If you suddenly throw a huge amount of money at the ad algorithm, its efficiency can drop as it tries to reach a broader, less-targeted audience.

Which marketing channels performed the best for you?

For our specific game, Reddit was surprisingly the best for gaining pre-launch followers. Meta is the easiest to track and has been the best platform for scaling after the launch. Google was harder for us to track pre-launch but can be leveraged for YouTube ads after the campaign is live. X (formerly Twitter) did not perform as well as we would have liked. These results are specific to our game, and other projects may find different channels work better for them.

Is there anything else we should know about your upcoming game or Kickstarter before it ends on October 9th?

If you are interested in anime-style aesthetics with art from artists in the gacha games industry, be sure to check us out. We also have a free print-and-play version available on our website, so you can print it out, give it a try with your friends, and help spread the word.

⚡ Stay Connected & Get Involved

A special thank you to Parhelion for taking the time to chat with us and continuing to support the local community! Your hard work and effort is truly inspiring and I know we cant wait to see what you become!

— Corbin John Reeves, IGDA Ann Arbor Co-organizer 🕹️

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