I think this is very true. How much an actual risk it will be for FL, I don't know. Are people waiting on the alpha PDF before paying for the shipping and confirming their orders? Will there be access to the alpha if you haven't?I don't think finding a new market for the game is a problem, more that some people that do remembers the old game, don't think it is crunchy enough.
A very interesting — and important — point that both of you raise, here!
It is a narrow balance indeed that Fria Ligan will need to strike: fans of the historical Twilight: 2000 "property", as it were, may look at the YZE rendition of it and find it not crunchy enough for their taste, and fans of the current YZE may look at the T2k version of the system and find it too crunchy for their taste.
If both of these happen at the same time, the game would need to find an entirely new market, which would be a tall order indeed...
However, I am fairly confident this will not be so — these two inclinations should have enough of an overlap for there to be a point of balance that should be sufficiently satisfactory to both.
As for paying shipping and confirming the orders, hiro — I assume you refer to the pledge manager?
Backers will have until sometime in spring to pay shipping and finalise the order. But all pledges from Kickstarter are already paid in full, so all backers will get the Alpha. If they look at the Alpha and don't like what they see, they can of course refrain from filling in the pledge manager, but that will only mean Fria Ligan won't be able to deliver them the goods that they've already paid for on Kickstarter.
So no, there is really no risk for Fria Ligan on that particular point (apart perhaps revenue lost due to people refraining from upgrading their pledges); the risks lie elsewhere.
I am hoping it errs on the playable side of crunchy. But honestly I can see people being "upset" if there isn't a clear and obvious gaming advantage to an M16A2* over the A1.
(*Please don't correct me on this, I am pulling "numbers" out of the ether)
The goal would seem to be to hit two birds — the playable side of crunchy and the crunchy side of lightweight — with the same stone.
But you may enjoy this...