I was interested if it was possible for Greed monger to change their sub type even after declaring on kickstarter that it would be free to play, so I wrote a little letter to kickstarter support. The letter is as follows:

Subject: I would like some clarification on what is legal under a kickstarter campaign.

Content: You have a particular game that was funded from your site called Greed Monger. Since being funded the project has announced it may be going subscription based. This is in contradiction to what was posted on your site stating it would be Free-to-play. Can I get a little clarification on how this would be handled if the company does decide to change to subscription after promising to be a free-to-play game all the way through funding. Also, how can I provide evidence if it is needed? What would you find credible?
Thank you very much for your time and information!

I received the following response:

Kickstarter Support, Jan 16 15:55 (EST):
Hi Lady Euphei,

Thanks for writing in and bringing this to our attention.

When you back a project you enter into an agreement with the project creator, as described in our terms of use (http://www.kickstarter.com/terms-of-use#fundraising_and_commerce). This agreement establishes a legal requirement for creators to follow through on their projects, and gives backers a recourse if they don’t. We hope that backers will consider using this provision only in cases where they feel that a creator has not made a good faith effort to complete the project and fulfill.

While Kickstarter is the platform for this agreement, we are not a part of it. Kickstarter itself cannot force the creator to fulfill rewards, offer refunds, or communicate with backers (though we encourage them to do so). It’s the creator’s responsibility to complete their project as promised. For more on creator accountability, please take a look at our FAQ (http://www.kickstarter.com/help/faq/kickstarter%20basics#Acco).

If you’re interested in getting refunded for a project that you’ve backed, you’ll need to take that up directly with the project creator. Kickstarter doesn’t issue refunds as transactions are between you and the creator. Kickstarter itself doesn’t have the funds — the creator does. We’d suggest sending the creator a polite note letting them know of your request, and the reasons why. To message a project creator, simply go to the project page, and click on the “Contact me” link under the creator’s name in the bio section (under the “Back This Project” section).

So, it appears that kickstarter has done the correct thing business wise and washed their hands of any responsibility. This does paint a dire picture for any one using kickstarter since it obviously does not regulate anything, meaning who ever your funding is ultimately in charge of saying whether you will get what you want or anything for that matter.

Also, reading through the terms and conditions of backing paints a grim picture. It reiterates that kickstarter will not get involved and returns are only based on the good faith of the project creator.

To long; didn’t read

If you fund a project you have no rights to a reward past the good faith of the company that started the kick starter. Basically, if the company says they fulfilled their part of the deal then it does not matter if the backer got what they paid for or not. This really makes kickstarter look like a fantastic scam system. I wonder why we do not see more kickstarter scam stories?