Check out this interview Christopher did with BGG at Origins! (And ignore the fact Eric refers to Christopher as “Chris”… 
) Some interesting bits:
Anything I missed?
Seems odd that you do a Kickstarter and have at least a major part of the product done.
Also I think we take more issue with Christopher being called "Chris" than he does 
I'm not sure, it's in his Twitter profile and everything.
He is cautious about when he corrects, but he really doesn't like it.
I know he doesn't like it but I feel we jump on it quicker than he has.
Art, physical production, and shipping cost money, too. 
Fred Hick of Evil Hat Productions has talked in several places about how Kickstarter should be thought of more as "Kickfinisher." The general thrust of the argument is that you get much better campaign results that way, and better PR for your company. (No Evil Hat project that I can think of, except maybe the Dinocaplyse fiction line one, has started without a fully-downloadable, backers-only update put up within seconds of launch.)
Take it from personal experience, you don't wanna get the look he gives you when you call him Chris while knowing better.
I understand there would still be more to do but generally any Kickstarters at best you have a working prototype. Based on what I guess a Starter Kit contain this KS would be just towards funding expansions from the get go.
I would imagine the Kickstarter will be to fund the production of the actual rulebook and stuff - right now they have a bunch of rules and some sheets with info on, but that all needs to be turned into something that looks all professional and stuff and would be what people might want to buy if they saw it in a shop ;). There have been Kickstarters in the past which were little more than a few ideas and promises which ended up not going anywhere (not that I ever backed one that turned out like that and came to wish I hadn't, or anything :P)...
Anyway...I want to have a go at this game. I want to try out the char gen...looking forward to being able to read the rulebook and maybe actually play it some day... :D
I would hope a starter kit contains the main rulebook which Christopher said they plan to be selling at Gencon next year while the Kickstarter is in progress.
Supre excited for this! I had no idea they were alreay far enough along to introduce starter kits.
Keep in mind that's Gen Con 2017 – a year from now.
True, but based on what has been put out there in the wild to this point, they're close to a functioning starter kit now.
So, uh…I’ve played a tabletop RPG only once, and it’s gonna show here: what would you need besides a rulebook and dice? Isn’t other material (maps, etc) basically optional stuff to add to the experience?
It depends. Most RPG systems have a core rulebook at least and then additional books, maps or scenarios. In some cases those supplemental books may be more of a requirement.
A starter kit would likely have pregenerated characters for the players, a simplified version of the gameplay rules, and a starting adventure to play. This would be something you could run at an event or try out on Free RPG Day, for example. Hopefully if you enjoy the experience in the starter kit, you will buy the full version of the book with the full set of rules that would include character creation, maps, lots of foes to fight, and advice to GMs for making their own adventures.
As this is an RPG I can point at one company that does not do a kickstarter until the product is ready to go, you get the PDFs of the books a couple of weeks after the kickstarter ends.
More and more these days Kickstarter is not about getting your dream out there but about seeing the market for a product you have already finished and getting hype for it.
Also >G, doing your kickstarter over nerd Christmas (GenCon)? Why would you do that to yourselves? Unless you have very compelling information to the contrary the current thinking on kickstarters is to finish one between Spring and before the summer really starts, that is when the most folks have additional funds to parting with.
Aha, so that’s what the starter kit is about. Thanks, Chrono.