Board Game Business Podcast

Ed Baraf sits down with Brian Henk to discuss the history of experiments tried at Overworld Games, such as using IPs or releasing a game outside of Kickstarter -- and how games have done in terms of profitability and copies sold. Going through what went well and what didn't may give other creators some insight into what they should and should not do. Video Version: https://youtu.be/xMkEDTgVk5w

Today we talk about how to figure out why your Kickstarter campaign is failing and how to fix it. Brian's magic recipe for a successful campaign: A page that converts visitors into backers Get backers to your page Converting: The video, explaining the hook, providing the content people really care about Getting Visitors: Social media ads, building your crowd before launch, connecting with influencers, creating awareness during the campaign

Brian had the pleasure of interviewing Vincent Salzillo, President of Double Exposure, Inc. His company organizes Gen Con events such as First Exposure Playtest Hall and the new First Encounter Designer Showcase (publisher speed dating) events. They also organize conventions such as DEXCON, DREAMATION, and METATOPIA. Plus they run the Envoy programs. It's a lot! This is what we cover in 30 minutes: METATOPIA - A convention for game designers. First Exposure Playtest Hall - A Gen Con event for playtesting. First Encounter Designer Showcase - A Gen Con event where you pitch your game to publishers in a "speed dating format". Resources First Exposure Playtest Hall - https://www.gencon.com/experience/feph2018 First Encounter Designer Showcase - https://www.gencon.com/experience/2018feds Double Exposure Envoy Program - https://www.dexposure.com/envoy/ Double Exposure - https://www.dexposure.com/home.html Vincent Salzillo's Email: - salvius@dexposure.com  

Today we talk about ways to get people to play your ugly prototype! Some topics: Imaginary friends Design partners or other trusted designers Protospiel/Unpub Designer groups General playtesting groups Fostering an inviting community Print-and-plays Conventions at a free table Conventions as an event Other convention options Digital simulations Paid playtesting Resources Game Krackers - https://www.facebook.com/GameKrackers/ Shadowsong Industries - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsongIndustries/ First Exposure Playtest Hall - https://www.dexposure.com/firstexposure.html Protospiel - http://www.protospiel.org/ Unpub - http://unpub.net/  

Today our episode is more focused on behind-the-scenes of being a Kickstarter creator. We dig into how CrowdOx works and use it as a vehicle to discuss some topics on how a pledge manager can and should be used on a campaign. Topics: Paypal processors and freezes (maybe) How is CrowdOx different than competitors Charging shipping through PM Selling old catalog of games Tip jars Customer data and security breeches Reference: crowdox.com - Learn more about CrowdOx.

Today we talk about how randomness affects our enjoyment of games. It's slanted towards game design, but also has some publisher/indie creator perspectives as well. Low-randomness games High-randomness games Is randomness in games good or bad? How does it affect your target audience? Harnessing the power of randomness  

This is the Golden Age of Tabletop Gaming Panel from Wondercon 2018 organized by High Voltage. It covers industry trends, game design basics, and how to find events and gamers in your area. The panelists are: Will Pasquin (Gaming Guru, High Voltage) Becca Scott (Host, Geek & Sundry’s Game The Game) Ross Thompson (Games Marketing & Events Manager, IDW Games) John D Clair (Game Designer, Mystic Vale, Edge of Darkness) Brian Henk (President, Overworld Games) Peter Vaughan (Director of Development at Breaking Games)      

If you'd rather not listen to the questions and you just want to ask yourself some thought-provoking questions about your game, here is the list! Which feeling(s) am I trying to deliver? Why would someone play or buy this game instead of others? What's the hook? Which core element will keep people engaged in my game? Which decisions am I giving players that will keep people playing? Which types of players am I targeting for my game? And what is the weight and play time will it have? How many high-level strategies can you win with? What is the single core mechanic in my game? (everything else you can cut, if needed) How much downtime do players have? How do players interact with one another and does it fit with the theme? What is confusing players when they play? What player counts can this support? Can you expand that count? What will the MSRP be? Do players feel like they are in the universe/theme? Where will people be playing this game? What is my exit strategy for this game? Kickstarter? The Game Crafter?

Richard interviews Juliana Patel and Ariel Rubin who created the extremely successful Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment that is now being published by Mattel. He learns all their secrets about in their 2,000+ backer debut campaign! Some specific topics: Partnering with Mattel Escape room game opportunities Replaying escape room games Playtesting an escape room game Creating the puzzles Lessons learned from the Kickstarter campaign Finding your audience References: Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment Kickstarter Campaign - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/361817408/escape-room-in-a-box-the-werewolf-experiment  

This episode provides some guidelines for the situation where multiple publishers want to sign your game and how you handle it, both from the designer and publisher perspective. Specifically, we cover: submitting your game to multiple publishers at the same time handshake deals bringing copies to a convention bigger publishers vs. smaller publishers asking for exclusivity doing your publisher homework changes to contracts should I have a lawyer look over my contract?  

We talk generally about publishing licensed games and specifically about the unsuccessful Total Recall Kickstarter campaign. Why didn't it fund? What did you do differently? Likeness rights 101 Timing releases in a line of games Hidden costs of doing a licensed game Liability insurance The costs of agreeing to release dates Should you create a licensed game? Publishing outside of Kickstarter   References Kickstarter Campaign - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/overworldgames/total-recall-the-official-tabletop-game

This is a panel organized by High Voltage about how awesome games are and how to grow and build an inclusive gaming community. This took place on 10/28/2017 at Stan Lee's Los Angeles Comic Con, hosted by Will Pasquin with these panelists: John Clair - Mystic Vale, Downfall David Zuckman - Obscure Reference Games Ross Thompson - IDW and Kingdom Con Chris O'Neil - Brotherwise Games Brian Henk - Overworld Games Will Pasquin - High Voltage Video Version: https://youtu.be/hI_26f73APw

We have another mailbag episode! These topics were suggested by listeners: Are environmental concerns a factor for publishers, manufacturers, and designers? How can I make my game more accessible and inclusive? What kind of support should publishers donate to charity? Resources: The Overworld Games policy on charities.

If you're listening to this podcast, there's a good chance you know someone personally who has launched a Kickstarter campaign. Did you feel obligated to back it? We try to break down this social etiquette around the subject in this episode.

Today we discuss how to use Amazon to sell your board game. - Fulfillment by Amazon - Amazon Marketplace - Vendor Express - Amazon Launchpad - Getting Burned Stories - Amazon Marketing Services - Improving your search rankings - Sales on Amazon - Pricing on Amazon - A+ Content - VINE Reviews - Ads on Amazon

Today we talk about social media and how we should use this in the board game industry. Specifically, here are some of the questions and topics: How should a game designer use social media? Which social media platforms should a game designer be using? How should a game publisher use social media? Which platforms should they use? Using social media as a phone book or for ease of contacting. What's the wrong way to use social media? Are there other less traditional social media platforms we should be using? Are there any tools that help you more easily manage your social media accounts?   Resources: Us on Twitter: Jeremy, Richard, Brian Us on Facebook: Overworld Games Us on Instagram: Jeremy, Overworld Games Meetup If This Then That Buffer Hootsuite Our Blog: boardgame.business

We attempt to define what a reference card is, which isn't as easy as you may think, and then we pull them apart and figure out which games need them and how to design them clearly. Then we end with a Top 5 list of tips to make your reference card better. Here are some questions and topics we discuss: Which games do we wish had them that do not? Which games have them but don't need them? Do we need one for each player? The psychological effect of having a reference card. Can a game be too simple to have a reference card? The cost of a reference card. Top 5 Tips for Designing a Reference Card: #5) No Walls of Text #4) Use 1 Double-Sided Reference Card #3) Whitespace is Your Friend #2) Make Them Visually Distinct #1) Use Symbols  

Today we talk about designing and publishing games for a particular market. Here are some of the topics/questions we cover: What's a target market? Which markets are commonly considered in the board game industry? Identifying the market that's right for your game. Should I use elements to my game to fit a particular group of consumers? Do publishers have a specific market in mind when they are scouting games? How do things like ease of play and length of play factor into a market segment? Should I design a game for a specific market? Should designers put their target market on their sell sheet? Are there specific conventions where you'll find publishers for specific markets?  

Here are our top 7 ways to improve your playtest feedback quality. If you want a spoiler, here's the list! Ask negative leading questions. Trash/talk down your own game Stay focused and interested in every word play testers say. Don’t defend anything. Don’t break their flow. Focus on problems and steer away from solutions. Ask about feelings. Explain what type of feedback you're looking for. Record Audio Get anonymous feedback at least once and late in the process. Resources: Unpub Feedback Form - http://unpub.net/feedback/  

How-to-play videos are used more and more by designers to show potential publishers or playtesters their game and by publishers after a game has been released to teach customers how to play them. In honor of April Fool's Day, we give tips on how NOT to make a how-to-play video. I know, we're not supposed to tell you, but we really don't want people actually taking our advice. Here's the gist of the tips we cover, but backwards: Prepare so you can keep it concise. Keep it short. You don't need to say every corner case, but make sure to cover any confusing ones. Use consistent terminology. Use at least two camera angles so it's not just a talking head. Layer in photos to help make your point and show examples. Lighting is important! Light up your face with multiple lights at different angles so there are no shadows. (3-point lighting) Light up your components to show them too, but with not glare. Don't use sleeves if they add glare. Use a microphone close to you for clear and consistent audio. Clean the audio