BGG (BoardGameGeek.com) may be intimidating for new designers and publishers, but the parts you actually NEED to use are pretty straightforward once you learn where to look and how they work. Navigation is a bit of a nightmare on BGG… Read more ›
People are regularly wanting to hire me to do consulting work for them… But, I’m semi-retired now and don’t really enjoy that kind of work. When told that, most ask who I’d recommend to help them out. While I don’t… Read more ›
I have not written on this specific topic before because I use a consolidator which in turn gets me into distribution. They charge extra, but the warehousing, shipping, accounting, and regular contacts they provide with dozens of distributors around the… Read more ›
I’m found myself asking for a videographer, audio, and voice over talent again. I also see others ask these questions from time to time. I wasn’t really wanting to take on this task of assembling a list of talent as… Read more ›
On my site, you’ll find many posts about the tabletop hobby game industry. From how to run a Kickstarter campaign to things to avoid when designing a board game to where to find manufacturers for your game. My blogs tend… Read more ›
I have half a dozen Kickstarters to work on this year and I need to keep things on track and straight in my head… so I have this checklist worksheet for tracking all my project milestones. If I need something… Read more ›
This blog is my attempt to help shed some light on all the options (typical thicknesses and paper grades, pantone, etc.) and terms (GSM, Grey-core, 4/4c, etc.) you’ll need to know to talk the business of tabletop game manufacturing with… Read more ›
Recently we created a couple surveys (see data below) to help us understand the value of a print and play version of our games with regard to how people back and purchase our games. But first let’s cover a few basic things:… Read more ›
The topic of law, contract, liability, and protection comes up over and over. So I’m writing this blog to point people to when they ask in the future. If this is you: “Wow, I’ve got a great idea! I wonder if… Read more ›
Every month or so I run across another miss-guided designer making a CCG (Collectible Card Game or Trading Card Game). So again, I’m writing a blog so I don’t have to repeat myself all the time. Let’s be clear,… Read more ›
This post is going to be part documentary, part educational, part advice, and part apology to our Kickstarter backers. Minion Games was utterly unprepared to fulfill the logistics and customer service needs of the numerous Kickstarters we successfully funded… Read more ›
First let’s get this right out in the open… No one is going to “buy” your game or pay you a lump sum of money for what you’ve done so far. If you wish your game to see the… Read more ›
This list is regularly updated. My post about Manufacturers was very well received and I got a request to do one about distributors. I do get asked from time to time to provide this info anyway, so I might as well make… Read more ›
Tabletop Game Manufacturing Companies I’ve personally used half a dozen card and board game Manufacturers over the last few years making our dozen or so games. I will share my personal thoughts / opinions below on these companies. But I… Read more ›
So your Kickstarter is over and it was successful… now what? DO IMMEDIATELY Hopefully right before your campaign ended you remembered to update the story page with your home page URL and last minute info on how to order your product… Read more ›
There are other places to get help on the internet like the BGG design forums or the BGDF, but I’ve found this year that Facebook has served me well. I personally run 3 or 4 groups/pages but there are… Read more ›
There comes a time when you realize your Kickstarter campaign isn’t going to make it… realizing that point and dealing with it is what this article is about. I have studied and talk to many campaigns that had failure in… Read more ›
A common problem in board game production is how can you control product production costs. One of the most critical things you can do to have a successful reboot of a failed Kickstarer is to bring the overall goal down.… Read more ›
I have the ears of many up and coming game designers and publishers. I’m constantly asked about board game reviewers and who accepts what. So I thought I’d create a list of game reviewers for all to reference. This survey… Read more ›
Don’t Pee in the Sandbox… I have worn many hats in my days, from retailer to publisher, from designer to project manager, from e-book distributor to Kickstarter fulfillment, from trainee to consultant. I decided I’d share some of the knowledge… Read more ›
Courting a Game Publisher – DO’s and DON’Ts Believe it or not, there is an etiquette when submitting (pitching) your game to Publishers. Publishers receive many submissions and just like submitting a resume for a job, the simplest things… Read more ›
I get asked the same questions a lot and I see post after post resurface on forums about some common topics. So I thought I’d get on the pedestal again and preach. In many cases the answer is specific to… Read more ›
So you want to start a board game company? I could go into a page of details of each of these bullet points below (and maybe I will in the future), but for now I wanted to just take the… Read more ›
(REPOSTED FROM PENNY ARCADE) Minion Games has just launched a new Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming board game Hegemonic. That’s not very newsworthy. What is impressive is the fact that this is the company’s sixth Kickstarter campaign, and they’ve finished and shipped a board… Read more ›
