Just Ask
We’re coming off a long weekend at GenCon – we played some amazing games, met more amazing people, and did a little promotion for Nut Hunt. What struck me most about the weekend is generosity of industry professionals with their time, their knowledge, and their insight.
I spent almost a decade and a half in finance, first advising investors (hedge funds, mutual funds, & pension funds) on a couple of sub-sectors of stocks, and then investing in the debt and equity of those companies at a hedge fund.
In my little corner of finance there was a healthy amount of mind share. We would openly talk about our investment theses, and debate ideas. But, that wasn’t a universal truth in the industry – and you definitely saw a little bit of covetousness.
Chelsea is an Actor. While some people go out of their way to elevate their aspirants – it is fewer and farther between than my experience in finance.
The board gaming industry is a different animal entirely.
Winterhaven Woods by Featherstone Games
Over the past few months, and especially at GenCon, I’ve been blown away by how welcoming, open, and outright helpful people in this industry are.
Before we get to the nitty gritty of tapping into the industry mind-share, I want to highlight a few people who have, or are going out of their way to help me, a new publisher, with no expectation of reciprocation. Sometimes all you need to do is ask.
Joel Bodkin (Featherstone Games): First of all, please check out Joel’s game Winterhaven Woods (the pledge manager and pre-orders are currently open on Gamefound). It’s an awesome little game about drafting and forest critters. I approached Joel at a lull in his booth, explained who I am, what we are having trouble with, and asked his advice. Not only did Joel give me some great advice, but he is helping me better understand hidden costs within a Kickstarter and international fulfilment.
Steve Gosset: We struck up a conversation with Steve after a panel on filmmaking. We hit it off over a shared love of Magic, Storybook Brawl, and as it turns out some common connections in the gaming world. Steve isn’t in the game design or publishing industry, but he is a super smart guy, with some very good ideas. He spent close to an hour walking the floor with us, bouncing ideas back and forth, and introducing us to some of his friends (who are pretty well-known publishers). Check out his Princess Rap Battle series and other content.
Jason Brooks (Brookspun Games): Jason is emblematic of a lot of smaller publishers/designers that I met over the weekend. His first game Legacies is currently available on pre-order after a successful Kickstarter. We talked about his process, he had some great insights, and we are comparing notes on review campaigns.
A big goal of mine is to emulate people like Joel, Steve, and Jason. I hope that through this blog, and personal interactions I can be that person for the next designer.
First, Know Your Stuff
While people are exceedingly helpful, the onus is on you, to first learn as much as you can, so as to be respectful of their time. The internet is full of invaluable game design and publishing resources. A few of my favorites:
Jamey Stegmaier (Stonemaier Games): If you have any aspirations to being a successful independent publisher, Jamey’s blog (and book) are must reads. Twice a week he shares lessons learned, insights, and highlights what others in the industry are doing. And, if you don’t like reading blogs (which would be weird considering you are 600 words into this blog), he also provides content in live-streams, and videos.
Gabe Barrett (Boardgame Design Lab): BDGL is a top-notch interview podcast bringing on industry veterans, designers, publishers, logistics experts, graphic designers, and more, covering all aspects of game design, and publishing. Their Facebook page is my most frequently visited game design forum and community.
Forums: Reddit, Facebook and Boardgamegeek.com are all great places to go to discuss game design, and source game design and publishing resources. Find what communities and interfaces you most connect with. These should be your first stop when you face challenges in your game design & publishing journey.
Cardboard Edison: I recently discovered CE’s Bright Ideas RSS feed. It is a great aggregator of what is top of mind in the industry. They also have a database of publishers (if you are pitching games), and lots of surveys and articles.
Second, Know Your Stuff
People want to help, but they want to help people who are earnest and putting in the hard work on their own. If you are designing a game, looking to publish a game, creating anything – there will be no one there to hold your hand through the process.
You need to put in the hours. You need to troubleshoot your own challenges, bang your head against the wall, and if at the end of all of that, you are stuck, well, shoot me an e-mail jasper@pineislandgames.com, and if I don’t have the answer, maybe at least, I’ll know where to look.
What are you favorite game design & publication resources?
