Well, just about. There was a printer error that they're fixing, so the game copies aren't on the boat yet. But before I saw the error, they sent me a six-pack of completed games, so I now have six actual copies of Heroes & Treasure here in hand.
Man, they're really heavy. Like almost 4 lbs each.
So that makes me a published designer, I think. Sweet.
The printing error is minor enough that I can send a couple of these out to reviewers now. Anyone know a good place to send one, other than The Dice Tower?
Comments
Sweet
Sweet, congratulations!
-Austin
Sweet
Sweet, congratulations! Good job getting it done.How long did it take to get this far?
-Austin
Hmm.. The original ideas
Hmm.. The original ideas were from early December of last year, so it'll be about 12 months when they arrive in people's hands.
Both a short time and a long time..
Congratulations! Ain't it a
Congratulations! Ain't it a great feeling? It takes a lot of work to get to this point.
Good Job!
Awesome job at getting your game done and out to the public. Congrats!!
Congrats! I recommend looking
Congrats!
I recommend looking into GeekMom, GeekDad, Rahdo Runthroughs, ummmm I'm forgetting the other names, but I recommend visiting the hottest Kickstarter games right now and seeing which reviewers they got for reviews/previews.
Thanks.. GeekDad is already
Thanks.. GeekDad is already receiving a copy :) (I did my primary website advertising there)
well done. i hope its a huge
well done. i hope its a huge hit.
well done. i hope its a huge
well done. i hope its a huge hit.
So how many units are you on the "hook" for?
I know your KS was around 350 backers right? That would make a 500 unit production rather IDEAL for liquidating all of the overstock.
If it's 1,000 units, *ouch* that's quite a bit to SELL. But you are probably the better salesman than I am ... so you might be able to sell all of that inventory. That would be 650 units which is almost double of what internationally around the World you were able to convince people to buy.
You might want to TRY to sell via "Distribution" ... that may be a viable option for you. Like reserve 150 copies for ONLINE sales and see if you can liquidate 500 units via "Distribution".
Personally IF I was YOU... I would definitely TRY IT. You've got enough inventory (if it's 1,000 units) to keep a couple "Distributors" maybe one in the USA and one in Canada ... I know in Quebec there are about 100+ stores, so there is availability to SELL ... but I have no idea about the process and quantities.
You might want to start with the USA and choose ONE (1) Distributor and get to know how they do business. No doubt that the Canadian distributors work similarly (in terms of volume and the sales process). And what I mean by "sales process" is what is their initial order, at what point do they "re-order" and what is the volume (based on their evaluated performance) and when can you expect a 2nd "re-order", what is their market reach (the USA must be 10x more than Canada just on Population).
Anyhow I seem to have read you "liked" the business-side of the Game Design World... So this might be something to explore which is "right up your alley"!
Let me know what you decide and keep us informed about how it goes!
P.S.: Congrats on getting your game "out-there" in the real World!
Who to send copies to...
Rodney Smith (in Canada) from "Watch It Played!", he does playthru videos about how to play games. He's a very iconic figure in the Board Game Community. Having your game DEMO-ed by him would be fantastic.
Undead Viking (Lance Mixter) will do a Video Review ... But I think he charges. I know he charges for KS Previews... Not sure about actual reviews post KS-ing. Just reach out to him and ask... It doesn't hurt. I think he has a young daughter that may be in the range for the game... She might have friends interested in playing too... So definitely reach out to Lance.
Rahdo Runs-Thru will do an extensive video BUT... It must be a game he and his WIFE can play. So you might be out of luck with them. The game might not appeal to them because of A> The structure of the game: 1 Game Master and only 1 Player B> They are Adults so playing might be too simple. Something seen with Father Geek where the Adults did not find the game very interesting (for their liking).
I'm not looking at
You know I made 1000 :). Making 500 cost nearly as much as 1000.
I'm not looking at distribution right now. I'd rather sell fewer with better margins. We'll see what happens.. I'm hoping for some word-of-mouth and decent reviews.
I'm also hoping that an add-on Kickstarter in a few months will sell additional copies. And maybe a second expansion in May...
Yes, the game is not made for adults to play without kids, so that limits the choices of reasonable reviewers a bit. Though hopefully Tom Vasel will give it a look (he does have a large family).
(I've sold 3 additional pre-orders so far ;) )
edit: ooh, 4. I sent out an email blast last night :)
5 :)
Okay ... it's your game.
But ... selling 150 copies ONLINE is like +50% of what you sold GLOBALLY via KS. So 150 units is not unreasonable ... but still a lofty goal.
I just thought you might want to increase the odds of liquidating the 500 units that remain ... using some kind of resource that requires less investment and time. Sort of when you get the ball rolling, it keep rolling forwards.
And BTW Jamey Stegmaier sold over 48,000 units of Charterstone strictly to distribution. So it would seem distribution is not a bad way to go if Jamey sees it as his way of doing business from Charterstone onwards.
I know the margins are lower ... but you have volume.
Again it's your game... You're the one in charge of it. I'm just suggesting because it seems like you have a LARGE quantity to sell and at this point in time no one to sell it to.
Another KS sounds like a way to sell more units too... So I think that is a smart strategy... We've contemplated doing a "mini-KS" and trying to sell more "core" units but this will depend highly on how people rank the game after playing it. If the ratings are favorable, this opens up a few doors and avenues to follow.
So even us we're on-hold with regards to future plans UNTIL people get their copies and give us their honest reviews!
When I get to Jamey's level,
When I get to Jamey's level, I'll totally do that :) He can also negotiate a pretty good deal at this point, I'm sure.
I think the second KS could be good.. if the game has traction, I'll sell a significant number of units there. Like, at least a two-digit number :)
Also looking at getting a table at a local SF/Fantasy convention.. (already applied for one but got waitlisted, and there's another in February). Plus going to try a Ren Faire this summer.
And may sell some with profits going to my daughter's school.
From what I gathered...
He didn't have enough funds to pay for the manufacturing of 48,000 units so some distributors had to pay "in-advance". That my friend is a difficult road to travel. Because I'm sure that's NOT how most of those businesses work... It's usually by terms and they have 30 days to pay ... which is usually AFTER the delivery of goods...
In your case, the games are already made and paid for. If it takes another 30 days before you get payment, it's not the end of the World.
But in Jamey case... Wow ... That is a SUPER BIG hurdle to overcome!
And it's nice that you plan to donate profits to your daughter's school... Have they had an influence in marketing or spreading word about the game??? Just wondering... because profits are pretty lean when it comes to designing games. Just having enough money for a 2nd print run is tough to achieve...
Anyway I'm not say you should use distribution... I'm just putting the option out there. If you want to see your game on store shelves (around the USA) ... Well distribution is pretty much the only way to do so...
I've tried to contact Canadian stores directly... It's a HARD sell. They want samples or to buy only one (1) or two (2) copies, etc. Small fries for each store. But if a distributor buys 100 units... Well that's something of interest and repeatability (re-orders) could also increase volume and may sell 200 units the next time around.
Anyhow you get the idea. Best of luck with the cons. I've had people approach me to BUY "TradeWorlds" maybe like a couple or so... So no real volume either. But you may fair better...
Cheers!
questccg wrote:And it's nice
And it's nice that you plan to donate profits to your daughter's school... Have they had an influence in marketing or spreading word about the game??? Just wondering... because profits are pretty lean when it comes to designing games. Just having enough money for a 2nd print run is tough to achieve...
I'm going to make the offer to do it as a fundraiser. Like I sell (promoted by the school or whatever) for $50 and give the school $20 per sale.
(sold #6 :) Basically paid for my website for the 12-month contract I got)
Our schools don't allow this...
Unless it's like managed by something like the "Girl Guides" or some other non-profit organization. For profit campaigns are "banned" from school and the curriculum. So this is definitely something that would NOT fly in most schools.
Never the less if the school has a "game room" (we used to have that back in High School), donating a game to the school might be acceptable... But that's as far as it goes.
The school system has changed since I went to High School... To be real honest, I'm not even certain about the structure of schools nowadays only to say that "French" have their own school commission and "English" have theirs. Our World is somewhat divided since only certain individuals are allowed to go to "English" schools (has to do with the parents and their background: foreigners MUST go to "French" schools). A bit crazy up here with the whole division thing (as you might have heard in news from the past...) And I'm not sure how the whole "secular" thing goes nowadays.
But I know the USA is far more permissible and you have like ten times (10x) the population, so some kind of benefit might be interesting especially if it helps the school to some extent.
Good luck with such a campaign ... I'm sure this kind of event would have a strong showing!