Print & Play by AdMagic

Recently I decided to choose a different manufacturer to create the new prototypes of Legends of Novus (for the DiceTower and Tantrum videos for KS relaunch).
I decided to move away from GameCrafter for this version for a couple of reasons:

1 - I believe it is good to experiment with different servers, and different productions.  This helps me understand differences in quality, and in tech requirements to provide files to manufacturers.  I can tell you the difference in how I submit files to PnP is much different than GC, but with some similarities.

2 - When canvassing the gaming community, PnP comes up often as a game creation tool of choice.  So as much as I enjoyed the prototypes I have done with Gamecrafter (and cards from DTC), I wanted to see what people liked more about PnP.

3 - Time... It turns out PnP had a faster turnaround time from file submission to getting your game.  For the Gamecrafter I waited about a month for my copy, with few emails/confirmations.  With PnP I had a few file check emails sent to me... by humans... and was able to correct some issues before the final print.  This showed me great customer service, and the time from production to getting my game was only 2 weeks.

Do I still like the GameCrafter?  Yes, absolutely.  They can deliver a pretty solid product with what you need.  Do I prefer PnP?  I would say yes, I believe the file creation system is simpler (for how I run my programs anyhow), and the color quality I have gotten back has been better from PnP.

Just thought I would share.  Regardless, both are expensive, but the cost is worth the feeling of getting something you created in a near final form.  I truly recommend trying this if you have a game you feel is near its final stages, that you want to playtest more formally in game clubs or such.

If you have any questions about the process just let me know, would be happy to share my experience with you.

Bringing back a Prototype for a Contest

The Board Game Design Lab is running their second game design contest, and I thought it would be a good idea to enter it again.
Last year I entered Legends of Novus, however I was very much a rookie in graphic design and game design.  I am certainly no expert now, but I feel a lot has been learned this past year and figure now is as good a time as any to test that theory.
I cannot run Novus in the contest, as I plan to make it available to the public through the KS relaunch in June (and believe it will succeed this time).  But there is a game I have prototyped and tested many times that I think is worth entering into the contest...
The description I put in the rules, just in MS word, were as follows:

Spellbook'd
Take on the role of an aspiring Wizard in an Academy of Magic. Each Wizard is
building up their skills to win an upcoming contest of their skills, judged by the Council of
Archmages. Study the different schools of magic, redeem your knowledge for Magems,
and partake in a Spell Battle in your effort to become the victor of the contest!
Spellbook’d is a card drafting and dueling game involving three different game
rounds to gather cards, spells, and points to win the game. After the three different
rounds of play the Wizard with the most Spell Points is declared the winner.
2-3 players (expandable to 6 players if printed twice)
30-45 minutes playtime
Ages 12+

I enjoyed playing this every time I had the chance, and am excited to put some energy into something other than Legends of Novus.  As amazing as I feel Novus is, it can be tough to dedicate hours each and every night to a single title.  It is important to still develop Novus, as the relaunch deserves the support, but I will still take some time for Spellbook'd as well to see how it can perform.

If you are designing games I would recommend you always have a few titles in the works. One should be your primary focus, but have others in different stages so that when you want to design, and need something different, you have options to play with.

Here is an early sellsheet, still working on it, for the contest.

How to Prepare for a Relaunch?

It has been almost two weeks since the end of the unfunded KS campaign for Legends of Novus.  I made it very clear to the backers, and any other watchers/reviewers, that the game would be relaunched in June with some changes.
The question is... what should change, and what should stay the same?  After doing some research, inquiring to people with emails, learning new skills, and just contemplating what might work, here is what I think will be most effective:

1.  Reduce component costs/quality for initial funding goal.  Then establish higher quality components that could be earned with greater funding.  The most significant component quality to be changed is the Character Boards, turning them from thick cardboard into thinner boxboard format.  This will reduce the cost of that component by about 80%!
2. Order new prototype that is professional quality of the final graphic designs.  The older style, and even the new PnP, does not show enough faith to viewers that the game is ready to make.
3. Plan to revisit KS video to incorporate newer prototype into.
4. Create a digital application and/or enhanced web site to provide more info to potential game investors.  Considering a few options, such as getting onto iTunes and Google Play stores with a basic game info application I am creating through free software called Mobincube..
5. Create a board game review YouTube channel by FunDaMental Games.  Complete 3-5 game reviews and post on youtube.  This is to demonstrate a rudimentary understanding of board games, and attempt to gain new followers through this.
6. Create a new game setup and training video, needs to be higher quality and clearly articulated for the How to Play video.
7. Redo the KS promo video, most of it will stay, but the new components will need to wait.
8. Redo the KS campaign … the biggest job of all!

I am sure there will be more, but those are the big ones...

SAMPLE self - created App for the game:

Legends of Novus will need a Relaunch... and thats okay!

After 30 long days the game that I planned to create was unable to fund on its first attempt on Kickstarter.  One thing I have learned recently is that many games struggle in their first attempts now.  The competition is getting better and better, which is great for gamers/backers, but hard for new designers trying to "break into boardgames".

As I gather all of the data, review all of the potential missed funding opportunities, and strategize a relaunch, I thought it also important to post here on my Blog.

Below was the final update I placed on my Novus Kickstarter, figured instead of retyping it all that this can summarize some things I believe my campaign was missing...

To be continued...

Hello everyone, as many of you have predicted through the fairly reliable Kicktraq and Bigger Cake trend graphs, Legends of Novus was not able to attain its funding goal for this first attempt. It has been a very fun, engaging, and educational 4 weeks going through this campaign. To say this was a failure would be wrong, I feel what was learned this past month will make me a better game designer and marketer for any future endeavours. And to have over 400 people take interest, with over $20,000 Canadian pledges, means that Novus was important to many people!

The creatures that have been plaguing Novus will not relent, and your support will be needed when we get the chance to try this again! If even 50% of you came back for Day 1 of the relaunch we could see a fantastic % funded and interest in the kickstarter and gaming community.

Here is a quick video, a temporary farewell...

Something does need to change though, I cannot relaunch as it is now and expect it to succeed. So here are a few of the things that will be considered between now and the relaunch:

• Reducing the minimum funding goal to a more attainable result early on. In order to do this there will need to be a game component to review, to determine what is a must have and what is a nice to have. The most costly component, for example, are the dual layer character boards. If these were playmats to begin with, and the dual layer turned into a Stretch Goal, then the initial costs would go down significantly while still allowing for that to become a component with enough funding.
• Kickstarter game exclusives... there is some dissent on whether these are important or not, but I believe in a game like this they can be created/included without taking away from a potential retail game in the future. This would most likely be in the form of special characters, classes, and creatures.
• Add-Ons instead of excessive Pledge Levels. Things like the Art Book and the Neoprene Mat are great things to have, but they may have deterred backers as they can make the pledge levels confusing, and feel that if they don’t contribute the highest level then they aren’t getting the full game.
• Additional Game Reviews/Previews by more prominent people in the industry. By having these, the game will get more media exposure and views, which drives more traffic to the game and thus more people become interested. This comes at a cost, of course, which must be balanced carefully.
• New art... The game is already loaded with some fantastic art, but the more there is the more visually appealing the game becomes. I will work with the artist to decide on some new pieces to gather specifically for the relaunch, rather than releasing it all before the launch.
• New prototypes, using all of the new graphics, and inputting those new graphics into the intro video. You may have noticed the promo video used the older format of card graphics and the older character sheet. Although the video was still very appealing, it will match the game more with the newer graphics/images instead.

Here is an estimated timeline of events to lead toward the relaunch. Exact date is to be determined by the end of April, then will announce in the FB group and to some of the Kickstarter awareness groups out there.

I am sure there will be some other things to reconsider between now and the relaunch, and anything you wish to recommend you can feel free to do so. Here are a few ways you can:

Email me at fundamentalgames@icloud.com

Join the games Facebook Group and comment there (link at bottom of KS page)

Send me a tweet, or FB message, I am Wesley Woodbury, should be easy enough to find;)

2 Weeks of Kickstarter... Whats Happened?

Legends of Novus has been active on Kickstarter for 15 days now, 50% of the planned campaign time.

Most estimates say a game should be over half funded by this point... it is currently sitting at 36% of its goal.  If nothing else were planned to promote it, and if I did not have faith that it was a truly enjoyable game, this would be the time to cancel and decide if and when to relaunch.

I am not going to pull the plug and cancel until the day before it ends though, going against conventional wisdom based on some planned events and promotion.  Whether this is successful or not is completely unknown, but if nothing else it will still gather more attention, earn more backers, and make the game show as more professional by the end of the campaign.

A few things planned are:

• BoardGameGeek Ads running for the final two weeks of the KS.  Now that any pre-planned game followers have joined, and early KS browsers, these Ads will hopefully gain the attention of those who like fantasy, and missed the initial launch information.
• Podcasts airing from Funding the Dream (Richard Bliss), We're Not Wizards (Richard Simpson), and Getting Leafy (Blake Lively) are all airing information and interviews with me about the game.  As people download/listen they may gain an interest and decide to support the game and the company.
•  Well known game creator, publisher, and blogger Jamey Stegmaier, read an email I sent to him about my KS strategies and may include it in a Blog post.  Given that hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people read his content weekly, this could send a few people to read about the Kickstarter as well, potentially earning new backers.
• The GAMA is coming up in Mid March, right before my campaign ends.  A former employer of mine, who owns three game stores, will be attending and is planning to share my Info Sheet and discuss the game with people of influence at the show.  This is a big wargaming and fantasy crowd, and also big fans of Kickstarters.  Who knows what kind of boost that could give to the campaign!

So with all of that in the works, the next two weeks could easily bring in more interest and backers than the first two weeks.  I will continue my daily updates and game training videos, share on social media, and engage with the gaming community however I can (without over-spamming) in an effort to keep the world of Novus gaining exposure and traffic.

In two weeks I hope to provide a positive blog update of how this all worked out, but nothing is certain, all one can do is take a risk and try try try!

Wes

The Launch!

Well, launch day came and went in a blur.  Feb 19th, 9am, was 3.5 days ago now.  Thought it would be a good time to share a few thoughts.

First, how was the competition?
Pretty substantial.  Before I launched my game there were about 6 titles launched in the tabletop boardgame category.  After I launched, within another 2 hours, my game was no longer on the front page of the New section, as another 6-8 games had launched afterwards (which pushes you down the New list).  2 of those games were a similar theme as mine (fantasy adventure).

How did you do on launch day?
Day one resulted in just over 100 backers, and just over $5,000 CAN (about $3,500 USD).  For a very new person to the industry, and someone who has not been to any major conventions, I felt this was a reasonable result.

How are you advertising?
Mainly Facebook targeted ads, as well as discussions on social FB groups, Twitter, Instagram, and a small bit on Reddit (very difficult platform to share on FYI).
I spent about $50 on FB the first 2 days, and will continue to use their simple services to Boost posts.  I also attempted to use a social influencer, someone who has hundreds of thousands of contacts/followers, to see if that has any impact.

Do you talk to your backers?
Yes, I reply to every single comment/question on FB, Twitter, IG, and of course the Comments section of the actual KS.  I feel it is extremely important to be personal with the groups, and let them know how important it is for them to enjoy your game.

How often do you post updates?
I have made the decision to do one post per day, at around 11 or midnight.  This is for two reasons...
1- To thank and appreciate all new backers, as well as backers who have stayed with the campaign.
2 - To showcase specific parts of the game that I feel players would like to know about.
I am doing these updates with just a paragraph or two of text, accompanied by a 3-5 minute video of the two points above.  Thus far it seems to be liked by the backers.  This also allows me to share the video on YouTube, and other platforms via linked youtube video posts.
Some people may say a post per day is a lot, which is why I am trying to make sure each post serves an educational purpose towards the game (not just backstory, but actual gameplay).

Do you think you will get "funded"?
At this point, I honestly don't know.  I can tell you I have put a lot of time and energy into creating this project, sharing it, playing it, and now advertising it.  The artist has done a fantastic job, with minimal compensation (focused on the Funded result).  No matter what, the plan is to keep at it until 2 days prior to end of KS, if it is less than 60% funded then it may be time to quit, regroup, and relaunch in the future once additional prototypes and plays have taken place.

Updating my Prototype

I never imagined, when first creating Legends of Novus, that I would put together so many versions of the cards and game.  I thought I would get it right the first time, then once I was given some feedback I thought it would be done the second time.
Well... lets look at some of the card versions again...

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, or how many hours I would spend revising and retyping and reconfiguring the components of this game.

From the map layout, to the card configuration, to the text / rules, to the *shudder* rulebook (6 complete retypes!).

I want Legends of Novus to truly strike home with the fantasy gaming community.  I have loved fantasy my entire life, and don't want to create a game that people don't even want to consider playing after looking at the components/rules.

With some amazing support from the lead artist, Andrea Butera, and much feedback from the game design community, the game is truly eye catching now.  Is it perfect?  no, I don't think there is any way to please all fantasy fans.  But does it do justice to the fantasy setting it inhabits?  Absolutely.  When I printed out the most recent versions of the game cards/components I truly felt like this was something that looks polished and professional.  After a few more validations of grammar, spacing, and graphic layout this game is ready for production (plus the final artwork replacements of course).

Printing out the new material this morning was an exciting moment, and using them to play some games at some games stores over the coming days will be the perfect leadup to the KS launch on Tuesday (with some photo ops of course).

Here is a pic of some the most recent prototype components of Legends of Novus...

and a few digital images for higher quality viewing...