RPG Design Panelcast

Episode 369: Indie Publishing for the Long Haul

Recorded at Metatopia 2023

Presented by Meguey Baker and Vincent Baker

We've been creating and publishing our own games for almost 25 years. How, why, and what does it take? Why self-publish instead of shopping your work around? How do you plot your own course, build your own audience, and measure your own success? This is about being you, the designer, making your games, owning the fruits of your labor, and keeping both your drive and your passion while holding down your day job and maintaining your relationships.

Episode 368: Printing Your RPG

Recorded at Metatopia 2023

Presented by Jason Pitre

Producing books is a challenge at the best of times, and the printing landscape has changed radically since the pandemic. The panel speakers will explain the process for finding companies to work with you, choosing your print specifications, and other secrets of the trade.

Episode 350: Shipping is on FIRE

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

Presented by Mel D'Amato

Anyone who makes or sells consumer goods has been watching the news about shipping and logistics in horror. The cost of freight is up. There are no shipping containers to put goods into. Products are sitting on docks in Asia. Full ships can't get to port to unload on this side of the ocean. Our expert, Mel D'Amato from ShipBob, talks to us about what's going on, why everything is terrible, and what we can expect over the next several months.

Episode 347: Reading Contract Boilerplate

Recorded at Metatopia 2021

Presented by Eric Whalen.

Lawyers secretly know that you do not read the big chunks of standardized text in your contract that have nothing to do with your obligations and how much you are getting paid / paying (called "boilerplate" text). Worse - many lawyers forget to read the boilerplate in their own contracts! Whether you love or hate these reader-unfriendly text walls, join the panelist as he reminds us to intellectually grapple with the important provisions everyone has likely agreed to, but may never have read or fully understood until now. Chatters will be encouraged to link their own boilerplate samples so that panelists may demonstrate how to dissect organic boilerplate specimen live.

Episode 344: International Co-Publishing Agreements

Recorded at Metatopia 2021

Presented by Jason Pitre, Rae Nedjadi and Sean Nittner with regrets from Jay Dragon.

 

Countless brilliant analog game designers are creating innovative games around the world. Unfortunately, creatives from many countries face harsh barriers in terms of crowdfunding access, banking regulations, shipping challenges, or other factors. That is why international co-publishing agreements have come on the scene. In this panel, Filipino Designer/Publisher Jamila Nedjadi joins North American publishing partners to discuss the different business models that have worked for them.

Episode 336: Selling Globally in an Evechanging World

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

Presented by Jordan Russell.

What is DDP? What is VAT? How can I expand my business Globally? If these are questions you have asked yourself then this session is for you. Come grab some knowledge with Jordan Russell (from ShipBob) on how to expand your business into different markets around the world. Becoming a global business isn't as scary as it seems.

Episode 335: Distribution in 2021

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

Presented by Scott Morris and Michael Parker.

 

Are you a designer and want to know how your game gets distributed? Are you self publishing and want to know more about Distribution? Are you crazy enough to actually ask a Distributor anything? Join us as Scott Morris from GTS and Michael Parker from ACD discuss the U.S.'s 3-Tier system and answer questions.

Episode 323: A New Designer’s Toolkit

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Kyle Ott & Riley Parks.

This panel will focus on tips targeted to those who are beginning their design careers. The presentation will include advice on how to approach a publisher and conduct publisher research. Our panelists will give new designers advice on how to get unstuck and resources to help them with their first designs.

Episode 317: Different Traditions of Indie Publishing

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Jason Pitre, Fiona Geist, Darren Watts, Viditya Voleti.

Indie game publishing is a strange craft and the design communities approach the process differently. In this panel, we will explore the similarities and divergences in publishing approaches from a Story Game, Sworddream, Trad and OSR perspectives. Let's share our knowledge and get weird.

Episode 311: New Editions

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Russell Collins, Brennan Taylor, Meguey Baker, Greg Stolze.

Was your game imperfect when it was released? Has it changed over time? Have you? We'll explore why (and how) you can update your game for the 2nd, or 3rd, or 4th, edition

Episode 309: Getting your First RPG Published

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Jason Walters, Moe Poplar, Darren Watts, April Walsh, Jonathan Lavallee.

Publishing your first RPG can be difficult, how do you know when enough play testing is enough? What feedback should you listen to? How do you get your game ready for print? All these questions, and more, will be answered in this comprehensive advice panel. 

Episode 307: Contract Literacy 101

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Eric Whalen, Rob Hebert, Steven Long, Debbie Moynihan.

"Contract Literacy 101: Whereas & Therefore & Beyond" The majority of game designers will need to sign at least one contract prior to completing their game. This panel will improve your literacy and familiarity with the structure of contracts, as well as explain some of the standard contract terms you ought to be prepared to encounter. The information should be relevant to designers, artists, and publishers alike.

Episode 293: Publishing in Asia

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Jason Morningstar, Sungil Kim, Taka'aki Ayukata, Steve Segedy.

Asian game markets are booming! Come meet two publishers who are actively licensing and translating English-language properties for their own countries and beyond. Join us for an informal conversation with and between publishers from Japan and Korea. 

Episode 286: Consulting 101

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by J Li, Jessica Hammer

Consulting 101: Selling Game Design As a Service for $5K - $250K: . Want to sell game design as a service to large institutions? This panel will walk you through the practical details of the consulting pitch and sales process. Topics include how to get started, finding clients, crafting proposals, asking for money, sales strategy, execution deliverables, and long-term business development. 

Episode 272: The Publisher Perspective for 2021

Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Online

Presented by Dan DiLorenzo, Frank DiLorenzo, Kira Peavley, Curt Covert, Shari Spiro, Ben Harkins.

You have a great board/card game and you're ready to start shopping for a Publisher. What are they looking for these days? Our panelists will explain what excites them, and talk about how they look for key elements that they can extend into sellable games.

Episode 271: The Retail Perspective and Designing for Pandemic Sales in 2021

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

Presented by Bryan Dalrymple, Patrick Day.

Any board or card game being published in 2021 needs to take into account the likelihood that in-person demos and shopping will be limited. Our panelists will talk about what the design implications of this are, and how you can adjust to make your board or card game more viable as a physical commercial product.

Episode 270: Kickstarter in the Age of Covid

Recorded at Metatopia 2020

Presented by Jonathan Ritter-Roderick, Anya Combs.

Join representatives of Kickstarter for a discussion of the state of crowdfunding projects going into 2021. Topics will include what's different, what hasn't changed at all and how to prepare for success if you're taking a campaign live.

Episode 267: How to Start Business

Recorded at Metatopia 2020

Presented by Brian Dalrymple, Jessie Edwards, Hal Mangold.

Our panelists will walk you through the basics of turning your game design hobby into a business. We'll talk about the most cost-efficient ways to register an LLC, open a business bank account, file a trademark and keep track of your expenses for tax season.

Episode 266: The Business of Small Press RPGs

Recorded at GenCon 2020 Online

Hosted by Jason Walters and featuring Brian Dalrymple, Jennifer Ward, and Cat Tobin.

This panel was hosted by Indie Press Revolution as part of GenCon 2020's online panel selection on behalf of the panelists.

• Brian Dalrymple- https://www.facebook.com/AdventureGam...
• Jennifer Ward- https://www.facebook.com/crazysquirre...
  https://twitter.com/csgamestore
• Cat Tobin- https://twitter.com/CatTHM

Episode 260 - Paying it Forward and Supporting Diverse Creators

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Jason Pitre, Cat Tobin, Amanda Valentine, Lauren McMannon, Camdon Wright.

Everyone should have a chance to create and publish games. Unfortunately, there are many structural barriers keeping unrepresented voices from coming to the table. In this roundtable discussion, our panelists discuss ways that established publishers can support new voices through information, promotion, funding, and education.

Episode 258 - Crowdfunding on a Budget

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Jason Walters, Jeff Stormer, Christopher Badell.

Your game's ready for Kickstarter! So how much will you be asking for? What's the absolute minimum you need to get your game made? What is the floor number for success? How will you handle unexpected levels of success? Let's get practical about your numbers.

Episode 255 - Publish your own Games!

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Meguey Baker & Jason Pitre.

Publishing your game doesn't need to be daunting. There's work involved, but with a diverse tool box and a clear understanding of your publishing goals, publishing might be more attainable than you imagine.

Episode 247 - How to Start a Business as a Game Designer

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Emily Escovar, Chris O'Neill.

Our panelists will walk you through the basics of turning your game design hobby into a business. We'll talk about the most cost-efficient ways to register an LLC, open a business bank account, file a trademark and keep track of your expenses for tax season.

Episode 246 - Making Good Financial Decisions as a Game Designer

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Heather O'Neill, Tim Rodriguez, Jennifer Graham-Macht.

You are an individual using your hard earned money to invest in your game project. Do you self-publish, Kickstart or attend that convention? You are an indie tabletop company, so you have some budget to work with. What's your next project? Which big conventions do you attend? We will address costs specific to the tabletop gaming industry (self-publishing, Kickstarter, conventions, marketing, etc.) and ways to make decisions on what will benefit you or your company.

Episode 245 - Selling Games into Mass vs. Specialty Retail

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Brian Turtle, Peter Hayward, Avonelle Wing.

I fell into games almost by accident back in 1994 when some friends and I created a game called "The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon". We started Endless Games shortly thereafter and the game found a home in the mass market before we knew it. In the 20+ years since, we've been navigating the toy industry and gaming landscape in both mass and specialty. That said, the hobby side of the industry is still somewhat uncharted territory for us. Join us for a discussion of the differences between mass market and hobby sales and what works where.