RPG Design Panelcast

Episode 373: That's Great Advice, Don't Follow It

Recorded at Metatopia 2023

Presented by Avonelle Wing, Curt Covert, and Alex Cutler

You've read game design blogs and Facebook groups. You've delved into conventional wisdom. You did your homework. A game should be replayable. You should set your funding goal as 1/5 of your overall costs to fund fast. A prototype should be a single sheet of paper and some markers. A prototype needs to be full production value. Publish it yourself and sell it out of your bedroom; order fulfillment is easy. All of these things might be true, and they could still be the thing that sinks your ship. Our experts talk about the ways accurate advice can still be wrong for you.

Episode 361: Crowdfunding in 2023

Recorded at Metatopia 2023

Presented by Nicole Amato

Join Kickstarter's Games Outreach Lead, Nicole Amato, as they discuss best practices for running a crowdfunding campaign. There will also be plenty of time for a Q&A for any questions you might have.

Episode 327: Grow your RPG Brand

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Cat Tobin, Will Sobel, JR Blackwell, Christopher McGlothlin, Maz Hamilton.

You're an RPG designer now! That's great, but now how do you get your awesome game in front of players who will appreciate it? How do you position yourself for future projects? Basically, how do you get your name on a game to mean something? Our panelists grapple with this sticky problem!

Episode 326: How to Pitch Yourself Confidently

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Emily Escovar, Anne Ratchat.

You've got a great game and you're looking to sell it, or maybe you're looking to get a position working for somebody else making games. How do you present yourself and your game in their best lights? Pitching's a necessary skill regardless of your role in the industry. Learn how to do it here!

Episode 304 - Pitch Perfect

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Curt Covert, Melissa Lewis-Gentry, Jason Walters, Isaac Vega.

How do you present a game to playtesters without biasing them, but getting what you want from the test? How do you present that same game to a publisher differently? How do you present the game to fans at a show to get them excited enough to buy it? Some things will be identical, others will be custom-tailored to the audience and what they care about (or what you want from it). And there are multiple versions of each.

Episode 292: Fulfillment to Latin America

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Alastor Guzman, Sergio Ake.

 

"How To Include Latin America In Your Kickstarter Fulfillment"  Latin American gamers are often excluded in Kickstarts due to.  high shipping prices, tax and unfamiliarity with the market. In this panel, we'll talk about how to include them in your fulfillment estimates and make it worthwhile for all involved.

Episode 284: Don't Kickstart Your Game

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Nicole Cutler, Avonelle Wing.

It seems a little unpopular to tell new designers "don't kickstart your game"; Kickstarter is an invaluable tool. There are so many encouraging blogs and podcasts that talk optimistically about how accessible it is to crowdfund your own game. but there's not a lot that talk in depth about the logistics, liabilities and potential pitfalls. Before making the decision to launch a campaign, we want to give potential new creators a realistic look behind the curtain to see what they're diving into.

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 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 239 - Honing your Game Pitch

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Jim McClure, Kenneth Hite, Cat Tobin.

This panel is designed to help you establish the best way to present your game to consumers. From Elevator pitches, to focus points, to mechanical highlights, we will cover what is most important in getting people to buy into your game. Attendees should be prepared to discuss their game project as part of a group, and have an elevator pitch pre-prepared. The panelists will then help each individual attendee to hone their presentation.

Episode 234 - Planning a Kickstarter? What You Need to Know!

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Juliet Meyer, Raymond Bruels, Chandler Copenhaver.

Kickstarter can be amazing for creators, but there's a lot of other things around them that will help you find success. Learn how to market and plan for a Kickstarter, and what five things you should have in place long before the launch.

 

 

 

Episode 231 - Now What? - Finishing Games

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Steve Segedy, Christopher Badell, Mark Richardson, and Cat Tobin.

Once you've created a game, what are your options for getting it out into the world? Come ask questions and find out about printing, distribution, and fulfillment options for independent designers and small publishers. We could also include discussion of Kickstarter, BackerKit, contracts, licensing, etc.

Episode 222 - Marketing is More Than Social Media

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Melissa Lewis-Gentry, Beth Rimmels, Christopher Tang.

Marketing Is More Than Social Media. While social media is an important tool for marketers to use, many companies confuse it for the whole breadth of a marketing. Hear expert marketing professionals talk about what marketing departments should be doing for game publishing companies.

Episode 218 - Marketing 201

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Juliet Meyer, Raymond Bruels

Marketing 201: Creating Content around Your Brand/Product. You've got a brand/product and you've got all the social media channels and a website. Great. Now what? Learn how to create consistent content for your brand/product that will resonate with your audience. This class covers Twitch streaming, social post scheduling/generation, as well as some ideas for rich media creation, and how to go about creating content for your brand/product using tools you already have! Bring your phone to this seminar

Episode 217 - Marketing 101

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Juliet Meyer, Raymond Bruels

Marketing 101: Creating a Basic Marketing Plan. This is a basic course in marketing your brand and/or your product and helping you know the difference between the two in terms of tone and voice. Which social media platform is best for you? How should you measure success? Do I need a website/Facebook/Instagram/Telegram Channel/Sub-Reddit and what are those things? What are the different ways to market? What is my target demographic? How can you build an audience for your brand/product?

Episode 214 - Kickstarter in 2019

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Chandler Copenhaver, Steve Segedy and Christopher Batarlis.

Kickstarter today is a different animal than it was a year or five years ago. Let's talk about the things you need to know if you're launching a campaign next year.

Episode 196 - So you want to be a Podcaster!

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Philip Vecchione, Senda Linaugh, Monica Speca.

Podcasting is the new blogging. Fame, fortune, influence. Or...software glitches, audience-building, busy cohosts. Let's talk about the complications and joys of being a podcaster in a roundtable format.

Episode 195 - Ask a Marketing Expert

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by: Beth Rimmels, Mike Roberts & Mandy Perry.

Learn the answers to your specific marketing & promotion questions from the experts. Beth Rimmels & Mike Roberts work for a digital marketing agency and are experts in social media marketing and SEO (how people find you on Google). Mandy Perry is an expert in tumblr marketing who just wrapped their first highly successful Kickstarter. This interactive workshop will also include live analysis of web sites as time allows. Bring your questions and learn how to get the word out about your product and establish a professional presence online. 

Episode 184 - Podcasting for Promotion

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by James D'Amato and Senda Linaugh.

Being a guest on podcasts is a fantastic way to promote your game and build your brand. Our moderators will talk about how this might work and things you should know in advance to be a good guest. This will be run as a roundtable discussion.

Episode 177 - Crowdfunding on a Budget

Recorded at Metatopia 2017

Presented by James D'Amato, Jim McClure, Laura Simpson.

It is tempting to pour money into marketing a crowdfunding project. We'll discuss strategies you can use that take your project further without breaking your marketing budget.

Episode 165 - Developing a Marketing Plan

Recorded at Metatopia 2017

Presented by Steve Radabaugh, Beth Rimmels, Jason Pitre

Developing A Marketing Plan For Your Game. We will be taking what Marketing Genius Seth Godin teaches about Marketing and helping you apply it to your game/brand. You will work in a small group to discuss how the information applies to you, and you will fill out a marketing plan template.  

Note: This is a shorter panel as the second half was dedicated to filling in the template.

 

Marketing Plan Questions

1. What Change are you trying to make?
2. Who are you trying to change?
3. What is the promise that you’re making?
4. Pick 2 desireable things to the people you are trying to change. What is your position on these axes? What are you committed to being on behalf of the people you are trying to change?
5. People like us do things like this. Who is the US, and what is the THIS?
6. Why don’t people choose you?

 

Episode 164 - Pitching Positively

Recorded at Metatopia 2017

 

Presented by John Adamus, Jacqueline Bryk.

Sales Pitches That Set A Positive Tone.. Building a pitch that captures the atmosphere of the game in a positive, rather than exclusionary way is a huge part of growing an audience and a community around your work. It sets a tone and conveys a lot of info. Let's give you a roadmap for success!

Episode 160 - How to Pitch your Game

Recorded at Metatopia 2017

Presented by Jennifer Gutterman, Joshua Yearsley, Melissa Lewis-Gentry, Zev Shlasinger.

You made a game! Congratulations! Now explain your incredible game in one sentence. That isn't as easy as it sounds. You want people to buy into your game as players, as investors, or as retailers. You will only have one chance to make that first impression. It needs to have impact. If you want to see your game successful on a crowdfunding site, or sold by your local game store, then you need to know what kind of pitch types and styles to maximize both what you say and target the right audience. This panel will cover it all, from the one sentence pitch through pitches for retailers, and the many options in between.

Episode 154 - What Games Attract Retailers and Distributors

Recorded at Metatopia 2017

Presented by Brian Dalrymple, Jason Walters, Melissa Lewis-Gentry.

Getting your game(s) into stores usually means dealing with distributors. How do you get their attention? What do they expect from you? If you're planning on going direct to retailers, what's the best way to do that? If you're planning on operating outside of traditional distribution, are you leaving money on the table? This is panel gives an overview of the 3-tier distribution system, including its strengths, weaknesses, and alternatives.

Episode 136 - Crowdfunding Retailer Tiers

Recorded at Metatopia 2017

Presented by Melissa Lewis-Gentry, Brian Dalrymple.

So you're planning crowdfunding for your game, and have heard that Retail is important. Maybe you did a retail tier in a previous Kickstarter and had no one buy it, or maybe you lost money by creating that tier. Regardless, the industry is changing faster than we can keep up. Learn from Retailers on what they want and what they won't back for 2018 Kickstarters & IndieGoGos. Learn from Expert Campaigners on the pitfalls of building tiers. Be sure to bring questions about your upcoming campaign, we want to hear them.