RPG Design Panelcast

Episode 375: Packaging Design

Recorded at Metatopia 2023

Presented by Taylor Hubler and Nicholas Ambrose

Join our experts for a conversation looking at how to physically design, package, and ship games. We want to make sure that every copy that is printed makes it into the hands of a player, but games can get damaged in transit, or be passed up by game stores due to a physical design misstep. Part one will be going over physical design, layout considerations, and what retailers like to see in a product on their shelves. Part two will be going over why product gets damaged in transit, best packaging practices for distribution, and how avant garde physical design can make shipping difficult. Q and A, as well as workshop elements will be present in this panel.

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 343: Printing and Shipping Where You Are

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

Presented by Jonathan Lavallee, Alastor Guzman, Moe Poplar.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman? Printing and Publishing Where You Are.  In this panel we'll be looking at the current state of printing and publishing RPGs from Canada, the US, Europe, and Mexico. Where are there new opportunities for small publishers to produce physical books without breaking the bank?

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 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 283: Distribution and your Boardgame

Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Online

Presented by Scott Morris, Mike Paschal.

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 Mike Paschal from PHD discuss the U.S.'s 3-Tier system and answer questions. 

Episode 262 - Design Considerations for Card Games

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Tim Rodriguez & Beth Rimmels.

Card games are a classic design model that have already expressed innumerable possibilities. We'll talk about classic styles of decks, iterations on classic games, alternate formats, the mathematics of card games, and why we all love them. We'll also consider and critique ideas and concepts and talk about why or why not to choose this design format.

Episode 240 - Distribution and Fulfillment

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Jason Walters, Mark Diaz Truman, Brennan Taylor, and Christopher Tang.

Distribution And Fulfillment presented by Jason Walters, Mark Diaz Truman, Brennan Tylor, Christopher Tang. The ways to get your game into the hands of players are always shifting, but our experts can walk you through the three-tier system and the various alternatives to it.

Episode 219 - DrivethruRPG

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Christopher Tang

"Getting Started With DriveThruRPG". Let's talk about how to interact with DriveThruRPG, some of the nitty gritty process but also the general principles to bear in mind and some of the things many people do not know like the details of the OGL, basic copyright law, the availability of Community Content programs, etc. Also taking audience questions liberally since I expect there will be those. We will also cover some of the ways the site has changed in the last year (mostly GDPR changes).

Episode 129 - Printing and Manufacturing 101

Recorded at Metatopia 2016

Presented by Christopher Badell, Zev Shlasinger.

Once you've designed the game, it's time to produce it. Our panelists have dozens of finished products between them and offer their expertise to make your process smoother.

Episode 128 - Designing with Production in Mind

Recorded at Metatopia 2016

Presented by Matt Fantastic.

How many cards are on a typical printing sheet? Can half an inch really save you that much money? Is it possible to license a mold? These sorts of questions shouldn't be the first thing you think about when making your next amazing game, but they can play a huge part in how realistic it is to actually get into print. Join Matt Fantastic as he talks through a bunch of common mistakes, easy fixes, and ways to look at your design/project that will save a bunch of money when it comes time to actually make it.

Episode 123 - Designing for Retail

Recorded at Metatopia 2016

Presented by Melissa Lewis-Gentry, Cat Tobin, Matt Fantastic, Zev Shlasinger.

Have you ever played (or made!) a fantastic game, and then wonder why no one has it? Ever wonder why no one other than the Kickstarter backers bought a certain game? Ever make a game, then try to go through distribution and realize you'll lose money selling that way? Not all games are designed for retail sale! This panel will discuss the design choices that see success in a retail setting, and if retail is right for your game. Topics discuss will be graphic design choices and packaging, pricing and 3 tiered distribution, Organized Play and Demoing, and using retail sales as marketing.

Episode 80 – Game Distribution

Game Distribution

Recorded at Metatopia 2015

Presented by Brian Dalrymple and Darren Watts

An overview of the 3-tier system (Publisher to Distributor to Retailer), following the course of a game after production (solicitation to wholesalers, trade shows and open houses, discount structures, buying patterns and reorder cycles, the preorder system, flooring, and more…), and covering how stores discover, order, stock, and merchandise, as they try to put them in customers’ hands. Viable alternatives to the 3-tier system are also discussed.

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Episode 30 – Reaching Retailers

Reaching Retailers: How To Get Stores Behind You

This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ.

Presented by Will Hindmarch, Jim Crocker & Brian Dalrymple (+1). Your game is ready for market. Now you’ve got to get it in the hands of players, and the best way to do that is to convince stores to carry and promote it. How do you do that? Our panel of experts fills you in!

 

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Episode 10: The Retailer’s View – What sells, what doesn’t and why

The Retailers’ View: What Sells, What Doesn’t, and Why presented by Jim Crocker and Brian Dalrymple. This panel will focus on what new games look like from the perspective of the stores that sell them. Our panelists will lead a discussion of recently published games and how they fared once they hit their stores.

 

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Episode 9: Self-Publishing: Production and Fulfillment

“Self-Publishing: Production and Fulfillment” presented by Fred Hicks, Darren Watts & Jim Crocker. You’ve decided to print and distribute your product yourself. What do you need in order to do so successfully? Come learn from folks who have done it.

 

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