Top 10 Things FoxTrot did right to fund World's Fair Kickstarter on the first day.

Take a look at this extremely well put together Kickstarter for World’s Fair from Foxtrot Games.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/foxtrotgames/worlds-fair-1893-board-game

I am a fan of Randy and Foxtrot games.  Foxtrot just launched a Kickstarter for World’s Fair and it is already funded.  It is Randy’s third game launched on Kickstarter. I’m sharing this because I think Foxtrot is a fantastic example of the right way to compete on Kickstarter as it stands today.

Key details that stand out for me:

1. Video is 90 seconds, animated, and very clear with a just a sample of gameplay. Video plays well without sound. (Videos now auto play on Kickstarter with no sound).

2. Kickstarter price is $10 below MSRP.

3. Kickstarter pledge level includes shipping to USA.

4. Launched with 6+ independent reviews of the game.

5. Short profiles of you are backing is included on the Kickstater page with photos. I often back for the people, even if I’m not that interested in the product.

6. FoxTrot hired an artist AND a graphic designer separately. Both are profiled on the Kickstarter page. 

7. Print and Play on Kickstarter has full graphic design, but not full artwork.

8. Review copies had full artwork and graphic design.  Artwork files were provided to reviewers for use in their reviews.

9. ZERO stretch goals.  There is a section on the Kickstarter page addressing this.

10. Large, clear, “Whats in the Box” graphic near the head of the Kickstarter page (with full artwork and graphic design).

Two Local Prototype Events hosted by Colin Thom

Stanford Campus Playtesting, Saturday August 15th, 2015

When: 7pm on Aug 15 (Saturday), can come 15 minutes early to set up

Where: Donald Kennedy Commons, Comstock Cir, Stanford

Heretic Games Playtesting, Wednesday August 19

When: 6pm on Aug 19 (Wednesday)

Where: Heretic Games, San Bruno 

Here is your chance to get in a few more playlists.

Organizer:

Colin Thom - colinthom89 at gmail dot com - 650-387-6189

Prototype Night at Heretic Games Wed July 1st

When:
Wednesday, July 1st - 6:30 PM to 9:30

Where:
Heretic Games
442 San Mateo Ave
San Bruno, CA  94066

Organizer:
Colin Thom
colinthom89 at gmail dot com
650-387-6189

Playtest prototype games at Heretic Games!  If you would like to participate as a designer, please RSVP via email to Colin Thom (colinthom89 at gmail dot com). Please include a photo and description of your game. Players are welcome to just show up.

Unpub Mini in SF this Fri, Dubious Alliance: LotLK Kickstarter ending soon.

UPDATE: Clarification, this event is open to designers who want to test their games, but not players.  The player seats are reserved for the librarians attending the conference. 

Unpub Mini this Friday in SF

When:

Friday, June 26 from 7:30 to 10:30 PM.

Where:

Marriott Marquis San Francisco - Yerba Buena Salon 07

780 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103

If you would like to attend as a designer, please contact: 

Brian Mayer - bmayer at gvboces dot org

Brian tells me he has about 10 spots left for local designers. Please contact him if you want to request a designer spot.

Brian has two goals for the event.  Here they are in his own words:

1) Showcase what an Unpub looks like to librarians.

There will be librarians from across the country there, exploring games and looking for ideas to take back to their libraries. So part of the goal is introduce what an unpub event looks and feels like with the hopes that they go back to their communities, connect and support their local game designers. Libraries are doing a lot with Maker Spaces, 3D printing etc which would be a wonderful compliment to game designers. Not to mention the research resources.

2) To give local designers another venue to share their game projects and get play testing feedback.

There will be a lot of people at the event. One note, the event is 2.5 hours long and attendees will want to explore a number of things, so I would encourage perhaps something that wouldn't consume their whole time.They will be able to sit and play in the Unpub section of ALAPlay. 

Dubious Alliance: Liar of the Lich King Kickstarter ending soon.

The expansion for Dubious Alliance, Liar of the Lich King is on Kickstarter now and ends very soon. The project is funded and is offering some fun stuff like creating a vanity card of yourself. Backer levels start at just $12. 

Brandon Raasch (the designer) was a big supporter of Protospiel San Jose driving players to the event and sponsoring a meal.  Here is your chance to give Brandon a thank you and support local designers. If social bluffing games are not your thing, consider backing the project for $1 to up the backer count.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/627746006/lair-of-the-lich-king

Contact List and Event Photos

Greetings,

Follow this link for the list of designers that opted in to the contact list:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S1QRBMTNp9Tdym9grJOevuTZh__gPQvSp-UhaTQ8OJ4/edit?usp=sharing

A sincere thank you to Sarah Graybill for taking the time to collect all the contact info into a functional format.

I’ve posted photos from the event up on Flickr.  I was careful to crop or angle out of frame anything that notified me as a secret game. Take a look and see if there are any nice photos of your game you can use in the future.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127569255@N08/sets/72157653040204816