The Forbidden Limb

Episode #92: Top 5 Developer Mistakes with John Brieger

John Brieger talks about some of the biggest mistakes he’s made during the development process so we can all learn from them. This is a follow-up to Episode 91: Going Full Time as a Game Developer with John Brieger. Audio Version: Resources: Brieger Creative – https://www.briegercreative.com/John Brieger on Twitter – https://twitter.com/DasBriegerEpisode 91: Going Full Time as a Game Developer…

Episode #91: Going Full Time as a Game Developer with John Brieger

Learn why your game needs development help with professional developer, John Brieger. Audio Version: Resources: Brieger Creative – https://www.briegercreative.com/John Brieger on Twitter – https://twitter.com/DasBrieger

Episode #90: Top 5 Rough Edges on a Kickstarter Game

We discuss the top 5 most common rough edges on a Kickstarter game so you can avoid them on yours! Audio Version: Resources: Dustin Schwartz Rules Editing: https://twitter.com/dustinbschwartzThe Game Crafter Sanity Test: https://help.thegamecrafter.com/article/145-sanity-tests

Episode #89: Top 5 Places to Find Prototype Art

In this episode, we re-visit our list of top places to find art for your prototype.

Audio Version:

Video Version:

Resources:

The Noun Project: http://www.thenounproject.com

Nasa: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html

National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/collection-search.html

P…

Episode #88: Top 5 Predicted Impacts of COVID-19 on the Board Game Industry

Jeremy and Brian discuss how we think the board game industry will be impacted by COVID-19. This was recorded in early May of 2020.

Audio Version:

Video Version:

Resources:

Good Cop Bad Cop Online – https://gcbc.arantius.com/

Tabletopia – https://tabletopia.com/

Tabletop Simulator – https://www.tabletopsimulator.…

Top 5 Tips for Relaunching Your Kickstarter Campaign

The second game we ever crowd-funded was New Salem, which ended up raising $19,492 USD from 630 backers. Not bad. 4 years later, we launched a Kickstarter campaign for an expansion to it called New Salem: The Constable Expansion, which raised almost that same amount, coming in at just over $18,436 from 397 backers, which was 92% of our goal — so it did not fund. Then we made quite a few changes…

Episode #87: Top 5 Time Savers for Game Designers

In this episode, we are going to cover a bunch of tips for you game designers to SAVE YOU TIME.

Resources:

Google Drive – https://docs.google.com

Dropbox – https://www.dropbox.com

Card Creatr – https://cardcreatr.sffc.xyz/

Component.Studio – https://component.studio/

Paperize – https://beta.editor.paperize.io/#/

Multideck – https://semicolon.com/multideck/multideck.html

Pages – https://www.…

Episode #86: Top 5 Tips for Advertising Your Board Game

We give you our top 5 tips for advertising your board game and how to learn which sources are best for you and your game. This is a little more focused on ads for a Kickstarter campaign, but is applicable to any type of advertising for a board game.

References:

Bitly Link Shortener – https://bitly.com/

Google Link Shortener – https://goo.gl/

Google Analytics – https://analytics.google…

Episode #85: Mailbag on US Manufacturing, Recovering from Disaster, and Component Cost Considerations

Today we dig into the Patreon mailbag and answer these questions:

How do you recover from being punched in the gut?

What is a unique enough selling point for a game?

What are some component cost considerations to take when manufacturing your game?

Should I fulfill my Kickstarter campaign myself?

Is it possible to manufacture games in the US?

Thanks to Mark Edwards for editing this!

Audio…

Episode #84: Top 5 Biggest Changes in the Board Game Industry in the Last 5 Years

How has the board game industry changed in the last 5 years? Brian co-founded Overworld Games about 6 years before this was recorded so it’s also a view of how things have changed between when he started publishing games and now. Here is the top 5 list we cover in this episode: 5) More games in big box retailers 4) It’s easier to make games 3) Kickstarter explosion 2) Growth of games at…

Episode #83: Top 5 Ways to Deal with Scope Creep

Patron Andrew van Ingen suggested this episode on how to deal with scope creep. Here’s the list we go through!

5) If some people don’t hate it, you are doing it wrong.

4) Don’t let experiments linger.

3) Determine the scale, audience (learning time), price point and play time of your game.

2) Have an “always pruning” mindset. Always be thinking about the parts that aren’t SUPER…

Episode #82: Top 5 Ways to Build a Crowd for Your Game

When you’re trying to build up a crowd for your game before Kickstarter or to build your resume for selling your game to a publisher, there are a lot of places to put your time and money, but some are better than others.

5. Create a Facebook page or group

4. Build/support your local gaming community

3. Use other’s crowds by getting your game to reviewers and other influencers

2.…

Episode #81: Top 5 Tips for Managing Your Day Job and Hobby Business

http://traffic.libsyn.com/theforbiddenlimb/BGBP081.mp3

Jeremy and Brian give some tips for how you can better manage your day job and hobby board game business.

Resources:

Multideck – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/multideck/id1193399487?mt=12

Compononent.Studio – https://component.studio/

Paperize – https://beta.editor.paperize.io/#/

Asana – https://app.asana.com/

Trello – https://trell…

Episode #80: Top 5 Things That Are Probably Wrong with Your Game Pitch

http://traffic.libsyn.com/theforbiddenlimb/BGBP080.mp3

(link for direct download of podcast episode)

Jeremy and Brian cover the top 5 things that are most commonly wrong with a pitch a game designer gives to a publisher. If you’re a designer, you’ll probably find something in here that you can use to improve your next pitch.

Episode #79: Signs It Is Time to Give up on a Design

http://traffic.libsyn.com/theforbiddenlimb/BGBP079.mp3

(link for direct download of podcast episode)

When you’ve been working on a design for a while and you’re not sure if there’s enough there to keep going with it, we have some signs that it might be time to give up on it. If you want a spoiler, the signs are:

5) No market opportunity 4)Design colleagues don’t ask about the status or encourage…

Episode #78: Reasons to Theme Your Prototype

http://traffic.libsyn.com/theforbiddenlimb/BGBP078.mp3

(link for direct download of podcast episode)

We go over the top 5 reasons to theme your prototype and some discussion around them. If you want to have them spoiled, here are some of our notes on each one:

5) Theme makes it easier to learn your game. It drive cohesion, direction, and rules comprehension.

4)Some publishers really care about…

Episode #77: Getting Your Prototype Played at Smaller Conventions

http://traffic.libsyn.com/theforbiddenlimb/BGBP077.mp3

(link for direct download of podcast episode)

5) Teach games and then ask if they want to try your own game afterwards. (know your audience and be respectful of time)

4) Setup in open gaming and grab drive bys and/or have good signage.

3) Setup an event with local designers there through meetup/facebook so you can all play each other games.…