One of the many challenges you will come across in your journey of becoming a game designer is the vast amount of information that is available on the subject. If you are planning on becoming a Kickstarter creator as well, that amount of information seems to grow exponentially and it is very easy to become overwhelmed with all of the things you “should” or “need” to be doing.
The good news is that you don’t have do this all by yourself. The gaming community is full of other designers, publishers, and players that are more than happy to help you along they way and share some of their wisdom and experience so you don’t need to be reinventing the wheel.
In today’s post, I will be sharing with you some of the resources that I have found that were a great help to me in hopes that they will help you as well.
Blogs and Forums
One of the first places I turned to in my journey to discover what is involved in developing your first board game, as well as how to then put that game on Kickstarter, were the many blogs that are available on the topic. There are many excellent blogs on the internet, but I have found the following blogs to be extremely helpful and I highly recommend you check them out:
- Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games’ Kickstarter Lessons
- James Mathe’s blog
- TGIK Games’ blog
- Board Game Geek
Associations
There are some really great associations to be a part of that gives you access to some great people and seemingly endless resources. One of the first associations that I cam across, and subsequently joined, was the Indie Game Alliance. From the member discounts, their assistance with promoting your Kickstarter, and their con presence, the IGA provides you with some amazing tools to help you get to the next level.
Along with the IGA, there are a couple other associations you could check out:
Podcasts
Podcasts are another excellent resource for new game designers and Kickstarter creators. I find myself listening to a core set of podcasts anytime I have some free time, especially as I’m driving in the car.
One podcast that I continue to talk about and enjoy listening to is Cardboard Architects that features Joe Brogno and Chris Renshall. In their podcast, they talk about their point of view on the various aspects of game design. I am continually learning new things, while also being entertained, as I listen to their discussions. I highly recommend listening to this podcast.
There are an endless number of excellent podcasts in addition to Cardboard Architects. A few additional ones I’ve found to be helpful include:
Facebook Pages
The final resource I wanted to mention where some of the Facebook pages I’ve discovered that have been super helpful as a resource to get others opinions on things that you are struggling with. This list is by no means exclusive but is a good place to start:
- Tabletop Game Publisher’s Guild
- Kickstarter Best Practices
- Art and Graphic Design for Tabletop Games
- Tabletop Game Kickstarter Advice
- Boardgame Reviewers
- Tabletop Game Playtesters Guild
I also wanted to mention that TGIK Games holds a bi-weekly designer hangout where I can get together with other designers and bounce ideas off of them and see what they are up to. It is a really great outlet and atmosphere. If you are interested in joining, reach out to Chris Renshall.
That is everything for this post. Until next time, happy designing.
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