Game Company Startup Questions

[Meikle641]

So, I'm looking into business support programs in the area, and things could go well. Additionally, I'm looking to try making a Kickstarter in a couple months since Canada is now supported.

What all do I need to know for presenting a business plan? I'm going to be doing courses and some seminars, but I do need to get my ideas and shit together into a presentable form. I'm obvious new to this, and I know we have industry insiders here, so I'd really appreciate some help.

BIWA product line:

- Quickstarter, between $2-5, or maybe even free.
- BIWA Playbook, combines player material, some monsters, and DM material, along with 2-3 adventures.
- BIWA campaign settings, starting with just one for now
- At least one adventure product within 3 months of launch.
- Character builder program, along the lines of Redblade.

I've also been talking to Frank about polishing up and releasing After Sundown. He says it'll take around 10 to 15k. Also been talking to Koumei about Bakuhatsu High.


General:
- DM tool of some sort. If nothing else, a digital tabletop would be nice. Screenmonkey is useful, but limited. 8headeddragon has given me his desires for such a thing numerous times. Plus there really should be something to help with encounter and monster generation, but the latter sort of ties into the character builder, I guess.
- Adventures/Adventure Paths


Playtesting: Looking to be doing that online and in meatspace, at a nearby university and presumably at cons and the local gamestore.

Release: Plan is to focus on digital, but I definitely want to have print be a thing. Advice?

How should I go about doing market research, aside from on /tg/? Having more than one source of feedback is good. People I've given explanations to have loved the system and material, but I'll need more data.

Just... fuck, what do? I'm trying to get this ready but I need the know-how.

[Koumei]

Yeah, happy to help out in the sense of polishing my creations up for actual publication via your company, but I'm going to say right off the bat that I know fuck-all about starting or running a business.

[Bill Bisco: Isometric Imp]

Meikle641,

Just a few ideas here.

1. You need to convince people that it's worth it to buy your product and that it's worth their time and effort to convince their friends to play and immerse themselves in your system. AKA, you need to have a good quality product that delivers on the niche that you're aiming for. The market is saturated with B Quality products.

2. Print is dead. Online is alive and the future. You want an online presence. Have a website complete with forum, game table, and game rules. Make it so that people can find people to game with on the website where you sell your game system. Make it so that people can buy your rule system online and play right there online. People are gonna find out about your game system online so that is your priority. Maybe, MAYBE, if you hear significant demand for print you look into something, but that's Phase 2 at best.

3. The DM tool is the product. Anyone can release a cheap game and leave it to the customer to assemble and figure out. Despite 4Es failings, one thing it had going for it was the character builder and monster builder. Those things make everyone's life who plays your game easier. Make that thing a part of your website! People who subscribe to it, get updates and all the tools to help them play on your website.

4. Adventure modules. Absolutely! Make people's lives easier and more fun! Make modules for them, and sell them on your website and integrate them into your game table there. People who paid, can run adventures with your module as a preset option. Adventures become like DLC which people love.

5. Your website forum and visitors will lead your marketing. People who are already participating in your game or other who are interested will answer the surveys you put on your website about the next class, adventure, race, etc. that you're thinking of designing. Your customer base will tell you with their opinions where your efforts should be heading.

[codeGlaze]

There are some good authors with advice for start-ups... I know Dave Ramsey has a good reputation, and he just released a new book specifically about entrepreneurship. Something like that might help you focus your business's structure, at least.

On generation tools:
Just be careful. They're not as easy as they sound.
I'd consider focusing on an online generator and (cross platform) mobile app, first.

Primarily because if a generator is written in HTML5/JS it can be (relatively) easily ported to all the mobile OSes.
Also, with your generator being built on web technologies, it'd be easier to integrate them with your website, database, customers, etc. Save people's stuff to your database, let them access it from anywhere...

Good programmers aren't cheap, though. And you'll want at least a semi-competent programmer.

[Ed]

I'd consider focusing on an online generator and (cross platform) mobile app, first.

Primarily because if a generator is written in HTML5/JS it can be (relatively) easily ported to all the mobile OSes.

I have to disagree here. I'm a mobile developer/product lead (well, that's what my business card says at least) and I've been involved with a lot of user testing in my last two positions. Apps and websites create different user expectations, and a website--even one that's mobile--seems to generally gets better user feedback than the same thing thrown in a webview as an "app". Users expect their mobile/tablet web browsers to be stuttery and lame; they expect apps to be smooth and polished. As such native code is almost necessary (though not sufficient) for a good, platform-complementing user experience. Ain't cheap, though.

Also, with your generator being built on web technologies, it'd be easier to integrate them with your website, database, customers, etc. Save people's stuff to your database, let them access it from anywhere...

None of this is predicated on HTML5. Building good APIs (or, barring that, APIs) that allow for extensibility is important regardless of what exactly your front-end is built in.

Good programmers aren't cheap, though. And you'll want at least a semi-competent programmer.

Truth. Whoever's giving you programmer recs, have them sort by "most starving".

[fectin]

1) focus on doing one thing well,instead of two things half-assedly. I would consider dropping the character builder for now, because it will require an entirely different talent pool and skillset, for which you will get glorified swag.

IMHO, print is not dead. I don't usually buy pdfs, but I buy books all the time. Specifically, I cant recall any pdf that I have paid for and expected to use at a table. Also, the discipline of laying out a book for print will probably force tyou to make better pdfs. That said, you might want to stick to PoD to start with.

Think about why someone would buy your product instead of 3E (or shadowrun, or whatever). What makes you uniquely good?

[codeGlaze]

I have to disagree here. I'm a mobile developer/product lead (well, that's what my business card says at least) and I've been involved with a lot of user testing in my last two positions. Apps and websites create different user expectations, and a website--even one that's mobile--seems to generally gets better user feedback than the same thing thrown in a webview as an "app". Users expect their mobile/tablet web browsers to be stuttery and lame; they expect apps to be smooth and polished. As such native code is almost necessary (though not sufficient) for a good, platform-complementing user experience. Ain't cheap, though.

Very true. I'd prefer a website with a mobile style built in, too. But a stop-gap app (using as much existing code as possible) could be good for futzing around with stuff when internet is down/inaccessible/etc.
Come to think of it... that's such a rarity any more, that the stop-gap probably wouldn't be necessary/positive.

Also, with your generator being built on web technologies, it'd be easier to integrate them with your website, database, customers, etc. Save people's stuff to your database, let them access it from anywhere...

None of this is predicated on HTML5. Building good APIs (or, barring that, APIs) that allow for extensibility is important regardless of what exactly your front-end is built in.

Also true. Keep things simple, with room for growth.

1) focus on doing one thing well,instead of two things half-assedly. I would consider dropping the character builder for now, because it will require an entirely different talent pool and skillset, for which you will get glorified swag.

Very true, except builders are something that I see a lot of requests for; it also happens to be one of the first things I personally look for.

Having print-on-demand is also a great idea (imo).

[Meikle641]

1) focus on doing one thing well,instead of two things half-assedly. I would consider dropping the character builder for now, because it will require an entirely different talent pool and skillset, for which you will get glorified swag.

...

Think about why someone would buy your product instead of 3E (or shadowrun, or whatever). What makes you uniquely good?

Well, I wasn't really planning to do them both at once, but more as a gradual thing.

...

I'd say that BIWA has relatively simple and intuitive dice mechanics, a variety of magical abilities to personalise your character, and is easy to get started with but with enough depth to allow for a good campaign.

Hoping I can capture the beer and pretzel crowd along with new gamers. Wouldn't mind poaching players from the outdated Chaosium d100 systems, too, but I doubt it would appeal much to them; the ones I encounter are grognards of the worsr sort.

[Meikle641]

Does anybody have a list of some artists who you'd recommend for game books?