Mitropia is the first tabletop game and the first Kickstarter project that I’ve worked on, so there’s a lot to learn and endless resources to find online.
If you are looking to either design your first game or launch a Kickstarter for the first time, here are the resources that our team has found most helpful so far.
This blog is run Jamey Stegmaier, an undisputed expert in tabletop Kickstarter campaigns. His Kickstarter Lessons series will answer nearly every question you have on running your campaign — everything from growing your fan base to accounting strategies. A must-read for any aspiring Kickstarter launcher. Side note: his book, “A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide”, has also been an amazing resource (not just for tabletop campaigns but for Kickstarter advice in general). Nope, this isn’t a paid endorsement or anything, we just really like the book.
Another great resource into the tabletop Kickstarter world. James has great examples of Kickstarter pre-launch checklists and things like that. As one of the early leaders of this space, you can answer a lot of your questions by reading his stuff. He also gets into specific game publishing issues and game design. His blog is a great one-stop shop. James has also created a few useful Facebook groups, which leads me to…
James Mathe created a few Facebook groups to bring his insider industry experience as a game store owner to a widespread online community. He says in an interview that the board game creator industry is a friendly one but people weren’t really sharing their knowledge online. I can’t express how valuable these Facebook groups have been. There are creators at every end of the spectrum, from first-timers (like us) to pros that have published dozens of games. It’s a welcoming, friendly community and a great place to ask questions.
There’s much, much more we could add to the list (communities on BoardGameGeek, game designer subreddits, and more), but starting with these 3 will answer 90% of your questions. Thanks to both Jamey and James for sharing their knowledge with us!
What are your favorite blogs (either game-related or not)? Let us know in the comments!
Strategy Game Geeks 