Brandon the Game Dev

Reddit: the word that strikes fear into internet marketers everywhere. It’s an extremely lively website that hosts innumerable diverse communities and has a unique culture that makes it seem impenetrable to the self-promoter. That’s part of the magic of Reddit, though – it’s not to be bought and sold. It’s a place for discussion.

To help us understand the nuances of Reddit, particularly board game Reddit, I’ve brought in Raf Cordero. He’s the cohost of Ding & Dent, a board game reviewer for a lot of different outlets, and – for an impressive stint of time – a moderator of /r/boardgames.

I sent Raf a list of questions by email. His responses to my questions are below. For clarity and flow, I lightly edited the transcript.

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Who is Raf?

Brandon: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! To get us started, tell me a little about yourself and your projects.

Raf: I’ve been professionally involved in the industry for a while now, though I’ve been involved in gaming much longer. In 2015, I founded the Ding & Dent podcast with Charlie Theel. We quickly started doing written reviews as well and since then I’ve had a number of great opportunities. I wrote for Miniature Market’s Review Corner for a while. I currently write for Geek & Sundry, PC Gamer, and ThereWillBe.Games. Reddit was one of the first gaming communities I discovered while getting into the hobby. It was much smaller then than it is now! For the longest time, /r/boardgames was my only destination on the platform. That’s still mostly true.

What is Reddit?

Brandon: Assume you’re talking to a game developer who’s never used Reddit before. Where should they start and what should they do?

Raf: The best place to start with Reddit is the FAQ. Reddit is an interesting place and if you’re unfamiliar with the platform, it can be tough to jump into a community. Reddit is not a social media website. Each subreddit (like a small community) is more like a clubhouse. I’d recommend you find the community you’re interested in – /r/boardgames, /r/tabletopgamedesign, /r/boardgameindustry – and just hang out for a bit commenting on other people’s posts. Think of it as a way to get to know this new community.

Why use Reddit?

Brandon: What is Reddit good for?

Raf: It’s hard to say what “Reddit” is good for, as it’s really about each community. /r/tabletopgamedesign and /r/boardgameindustry are good for connecting with other designers and developers, getting feedback on a design, or even organizing playtests. Many developers choose to create their own subreddits for playtesting. I’ve been involved in a few playtests with Jon Gilmour where the official forum was actually a private subreddit. It worked great. /r/boardgames is great for the community. Everyone there is passionate about gaming and you can really get a feel for what the community is excited about, and also make a lot of good friends.

Why avoid Reddit?

Brandon: What is Reddit bad for?

Raf: Reddit is bad for self-promotion. That is the number one issue that industry folks unfamiliar with the platform run into. Even if the platform and individual communities didn’t have rules about this (and they do!) the community in general absolutely rejects blatant self-promotion, or people who just show up to share their own projects without participating. Once you’re a community member you’ll find the community to be extremely supportive, but you’ve got to put some time in first. Again, it’s a clubhouse. If you joined a club and started pushing products on your first day in you’d probably be shown the door.

How do you behave on Reddit?

Brandon: What kind of behaviors are encouraged on Reddit?

Raf: Reddit encourages participation. Get in and talk to people, find new communities, and share games/videos/articles you find interesting! The whole point of Reddit is to bring things you think are cool to a bunch of people who will probably think it’s cool as well. A lot of the friends I’ve made in board gaming have come from /r/boardgames.

Brandon: What kind of behaviors are discouraged on Reddit?

Raf: Being a jerk, and (again) self-promotion.

Final Thoughts

Brandon: If there were one critical piece of advice which you could give to game developers who have never used Reddit before, what would it be?

Raf: Come as a person, not as a brand. Be yourself. Presumably, you play more games than just your own, and think about more games than just your design. Bring those insights to the community!

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Reddit is a complex website that’s home to a massive variety of different communities. Each community, each subreddit, is like a clubhouse. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, these are not places where you can blatantly market your games. Get involved, get to know people in the community, and you may well find yourself with new friends and helpful insight 🙂

Having your board game reviewed for the first time can be nervewracking. It’s difficult to send your brainchild to a critic who can influence the way your game is seen when it comes time to Kickstart or publish it. Much of the anxiety that new game developers experience when sending their games off to reviewers comes from the opaqueness of the process. That’s why I’ve brought in Dez Maggs of goto.game to talk about what goes into the board game review process.

I sent Dez a list of questions by email. His responses to my questions are below. They have been lightly edited for clarity and flow.

This article is broken into seven parts:

1. Who is Dez?
2. What do reviews involve?
3. How long do reviews take?
4. What do reviewers do?
5. How can game devs make reviewers’ lives easier?
6. What do you look for in games?
7. Parting Advice

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Who is Dez?

Brandon: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! To get started, tell me a little about yourself and Goto.game.

Dez: Goto.game has an amazing collection of content writers from all over Australia and New Zealand. We pride ourselves in being your one stop shop for all things gaming. Whether it is tech, events, video or board games; we cover it all.

I am their lead board game writer, which has allowed me to reach more people that enjoy gaming and open their eyes to the world of board games. I have had several streamers and video game players reach out to me and excitedly tell me that they bought that game I just reviewed or be shocked at how much about the industry they didn’t know or realize.

Goto.game has been a great platform for me, a place to share and inform people about what I love. It gives my reviews and – in turn – designers’ games, a big platform to be recognized by the large gaming community.

As for me personally, not much to tell, really. I love games and have ever since I can remember. I was given a copy of HeroQuest for my 6^th birthday and it was played until it was literally falling apart.

From there, I went on to playing roleplaying games (I have a mad obsession for RPG Dice), then wargaming (more for the painting side of things, over actually playing). Recently, Kickstarter became popular, and it reignited my passion for board games.

What do reviews involve?

Brandon: What do reviews entail?

Dez: I’m lucky in that I have three semi-regular game nights. This allows me to play and turn around games quite quickly. I try to play each game a minimum of five times, but I prefer more if possible. During my playthroughs, I don’t take photos or write notes – I want the gameplay as organically as possible. This allows me to take mental notes on how easy it is to learn and whether others are enjoying the game. This makes it feel more fun and less like work for me.

Once I have played the game; the review is quite easy to write. After several years of experience, I have a formula I like to use for writing:

• Intro
• Game rules
• Brief game description
• My playthrough experience
• Art
• Issues
• Conclusion, including Kickstarter or store links

How long do reviews take?

Brandon: How much time does it take?

Dez: The actual write-up of the review normally takes me about an hour or so; depending on the complexity of the game and rules. It is funny, as people may read this and think “is that it?”

The most time-consuming part of reviewing is the actual playing of the games. Granted, I love playing them, but this truly is the hardest and most time-consuming part. If you think about some Euro games, they can take up to 2-3 hours to play. I play each game a minimum of 5 times, so you have literally spent 15 hours playing games, normally over several weeks. All for a piece that take people about 10 minutes to read.

This is worst-case scenario, of course. Small box games can be played over a gaming night and written about when I get home with about four hours of effort from start to finish.

What do reviewers do?

Brandon: What do most reviewers do and what do you do?

Dez: One thing that I don’t do, that a lot of other reviewers do, is give a score to the game. I have never done that, as I find what I consider a 7 vs. what others see as a 7 can differ considerably. This can lead to a very good game being overlooked or a mediocre game being funded.

I must say, the only person I have come across whose scoring method I like and think reviewers should follow is George of GJJ Games. He gives his score and shows a graphic underneath it that shows what each grade means. It limits the confusion and allows you to know exactly what he thinks of the game.

How can game devs make reviewers’ lives easier?

Brandon: How can board game developers make your life easy when it comes to reviews?

Dez: Time is a big factor for any reviewer. More time will often get you a better quality review.

A personal touch is always really nice. I have received several games that have had handwritten letters explaining the game and thanking me for taking the time to review their game. These letters could quite easily be just copied and pasted to the other 10 reviewers; but when your name is on there and they have taken the time to write or even print a letter it makes you feel valued.

Access to a Dropbox link with rules and art is a nice touch. If I get one of these, I normally have learned the rules by the time the game arrives. Not to mention, with prototypes that don’t come in a box, a picture of the box art makes life so much easier.

I also like when developers ask for a date they would like the review released. Some designers prefer it on the launch day and others prefer it several days before the launch to start the buzz for the game. As a reviewer, I like this. It allows me to better use my time.

What do you look for in games?

Brandon: What do you look for in games you review?

Dez: I look for a game I want to play. I’m a reviewer, but I’m a player first. If a game interests me as a player, I get excited about it and want to review it. I think for me, if I look at a game and would back it based on what I see or read about it, I will put up my hand to review it.

When I started out, I only did small box games and didn’t review anything other than them. This was mainly due to this being my personal taste in games. As I’ve grown as a gamer and experienced more games, my tastes have changed. Now I look for a great game, not the type or style of game it is.

Brandon: What happens if you like a game?

Dez: If I like a game, I will share it in the 10 different Facebook groups I’m a part of. I’ll retweet it during the campaign and try hard to get the word out throughout the whole campaign.

Brandon: What happens if you don’t like a game?

Dez: I will actually not review it if the game is that bad. I will return or not review about 8-10 games a year. I will always reach out the designer via email and make a list of all the problems or issues I found while playing the game.

It is probably the worst part about reviewing for me. I know the work, passion, and love that goes into making a game. Writing an email that lists and calls out the faults with a game is such a hard thing to do.

I try to not just give criticism but also constructive feedback as well as possible fixes. These emails normally take about the same time as actually writing a review.

I have been pretty lucky that most actually take it very well. Several have even gone back to the drawing board, redesigned the game, then funded.

Parting Advice

Brandon: If there were one critical piece of advice which you could give to game developers seeking a review, what would you tell them?

Dez: This is a tough question. I think “treat them like a friend.” You share a love and passion for the same thing: board games. Why not use that to grow a friendship and help one another? Reviewers are more likely to help you out or go above and beyond for a friend.

Reviewers have a wealth of knowledge. Get to know them and you’ll be surprised at what they can help you with. After doing reviews for some designers, they have reached out while making their next project for advice. I will always try to help them or introduce them to someone that can help them, as I consider them a friend.

This is a small industry and having more friends in the industry really makes for a better and more welcoming industry.

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Having your board game reviewed doesn’t have to be scary. Reviewers are often passionate about board games, just like you are. Most want you to succeed. Be friendly, be organized, and try to understand their perspective.

Are you getting ready to send your board game off for review? Share your experiences in the comments below 🙂

Board game conventions are the flashiest events in board gaming. Some are gigantic like Gen Con, Essen, and UKGE. Others are close-knit and local, but still lots of fun. They are wonderful gathering places for board gamers. It should come as no surprise that many game creators go to conventions to pick up customers.

Getting started with board game conventions can be complex, so I’ve brought in Emelie Van Rodin, creator of State of Wonder, a strategy card game for 2 or more players where you play as the ruler of city-state in a kingdom struck by civil war. You can buy it here now.

I’m fascinated by Emelie’s story because she Kickstarted a game and made a few thousand bucks. What’s unusual is that she – at least to the casual observer – appeared to come out of nowhere. I believe her story will be of special importance to many of you who want to get your foot in the door for the first time. This is how you do it.

This is the second of two posts – the first one is here.

We interviewed via Discord direct messages which have been lightly edited for clarity and flow. This interview is broken into three parts:

1. Types of Cons
2. What Are Cons Good/Bad For?
3. Parting Advice

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Types of Cons

Brandon: What are the different types of conventions out there?

Emelie: I see it as 4 (maybe 5) types of conventions.

First one is Unpubs/Design Cons. I don’t have any experience on these as they are super rare in my area.

Second one is small, local cons with anything from 50 attendees to 1000. These are often very cozy and a great place to show off a review copy or a product print proof to interested people.

Third one is large event conventions, where people go to events. I would say Grand Prix in Magic is large con in this style. DreamHack too. They are not focused on companies and new products, but often around people playing games.

Fourth one is large advertisement cons such as E3, GenCon, Essen, UKGE and more, where companies go specifically to get a booth and show off new stuff to an audience that expects it.

Fifth one, if they count, is conferences. These are industry-specific events where professionals in the industry go to meet up, talk about important things within the industry that are happening, and hold panels/lectures. Some also mix in booths to show off game prototypes which are ready for industry/semi-public viewing

Brandon: This is a great answer. I can’t even think of anything to add 🙂

What Are Cons Good/Bad For?

Brandon: What is each convention good for and bad for?

Emelie: I would guess Unpubs are good to test ideas and tweak designs. 😉

Brandon: They are.

Emelie: The second and third ones – small cons and event cons – are where I would start building my audience. You can reach early adopters test how well your product actually resonates with the intended people. Why it doesn’t work at Unpubs or conferences is because other designers are seldom your audience.

The fourth type – large advertisement cons – is great for spreading an established game/product with an already built audience. It is also a great chance to meet up with and network with other industry people.

Conferences are the best for networking and also honing your trade, whatever that trade is. There will often be lectures on anything from animation, illustrations, UI/UX design, game development, design, and self-publishing depending on the conference. It is also a great chance to meet some of the most skilled people in the industry as they are often the speakers and panelists at these events.

The second and third ones – small cons and event cons – are definitely bad at reaching more casual players. Casual players rarely go to cons. You won’t catch kitchen gaming Magic players there. You will catch the hardcore, go and grind tournament crowd.

The fourth one – large advertisement cons – are better at catching that casual crowd but you will seldom compete with the budget and reach of a bigger company, so it can be very hit and miss. If you are at a large advertisement con, and you notice that you are not able to spread the game, go mingle and network and leave one person in the booth to just cover it. Use the time well when you are there.

I think the weakness of the fifth one – conferences – is that the people there are never there to “find new hobbies.” So they won’t put much effort into your product but rather into you, your skills, and other people’s skills.

Brandon: I’ll say that just about any convention is more for networking than marketing, too.

Emelie: That is also true, but who you network with and your goal in networking differs.

Brandon: A lot of people conflate the two. They’re not the same. Networking is meeting people who you may help and who may help you. Marketing is more about generating leads and actually getting people to buy things.

Emelie: Yeah, marketing is about selling stuff and you can sell stuff at cons. But getting to know other devs or gamers that want to help you out spreading the game will help you later on.

Getting to know your early adopters and the people that enjoy your product is such a huge help. It allows you to understand who they are and what they like about your game.

Even if you have 100 target audience profiles, actually knowing people who fit those profiles will help you make better target audience profiles.

Brandon: Cons are a part of a bigger picture. Like you said, one way this can help is to put you in touch with an actual audience instead of an imagined one. It can get you out of your head, so to speak.

Emelie: “It can get you out of your head, so to speak.” This is so important.

Brandon: Trying to do too much without others’ input is dangerous.

No matter how smart or experienced you are.

Parting Advice

Brandon: Last question.

Gonna hit you with the hard one.

If there were one critical piece of advice which you could give to game developers who have never gone to a convention before, what would you tell them?

Emelie: There are two things actually and I can’t decide which one is the most important:

1. Take care of yourself, both for yourself and others. Eat and sleep well, bathe, and take breaks.
2. Cons are often semi-professional. Don’t bring up that thing you do in your bedroom while working your booth. But a fun anecdote from your life about driving/gaming/working/sports etc. can help you bond and create lasting work relationships.

Brandon: #1 is huge – possibly the biggest one. No game is worth self-destructing over.

Emelie: And being slobby or roughed up due to working too much can actually hurt your brand as well.

Brandon: When you’re actually at a con talking to people, #2 is big. I’d treat it like casual Friday at work. It might have a looser feel than work most days, but it’s still work and you still have to be professional and polite while being approachable.

Emelie: That sounds about right. Don’t be afraid to let loose and be casual, but also remember that these people are semi-strangers and you’re at work.

Brandon: Well said.

That’s all I’ve got. Thank you very much!

Emelie: Thank you as well for having me! It was great fun to think about what I would have wanted to know before going to cons.

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Conventions are exciting, hectic, memorable events. They can be a great way to meet others, share your game, and improve your reach. Go in with a game plan and the right mindset and you’ll be off to a good start!

Are you going to any conventions soon? Got any questions or stories to share? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear them 🙂