Mothership Kickstarter Launched! Thanks BGDF!

And here's another article on how to pull off a successful launch:

http://michaelhyatt.com/bestselling-book-launch.html

I really like the presentation. It looks very well put together and you can tell the care that went into the presentation. Good job! My only critique is actually the box, or more specifically the font choice for Mothership. Have you guys thought about creating a title that stands out a little bit more? The title font looks nearly identical to the name on the box and the "Divert all power to fun!" line (maybe it is?). Since so much art and effort was put into the rest of the game and components, I would take the extra few days to get a graphic designer to create a title logo/font that really drives the theme home. Minimalist fonts often work, but for a game like this I think it would benefit from a little flare. Beyond Earth uses a simple font, but they also use a white backdrop to have it pop a bit as well as a gradient. I would also put the "Divert ..." line on a background, like a starburst or something to create a visual separation from the box art itself. All the other art is so solid I think those minor tweaks will just put it over the top, but that's just my opinion :)

I've been working on a blog for quite some time now that will be launching next week. For the last 3 days, I've been sending people here: https://bettermissions.clickfunnels.com/coming-soon to try to build some momentum for the blog's launch.

Hundreds of people have visited the site, and I've collected 30 email addresses so far from people who are interested in the site and want to know when it launches.

So basically, 30 people have raised their hands and said, "Tell me more." And it's better to have a small group of interested people than a giant group of people who don't care.

Don't pressure anyone to give you their email address, just make it an option for the people who are really interested.

And give people an incentive to join you. I'm giving away an eBook that I put a ton of time and effort into that I believe will bring value to people's lives.

Maybe you could give away a coupon for the game or some promo cards. Just make sure it's relevant to your game and that it's something people would find valuable.

With the way Facebook has changed, you have to pay to have your posts boosted for your followers to see your posts and even then there's no guarantee people will see it and take action.

By having someone's email address, you don't have to pay someone else to be able to market to them. You cut out the middle man. And email marketing continues to produce incredible results. If you're like me, you check your email way too many times a day. I definitely check it more than I check Facebook.

So, my suggestion is to build a simple landing page where people can opt in to get updates and be notified when the KS launches and where they can get some kind of small incentive for joining your list. Then, send anyone interested in the game to that landing page.

Send out updates every now and then to remind people you exist, and build some momentum heading into your launch. Then, when you do launch, you'll have a pool of potential early backers.

Let's say you build your list to 100 people, and when you launch 1/3 of them back your game on the first day. That's 33 people x $45 which would give you close to $1500. And that's without spending a dime on ads. Just by sending out an email. And you can see how the numbers can exponentially grow if you can grow your list.

Also, $45 seems like a great price for the game. But $100+ for the msrp seems fairly steep. You might want to rethink that one.

Anyway, I hope that helps.

Haha of course, glad I was able to inspire. I'm working on my own game's font right now and it's not the most fun thing to do so I understand. I think the font choices on your cards are solid as well. :)

His game is actually called Multiverse ;)

Awesome. Good luck.

BlueBright,

Congrats on the launch! You've received some excellent advice and suggestions, thus far, so I won't tread along that path. I'll limit my comments to two things:

1. Produce the very best product your funding permits.

2. Maintain regular and frequent contact with your Backers.

I've seen some clever game designs and otherwise conscientious designers fail on one or both counts. While doing both does not ensure success, failing to do them is at your own peril. From what I've seen thus far, I think you'll do quite well.

Cheers,
Joe

BlueBright,

I did indeed work with Stan and Mike on TAU CETI. I'm very pleased with the way the game has turned out and the Backers have been (and remain) incredible through the entire process. I appreciate the compliment, but I don't know if I "gave them the edge" as they ran a fantastic campaign and definitely leveraged social media to get the word out. If I had a third thing for my list, it would be to capitalize on the overwhelming amount of information you can provide through various social media streams. One of the things that I did recommend was to start small and grow throughout the campaign. In this way, you focus, as one always should, on producing a phenomenal game...the chrome, if any, can come later. In this way, Mike and Stan slashed their required funding goal by nearly half ($39K to $22K). I'm very pleased to hear that they're paying it forward!

Cheers,
Joe

Love the new box and font :) It came out really good, looks slick. Good job and congratz :D

bluebright,

Sorry for the radio silence...I returned to work this week, so my time out here has been limited.

As to what Mike and Stan did to reduce their goal...three fairly straightforward steps.

1. Determine the costs associated with making the base game...cards, dice, board, mats, rules, box, art, and most importantly...shipping! This should provide you with the absolute minimum required (based on a standard production of 500 copies, with a distribution ox x% shipped across the U.S and Canada; y% shipped to Europe; and z% to the Pacific and other far-flung locations)

2. Once you have the amount, you'll want to have some flexibility. I found for my KS projects that 10% worked in terms of lost/damaged items; additional shipments to vendors, etc.

3. Once you have the base amount, you can begin to engage Backers with Stretch Goals to enhance the production value of the game...heavier cardstock, linen finish, minis if you're especially brave, etc.

The most important thing, far and away above everything else, is ensuring that you have a solid, play-tested game which serves a niche of players which is not currently inundated with similar titles.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Joe