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Self-publication platform

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fuzzyalej
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Joined: 08/05/2014

Hi guys!

Some of us are not what you could call 'real designers', because we design as a hobby or for fun, but sometimes we feel that a game is special and we could really try to sell it, or we want to offer the game to the public but not for free (as normally P&P games are) but for a small amount that is no burden to the buyer but that will serve us as a token of appreciation.

Thinking about this, I was wondering if a platform similar to LeanPub (https://leanpub.com/) but for P&P games will have a gap on the community, as I have a strong potential to develop something similar, but I don't want to start this adventure if it's not going to be used or if something similar already exists.

If you feel that this could work for you, please tell me what would you like this platform to have, or what 'parts' of the publication phase of developing a game you feel are a little harsh for the beginner.

Thanks guys!

Dralius
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Joined: 07/26/2008
I have published a few P-n-P

I have published a few P-n-P games through RPG Now.

http://www.rpgnow.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=758

Sales are slow especially after they have been out for a few months. This is partly because the site focuses on RPG materials but also because P-n-P has a limited audience. If you could provide more than just a storefront it may be a worthwhile enterprise.

pelle
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Joined: 08/11/2008
Also

Also http://www.wargamedownloads.com/, at least for games that by some wide definition could be considered a wargame (they have subsections for horror, scifi, and fantasy).

EDIT: And then I noticed there are also sections for cards and abstracts. Not very wargame-specific at all that site when you look closer.

fuzzyalej
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Joined: 08/05/2014
Dralius, what do you mean

Dralius, what do you mean with 'more than a storefront'? Give the possibility of buying a complete game? Print services?

Thanks!

Dralius
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Joined: 07/26/2008
Being able to buy a produced

Being able to buy a produced copy would be cool but might be logistically impossible since a game can be made up of just about anything.

I was thinking more of promotional support like buyers earning points that they can use for purchases to increase sales, or anything that might increase sales.

The reason I have not done a P-n-P in such a long time is that the effort to profit ratio is horrible. At $4 a game it takes quite a few sales to justify all the time spent developing it not to mention artwork if you don’t have the chops to do that yourself.

pelle
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Joined: 08/11/2008
Unless you consider game

Unless you consider game design a fun and rewarding hobby and have a dayjob to pay the bills and do not have to worry about selling games, of course.

If you want to sell produced games there is always Game Crafter. Doesn't that guy post here often enough that everyone know of them? Seems like the logistics works out for them? There are also a number of sites that can print and sell books on demand for you (eg lulu.com), but that puts some strict restrictions on what components you can use.

T hardy
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Joined: 11/09/2013
I as a designer looking for

I as a designer looking for publishing know how hard it is to get a platform to sell games. If you do manage to provide such a platform, you will gain a large designer audience.
I suggest that you do take a look at the Game Crafter www.thegamecrafter.com
to find out more about how they do it. Their shop is epic! I have my game on TGC but I haven't published it yet as I am looking for artists. Anyway good luck! Tell me when you are done I am always looking for such sites!

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