An Interview with Taylor Moore of Worlds Beyond Number
Creating Value for Your Patrons and Meaning for Your Business
Hi everyone and welcome to all the new subscribers!
This week Elliot and I have been discussing exactly who this newsletter is for and what we want it to be. We came up with this:
“The Twenty Sided Newsletter is for people who love games, make games, and love to make games. Each issue Elliot and I will share our thoughts on game design, actual plays, and all the things you can do to keep it fun.”
We want to give you practical, actionable advice to help you create things as well as the best recommendations for the next game you should try or the next show to check out.
And this week, folks, we nailed it.
-Brian
Creating Meaning While Creating Art
Taylor Moore Discusses How to Run a Meaningful Business and Create Value for Your Community
This week on My First Dungeon I was joined by Taylor Moore, the producer of Worlds Beyond Number, to continue a conversation we began a year ago about Narrative Play podcasts and the growing spectrum of actual play as a medium. In just a few short conversations, Taylor has single-handedly changed the ways I think about TTRPGs, actual plays, creating a good Patreon, and how to run a business. Plus he’s just a dang fun guy to talk to.
In the excerpt above I have selected two clips I think will be specifically valuable to readers of this newsletter who want to make TTRPGs professionally and want to create ethical companies that focus on providing value to their members as well as their audiences.
Listen to the full interview HERE or check out My First Dungeon wherever you get your podcasts.
And listen to my earlier conversations with Taylor here:
Getting Your Game Stocked
Practical Advice for Selling Your Game Digitally and Physically
As we wrap up the manuscript for Project ECCO, I’m beginning to think ahead to how it will be sold to those who missed our crowdfunding campaign.
This has brought me back to last year and the release of my first two games, ABOMINATIONS and Something Is Wrong With The Chickens, and how I went about selling them, both digitally and physically.
Selling Digitally
Itch.io remains the favorite place of TTRPG designers for selling PDF versions of our games, despite its problems with discoverability. The key bit when setting up your game page is making sure you classify it as a “physical game.” This will ensure it is categorized with other TTRPGs. (Example: SIWWTC)
DriveThruRPG is another common option for online sale. I personally find it a bit more intimidating, and I am certainly not a master of making full use of its features. Still, it’s worth making a publisher account and also putting your PDF games here. (Example: ABOMINATIONS)
Selling Physically
When selling your first game you probably don’t want to turn your home into a full-blown fulfillment center. Building your own website for sales comes with its own complications as well. Luckily, there are some incredible companies in this space that are prepared to do the heavy lifting for you and are always on the lookout for new and interesting games. These include:
FLGSs! (Ours is Twenty Sided Store)
Here’s an example of a stocking inquiry email I wrote for ABOMINATIONS when reaching out to stores:
Hello ______!
My name is Elliot Davis, an independent game designer based out of Brooklyn, NY. I am currently preparing for my first print run of my TTRPG, ABOMINATIONS. I wanted to reach out and inquire about stocking it with __________.
ABOMINATIONS is a fast-paced, tactile, GM-less game in which 2-6 players will use 10-sided dice and a set of letter tiles to create and battle one-of-a-kind monsters of their own design. I think it would be a great fit among the indie TTRPG zines you carry at ___________.
ABOMINATIONS Links:
PDFs on Google Drive
Itch.io Download Key
Itch.io Page
Zine Details:
5.5" x 8.5" saddle-stitched
20 pages, black-and-white
Wholesale $5, Retail $11.99
Shipping March 2022
I have also attached the PDF of the game as well as a press kit for your reference
I am pretty new to this process so would welcome any advice, suggestions, or feedback from you on my approach or any of the information provided.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Elliot
But What About Pricing?*
Many designers have thought longer and harder about how to price their games than I have. My method so far has been to research the catalog of where I hope to stock my games, looking to games with similar offerings and scope, and finding a price among them that feels right.
In the end, be sincere and kind in your outreach to stores. Even if your game is not the right fit, they will usually offer to keep in touch on future releases. And keep up relationships with the stores who do stock you. They’re likely to be the first to believe in your next game.
*Much of the above, including the general structure for my outreach email, comes from this incredible thread by Sean Patrick Cain: MY ADVENTURES IN SELLING STUFF - this thread is an invaluable resource
That Can’t Be It!
Definitely not! There are a lot more considerations going into how I get Project ECCO into people’s hands this year, not least of which is how to expand the international presence for my games. I’ll keep you updated as I figure out the next steps of this process! In the meantime, what are your big questions about stocking games? What are you nervous about? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!
-Elliot
Upcoming Schedule
3/17 - My First Dungeon: Anamnesis (w/ designer Sam Leigh)
3/24 - My First Dungeon: Anamnesis (a Radio Play w/ Brian Flaherty & Abby Hepworth)
3/31 - My First Dungeon: Anamnesis (Talkback w/ designer Sam Leigh)
3/31 - Trailer Drop (The Biggest Season of My First Dungeon Yet!)