It seems counter-intuitive, but the longer I play RPGs (and really any games), the more I appreciate limitations as a tool for creativity. For a lot of people this is already second nature, and it's something that I've often experienced over the years. But the more...
I read a great little book a little while ago, called "We Are All Weird" by Seth Godin. I wish I had read it a few years ago. But I feel its lessons apply to everyone trying to create something - whether that's a book, a...
Mark Hamilton is a game designer living in Canberra, Australia. He's currently working on Rasania Chronicles, a neo-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG, utilizing the Immersion RPG system. This is his first guest blog post. One of the biggest hurdles all budding writers face I feel is the ability to...
If you're creating an RPG or board game, chances are you want to put it on Kickstarter. But to do so you'll need to show people what your game is about, and one of the key ways to do so is to create a Quick...
When I first started designing my Kickstarter for Infected, I didn't have much experience about Kickstarter. All I had to go off were the other Kickstarters that I'd seen, and Jamey Stegmaier's blog, among others. One of the first Kickstarters that I had noticed was Fragged Empire,...
When I was a kid, it seemed fairly evident that some people were just born much more talented than others. It might be at sports, or writing, or art - but whatever it was, it seemed to make a big difference. After a few weeks or months of...
I've come to realise a very important rule about personal appearance, and it is something that is applicable to artists, writers, salesmen, and really anyone who wants to sell something to others...
If you've finished your book, you'll want to get it out into the hands of your customers as soon as possible. So what's to stop you just putting up a PDF online and selling it? Well...
I have been looking for a good camera bag for a number of weeks, and finally settled on one I wanted. I had about $200 to spend on it, and wanted it to be able to carry not only a good camera, but any other...
I was recently looking for some cartographers on the Cartographer's Guild, and I was approached by a number of talented cartographers. Christian was one of the artists whose work really appealed to me. On top of that, he even sent me an application piece because...
One thing that any kickstarter or game creators will be faced with sooner or later is Refunds. Refunds are important. For backers and customers, they provide a reassurance that if they're not happy, they don't have to feel ripped off. But on the other hand, it also...
I have a confession to make: I am a cat person. However, I'm not a crazy cat person who lets them walk all over the table and sleep on my bed. There are definite boundaries, and the cats have learnt over the years that they are...
I was having a discussion recently with someone in relation to my last article, and he mentioned something that really piqued my interest. The crux of it was simple: Ultimately, if the crowd doesn't like your product, it doesn't matter how much marketing you do. Boom....
If you're gearing up for crowdfunding, but have simply no idea where to start, are finding it all overwhelming and feel like you're going slightly mad trying to keep up...
Infected! has been my first-ever Kickstarter experience, and as part of it I chose Backerkit to help me manage my fulfillment and pre-orders. I figured I wanted people to have the option to continue to purchase the books and limited-edition materials like the Narrator Screen...
If you're creating an RPG, you're likely to fairly rapidly come up with a problem...
So you're confident that your product is good, that what you've got to offer the crowd is something that people will want to pay money for...
When you start making a game or book or product, one of the questions you will soon be faced with is How much disclosure? In other words, how much should you show people about your product? How much should you give away for free? How much should...
What's better in an RPG - Realism or Fantasy? I began my RPG life on a diet of AD&D, Rifts and D&D 3.5, among others. It was a heady mix of high-fantasy, crazy magi, impossible worlds, dizzying weirdnesses and brutal baddies. Whilst in AD&D I found...
It's staggering how many pen and paper RPG's there are out there. Ever since Gygax burst onto the scene forty years ago, we have had a lot of cool systems, ideas, formats and settings. However, in most of the gaming systems that I have played, there has been...