I'm Having a Pre-Launch Moment

I need to feed the algorithm.

CALL TO ACTION

I’m supposed to put this at the end, after I’ve lulled you into a stupor with my mellow ramblings. BUT. Because I don’t do most things the normal way, it’s here. Or rather, it’s the yellow button below.

The Kickstarter Gods (they are real) requires the sacrifice of many many email addresses so that they will notice my burnt offerings, and put me On the Page.

If you sign up right now, you will help me appease them, and make Beer Knight a success. WOOT.

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ACTION PART TWO

I’ve been ruminating a lot.

But first, how about some entertainment?

Fun, right? I’m moving my drawings from ProCreate into ProCreate Dreams to make very very very¹ bad animations, and then into Davinci Resolve for the motion graphics. My patron saint in animation is Terry Gilliam. Drink if you already knew that.

RUMINATION

Here I am after(?!?!?!?) spending a career creating high end advertising photographs for a living, trying to stick my paddle in the river and do a complicate spin, flip, twist move to change my course and take that weird little tributary off to the side. Also, to keep torturing the metaphor, I can see that the water levels ahead have dropped so low that it’s nothing but rubble and rock.

Put another way with 100% less metaphors: I’m trying to see if this games designer thing can be a profitable (in some sense) business. It’s all new, from building a Kickstarter Campaign, to figuring out overseas manufacturing² to creating packaging, and doing marketing for a “Thing” as opposed to a “Person”³.

I’m digging in on this First Game, trying to be very very very⁴ realistic about its chances, with a goal of making the game, breaking even, and using it as a learning opportunity, so I can make Game Two⁵. At the same time, I am very much not doing this as a hobby — it’s a small business. I want this to be real, not a vanity project.

MARKETINGATION

I have fully jumped in the river for this list:

1. Graphic Design. My Illustrator skills have gotten Pretty Good.

2. Illustrations. My ProCreate skills have also gotten Decently Good.

3. Game Mechanics. Doing this scratches an itch. Going to rate at Very Good.

4. Animation. Building on top of my NLE DaVinci skills has been fun, but challenging. Rated at Satisfactory Plus.

I’m swimming against the current, but I am moving, for this list:

1. Packaging Design. So weird working in 2D to make 3D things. Satisfactory Minus.

2. PrePress. Taking all the stuff and then getting it ready to print ink-on-paper is so much work. Satisfactory.

And this is where I am just treading water

1. Email Marketing. Don’t even.

2. Buying Digital Ads. It feels a lot like buying lottery tickets. Ugh.

3. Building a Email List. Yikes. Trying real hard, but this one is Scary Town.

That last one. Is so. Intimidating. I know some of you thrive in these waters, so here’s the Second Call To Action:

Do you have any Advice? Help? Strongly worded suggestions? Winning Powerball Ticket Numbers? Use this button to PING ME with any/all:

DEMOGRAPHICS

And if you are wondering? The Sweet Spot is someone who likes to play RPGs, but wants a fast, fun game to play⁶ at the Pub, who also loves Beer in all it’s myriad styles, and —if you let them⁷—will talk your ear off endlessly about bottle conditioning, dry hopping, barrel aging, hazy vs juicy IPA, etc. etc.

TTRPG Nerds: I built a game that you can play without having to consult any rulebooks, but you still get to be a High Fantasy character that has cool weapons and special abilities.

Beer Nerds: I have been a Beer Nerd since I was 19. One of the first beers I bought⁸ was Celebrator Doppelbock. I have tried to stick a high percentage of my “knowledge” of beer into the game. Mainly in the form of bad puns and silly names, but still.

None of the Above: It’s a fun game that doesn’t rely on you knowing any RPG or Beerness to play. I’ve playtested with the None of the Above crowd, and it does quite well. The game mechanic is wonky and weird, but wonderful.

ALRIGHTY THEN

Thanks for reading.

Das Biermeister Batt

More Beer Knight More Often.

1. very very very very very very very very very very very very bad. If the goal is to make a “good” animation. If it’s to make something silly and memorable? I give myself an A-.

2. I feel a disturbance in the Force that is making that games designers all cry out in pain.

3. Also one of my downfalls was not creating a Persona — I had this wacky notion that I could be me, and do really amazing work, be kind to people, work honestly and professionally and for this I would be rewarded. Nope. Persona all the way. Put on your Big Hat and go full HAM on winning the popularity contest. Wow, that sounds exhausting.

4. Very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very realistic. Don’t get out over your skis. Don’t drink from the imaginary firehose until it’s on and then don’t do that because that seems like a bad idea in general.

5. You want to know? Already? Sure — the working title is called Benthic Station

6. When they are not being Alric the High Elf Paladin on a 10 year quest to aquire the Gnur Stone Chalice.

7. Um. Ask me how I know.

8. hi Dan.