During Essen Spiel 2018 we had the pleasure of hanging out with James Hudson from Druid City Games. He was giving a live demo of his latest Kickstarter project Tidal Blades – Heroes of the Reef giving attendees their first chance to play this amazing new game.

Throughout our interview, James not only taught us about his journey as a tabletop games creator, but shed some light on how to crowdfund your game idea, how to keep your backers happy between projects, and gave some priceless advice for first-time creators.

Below are a few of the resources we discussed, and if you’re serious about crowdfunding your game idea, you need to check these out:

Stonemaier Games Kickstarter Lesson (Highly Recommended!)
Board Game Spotlight Youtube Channel
Tabletop Game Kickstarter Advice Facebook Group

Tidal Blades was another huge crowdfunding success for James and the Druid City Games team. We can’t wait to get our hands on this game, and look forward to what James has in store for us all next.

Be sure to join the BackerKit Community Newsletter to get more creator interviews and crowdfunding advice!

The post James Hudson Interview from Druid City Games appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

There’s no denying Essen Spiel is the largest gathering of tabletop gaming fans and creators in the world. After scouring hundreds of booths across 6 separate halls last week, I can safely say the tabletop gaming community is absolutely booming!

This year, the BackerKit team collaborated with our friends at Ludi Creations to set up a booth of our own. Over the course of 4 jam-packed days, BackerKit featured 10+ tabletop game creators who all bring their games to life through the power of crowdfunding.

Hanging out with these creators as they demoed their games (some not even out yet!) was an absolute blast. Here’s the lineup we featured this year at Essen Spiel 2018:Holy Grail Games (Museum, Dominations)

It was great seeing Dominations in person for the first time. The art style and colors really pop complimenting the detailed and sturdy game pieces. It was great watching all our booth visitors play, many of which were early adopters during the recent Kickstarter campaign.

You can Pre-Order a copy of Dominations right now! Druid City Games (The Grimm Forest, Tidal Blades)

It’s always a blast to hang out with James Hudson from Druid City games. He was demoing his latest game Tidal Blades which is currently being funded via Kickstarter until November 10th, 2018. Why are you still reading this! Go back this project while you can! Also, be on the lookout for our 1:1 Essen Spiel interview with James coming soon.

Tidal Blades is on Kickstarter right now!
Forbidden Games (Raccoon Tycoon, Railroad Rivals)

Hanging out with Forbidden Games was great. They were demoing their latest game Raccoon Tycoon which was funded earlier this year with over 2k backers! Really fun game featuring some clever ideas and solid art.Grey Fox Games (Champions of Midgard, Run Fight or Die: Reloaded)

It was great seeing people walk by our booth and immediately get sucked into Grey Fox Games’ City of Gears. Fun steampunk-themed game featuring little robot miniatures. Stay tuned for our 1:1 interview with Alex Goldsmith coming soon!
Facade Games (Salem 1692, Deadwood 1876)

We’re big fans of Facade Games who continuously produce top-quality tabletop gaming experiences housed in unique book-themed boxes. They were demoing Deadwood 1876, their latest creation featuring some of the most iconic names in Wild West history! I enjoyed playing this with game designer Travis Hancock discovering some hidden easter eggs on the box and in the instruction book.
Roxley Games (Santorini, Brass)

I was impressed by how excited and involved gamers would get playing Dice Throne for even just a few minutes. Gamers were quickly pulled into this experience immersing themselves in the fast and dynamic gameplay that begs to be played again and again. I watched several games over the course of about 4 hours, and each game was vastly different from the last.
Mantic Games (Hellboy: The Board Games, Star Saga)

We love the Mantic Games team, and it was a blast hanging with them during Essen Spiel this year. At Gen Con, we interviewed Rob Burman about their latest game Hellboy: The Board Game. This time around, we got to see The Walking Dead: Here’s Negan in action. Every time I see a new game from Mantic, I’m floored by how painstakingly detailed their miniatures are. You simply have to see these in person for full appreciation.Greenbrier Games (Folklore, Helios Expanse)

When Walter from Greenbrier Games started setting up, I was immediately drawn to this new game I’ve never seen before. He brought the prototype for a new game called Fire For Light featuring some stellar art design and some really cool narrative elements. And promise of a companion App. to heighten the experience sounded promising. Be on the lookout for this one in August 2019 on Kickstarter along with a 1:1 interview coming soon.
Cephalofair Games (Gloomhaven, Founders of Gloomhaven)

Game designer Isaac Childres rocked the tabletop game world with his Kickstarter hit Gloomhaven. His follow-up game, Founders of Gloomhaven, takes place hundreds of years in the past further defining the game world built in Gloomhaven. It was a pleasure having Cephalofair Games show off Founders at our booth this year and watch attendees share their love for these games.
Formal Ferret Games (Bad Medicine, The Networks)

We had the pleasure to spend some quality time with Formal Ferret’s Gil Hova as he demoed a prototype for his new game High Rise. Playtesting a game in this form is a crucial step for anyone serious about making games. It was exciting to see gamers ask questions that will shape the final game. Be on the lookout for this one on Kickstarter in February 2019.
Steamforged Games (Dark Souls: The Board Game, Godtear)

The folks over at Steamforged Games have created some truly awesome gaming experiences. The BackerKit team has been enjoying Dark Souls: The Board Game and Dark Souls: The Card Game and can’t wait to get their hands on Resident Evil: The Board Game when it releases in early 2019. Visitors to our booth got to see an open-box version miniatures and all!

After 4 straight days of gaming bliss at Essen Spiel 2018, I can safely say there’s a lot to look forward to in 2019 and beyond. It’s a good time to be a tabletop gamer, and thanks to crowdfunding, game designers can create the exact games they want fueled by their strong communities.

Until next year…

Be sure to join BackerKit’s Community Newsletter to receive all our upcoming Essen Spiel 2018 interviews from your favorite crowdfunding creators. 

The post Essen Spiel 2018: Impressive Crowdfunding Game Demos appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.

Who’s ready for Essen Spiel 2018?! The BackerKit team is excited to be going to Germany again this year to meet with so many of our great partners and be immersed in the largest tabletop gaming convention in the world.  

This year we’ll be set up in Hall 1, Booth #1D129 next to our friends LudiCreations. Personally, I’m looking forward to this because Alexandria is easily one of my favorite games. Can’t wait to see it in person and see what they have in store for us next.

It’s also our privilege this year to be hosting 10+ amazing tabletop game designers and publishers to demo their games at our booth. Check out the full lineup:

Thursday, October 25th

14:30-18:30

Holy Grail Games (Museum, Dominations) Booth #2F146

Druid City Games (The Grimm Forest, Tidal Blades)

Friday, October 26th

10.00-2.00

Forbidden Games (Raccoon Tycoon, Railroad Rivals) Booth #5G128

Grey Fox Games (Champions of Midgard, Run Fight or Die: Reloaded) Booth #2B106

14.30-18.30

Facade Games (Salem 1692, Deadwood 1876) Booth #5H118

Roxley Games (Santorini, Brass) Booth #5E118

Saturday October 27th

14.30-18.30

Mantic Games (Hellboy: The Board Games, Star Saga) Booth #6G114

Greenbrier Games (Folklore, Helios Expanse) Booth #2A128

14.30-18.30

Cephalofair Games (Gloomhaven, Founders of Gloomhaven) Booth #4F116

Formal Ferret Games (Bad Medicine, The Networks) Booth #2E102

Sunday, October 28th

10.00-2.00

Steamforged Games (Dark Souls: The Board Game, Godtear) Booth #6D110

Roxley Games (Santorini, Brass) Booth #5E118

And If you’re at Essen Spiel next week, please join us for an After Hours Meet Up with the BackerKit team and fellow crowdfunding creators!

We’re hosting the event at our booth in Hall 1 (1D129) at Messe, Essen from 7pm-10pm on Thursday, October 25th 2018.

RSVP Today, admission is FREE

And for expert crowdfunding guides and creator spotlights, be sure to join our Community Newsletter!

The post BackerKit Heading to Essen Spiel 2018 appeared first on Crowdfunding Blog & Resources | BackerKit.