So I have a finished game, now what?

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It's shockingly simple. You just sign up as a Publisher, and decide whether you'll be exclusive or non-exclusive. After that, you'll have a "Publish" tab at the top of the website which takes you to the Publisher Hub -- it includes a link to their Discord server (where you can talk to staff and other publishers) and the Partner Knowledge Base (which has tutorials for all sorts of stuff), as well as all your publisher tools.
 
If this is for the PocketQuest Game Jam, you should delay the release until 1st July (and if it's not, and it's 20 pages or fewer, you should consider it -- because the jam theme is "space (not of this world)" which sounds like a great fit, and you'd be able to ride the promotional wave).
 
I'm hoping some folks here have some experience navigating the murky waters of selling PDFs on Drive Thru. I've never done it before and no idea how it works or what pitfalls I should be looking out for.
That's really awesome! Congratulations!
 
I would suggest you get yourself a few properly printed copies of your book. It's just a great feeling to handle your own book. POD on Drivethru is quite complicated but Lulu makes it pretty easy.
 
I'm humming and hah-ing about where to set the price on this. The PDF is 41 pages plus another probably 10 page Starter Adventure. The art for both is the same quality as the cover above. Any thoughts on price, or what kinds of price points encourage you to pull the trigger?
 
I'm humming and hah-ing about where to set the price on this. The PDF is 41 pages plus another probably 10 page Starter Adventure. The art for both is the same quality as the cover above. Any thoughts on price, or what kinds of price points encourage you to pull the trigger?
I'm broke. Not sure where I'd set it--I see smaller games for insane prices and larger ones for less, though I'll suggest US9.95.
 
I'm humming and hah-ing about where to set the price on this. The PDF is 41 pages plus another probably 10 page Starter Adventure. The art for both is the same quality as the cover above. Any thoughts on price, or what kinds of price points encourage you to pull the trigger?
I'm wondering this myself. I am also going right to a digital release instead of a kickstarter for my first book atm, and I am not only wondering about pricing the book, but also wondering about including a quickstart guide for free.

Some folks say you have to include a quickstart, but I don't know, plenty of games get by without one.

I am working on both atm (the book & the quickstart), but at this point I am trying to keep the quickstart as a very short starter packet (with character creation and what you need to get started).
 
I'm wondering this myself. I am also going right to a digital release instead of a kickstarter for my first book atm, and I am not only wondering about pricing the book, but also wondering about including a quickstart guide for free.

Some folks say you have to include a quickstart, but I don't know, plenty of games get by without one.

I am working on both atm (the book & the quickstart), but at this point I am trying to keep the quickstart as a very short starter packet (with character creation and what you need to get started).
The shorter the game the less the need for a QS IMO. Trophy is a very light game and my rules even with some stuff added are only 40 pages, so I don't think a QS needs to be in there. For you, who knows? Depends on length and complexity.
 
The shorter the game the less the need for a QS IMO. Trophy is a very light game and my rules even with some stuff added are only 40 pages, so I don't think a QS needs to be in there. For you, who knows? Depends on length and complexity.
Thank you for the insight. Mine is closer to 150+ pages atm so I am including a QS to be safe. Not to mention my games probably a bit higher on the complexity despite having a rules-light chassis.
 
Thank you for the insight. Mine is closer to 150+ pages atm so I am including a QS to be safe. Not to mention my games probably a bit higher on the complexity despite having a rules-light chassis.
I don't think a QS can hurt at all, so why not. I may yet decide to make an ashcan version of Vac Suits available for free just to drive interest.
 
My two cents…

A free QuickStart is practically a must IMO, people today are inundated with choices and expect a sneak peek into your game before they’ll part with their coin. Especially if you’re a new publisher.

Don’t low-ball your price, because you need to give yourself the ability to discount your title. In fact don’t be surprised if most of your sales are during promotional events and therefore at a discount. That said, a regular price of $9.95 sounds right for Vac Suits.

As much as people say they prefer print books and while you should probably look into POD, the reality is that most of your sales by far will be PDF.

Last but not least congratulations, it looks great!
 
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I'm humming and hah-ing about where to set the price on this. The PDF is 41 pages plus another probably 10 page Starter Adventure. The art for both is the same quality as the cover above. Any thoughts on price, or what kinds of price points encourage you to pull the trigger?

Look at similar PDFs in the top 100 and gauge based on those prices. Also consider that the best seller feed in Drivethru is not based on units sold but on revenue so if you set it very low, even if you sell tons, you might not make the top 100 or even top 10 (and getting in there is very helpful for getting eyes on the game). But by the same token, if you set the price too high, that can drive away customers too. If it is something you have put a lot of effort into and you feel confident about the result, you can give it a solid price.
 
I'm just finishing the last bits of editing and the layout for the starter adventure. I hope to have it finished this week. Thanks for your kind words!
I decided to cut out you the middleman and went and bought my own duct tape and a vacc suit. Though I am a bit dubious about the quality of the vacc suit... I guess that's what the duct tape is for!





Looking forward to getting my hands on the rpg!
 
I decided to cut out you the middleman and went and bought my own duct tape and a vacc suit. Though I am a bit dubious about the quality of the vacc suit... I guess that's what the duct tape is for!





Looking forward to getting my hands on the rpg!
You have hit upon the core of the game. Now just add apex predator xenos threats and maybe a few cannibalistic pirates for flavour. Bake at room temperature for three hours with friends and presto.
 
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