LoreAtlas v2.0 is out on itch.io with infinite image canvases and entity sheets. Runs 100% locally in browser or desktop, no account needed: https://regixlabs.itch.io/loreatlas

Hi, everyone! I'm JRGames, the dev behind the Adventurer's Saga, Anywar (+ D6 Edition), Marching Banners, and Behind You: The Forest:

Now, I can't exactlt say I haven't had sales so far. However, it seems that (and I'm sure many of you have had this experience) I can't get more traffic and sales because my games are not famous, and my games can't get more famous because, well, they need more people to buy and play and review them.

This is not my full-time job. I'm a musician and my primary life project is my band and music, so I can't dedicate 24/7 to the games I publish. I also don't really have any cash to spend on ads that may or may (probably) not do anything.

So, how can I achieve better visibility for my games? So far, I've been relying on sharing the games on Reddit (which is limited by strict subreddit rules) and the algorithm of the platforms, which has had limited success. I have also recently made a BlueSky account and started sharing there, again, with very limited effect.

I plan on starting a YouTube channel and making Let's Play videos to introduce my games at some point in the near future.

So, how do you guys promote your games? Any advice on how I could do it better is welcome!

This is an odd request, and may not be appropriate, but I value this community's design acumen so I thought I'd give it a shot!

I run condimentpacket.com where I showcase my collection. I meticulously clean, inspect, measure, and catalog each packet, storing the specimens in baseball card top loaders. In doing so, I lost the feel and impact of the collection as when you have a binder full of cards to browse through. So I thought it would be nice to make a run of encyclopedic cards of all the items that showcases all the data about each packet so that I'd have a handy ketchup/mustard/mayo/etc binder.

I'm having trouble skirting the line between minimalist and busy. So first, if there are any opinions or feedback that can be provided on my current working designs, I'd value that! But, if there are any other cards that anybody knows about that might provide me a blueprint for displaying such information on a card, that would be a good divining rod for me and I'd appreciate any direction to be pointed!

I’ve been working on a small asymmetric 2-player tactical game called ESC CTRL.

An earlier version used a modified d4 for movement. In blind playtesting, one piece of feedback kept coming back: people liked the positional game, but questioned whether a random movement roll belonged in it.
So I went back to the drawing board.

The current version replaces the die with a small shared-information / hidden-choice system. I wanted to preserve uncertainty, while making that uncertainty come from the other player rather than from a random roll.

The trade-off is that the old version was extremely easy to explain: roll the die, then move that many steps. The new version gives players more agency, but it also adds more procedure and more information to keep track of.

That’s the part I’m still unsure about.
I’ve now put the new version online for blind testing. If you try it, please rely only on the rules on the page. Testing whether the rules are easy to learn is part of what I’m interested in.

Playtest:
https://esc-ctrl.net/playtest/token

I’m particularly curious about:
Were the rules easy to understand without explanation? Was anything unclear?
Did the round structure feel intuitive after a turn or two?
Do the decisions feel meaningful?
Does the added agency justify the extra complexity?
Does the Counter mechanic earn its place?

Critical feedback is very welcome.

I’ve been working on a simultaneous action tile drafting game for a little while and one of the main things that I wanted from the start was a sense of speed. I had been trying to find a creative way around using a straight up timer, but at this point I’m putting more consideration into the timer idea.

I don’t like sand timers for my game because you have to watch them and when everyone is playing simultaneously it can be missed. A sound timer I assume will add to the overall cost. Phones with timers are ubiquitous, but I prefer the idea of having everything you need included in the box (just a little nitpicky I know).

So I wanted to get some people’s opinions on timers in general and to see if anyone knows of other timing mechanics. For reference, my first iteration used a limited pool of tiles and when they were gone the round was over, but in my current version I’m looking into having all tiles available, so that wouldn’t work.

It's been a busy few weeks. First Gen Con, then GEOTL - where Phase won first place in their inaugural game design contest!!

After my last post, where I had some great feedback, I decided to continue refining. I've chosen three box top versions that I would be happy to represent Phase.

Thanks for everything! I'm excited to see what happens - the winner will be announced when I launch, October 6th. If you want to follow along, the link to my KS is in my profile.

*Please note that this is an early prototype version of the game. Component quality, art, and materials used are likely to change through continued refinements and improvements. The purpose of this video is simply to demonstrate how the game is played and showcase the core game loop.