funding, crowd-funding, minimum-viable-productSo my friend and I are developing a new board game, the long and short of it is that we need to make a rulebook, and some cardboard tiles/counters. We have a draft of the rulebook (not illustrated or anything) and some placeholder counters to use for now.
We both do not have enough personal cash to really invest into the ideas right now, and neither do our families. We want to raise some funding to develop our product further and put together a video and a profile for a Kickstarter.
what would be the best way for us to get exposure and funding to develop our product?
Your best bets to get some funding are in family, relatives, their relatives. Usually you’d add angel investors to this list, but the truth of the matter is they probably wouldn’t invest in a board game unless you can convince them that this is the next Monopoly or Scrabble.
As part of getting this funding, head straight to the communities that may be interested and start interacting with your potential audience to see if your idea has any merit. In other words, go out to local board gaming clubs and play test the game with new players and a first batch of DIY board and pieces. The more positive the reactions you’ll have identified, the easier it’ll be for you to raise the money.
Try to pre-sell the idea to your earliest adopters – e.g. have them put $30 upfront in exchange for your promise to maybe ship a final game in 3-12 months, ask for donations during early adopter game plays, whatever works.
You don’t need that much cash to create a kick-starter. You need a smartphone to film a movie, a demo of the game, some copy, and a graphic designer friend’s touch in exchange for buying him a dinner.
Related question to help you succeed your Kickstarter:
https://startups.stackexchange.com/questions/4098/types-of-incentives-for-powerful-crowdfunding
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