Advice and Consultation – Stonemaier Games

Advice and Consultation

Hi, I’m Jamey! I’ve created and compiled a number of resources–including thousands of articles and game design videos–to help you on your journey, and I’d invite you to delve into those resources. Along the way, if you have any questions, please post them in the comments–that’s where I’m happy to reply. Privately requested feedback only helps one person, but asking for advice on public forums shows a generosity of information–you’re creating a way for others to learn with you (and from you).

I’m honored that you would seek at my advice, especially since I’m actively learning too. However, I’m not available for one-on-one consultations, private advice, academic interviews that are only seen by a select number of people, Kickstarter project page feedback, or prototype playtesting for other creators. Let’s talk in such a way that anyone can benefit from the conversation.

I’m also flattered if you want to send your game to me. However, I’m not a reviewer or a promoter, and I don’t accept free games. When I talk about game design on YouTube and Instagram, those are games I bought or played with friends. If you’re looking for a reviewer, here’s a list to consider.

If you have a specific question, feel free to post it in the comments section of the corresponding Kickstarter Lesson or game design video, and there’s a good chance I and other participants will be able to help you. You can ask me questions live during my weekly livecasts (every Wednesday at 10:00 am Central on the Stonemaier Games FB page). You can also post your questions on Facebook groups herehere, and here.

Before posting questions, please read this blog entry about how to ask for feedback. Then read this entry about the true value of ideas (versus actual execution).

Last, you’ve worked hard on your project, and your project deserves a deep dive into the resources available to you. Resources like these:

78 Comments on “Advice and Consultation

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  1. Dear Jamey,

    Thank you for all you do for the gaming community. The content you put out on the blog and YouTube channel is highly impactful. I’ve been a follower for years and have always been impressed with all the different ways you uplift the hobby. So if nothing more comes from this post, thank you for the immense impact of a young entrepreneur.

    Ever since your “7-Questions Interview” chat with Michael Fetters, I have been interested in reaching out about taking you up on the same offer. I found the open conversation about publishing and production to be highly entertaining content because it feels like there are not many in the same position as you who would take the time to do that. Your blog posts, live casts, and other YouTube videos are wicked helpful too. Still, the video with Michael felt unique because it represented a two-way conversation that usually is kept out of the spotlight from others to see. I very much appreciate each way I’ve felt after watching the video (I’ve watched it thrice since this post to you).

    I wanted to reach out and “nominate” myself as someone who would be highly interested in being in Michael’s position if you ever wanted to do the same style of video but from the angle of you talking to someone in the same spot as you when you first started. Similar to how you’ve been going through each chapter of your book A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide, then giving your thoughts present day with if you’d change anything about the chapter since writing.

    If this “fishbowl” style of conversation is a type of content you are looking to do more of, here is a brief list of actions I have taken since first watching the “7-Questions Interview”:

    Read all of your block posts under the how to design a tabletop game
    Listened to A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide
    Read The Success Principles by Jack Canfield (written my purpose statement & listed out the 20 things that bring me joy)
    Joined four different design communities where I’ve playtested for others without bringing up any of my prototypes
    Recorded two pieces of content for a “Game Storming” series to put out weekly once I switch to part-time at my current job (Starting next quarter)

    I have a long list of actions that I have taken (and an even longer list of actions I still need to take), but there were my five favorites since they have made me focus on strengthening skills I am not naturally strong in.

    If you have made it this far and are still willing to record a “7-Questions Interview” for your channel, I would love to schedule a time that works best for you. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy some Walter and Biddy time this evening.

    Sincerely,
    Sam McDavitt

    P.s. Here are some of the questions I would ask if allowed to be part of a “7-Questions Interview” with you.

    How do you balance handling all edge cases under a straightforward rule when working with streamlining mechanics? (this would be a conversation specifically with developing Tapestry)
    How do you verify that the mechanics you use in your game designs are different enough from their published reference games without asking leading questions? (Red Rising, based on Fantasy Realms, and Scythe, based on Terra Mystica, are the two references that come to mind that you have talked about as influencing games)
    For your first game, what were some indicators that your game is “complete”?
    What is one mechanic that you cut from a game based on playtests that was hardest for you (either because you found it fun or some other reason)

    The last three would be “on the spot questions” around initial thought-provoking brainstorming. The questions follow a similar format to Game Storming, the weekly series I will be uploading once a week in April. The idea is to show how easy it can be to get ideas out of your head and into actionable steps. The overarching theme for all the videos is something you reference a lot in the content you post “failing fast.”

    1. Thank you, Sam! I like what you’re proposing here, and I’ll be in touch. :)

  2. Hi Jamey – I run a small RPG indie publishing company, on its way to becoming a medium-sized company. (We’ve been around 5 years, have a warehouse and 8 employees)

    I really respect and admire what you’ve done with Stonemaier. I’m trying to take my company up to the next level – growing into being a CEO who guides, not just being a creator in the trenches. I’ve never worked for a company larger than where we are currently, and I’ve never had to lead so many people.

    I’m wondering what other people who have been in this position have done. How did you grow from being a creator running a small company, into a good manager and leader?

    Can you share any advice on how you handled your own growth at this stage? Are there any key guiding principles you turn to when in doubt?

    1. Thanks for these questions, David! I’d recommend reading the articles found on the following page in the “After the Project” section; specifically the sections on “Entrepreneurship and Working for Yourself” and “Growing and/or Sustaining a Business.” I’m happy to answer questions posted on this topic in the comments of those articles after you read through them.

      https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/full-list-chronological/

  3. Hello – I am a paleoornithologist who *loves* wingspan and would love to help consult for future expansions. I’m happy to provide my credentials and information. This game is a wonderful game and actually works quite well as an ecology instructional tool. I don’t have a particular form of consulting in mind (casual versus professional versus other), I just want to help however I can!

  4. Hi! Quick question. I have a friend of mine who absolutely adores Wingspan and wants to wait to buy it when there’s a full bundle of all expansions (for now he just plays it when I bring it over). I saw that there was something like that on the store that included every version of Wingspan, but I also saw that it wasn’t with the Nesting Box.

    I’m getting the Nesting Box and can’t wait for it! But I know he was wanting to buy it all in one package. I understand they’re quite the beast to manufacture and package, so I was curious if there were any future plans to bundle all expansions (including the base game) inside a Nesting Box?

    My expectation is no, since there are other expansions you’re working on for the future, but I also figure there’s no harm in asking. If there are no plans to sell a big box of everything inside the Nesting Box, then my friend will probably just buy the bundle from the store I imagine.

    1. Thanks Seth! Here’s how we answer that in the FAQ on the Nesting Box page (https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/wingspan-nesting-box/):

      Will we ever make a big box containing all Wingspan gameplay content?

      No, we will never do that. First, it would be prohibitively expensive for customers (over $300), which also makes it very difficult to sell via distribution channels. Second, it would be a 180 reversal for us, as we’ve said for years across all brands that we wouldn’t make such a product, and many people have bought into Wingspan’s ala-carte style system–it wouldn’t be fair to them (read about what happened when another company did this). Third, the ala carte system allows people to pick and choose exactly which elements of Wingspan they want, which ensures that everyone pays for exactly what they want, nothing more. For those reasons, we won’t be making an all-in-one version of Wingspan. However, keeping shipping costs and eco-friendliness in mind, we will offer a version of the Nesting Box with the third expansion inside the box.

  5. Hi Jamey
    I just ordered Wingspan Nesting Box Big Thanks for the possible to order it without the english version of the new Asia expantions.
    My question is, is there are any plans on A danish version of Oceania Expansion and Asia Expansion?
    Sorry if I have missed some place I could have checked this.
    Thanks for all the great Play hours with Stonemaier Games.
    Best Regards
    Søren Denmark

      1. Hi Jamey
        Big Thanks for reply. I will let asmodeenordics know that they defently have one customer more for a danish version 🤗.

        1. For all danish people I contacted Asmodee Nordics and they answered that Oceania Expansion will come out on danish around Q2 2023. They have not decided for Asia Expansion jet but lets see :-)

  6. Hi Jamey,

    I’m commenting on behalf of my boss, who owns Proudfoot & Co. a historical and foraged non alcoholic drinks’ lounge in the UK.
    I got him into board games recently, primarily with Evolution (I know, not one of yours ;) ) and then Viticulture and Wingspan, and he’s now super keen on our own shop working with someone on a board game based around us or some of the stuff we do (foraging, beekeeping, ferments, archive research, drinks experimenation etc.).
    I was wondering if you have any advice for where to go – I’m not a board game designer, just an enthusiast and player, but we’re looking to work with a company either on a project straight away, or on a kickstarter, but we don’t know how this process works and want to create something that’s both strategic and has depth, but intuitive for new players and people new to the hobby. Lots of our regulars have expressed interest so we’re now trying to start the process!

    Is there any advice you have for us to get in touch with designer(s) who might be interested in working with us to create a board game?
    We’re eager to work on and fund a project like this but, again, have absolutely no clue where to start or if even this is a done thing in the board game industry.
    Would appreciate any advcie!
    Thanks,

    Oliver

    1. Oliver: Thanks for your question. I agree that the first step is to find a designer, and if someone local hasn’t come to mind, there are a few options to consider:

      1. Use BoardGameGeek to contact designers of games you already know and enjoy (especially if they’re of similar weight to the game your boss wants to create).
      2. Reach out to some of the amazing underrepresented and marginalized designers on this list: https://stonemaiergames.com/bipoc-voices-in-the-tabletop-game-industry/
      3. Post about the concept on a game design Facebook group to see if you get any bites: https://www.facebook.com/groups/320445024722916
      4. Hire a company that works on commissions like Prospero Hall.

      I’d probably recommend working with a designer who has some connection to a publisher or some publishing experience, unless you’re thinking you’ll publish/crowdfund the game yourselves (which may eventually be the most likely scenario for making it). In that case, start reading these articles:

      https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/how-to-design-a-tabletop-game/
      https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/full-list-chronological/

  7. Hello Mr. Stegmaier,

    I am on my late 30’s starting to work my way to become a game designer for table top games or board games. Am I starting way too late? And, to which audience you recommend me to target as a starting designer? I have some I ideas in paper but not sure yet about it. Also, you recommend I do these educational courses online of game design to better in the craft or can I do it just by studying documents and You tube videos on the subject?

    Thank you much for your time.

    Luis

  8. Hi Jamey,
    Can you not refuse a Civ you get during the game? My buddy would have easily scored over 500 points and his game was ended with over 12 resources because he drew Futurists which abruptly ended his game.
    Seems unfair to me.
    Andy

    1. That’s a great question for the Tapestry FAQ (currently you’re on the general advice and consultation page for entrepreneurs, not any specific game).

      https://stonemaiergames.com/games/tapestry/rules-translations-faq/

      The answer is as noted in the rules: You must gain all benefits. That said, I support a house rule that would have a player draw 2 civs and gain 1 when gaining that particular benefit, particularly when it would result in an unfun situation like this.

      1. We do have said house rule but BGA doesn’t account for house rules.

        1. That’s true–it’s one of the differences between playing any game in person vs online. :)

  9. Hi Jamey, love the Wingspan I’m a very keen birdwatcher- it’s a great way to encourage others to become interested in a fun learning way. If you are looking to produce a European version I hold a very extensive digital catalogue of European bird artwork that you might be of interest to you. I work for many publishers with 84 books containing my artwork, I work for the (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) RSPB providing artwork for more than 35 years, many British Wildlife trusts, BBC Wildlife Magazine and BBC Countryfile Magazine. You might like to look a look at my web site: http://www.mikelangman.co.uk under the illustration section.

  10. Hi Mr. Stegmaier,

    I am creating a board game for school, and I was wondering how you find the target audience after you have a prototype.

    Best Regards,
    Adhi

  11. Hi Jamey, My wife and I are new to board games. I have purchased Scythe and its three expansions for the two of us to play, largely because we love the art of Jacob Rozalski (I also bought the art book) and because we both appreciate your excellent production values and attention to detail. Such an imaginative and beautiful game! Question 1. Can just the two of us experience the intended play value of the game? 2. After I retired from the sciences, I wrote a sci-fi novel entitled The Last Event (Amazon/Kindle) which I think has some strong thematic situations that could be the substrate for a great and exciting board game, which I’d like to try to design myself. If you ever get a chance to read the novel, please let me know if you think it has any board-game legs. I was thinking that the escape from the Los Alamos Research Facility or the Last Event itself both might work somehow? Kind Regards, Michael and Denise

      1. So sorry I missed that section of this web site. Its perfect. Thank you. Am going to have a go at it, “hammer and tongs”, over the next year or so. Sounds like a fun project.

  12. Hello, my name is Tierney. I am a 5th grade student in Minnesota. I am working on a passion project where I research a topic I am excited to learn more about and share my learning with my classmates. My topic is Wingspan and game design!

    I am looking for an expert to help me answer some questions about Wingspan and board games. Would you be willing to answer my questions? When I look on your website, it looks like this might be the best way to ask questions, so I will post them here.

    When you decide to make a game, what market trends are you paying attention to?

    I know that you didn’t design Wingspan, but you did design other games (which I have played). Do you make the theme or the mechanics first?

    When I watched an interview with Elizabeth Hargrave, she showed a big spreadsheet that she made for Wingspan. How much do you use spreadsheets for your other game designs?

    How many new game design ideas are you thinking about at any time?

    What is your favorite Stonemaier game to play? Mine is Charterstone. My family played it twice and then we made a shadowbox of it to hang on the wall.

    How did Wingspan get into Stonemaier games?

    Why do you think Wingspan has sold so well?

    Thank you for your time. And I can’t wait for the new Wingspan expansion to come out!

    1. Thanks for your questions, Tierney, and I’m happy to answer them. You’ll also find these questions answered in more detail in the posts and videos on this page (in particular, check out my “10 Steps to Design a Game” video): https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/how-to-design-a-tabletop-game/

      Do you make the theme or the mechanics first?

      –When I sit down to brainstorm either an idea, whether it’s a thematic idea or a mechanical idea, within a few minutes it’s all a big jumble of both. Like, if I have a theme I want to explore, I brainstorm mechanisms that make sense for that theme, and vice versa.

      When I watched an interview with Elizabeth Hargrave, she showed a big spreadsheet that she made for Wingspan. How much do you use spreadsheets for your other game designs?

      –Elizabeth does indeed have an amazing spreadsheet she uses to balance the bird cards. I use math in my games, but I don’t typically work from a spreadsheet.

      How many new game design ideas are you thinking about at any time?

      –I have hundreds of ideas in a running list, but I’m typically only actively working on 2 games at a time.

      What is your favorite Stonemaier game to play? Mine is Charterstone. My family played it twice and then we made a shadowbox of it to hang on the wall.

      –I’m honored to hear that! I have favorite mechanisms from each of our games, but my favorite Stonemaier game is always the one that other people are the most excited to play with me.

      How did Wingspan get into Stonemaier games?

      –Here’s a detailed story about that: https://stonemaiergames.com/designer-advances-and-some-corrections-to-that-slate-article/

      Why do you think Wingspan has sold so well?

      –I think there are many reasons it’s done well, from the excellent design (on many levels) of Elizabeth’s, the beautiful art from Natalia and Ana, and the positive reception from both gamers and the birding community. It received some very positive press early on that gave it a huge boost, and I think it reached a critical mass that has helped it spread exponentially. We’ve sold over 1 million copies of Wingspan.

      1. Thanks so much! This will really help for my project. Its interesting that you have many different game ideas at once! My dad and I are playing Euphoria right now!
        – Tierney :)

  13. Hi Jamey,
    Some friends and I have a podcast regarding videogames and boardgames and on one topic regarding patents we had a doubt, is the Automa Factory patented? We see it on every Stonemaier game and no other game developers mention it as is and as long as I can remember we havent sen a solo play mechanic quiet like automa does. Looking through internet to no avail so I figured I ask directly to the source.

    P.S. Love the games, Viticulture is my Top 1 boardgame

    1. Automa Factory is a registered company, and they’ve said that they’re fine with anyone making intelligent (but easy to use) “Automa” solo modes.

  14. hello Jamey,

    just a quick thought that i am putting out there in the universe. After playing some card drafting hand management games, I have a humble suggestion for expanding wingspan to maybe some more competitive direction. This is just my personal opinion and house ruled version that I would just like to put out there. So here goes… After playing First Class: All aboard the a Orient Express, Walking in Burano, looking at Meadow. I would suggest a card drafting mechanism that these games use, grid of cards that players pick and in which once a set number of cards are taken the row gets discarded, or in walking in burano where you can pick certain types of cards to fill out your tableau and end of rounds cards gets discarded, or in meadow where you have trail tokens to use to pick cards. I think this will make the game more competitive, easier to fulfill objectives and try to make the game more strategic.

    I have tried these rules variations myself to great competitive satisfaction so I am suggesting it. I am sure you have considered these types in your game design process. But I thought to put it out there. Please take a look, Wingspan is one of my favorite games.

    Thank you for your attention,

    Regards,

    1. Thanks for sharing this, Vinit! Have you mentioned this variant in the Wingspan Facebook group or on BGG? That’s a great place to get feedback on it (this page isn’t really on topic, but I still hear you!).

  15. Hi Jamey,
    I’m trying to find a tool to help me build a structural system for gathering all my thoughts, ideas and processes for a game I’m working on. The aim is to have a clear understanding of how each action influences a certain condition, what role each mechanic plays in the entire system etc. I was wondering, how do you structure all this information to keep a clear overview? I’m currently using a Notion workspace, but I’m missing the bigger, intertwined picture. Like a flowchart that one can easily follow to understand the entire idea of the game system. I tend to think in processes (e.g. Mechinations), and for such a big project it would be useful to have a structure that makes sense. Could you share a bit on your workflows / systems?

    Sincerely, Noam

    1. Great question! I mostly use Google Spreadsheets for this process, especially for big interconnected games. I also use Trello for tracking ideas

      1. Thanks! I would be very curious to see how you set up such a Google Spreadsheets system. Especially since the big challenge here is working with so much interconnected data. Would you be able to share some of it or explain the ideas behind how it is structured?

        1. I appreciate you asking, but it’s game-specific, so it’s highly confidential :)

  16. Hi Jamey,
    I was wondering if you could help me with a thought that I was having after I got my brand new Pendulum. I already sleeved all the cards except for the 56 province cards. Why did you do such a difficult and rare dimension for a card sleeve. Do you have any idea on how can I sleeve them?
    Thank you in prior and keep up the good work pal!!!

    1. I don’t disagree that we use a variety of card sizes in this game! :) We needed square cards for the provinces, and we needed 4 of them to fit under the player mat, and we needed the player mats to fit in the box…all of those added up to an odd size. I’m not aware of any sleeves that fit that size.

  17. Hey guys!

    I’m just about to publish my first Kickstarter! It’s a board game about swimming. I know you’re sceptical about sport themes but maybe this one will surprise you. I’ve been reading your tips and recommendations and it’s been really helpful, thank you! I’m leaving my preview page here if you would like to take a look! All sorts of feedback is very appreciated.

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/filiplindlof/699124132?ref=nt7407&token=5521d84b

    Best regards
    Filip Lindlöf

  18. Hi~ jamey.
    I am korean. so I can`t useing english well.

    I want download ‘Achievement Sheet’. thank you.

  19. Hi Jamey,

    Your Kick Starter resources and overall openness to share your experience is invaluable. Thank you. Having combed through your blog, I’m fairly convinced I do not have the time or energy to run a campaign on top of my current life responsibilities. I have a card game fully prototyped and thoroughly play tested that I am planning on submitting to publishers within in the next 2 months after a few more blind tests.

    That being said, I’m a bit lost on next steps. I’d like to pursue the licensing/publishing route but it is a daunting path attempting to identify a publisher that is not only open to submissions but has a library of games that are in a similar vein to my own. Other than the obvious path of identifying games that are similar and tracking down their publishers, how do you recommend I research publishing companies? Are you familiar with any lists or resources that help game creators like myself identify proper publishing targets?

    Thank you in advance!

      1. Good Evening Jamey,
        I am responding on this chain as I find myself in a similar place with Mark above. I appreciate the level of detail you provide in the blogs and the effort you put forth to helping others. I am looking to submit my game to Stonemaier soon, but have not been able to find much about the topic on protecting an idea. Can you please help point me in the right direction? Do I need a patent or a trademark before I submit to you or other companies? Where does the risk of having an idea taken turn into a trusting relationship with the company? Please let me know if you have advice toward this end.
        Sincerely,
        Anthony

      2. Hey Jamey,

        I am also commenting here due to my situation being similar to Mark’s above. I ran a successful kickstarter (barely met the goal, but still succeeded) and have finished manufacturing of my first print run. One thing that is becoming evident to me is that I do not have the time, capital, nor know how to turn this project of mine into a full time gig, although that was the dream at first. So I am looking into finding a game publisher to pitch it to. Considering that I have finished a print run and have games available for sale, would that change the route that I would take when looking for a publisher? I’m either going to try and pitch it, or see if there are companies that will take over marketing, since that’s where my weakness lies, but it’s hard with limited capital to work with. Thank you so much for any advice!

        1. Logan: Thanks for your question. It is indeed quite a jump to run a business, isn’t it? :) I think the submission/pitch process is very similar to a situation where you haven’t already funded the game, except now you have more data (and perhaps inventory) to provide tot he publisher. Just be transparent about it. Good luck!

  20. Hey Jamey,
    Our board game project is live on Kickstarter. We will probably need to cancel it tomorrow. I’ve done a lot of research before launching it. I read your blog, plenty of books and pretty much anything, I could find about marketing and Kickstarter. We’ve been building up our crowd but we could have publish more content connected with our project. We’ve made a lot of mistakes which I can see now. Our mailing list was a bit too shy, I’ve kept changing facebook ads, we didn’t have enough reviews and didn’t participate in any conventions, we advertised the game as 3-4 player even though we knew it is playable with 2 (it gives you a bit different feeling) and deluxe edition of the game may not look very attractive. I was curious about your opinion regarding the project. Could you please have a look at it and tell me about one thing you think would make a differenece? Link to the campaign:
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yodelingogre/rusty-industry-a-fast-paced-engine-building-board?ref=dc9znz

    1. I think the game, visuals, and pricing look fine, so my guess is that the one thing that may have made the biggest difference is to make sure more people were aware of and excited about the game before you launched.

      1. Thank you for finding time for looking at the project. I feel a bit more secure now. We will focus on making people aware of it.

  21. Thanks Jamey.

    As a new game designer I have to say your blog is amazing. I recently purchased your book in both PDF and hard copy, as my way of saying thank you for all the great articles.

    I was not disappointed, the book was fantastic and well worth the money, it added a lot of much needed information and has helped us immensely.

  22. Think it might be too long as I get this: “Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that!” Will send it in an email and your free to post it on here yourself if you wish to help others out.

  23. I did post it up but not sure why it’s not showing. If it doesn’t show let me know and I can email it over to you.

  24. Jay: Just so I understand, can you give me specific examples of each of these reward levels? Write out the comment as if you’re writing the reward levels, like:

    £50: One copy of the game with free shipping to the UK.

    £150: One copy of the game with free worldwide shipping.

    And so on.

  25. Hi Jamey,

    Is it inappropriate and will it scare pledgers away if I ask for the following pledge levels:

    Between £10-£100 I will offer people between 10%-70% off with Free delivery in the UK and free delivery in the EU from £50 onwards, then free world wide delivery £150 onwards. The next one after £100 will be £150 and offer the game for free. Each pledge level will have enticements. Is it cheeky me not giving the game away after a £50 pledge? I say this as other compaigns do this but since my game will be made in the UK the components are excellent quality compared to Chinese manufacturers (I’m not saying they are all bad).

    Thanks

  26. Hi Jamey,

    I just wanted to let you know that this blog has been extremely useful to me – I’ve only read about a dozen articles so far but have already learned so much. So, thank you very much for doing this :)

    Steve Venezia
    Tap To Win

  27. I messaged Jamey about a couple issues I was trying to figure out regarding the manufacturing and shipping of my game, and he was a great help! He responded right away and provided some insightful ideas on how to structure my Kickstarter campaign in a way that minimizes manufacturing and shipping costs.

    Thanks again for the help!

    Paul MacKinnon
    Underground Games

  28. Thank you for the quick response Jamey, and I really appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback on our project! Thank you for also clarifying some of the things in your lessons for us. To people who are venturing into Kickstarter for the first time, the amount of information in your lessons can be overwhelming, so it’s nice to know that there’s a person behind it that can help you understant what you’re up against.

    For anyone who is considering talking to Jamey or reading through his Kickstarter lessons, it really should be a no-brainer. As Dave (Capstern) said, Jamey’s advice is helpful, professional, and he really will take the time to help you with not only glaring issues with your project, but also right down to the little things that you would never think of.

    Best regards,
    Chris, Gigaloth Games

  29. I wanted to take a moment and leave a comment. I reached out to Jamey to get some consulting and even though he was too busy to help at that level he took the time to look over my project and fire off some help and comments.

    I replied and he was nice enough to respond one more time. I have to say that I find his information inciteful and helpful and professional. Anyone who works in corporate America will KNOW those 3 things do not always go together.

    I had some concerns about what we were doing and how we were organized and he let me know the loayout was great and the rewards were close. Offered some tweaks and nudges that were awesome and I was doing them while I was reading the email.

    If you want to be successful read the blogs and rules and trust Jamey. Do NOT trust your gut as generally your ego kind of blurs that vision a little and Jamey is clear concise and helpful.

    THANKS Jamey I really appreciate the help.

    Dave

  30. Jamey was an amazing help in advising me to an extremely successful project. We are currently over 300% funding, and Jamey was a huge part of it. Thanks Jamey!

  31. […] Advice and Consultation […]

  32. I reached out to Jamey not knowing what to expect. I read his Kickstarter lessons religiously for months as we worked on our campaign for Black Labyrinth Book II: Joe R. Lansdale. Well, he responded, and it was a thoughtful and in-depth response.

    Based on Jamey’s feedback I completely redid our reward structure, taking his wise advice of eliminating products/items not related to the project itself from almost all reward levels and minimizing the amount of clutter in each contributor package. As a result I think we’ve really tightened up the project and are about 99% ready now for our October 8th campaign launch (whoa, that’s coming up quick… I better get some sleep in while I still can).

    Thank you to Jamey for his invaluable advice on not just our campaign, but his lessons as a whole. I plan on picking up a copy of his Kickstarter book when it is released.

    Let’s work together to keep Kickstarter going as a great vessel for creative and exciting ideas to become reality. I’m so thankful to Kickstarter for being a platform that makes it possible for visionary project creators to make their passion projects a reality without the need to get some ridiculous bank loan or investors. My company, Dark Regions Press, will be launching three new lines of books in 2014 all based on a Kickstarter model. It’s going to be a bit of an experiment, but I feel confident that we can make it a success!

    Thanks again, Jamey, and please keep writing!

  33. The whole website is full of detailed information and practical advice for running a successful Kickstarter campaign. You feel and see that Jamey talks from firsthand experience. I definitely recommend reading all his articles and tips, it’s one of the best resources you find on the internet.
    Jamey gave us a very detailed, high-level expert feedback on our Kickstarter preview site which helped us a lot. A fresh eye view from someone with both a lot of experience and a highly analytical skill set is invaluable. I too was impressed that his response came within hours, I was rather expecting days. I can highly recommend using his services, it helped us be much better prepared for our Kickstarter campaign.

    Markus Land – Hydroflex

  34. Testimonial, SunTzuGames

    I’ve had the pleasure of getting Jamey’s advice on both mail and phone regarding my latest Kickstarter campaign: Burning Suns.

    Jamey is an easygoing and kind person, always driven by a constructive dialog and friendly tone.
    Nobody can guarantee a successful Kickstarter, but Jamey surely knows the finesse behind the big machinery, and he has a lot of inputs on where to optimize your campaign.
    From here on I’ll take the easy route the words that you’ll find in the other comments ;)

    Jamey has my warmest recommendations, and I’m looking forward to working with him again, hopefully being able to contribute with my own experiences!
    Best regards Emil Larsen, SunTzuGames

  35. Many thanks Jamey for your quick response and guidance! It is great to have someone out there prepared to help others get started in their journey!! Your quick starter lessons are also awesome – very clear and well thought out!

    The world would be a better place (and have more board games) if there more like you.

    Jason Allan – Perihelion Games

  36. I believe I found Jamey’s Kickstarter lessons through the Euphoria Kickstarter campaign and I am so thankful I did. I read a few of the “Before You Launch” lessons and suddenly had a dozen questions. I wrote him an email (while Euphoria was still live) with just a few of those questions, and to my surprise he emailed me back the same day. It occurred to me later that had I read all the Kickstarter lessons, I wouldn’t have needed to email him. The lessons covered the subjects I had questions for and then some.

    I felt bad that I emailed him during Euphoria’s run and told him I would finish the lessons and wait till Euphoria ended before emailing him again. In that email, I flippantly said maybe you can check out my project. To my surprise, he said he would.

    When Euphoria finished and after reading all the lessons, I implemented what I had gleaned from them. I then came back to Jamey and asked for some advice on my project page. He looked over the preview of my campaign and gave me some priceless assistance. He’s recommendations helped clean up my reward levels and their verbiage. To my surprise he looked over the project page again. He then helped me reorganize the page so the most important pieces were at the top and the unnecessary clutter was removed.

    If there is one thing I can say about Jamey it would be this, he definitely goes above and beyond the expectation. Thanks Jamey!

    Chris Green
    Game Designer | Menaveth Games

  37. There are lots of really helpful people in the boardgaming community, but Jamey stands out even among them. So far, he previewed my page and gave me invaluable advice about project timing, project length (for first-time projects), and graphic design. He always responded quickly, especially with last minute warnings and advice, really saving my skin. His generousity really shows in his correspondence. And what is more, he asks for very little in return.

    I cannot recommend his Kickstarter Lessons enough (if you haven’t, read them now). But don’t stop there. Send him an email. He will reply. Once you do, I am sure you will be convinced that his consultation is worth the modest promise to pledge to one of his campaigns (I mean, you get something in return!) and provide a free copy of your own Kickstarter reward (which should be a happy thing; you got funded!).

    If you are still in the early stages of your Kickstarter, then I highly recommend even paying the $100 for the extra help. The time saved by doing so will easily pay for itself. It’s like buying a flashlight before heading into a cave. Compared with your other expenses, this is a bargain. Getting a review costs twice as much. Graphic design and illustration will cost you 10 times as much, at least. Do it.

  38. Hey Jamey here is the feedback we left on the BGG forums, our blog from our website, and our Facebook page. If you ever need anything else from us please do not hesitate to ask.

    Subject: Jamey Stegmaier = Class Act

    I just had my first phone call with Jamey Stegmaier @ Stonemaier Games tonight and I must say I am impressed. I felt I had a connection of sorts with Jamey in that I am working on publishing my first game as well with no prior recorded experience in game design nor an established name in the gaming community. I read every blog/post I could find, listened to every podcast, and watched every video with him featured. In everyone of them he stressed that he would be willing help anyone that reached out to him with their projects… so I did. Jamey was fully engaged in the conversation and wanted to know the details of our project and offered some very valuable action plans that we can implement to not only improve our product, but help with the marketing and campaigning aspect as well. Never was there a point in the conversation did I feel as if he was just going through the motions of offering help because he felt committed from his previous offers to help. In fact, I probably would still be on the phone with him now asking him questions but I know he is a busy man and I wanted to fully respect his time (plus it is a Friday night!). If anyone out there has considered talking to him but is still on the fence I can assure you that he genuinely does want to help and improve the gaming community. He is most certainly a value add to our gaming community and I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to him. I hope that one day, with experience under my belt, I can deliver the same insights and advice to future up and coming game designers/self publishers.

  39. […] Advice and Consultation […]

  40. Jamey,

    Great job putting this up. A lot of people may see it as hindrance or some other such thing to their plans, but I believe you have the right to respect your own time and to, at times, request payment for your more advanced help/time.

    Good for you.

    John Wrot!
    Gate Keeper Games
    The King’s Armory – Now on Kickstarter (Summer 2013)

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