Starting a Tabletop Game Business
So we begin…
As a New Years resolution I decided to start my own tabletop game business. And man the road has been bumpy, but I’m glad I did this still. You hear about the costs associated with starting a business, but there are more than you think. Starting a tabletop game business is not exactly a walk in the park, but hopefully will be rewarding.
Let me take you back about a year ago first. I’m a fan to tabletop rpgs. I’ll admit I didn’t grow up playing them, but some of my friends got me into them a few years ago. Mostly the classics. I started writing my first published game, Beast Slayer about a year ago. To be honest the first draft of the game didn’t take long to make. I had some friends help me play test it and point out where I needed to improve. By the end of the year I thought I was ready.
I’ve learned there are difficulties with POS systems. They cost more than you think, especially in fees. But in January of 2025 I got my bank account and registered my business as an LLC. Setting up an LLC was actually pretty easy but I suppose this varies State by State. Getting into a POS system for my business has been a challenge. The first one I signed up for kicked me out without explanation, the second one accepted me and I’m using today. I would recommend reading the fee schedule before signing up for a POS system though, because it can become expensive.
Starting out with marketing can be hard. But I’m trying perhaps a more old school strategy for it. I’m going door to door at game stores and offering a couple free copies to try out in store. So far as of writing this I’ve been accepted at two stores. I have a third that is interested and I’m looking at a couple more. I’ve also made a list of YouTube reviewers of tabletop rpgs and I’ve been contacting them to see if they’d be interested in a review copy of, Beast Slayer. One has responded so far and plans on reviewing it, it looks like sometime in May.
Social Media can be tricky. I signed up for Instagram for Skyward Games LLC. I’ve never been the most social media heavy user in my personal life, so it’s still a learning cure to get content out there.
The most fun of this whole process actually has been talking with shops and seeing my game in stores. Being able to actually have those conversations with people is rewarding and perhaps the most rewarding so far in starting a tabletop game business.
Once sales start picking up I will get the chance to work on more content for, Beast Slayer. Which, I do have some more stuff planned for the future and hopefully some bonus content coming out later this year. I also have a few other game ideas I’ve been toying with and I’m very excited to get started working on those games.
One more option I’ve been looking at is conventions. This honestly can be a solid option for starting out. But the cost of them can get a bit high. So if you’re looking at cons, starting out with a couple might be a good idea. Being in Minnesota I’ve considered ones such as Nerdinout Comic Con or the Geek Craft Expo as possible options.
I hope to start generating more sales soon. One opportunity is doing demos of, Beast Slayer. I have one game shop willing to have me host. They were really nice, and I think it’s going to be a great experience.
The main issues I’ve come across are shipping and POS systems. Again, POS from what I’ve read can either be really easy, or really hard to deal with. It’s early on for me, but I’ve been having a difficult experience so far. If I could give myself one piece of advice before I started doing this, make sure you read more into POS systems and the different options out there.
Shipping was also a bit of a headache and I’m still working on it. I have a basic flat rate set up as of writing this. I have to give props to the WooCommerce team as they helped me with some shipping issues I had and they were incredibly nice and kind to work with. As a note, WooCommerce is not handling my POS as of right now, but perhaps an option down the line.
I’m only a couple months into this, and it has been a bumpy road. I’ve learned more than I would have liked to doing this, but I’m trying to remain optimistic. I have gotten a couple sales, and here’s to more! I’m going to do some occasional blog updates along with product posts on here. I want to build a supportive community of tabletop gamers. Cause at the end of the day, gaming is plain fun, and being open about my experience might help one of you.
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