Do you have a game that you've spent untold hours working on and would now like some feedback? Are you about to launch a crowdfunding campaign and want to drum up some exposure for your project? Well, you've come to the right place. We have a long track record of working with developers to fine-tune and/or promote their games and would love to hear from you.
Important Note About Availability of the Below Features in 2016! Professional and academic commitments are going to dominate much of 2016 for the crew at the Care and Feeding of Nerds. As such, we're only going to be able to offer the services listed below on a very limited basis. If you're interested in working with us, we'd still love to hear from you, it's just that we'll require more lead time (reflected in our updated Fine Print section) and, unfortunately, we won't be able to get to as many prototypes as we would in a normal year. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we unearth ourselves from beneath heaps of textbooks.
Important Note About Availability of the Below Features in 2016! Professional and academic commitments are going to dominate much of 2016 for the crew at the Care and Feeding of Nerds. As such, we're only going to be able to offer the services listed below on a very limited basis. If you're interested in working with us, we'd still love to hear from you, it's just that we'll require more lead time (reflected in our updated Fine Print section) and, unfortunately, we won't be able to get to as many prototypes as we would in a normal year. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we unearth ourselves from beneath heaps of textbooks.
Here's how the process generally works. Most developers select one or two of the below options as the development of their game progresses, but there's nothing preventing you from taking advantage of all three.
Option 1: the Playtesting Lab
This is primarily designed for games that are in the mid-development phase. We take your prototype into the Lab, play a minimum of three full rounds (ideally with at least 2 sets of playtesters), and provide a full array of notes based on the collective experience. Developers have found this helpful not only to work out any kinks in the mechanics, but, in the case of board games/RPGs, also to see what it's like for unfamiliar players to parse the rules without the creator to guide them.
Option 2: The Crowdfundable FAQ
When a project is the subject of an active or upcoming crowdfunding campaign, we like to run what I've been terming an "interview". Essentially it's a word document with 5-8 questions about the game, the creators, and the developmental process that's culminating in the campaign. It gives would-be backers additional information about the title, but also provides a very human connection to the project. We've found that gamers respond very positively when they feel like they can make that personal connection with the developers and/or the development process. The responses to the questions are the fodder for their own post (which itself is designed to get readers to circle over to your fundraising page and/or tie into a future review). This is an example of the FAQ and how we tie it back to your crowdfunding campaign.
Option 3: The Formal Review
We like to do full, formal reviews only when readers can go out and purchase a game. For a full review, we'll run through the game at least twice (each time with a different set of players). We'll gather the resulting feedback and refine it into a narrative that concludes with our recommendation (and links to where the game can be purchased). Pretty much what you'd expect of a review piece.
If any or all of the above sound like they may work well for your project, give us a shout. We'll get back to you ASAP.
The Fine print (ok, not so fine, but still important)
1) Developers are responsible for all shipping costs associated with getting a prototype or review copy to and from our base of Nerdy operations. If you happen to be located in the Boston area we can make arrangements for hand delivery if you'd like.
2) If you're doing with a formal review, we ask that you give us at least 4 weeks from the time it reaches our hands to draft said review. We ask this so there's sufficient time to get multiple playthroughs of your game in with various groups of players and otherwise get as comprehensive a feel for your game as possible before issuing a public opinion.
The Fine print (ok, not so fine, but still important)
1) Developers are responsible for all shipping costs associated with getting a prototype or review copy to and from our base of Nerdy operations. If you happen to be located in the Boston area we can make arrangements for hand delivery if you'd like.
2) If you're doing with a formal review, we ask that you give us at least 4 weeks from the time it reaches our hands to draft said review. We ask this so there's sufficient time to get multiple playthroughs of your game in with various groups of players and otherwise get as comprehensive a feel for your game as possible before issuing a public opinion.
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