From 9th Level Games comes The Excellents, a game about being an Excellent Princess in an awesome cartoon world. To play, you need a copy of the book and a set of dice, plenty of imagination, and willingness to have a fun time!
I liked the size of this game. At 4” x 6” it fit comfortably in the interior pocket of my jacket, which meant that I could bring it with me to an appointment and leaf through it while waiting. The colours are bright and vibrant throughout and while there’s a ton of information being presented, no individual page feels overwhelming and the flow of information meant that there was no point at which I was left completely lost with no idea how points C and D connected.
One thing I appreciate is how clear this game makes it that anyone can be a princess – gender does not matter. You want to be a Princess? You are one! You’ve got your crown, sword, beast friend, shoes – you’re ready to defend the realm! The biggest decision you make is what you’re the Princess of. Are you the Hair Metal Princess? Sci-Fi Comics Princess? Is Knitting your thing? THe options are endless! It’s a light-hearted, fun game, and this comes across so well in the upbeat, playful writing. I find it a fine line to walk between having personality in your writing while reducing the clarity of the information you’re presenting and The Excellents strike it perfectly.
This is a fun, whimsical game which offers players the option to create their own Princess, or play one of those included with the book! While I’m always a fan of collaborative character creation, I also deeply appreciate games that provide ‘quick start’ options like this. All of them are charming, but I was particularly fond of the Tomato Princess (He/Him) whose design, as you may have guessed, is based around a tomato.
The Excellents is designed to be episodic. This makes it fantastic for one-shots, and even for rotating players – every show loves its guest stars! There are two ‘episode scripts’ included with the game which provide the episode with its general guidelines. I liked that before starting a session your group has already determined where you are starting off and where you are ending – how you get to that ending is what you’re playing to find out.
I thought of both Sailor Moon and She-Ra when reading this game over, and genuinely suggest picking this one up even if you’re just looking for a light, fun little read! You can pick up The Excellents (softcover) for $14.99 USD on 9th Level Games [softcover here, digital here]. I picked up my copy from Ratti Incanti [here] for 20$ CAD, and recommend it to anyone ordering from Canada.
I hope you enjouy your time with The Excellents and as always: Stay Spooky!
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take your self-promo to the next level (again, without being icky): michael scott's #1 sales tip for indie creators
indie creators rarely have large marketing budgets--or money for paid marketing. but you can learn to make sure whatever self-promo you do has maximum impact. the sales tech i'm gonna show you will not only make you better at highlighting what's truly special about your project, it can also make you immune to sales pitches (since you'll know how they work under the hood). let's get started!
there's a scene in the office i've wanted to talk about for a long time, and here on tumblr i have the space! it's the episode where michael and jim are co-managers and go on a sales call together:
Michael Scott: You should wear this watch. I will loan it to you. It is a Tankard. I highly recommend you wear that.
Jim: No thanks.
Michael Scott: They are into style. They are into appearance. We are selling success.
Jim: ...and paper.
Michael Scott: That's sorta secondary.
it gets played as a joke, but michael is right.
the product itself is secondary.
think about it from the perspective of the customer. you can buy paper pretty much anywhere. if every salesperson that comes into your office showcases the same kinds of products, you'll probably go with the lowest price.
the solution isn't to lower prices. most indie designers (myself included) could stand to charge MORE actually. the solution here is to elevate your project.
and the #1 way to elevate your project is to focus on the emotional benefit: how will someone FEEL when they play your game? that's what you're selling.
the FEELING someone gets with your project is paramount. that's how people decide to get their wallets out and pay for your Very Cool Thing. people do not buy things out of logic (very generally speaking). they buy with their feelings. here's an example.
let's say i wanna sell you on HEXFALL. here's the logical approach:
new school narrative-focused hexcrawl with modular hex tiles so you can add your own
every roll is 3d4, so it's easy to learn
gmless and everyone builds the story together
12 unique playbooks, including BLADEWING, MOTHERTHAWED, HORIZONCLAD, and OSTEOMANCER
zero prep required
this isn't bad honestly. it's specific, it's clear, it gets the job done. heck, i've written copy exactly like this for HEXFALL. if someone knows they like all these things, they'll give it a shot. but let's see an emotional approach:
gameplay feels like wanderhome meets interstellar
because every roll is 3d4, you can immerse yourself in the story without sweating mechanics
explore the existential phantasmagoria of the Rift, where all players can decide reality
the game provides everything you and your friends need to sit down and start playing immediately -- no gm or prep required
playbooks like the BLADEWING, MOTHERTHAWED, HORIZONCLAD, and OSTEOMANCER embody never-before-seen yet poignant archetypes for an electrifying roleplay experience
see how different you FEEL after each one? the first one sells a game. the second sells what it feels like to play.
you might have heard this idea framed as "features vs benefits" which i still find useful, but i wanted to drill down into the nuance a bit more. the logical approach above still translates features into benefits. that's why it's not bad. it totally works. but focusing on emotional benefits in the second bullet list makes for a more impactful pitch. the idea here is how to take your self-promo to the next level--again, without being scummy.
final takeaway: when promoting your indie project, focus on how it will FEEL for the person who buys it
good luck!
lex
titanomachy rpg
some questions i imagine might come up
"can't I simply make a really good product?"
the problem with selling on quality is unfortunately, no non-essential thing sells itself. sure, maybe your project IS unique and IS literally the best in its class. but if you cannot get someone to download it and see that for themself, what difference does it make? word of mouth, sure, but if you're waiting for your thing to magically become popular, idk about that strategy friend.
"does learning sales make me a capitalist pig??"
no! learning how to sell is one way to seize the means of production for yourself, imo! the cool thing about being an indie creator is you are getting the full product of your own labor, instead of giving the majority to some leech. in my view, by learning how to sell better, you are essentially giving yourself a raise on your personal projects. no one else can give you that raise. plus, learning how to effectively but responsibly and respectfully promote your creative work is a good skill to have! just make sure you're paying collaborators and freelancers fairly!! i don't wanna see that $0.05/word shit out here
**if you use these techniques in a scummy way, however, people WILL ignore your projects. and i will be v mad at you. so use responsibly.**
A GUIDE TO TUMBLR BY @hungry-skeleton Welcome! If you are reading this then chances are you are thinking of making a tumblr account. Sm
Hello everyone! I've been working on this project for about two weeks now and I'm SO happy it's finally done!! Behold! The ultimate guide to tumblr!
Seeing as many people are taking shelter here from Twitter, a lot of long time tumblr users are afraid that these newcomers won't know how to respect our culture. As we know, tumblr is not like any other social media. We have history. Let this guide serve as an introduction to all newcomers. If you have a friend looking to join our lovely hellsite please share this document with them!
If you spot any spelling or factual errors please tell me and I'll fix them as soon as I can!! (note: if you want to correct a factual error please provide evidence that your correction is true!)
As stated before this took many hours out of my life and was very very tiring. Reblogs are VERY appreciated
Edit: kung pow penis as well as a few other select things were not included on purpose, purely because I believe there are some things that are much funnier to discover on your own 💚 it's not a real experience if you know EVERYTHING!
baratheonpilled
areudirty
2087
titsay
turnnoffyourmind
kianamaiart
tangentwithtanner
pixelskylines
