OVERVIEW

Dungeons and Dragons might be the most efficient way to experience every element of the game design process, all in one place. As a pen-and-paper game, it is Game Design reduced to the essentials ...until, of course, you decide to self-publish and become an all-in-one designer, PM, and marketer overnight:

• • UX Design Documents: Writing plot, plot hooks, and narrative-supporting gameplay mechanics.
  • QA: Playtesting (best done with strangers, but a testament to a good designer is a long-lasting group).
  • Product Management: Building a production roadmap (especially for a pipeline of books), commissioning art to match your tone, identifying tools, partners in marketing, and more.
  • UI: Formatting a book to match player expectations so I don't lose UA conversions — because D&D gamers like what's familiar.
  • Marketing: Publishing a book takes organic outreach, advertising, press releases, and more. This is the hard part! (..for some folks.)

BOOK 1

I am launching my first commercially available TTRPG book after 10+ years of leading (designing, narrating, and taking feedback on) live gaming sessions for several campaigns. The book will be available on Kickstarter for one month before it goes live on my new website, so I am focused equally on design and marketing. This adventure takes careful writing because it is a murder mystery, and my playtesting feedback has been both useful and positive. Throughout the journey of writing D&D content I have used all the skills I learned throughout my career:

• • Designing and writing a 20-page (4h) TTRPG adventure, filled with fights, puzzles, traps, and dialogues to pace the story well and actively engage players at every moment.
  • Playtesting with varying demographics to collect feedback on pacing, engagement, difficulty, and more.
    
  • Documenting time and effort for development tasks to reduce future project timelines and budgets.

BOOK 2

I have connected with several authors in my network to publish their work after this first sale. I will waste no time expanding into a publishing house. This is a fun way for me to spend more time doing what I love and derive more than just entertainment from it. Plus, more people playtesting my content means more feedback! Look out for our second book at the end of this spring.