Recently I’ve been thinking about the grant that Chase and Living Social were giving away. I am lucky enough that I have enough backing for Third Eye Games that we were able to get the 250 votes needed to qualify. And since we had less than 100 employees and were for profit, we were in the running with se votes to spare.
Of course now the companies are milling over applications. I’m wondering if Third Eye Games is able to compete with book stores or pastry shops that require the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to even get off the ground. It’ll take a miracle for us to get it but I thought I’d tall a little about what would happen if it did…
Better Production Values
With more money comes better looking books. Now, I think that I’ve done a great job with the small budgets I’ve been working with for years, but a grant could mean more full-color books, some hardcovers, more pages, better editing, I mean, the list is endless. That would also mean more releases per year so that the fans don’t have to wait so long for new content to their favorite gameline from Third Eye Games.
Getting the Word Out
I’d be able to get better at spreading the word about Third Eye Games. That means better marketing, better ads, getting my games in more stores, presenting at more conventions and trade shows. This is the biggest thing that I currently struggle with. I’m just one man and I do what I can, but it’s hard and cost money.
More than Just Me
Speaking of which, a grant would mean one of the most important things to me and my family. I could quit my job (as awesome as it is) and devote 100% of my time to Third Eye Games. You’ve seen what I can do with having a day job, just imagine what I could do if I had no other distractions taking me away from RPGs. It would be amazing!
On top of that, the money would allow me to pay freelancers and artists more and even possibly take on a couple actual employees to help with sales, development, distribution. I have a few people in mind that I already lean heavily on. I would love to be able to share this money with the people who I rely on and help me make these games awesome.
I live a modest life, so as long as my family and I have a reasonable salary, Every last little bit goes right back into the company. It’s just one of those things that’s fun to think about. It’d be nice if it happened, but i’m not holding my breathe. If it does, though, I think it’d transform the way that the world views tabletop games, especially us little guys. To be thought of as a viable business and not just some little hobby would be great and would shape RPGs in the future.
Thanks for listening to my rambling.
Until next time.
It is pretty hard to go up against something like a bookstore, but being able to put out more products like Mermaid Adventures could help swing it. The world needs a broader range of RPGs, not just another dozen hack-and-slashers.