Yes and yes!
Bree Wolf
Creator of
Recent community posts
Thanks! The old Beta version is still online, but the rules and card art are much improved in the final game. You can check out what the final game looks like on the Kickstarter page over here! I'll have the print and play version of that ready... sometime in the near future.
I'm still new to this business myself, but I'd argue you might as well give it a shot and contact publishers anyway. If anything, you can show them what the audience for your game looks like already (if people have been downloading/buying your game), and that you've been taking feedback into consideration. Beyond that, you could look into a company like Print and Play to make your own polished prototype. These days, though, it'd likely be more painless to just Kickstart your own small-print run.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvtFx4LBA5I
Rami Ismail posted this talk on his Twitter, "Jeff Vogel - Pricing, Sales, and Bundles: Building a Sustainable Business. [Summit 2015]". I just started listening to it, but it seems especially relevant to this discussion.
I actually just Kickstarted a card game I made for Itch! Over the summer I made a print-n-play game called Tiny Swords. It did well enough that I decided to expand it and now it's getting printed as a real-deal game! Not only that, but I got double the funding I asked for, which means I can do a WAY larger print run than I originally planned.
As for the game itself, Tiny Swords is a pocket-sized spin on Rock-Paper-Scissors. In it, players try to find and remove their opponent's Sword Cards. To do that, players engage in a Duel, a game of RPS using a card with a Duel Type on it (the square, triangle, and circle shapes above). Whatever cards get used during a Duel stay revealed, and whoever wins the Duel gets to attack their opponent's hand first. Players take turns picking and revealing each other's cards until someone finds a Sword Card. Tiny Swords are made of Blades and Hilts (which can be used as extra Duel Cards in a pinch), and Charms, which all have different game-changing powers. Some even activate when they're removed from the game, like a trap card! I started with 4 swords, but the final game on Kickstarter has 20 swords, each with their own Blade, Hilt, and Charm. I also wrote a ton of extra game modes, so people can play in tag-team with 4 people and other cool stuff. It's been super fun to make, and I'm really excited to see the final boxed game.
Hey y'all! I'm Brian, and I make comics and games. Over the summer I made a little print and play card game called Tiny Swords and I just finished a Kickstarter to make a real-deal version of it! It's been super-exciting and kinda life-changing for me. I'm also slowly learning Twine to make an escape-the-room game with a friend, and am designing my next card game to release as print-and-play sometime early next year. I also have a webcomic called Stardust Slammers that's a mashup of roller derby and magical girl anime. The first chapter's done and I've got the next couple planned out- only a matter of when I'll have the time to finish drawing them.