Lessons learned at Save Against Fear
PAX Unplugged, Voronoi crawls, booth lessons learned, and Septima
Welcome to Exeunt Omnes, the official newsletter for loyal fans and sworn enemies of Exeunt Press, creator of games such as Exclusion Zone Botanist and Eleventh Beast. You can find digital games at games.exeunt.press and physical products at shop.exeunt.press.
TL;DR Summary
🌃 See you at PAX Unplugged?
🧩 Voronoi dungeon crawls
💀 Lessons learned at Save Against Fear
🎲 Recently played: Septima
🌃 See you at PAX Unplugged?
PAX Unplugged is December 1-3, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA:
PAX Unplugged is a tabletop gaming-focused event specifically tailored to lovers of board games, RPGs, miniatures, cards, and more. Featuring thought-provoking panels, a massive expo hall filled with the best publishers and studios, new game demos, tournaments, and a community experience unlike any other.
This is my favorite tabletop gaming event, and look forward to it all year!
I’m very excited about the MÖRK BORG Corpse Run: “Join the MÖRK BORG CORPSE RUN at Pax Unplugged! Grab a map, make every vendor carrying MÖRK BORG stuff mark it somehow, and get a chance to win cool, definitely not cursed, prizes.”
Exeunt Press won’t have a booth (this year), but I’ll be there and wandering around.
Will you be there?
Attend: PAX Unplugged
🧩 Voronoi dungeon crawls
Want to add some natural and organic feelings to your next dungeon or city crawl?
Voronoi patterns might help! They occur all over nature including giraffe spots, bubbles, leaves, and dragonfly wings.
In a recent Skeleton Code Machine post, we explore how Voronoi patterns might be used in tabletop gaming. City crawls, dungeon crawls, and as an alternative to hex maps are just a few of the ideas. There are also instructions on how to make your own.
Read: Voronoi Crawls at Skeleton Code Machine
Skeleton Code Machine is a weekly publication that explores tabletop game mechanisms in board games and roleplaying games. It’s been called a “Seemingly endless source of gaming ponderings” and a “Goldmine.” Check it out at www.skeletoncodemachine.com.
💀 Lessons learned at Save Against Fear
Previously, as I was prepping for the Save Against Fear tabletop convention, I shared my notes on How to Booth.
I’m happy to report that the Exeunt Press booth was a huge success!
Everyone at the convention was really kind, and I had so many wonderful conversations with people who love games. I was able to meet a few people I’ve only talked to online, and made some great connections. Sales far exceeded my wildest expectations, which is nice too!
Some convention booth post-mortem notes:
Allow for cash sales: You may not personally carry cash, but many people still do. Cash accounted for about 18% of the total Exeunt Press sales at Save Against Fear.
Be ready with wholesale pricing: Thankfully that was a tip I had read, so I was ready with both pricing and inventory when brick and mortar stores wanted copies to stock. Don’t get caught unprepared!
People love boxed editions: I only brought a few of the deluxe box editions of Eleventh Beast and Exclusion Zone Botanist on the first day, and quickly sold out. Luckily I was able to bring more on Saturday!
Sacrificial demo copies: I want people to pick up game books and look through them, but that does lead to some wear. It’s worth designating demo copies for the convention, put them out front, and encourage people to check them out. For actual purchases, keep clean copies behind the table.
Pitch what they become and not how the game works: I found that starting with “You a member of a secret society of monster hunters in 1746 London…” or “You are a muffin on a shelf, watching customers come and go..” was a better hook than starting with how the game works.
Keep clean and reset each day: It takes effort and time, but ensuring everything goes back in the right boxes and doing a quick “reset” of the booth at the end of each day made everything run smoother.
Reference photos for setup: Having photos of the completed booth setup on your phone can make sure you get it right. It’s easy to forget things without them.
Automate discounts: Taking the time to build automated discounts in Square for “Buy 2 get 1 free” art prints and free Exeunt Press Coffee with a $60+ purchase saved a lot of time and hassel.
Track cash in your POS: I didn’t do this and I regret it. Square has the ability to track cash transactions, and I recommend setting it up. I used a separate paper log for cash, and it made more work when reconciling at the end.
Have a Sharpie for signing: I was stunned to find that multiple people wanted signed copies! First, this is very touching and absolutely made my weekend! But, have a fine point Sharpie or favorite pen ready to go.
Allow for POS updates: Two of the mornings of the convention, the Square POS terminal decided it needed to do some updates (Frig yes!) for quite a while. Glad I started it up before attendees arrived.
Meet your booth neighbors: My direct left/right booth neighbors were 9th Level Games and Fyre & Ashe. Both were the absolute best, and chatting with them made the convention even more fun!
Comic book boxes: Exeunt invested in some BCW Short Comic Book Bins and couldn’t be happier with them: adjustable dividers, locking lids, and a place for labels on the end. They kept the inventory safe, organized, and protected.
I actually have many more notes and tips, which might turn into a future Skeleton Code Machine post.
Also, getting all the new items on the Exeunt Press Shop is a slow process. Watch for an announcement when all the new items launch!
🎲 Recently played: Septima
Backers are starting to receive their copies of Septima (Hegedűs, 2023) and I was fortunate to be able to try it recently:
Septima is a competitive, highly interactive strategy game of witchcraft. As the leader of your coven, you must prove your worth in the town of Noctenburg to become the successor of Septima, the High Witch. Practice your craft and gain Wisdom by collecting herbs, brewing potions, healing the townsfolk, mastering charms and rescuing your fellow brothers and sisters from the trials.
There is a lot going on in the game, and it has a slow build-up through the first and into the second rounds. I found the suspicion / witch hunter mechanism to be really interesting, and enjoyed the bag building for witch trials.
It would benefit from subsequent plays, and I’m looking forward to trying it again!
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- E.P. 💀