How to start an online cult
Really good year, SCM reader survey, start an online cult, Tangled Blessings
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
💀 A really good year
📝 Skeleton Code Machine Annual Reader Survey
🐑 How to start an online cult
🎲 Recently played: Tangled Blessings
💀 A really good year
I typically send out Exeunt Omnes every two weeks, which means this is probably the last newsletter of 2023.
It’s been an absolutely amazing year for Exeunt Press:
Exclusion Zone Botanist was nominated for an ENNIE, got an expansion, sold out at PAX Unplugged, and was mentioned in Senet Magazine.
Ran the first Exeunt Press booth at the Save Against Fear convention
MÖRKTOBER was bigger than ever, and Johan Nohr made a book!
Made a trailer, wrote a sonnet, and a made lyric video
Released new games, adventures, and game assets:
Chthonic Metro Gods in Tiny Library: Modern Fantasy
A CMYK Color Palette and the Rabbits & Demons art asset pack
Over 2,300 subscribers between the Skeleton Code Machine and Exeunt Omnes newsletters
Exeunt Press games are not only in the Exeunt Press Shop, but are now in brick and mortar stores like Farbo Co and Six Feet Under Games.
Released deluxe bundles for Eleventh Beast and Exclusion Zone Botanist!
I’ve met so many wonderful people including creators, designers, newsletter subscribers, and game players! If we had a chance to meet this year, please know how much I appreciated our interaction. If not, I hope we can say hello at a future convention!
I have some big plans for Exeunt Press in 2024, and I can’t wait to share them with you!
Thank you!
📝 Skeleton Code Machine Annual Reader Survey
Skeleton Code Machine has grown to almost 1,500 subscribers in less than 12 months! That’s a huge achievement, and I’m thrilled to help build a community of tabletop game designers and enthusiasts!
I’d love to see Skeleton Code Machine continue to grow and improve, and I need your help to do that.
Please let me know what you think in the Skeleton Code Machine Annual Reader Survey which runs now through December 31.
Take the survey: Skeleton Code Machine Annual Reader Survey
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.
🐑 How to start an online cult
I’ve been watching GDC talks and taking notes. This week I watched Growing an Internet Cult: Cult of the Lamb’s Social Strategy by Jared J. Tan at Devolver Digital.
Here are my notes:
Games go viral. The biggest factor to sell your game is your game.
There are a lot of good games out there.
Not only competing with other games, but with every other thing someone can do.
Needs to be fun and memorable.
It takes seven “touches” before someone will internalize a message and make a purchase. These touches could be physical connections, seeing an ad, seeing a logo, viewing a social media post, getting a newsletter, or word-of-mouth.
Social media is low cost, high potential, and based on trust (i.e. word of mouth).
Social media conversions into sales sometimes (but not always) happen. Good at driving things like newsletter signups.
You need to make an outstanding game, but it doesn’t need to be entirely new:
Community of players
Familiarity
Name recognition
Attention = Marketing Currency. Have less than 2 seconds to grab attention.
Step 1: Grab attention for discovery
Happens before they click
Needs to be eye catching; surprising messages
Adopt a “noob mindset” as someone who has zero knowledge of your game
Perfect a “four word pitch” (e.g. “Start your own cult!”)
Step 2: Convert attention into interest
Use trailer moments (for video games)
Need to look impressive and be memorable
Show something interesting about the game
Everything needs to support the fantasy of the game. If it doesn’t support the fantasy, then cut it.
Design content for the platform goal (Twitter is different than Steam)
Step 3: Reward with emotional response
Expectations and surprise
Put unexpected things together by linking to known content or an existing trend
Your fans are excited about what you are excited about. You are your own target market.
Personal stories can lead to connection.
Content efficiency: Reuse the same assets in many ways. A video game cutscene can be turned into screenshots, clips, or a full video. Clips can be made into GIFs and social media videos.
Make stuff that is (1) new, (2) your own, and (3) stands out.
This was an interesting and engaging talk. Jared provided a lot of things to think about regarding the use of social media, and how best to use it. I recommend watching the entire video.
Watch: Growing an Internet Cult: 'Cult of the Lamb's' Social Strategy
🎲 Recently played: Tangled Blessings
Bought a tarot deck and gave Cassi Mothwin’s Tangled Blessings a try! It’s a 1-2 player journaling game where you are admitted to a magical university for wizards:
Brackroot Academy, a magical school you’ve never heard of, invites you to enroll. But be warned. You’ll have to worry about far more than just the difficult exams.
My four years at Brackroot Academy culminated in a final exam (magic battle) against my rival. We went head to head for four rounds, only to end in a 2-2 draw. We were both retained by the Academy as instructors, but no doubt will remain rivals!
Really fun experience, and I feel like I barely scratched the surface of the prompts. Definitely some replay value in there.
This was my first time playing a TTRPG that used tarot cards, and it got me thinking about them as a mechanism. You can read my thoughts about that in Tarot Cards & Tangled Blessings at Skeleton Code Machine.
Read: Tarot Cards & Tangled Blessings at Skeleton Code Machine
Thanks for subscribing to Exeunt Omnes!
Check out games.exeunt.press for all the latest games and resources!
- E.P. 💀