8 lessons learned at Harrisburg Board Game Day

After every in-person event I’ve done as Exeunt Press, I have tried to do a post-mortem. I think through what went well and what didn’t go so well, and then try to formulate a list of lessons learned.

Harrisburg Board Game Day

Harrisburg Board Game Day was Saturday, August 29, 2026, at Strawberry Square in Harrisburg, PA. I was there selling weird and wonderful games at the Exeunt Press table all day, including the brand-new We Are Mushrooms.¹

After each vendor event, I write up a short lessons learned list. It’s mostly for myself so I know what to keep or change for the next event, but many people have told me it’s helpful.

Lessons learned

Here’s the list in no particular order:

1. Make an essentials kit: I forgot to bring tape, hand sanitizer, and a few other critical items. Sure, I could make a checklist for these, but it might be easier just to make a little kit that stays with my event stuff. Can’t forget it if it’s already packed in with everything else.

2. It takes an hour to set up: As much as I try to convince myself that “it doesn’t take that long” to get the booth ready, it does indeed take a while. It’s at least an hour or more when doing it by myself.²

3. Selling Tumulus at events: While Tumulus has been a huge success, it continues to be my hardest “product” to explain in a short pitch. Games are easy: “You are a monster hunter in 1700s London.” Trying to explain that Tumulus is for designers and players, that it has articles, playable games, and design exercises, and that other designers contribute to it… that’s a lot harder. Do I work on a better pitch? Do I just not sell it in person? Not sure, but this is one I need to think about.

4. A lot to pitch: I’ve gained a lot of experience pitching my games. Each one is easy, but when I have more titles at each event, it becomes harder. Sometimes I can read the person and direct them to just the right ones, but going through them all takes time. What if I had twice the number of titles?

5. Slow warm-up for pitching: Every event, I feel like I’m relearning how to explain solo journaling games and how to pitch each game. It takes a few times before it all comes back to me and I’m rolling. It’s a breeze by the end of the day. Do I write out a script to read ahead of time as a refresher? Or just accept that it is what it is?

6. Lead with “I design…”: Possibly due to the number of titles, people were surprised to find out that I do all the design, layout, and art selection. They were much more likely to purchase, knowing I was the designer. I found that leading with “I design solo roleplaying games such as…” rather than “These are solo roleplaying games…” seemed to help. Subtle difference, but notable.

7. Maybe fewer titles: Related to the above, I’m considering bringing fewer titles to future events. I might skip Tumulus and Blackflower and simply focus on the core solo titles.³ That would, however, potentially mean I lose a few sales as I always sell some of those. It would make pitching and explaining games easier.

8. Repeat customers: My favorite part of the day was having people come to the booth who were already familiar with Exeunt Press games. They just wanted to know what was new and instantly bought those. “I already know I love your stuff!” is the absolute best thing to hear. If you were one of those people, thank you so much.

Sales were good, up 5.6% versus last year’s event which is exciting! Transactions were 82% credit card and 18% cash, which is in line with previous events.

Connecting with the local community

The other day, Spencer Campbell (GilaRPGs) mentioned how he felt after a local event: “I’m coming away with such a better energy after CIGS. There is something special about connecting with people in your local community.”

I agree with this 100%.

It’s why events like the recent Harrisburg Board Game Day are so much more than “being a vendor” to me. I meet new local game designers and players. We talk about all sorts of games. People who live in my area are excited to share their experiences with Exeunt Press games and their enjoyment of them.⁴

Thank you so much to everyone who came out for Harrisburg Board Game Day, and especially to those who stopped by the Exeunt Press table.

It was a great experience and will keep me energized for a long time.

- E.P. 💀

P.S. If you love tabletop games, you should check out Tumulus. It’s a print-only, quarterly zine packed with Skeleton Code Machine game design content.

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1. We Are Mushrooms was, by far, the best selling. People really seemed to love the premise and game book. If you purchased a copy, let me know how your first game goes!

2. Murphdog (unpaid intern), on top of refusing to come to the event because she had to sleep under my desk, continues to claim that her lack of opposable thumbs means she is unable to help with tasks like this.

3. The issue with Blackflower is that it requires the CY_BORG core rulebook to play, which I didn’t have for sale at the event. I either need to offer the rulebook or not sell Blackflower.

4. In fact, I was surprised to discover one person is almost my neighbor! If you are reading this, hello and thanks for chatting! :)