Szymon @ Nerd Sirens
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nerdsirens.bsky.social
Szymon @ Nerd Sirens
@nerdsirens.bsky.social
We make ttrpg books happen.

Get Beyond Corny Groń: https://nerdsirens.pl/#get-physical
PDFs: https://nerdsirens.pl/#get-pdf
Nope, but it does look cool, gonna grab it, thanks!
March 9, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I kinda prefer clocks to hp as encounter time trackers but I get that's a personal taste aspect.

The funny thing is that Blades in the Dark (if I recall John Harper's vlog correctly) started almost as an osr system with two stats: Blades and Dark ;)
March 9, 2025 at 6:27 PM
The action is focused on characters without many elements that impact the world outside of their reach (like PbtA moves that sometimes target other scenes), the danger stakes are similar (a char can die from a failed roll), both favor improvised play, with written plot as a scaffold not a Bible
March 9, 2025 at 6:17 PM
I think I know what you mean, people want to be creators, not "publishers", we should let them. But also they should get the know-how and know that there are people and companies that can take that load off their back.
March 9, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I think it's the clash between someone knowing that they are not prepared for a large scale project but instead of working the knowledge in their plan they choose to do an impromptu version of damage control.
Even if had a limited 1k print run I would still love influential outlets to cover it.
March 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
That's probably the fault of my way of approaching this but something in me balks at the concept of shunning exposure in an extremely niche space and fear of success.
I understand it as a concept but think that it comes from looking at those challenges the wrong way.
March 9, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I get that, but still think it's treating a symptom not the cause. If you know your limits you should plan for them from the start - like set your crowdfunding with limited numbers.
Tbh we as a community should talk more about how the sausage is made, so new people don't wrestle with solved problem.
March 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Yup, we have the same problem, around 50k £/$/€, but I still think that this is something you should factor in when planning i.e. did you plan your budget to factor in accounting? Are you ready to approach this as full time job? Should you consider outside help at that point?
March 9, 2025 at 4:46 PM
A singular shipment of 10k is still doable at a very small scale operation with limited people if you plan for it. Outside of tabletop this would be a normal week for a online retailer.

I think there is a big knowledge gap with logistics and people get overwhelmed with some basic problems.

2/2
March 9, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I don't argue that it's not happening, there is a lot of that going on, I bought a bunch of games stuck in production hell.

But I think it's still a problem of not planning for success at the start. Of course scaling to 10k miniature games would be different than doing just books
1/2
March 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
The main issue I have with PbtA is the concept of "moves". I find it hard to follow during play and have to constantly switch between fiction and trying to match it to my moves.
FitD uses more standard skills, they are a fuzzy and you can sometimes match more than one, but it usually is seamless
March 9, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Still, I think you should check the FitD games, I also don't like PbtA but love those. They are really close to the OSR in a way they structure play the main difference is the resolution mechanic.
March 9, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Yeah, but I think it comes from an earlier mistake than just the scale increase. If I would take a guess that problem starts at wrong choices with rewards - to many different rewards that make shipping hell; or unrestricted streach goals that end the same way.
March 9, 2025 at 3:55 PM
To be honest, I don't buy the second part. Like, I'm literally shipping 1k+ books/year from my spare room using (mostly) only my own hands with some basic tools (label printer and a barcode scanner). If suddenly our sales exploded 10x I would scale it up without loosing a step with the extra funds
March 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
I think we talked with Kuba about this when we released his stuff and came to a conclusion that coming from our background (Polish avg pay is around 2k $/£/€) we have one way through if: you can buy the PDF full price or get it for free as a community copy.
March 8, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Ooooh I really like this and Im kinda jealous that all those years of running Fate combat on zones didn't light this bulb that this can be a separate game! Congrats!
February 15, 2025 at 9:52 AM
I mostly play those as an introduction to ttrpgs and depending on the gaming literacy of the group:
- Ten Candles by Stephen Dewey (for people who don't know *anything*)
- The Hunted by @loottheroom.bsky.social (one-shot that has PC growth and simulates campaign play)

Bonus: ECB by Eli Kurtz
January 30, 2025 at 3:07 PM