Daniel Solis

This weekend I ran a table at the inaugural tiltEXPO in downtown Durham, primarily a video game show. It's my first experience running my own table for my own card games. I have a bit of experience volunteering at other booths at tabletop conventions or sharing a table at video game conventions, but this was my first solo show. Here was my mental flowchart/script: "Howdy! Feel free to take a look at any of my card games. I'm running demos all weekend." Pause for response. If they stick around or ask about anything in particular, proceed to a fast, clear pitch. Direct attention with body language and eye contact. Remember, you're competing with the Smash Bros tournament right next to you: " Monsoon Market is a fast-paced economic-themed game where you're trying to get rich fast. Magic players like it because there is a lot of opportunistic combo play." (Add a line about the historical context if they seem interested.) " Koi Pond i...

The Escapist : Escapist Expo : How To Run a Small Gaming Business Here's a video from the panel on running a small gaming business, either as a publisher, designer, or even on the retail frontline, in board games, RPGs and even a little bit into other merchandising. We assembled an Avengers-like panel to discuss their origin stories, how they grew their businesses in incremental steps, and the nature of entrepreneurship in such a small industry. It's a really good panel, folks. Highly recommended.

We're back from the Escapist Expo! Wow, so much to talk about! Panels! Wow, all our panelists were super-duper interesting! Fred Hicks, Rob Donoghue and Steve Segedy brought keen insights from the world of RPG publishing. Chris Kirkman and Jennifer Bidell rocked the board game perspective on retail and distribution, plus a bit of Kickstarter. Natania Barron, Micheal Harrison, Dave Kirby, and Jim Van Verth covered all the logistis of building a community around a weekly gaming event. Mainly I just sat there letting everyone else talk. Shameless Commerce! This was mainly Megan's show, so we really focused on her jewelry and small accessories. Good thing, too! There were plenty of places selling t-shirts and other toys, but we were only one of two selling "fancy shinies." We had lots of board game jewelry up for sale, but surprisingly it was the fancier crystal and gemstone jewelry that sold the best. I had a small corner on the side of her table where I was sel...

I'm going to be at booth 302 in the Junior Ballroom at Escapist Expo this weekend! Look for the Hard Boiled Megg table. She'll be selling her famous meeple earrings, as seen on the Doubleclicks' ears ! Also a bunch of other geeky stuff! What a lovely set of earrings! Place these meeples on your ears! Available in multiple colors! And no matter what type of geek, we've got you pinned! And chicken hats! Bok bok! (Also, many many thanks to John Kovalic for drawing a chicken on a head for Megan's sign! omg!) We'll also have the last remaining Writer's Dice in stock. And a few printed copies of Koi Pond! Just look for the colorful meeple tablecloth at Escapist Expo this weekend! And if you can't make it to the show, visit Hard Boiled Megg on Etsy!

I'll be moderating and appearing on several panels at next week's Escapist Expo . The Expo had its inaugural event last year and was by all accounts a stunning success . Durham and the surrounding Triangle community have the largest group of gamers I've ever seen, but they're usually dispersed into smaller enclaves near their local game stores or home groups. The Escapist Expo offers a central hub for all the area gamers to play in one place. Video games, RPGs, tabletop, Humans vs. Zombies, all sorts of games. It's awesome. Here are the panels I'll be on this year. It's a Hit! Now What? Dealing With Unexpected Success You've made something and people like it and want more. Or your preorder went well - much better than you expected - and you find yourself facing a bigger print run and a bigger shipping effort than you'd planned for. Success can be a tricky thing - the bigger you succeed, the harder you have to work, and sometimes there are ...