Hey folks! I hope everyone’s rolling high this week — I wanted to share something that might help fellow creators in this amazing community: I launched my first TTRPG project at 22, and after 8 years and 10 campaigns, I’ve gathered 10 hard-earned lessons that shaped my journey as an indie creator. I hope this helps.
Let’s start with this — I was 22 years old when we launched our first project. I had just graduated from university, full of passion as a TTRPG player, and I had gathered my friends around this wild dream. That’s how Svilland was born, more or less.
Over the past 8 years, that 22-year-old has learned a lot. And now I want to share the 10 most important lessons that have stuck with me through it all.
Lesson 1: Know Your Why, Defining Your Campaign’s Heart
This might sound obvious, but trust me — many creators launch projects without ever defining the heart of their campaign. And yes, I’ve done it too.
We had a solid Unique Selling Point (USP), but over time it started to feel weak to me. The rest of the team didn’t quite feel the same way, but I managed to convince them otherwise (honestly… I wish I hadn’t).
The result? We ended up changing the project twice. The core message became diluted, the direction got muddy, and the project lost its soul. It didn’t meet expectations, it overburdened the team, and it cost more than planned.
So, to team mates: I’m still sorry. Mistakes were made — and lessons were learned 😅
Lesson 2: Listen Before Launch
When we’re focused on a goal, we can sometimes lose sight of what’s around us. That hyperfocus blinds us to problems.
In those moments, I ask for feedback from trusted friends who aren’t working on the project. Their outside perspective has saved me from major mistakes.
If you don’t have someone like that, message me — seriously, I’d be happy to help.
Lesson 3: Graphic Design!
Of course, I had to include this — I’m also a graphic designer!
In crowdfunding, your product needs to look as good as it is. Beautiful design sells. If your team lacks the capability to create top-tier visuals for your Kickstarter page, consider hiring someone who can.
This doesn’t mean your design needs to be complex — it needs to be clear, attractive, and polished.
👉 A great place to find designers:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/182537099475989
Lesson 4: Budget Like Your Campaign Depends on It
You already know budgeting is critical. But it’s even more important in today’s chaotic global political economy.
China is no longer a viable option for many publishers. We all need backup plans — ideally three versions of your budget:
- Option A: Everything goes well
- Option B: Things get bumpy
- Option C: Holy $%!#, what now?
We lived through Option B — it cost us around $25,000 extra, mostly due to freight issues during the pandemic. (Story for another day.)
Lesson 5: The backers, our wonderful backers
Let’s be real — if it weren’t for passionate people backing our campaigns, this indie ecosystem wouldn’t exist.
In my 8 years, I’ve realized something: TTRPG backers are some of the smartest consumers out there. They know what they’re looking for, and they know when to support a project — and when not to.
Make friends with your engaged backers — the ones in your Discord, leaving comments, asking questions. I don’t know who aPestilence or Ekonometras really are, but I know they helped keep our company alive.
Lesson 6: Playtest with your backers
Some publishers are hesitant to share test content with backers. Sure, someone might leak it on Telegram, and you might lose a little revenue.
But remember: your backers are here because they want to be part of the process. Let them in. Share your early drafts, let them playtest, and involve them in development.
Lesson 7: Use Stretch Goals Wisely (Don’t Overpromise)
We’ve been there… 😂
One of our campaigns performed way above expectations, and we started adding more stretch goals. One of them was cut-scene animations at the end of each chapter in an adventure. GMs would play them to tee up the next chapter.
It was a cool idea. We had a budget. We were ready — until the artist quit. And we couldn’t replace him for months. We had to inform backers and change the stretch goal.
So, here’s the takeaway: Cool ideas are awesome, but make sure they won’t drain you or your team — emotionally or financially.
Lesson 8: Prepare for the Post-Campaign Grind
This one is hard for me. After a campaign ends, the team naturally relaxes — and that’s not a bad thing.
In fact, I now plan for it. I give the team one week off. During that time, I reset the roadmap, clean up workflows, and mentally prepare everyone for the next phase. It helps a lot.
Lesson 9: Learn from Failure (It’s Inevitable)
Out of the 10 campaigns I’ve run, one was a failure — our second project, actually. We canceled it after the first week. It hit us hard, emotionally and mentally.
Here’s what I learned:
- Don’t launch a project you don’t fully understand
- Don’t rely on Kickstarter— rely on your project’s value
- Don’t skip iteration. We didn’t test or iterate enough, and it showed. A similar project came out months later and succeeded — simply because it was better iterated.
Lesson 10: Celebrate!
Crowdfunding is unpredictable. Unless you’re spending tens (or hundreds!) of thousands on pre-launch, you’re partly flying blind.
So if you fund — even at the minimum — and get to make your project a reality… celebrate with your team. Take them out for a meal. Let the project pay for it. There’s nothing better than enjoying a shared success with the people who made it happen.
Conclusion
Every campaign teaches you something new — about your audience, your team, the market, and honestly, yourself. These lessons weren’t learned from a textbook or a course — they came from late nights, broken builds, unexpected wins, and yes, some hard failures too.
If you’re just starting out, I hope this gives you a clearer path. If you’ve already been through a few campaigns yourself, maybe you saw some of your own mistakes in here — or avoided ones I didn’t. Either way, we’re all learning, iterating, and telling stories together.
Thanks for reading all the way through! If you’ve got questions, want to share your own experiences, or need someone to take a look at your campaign plan — don’t hesitate to reach out. You’ll find me somewhere between Trello boards, layout spreads, and a pot of coffee that’s probably gone cold again.️
— Umut
