Board Game Business Podcast - How to Get Into Distribution

Summary

Dans cet épisode du podcast 'Board Game Business', l'animateur Richard New est rejoint par Jeremy Commander et Brian Hank pour discuter de la distribution des jeux de société. Ils abordent le sujet en commençant par définir ce qu'est la distribution, expliquant le rôle des distributeurs et des détaillants. Les invités discutent des avantages de la distribution en termes de volume des ventes et de la nécessité d'avoir une marge bénéficiaire viable pour chaque jeu. Ils évoquent également les défis de se lancer dans la distribution, notamment les coûts de production et les prix de vente recommandés. L'épisode propose des conseils pratiques pour les créateurs de jeux qui cherchent à se faire distribuer, y compris l'importance d'avoir un catalogue solide et de bien comprendre le marché. Les hôtes partagent des expériences de producteurs de jeux qui ont réussi à se faire distribuer et discutent des différentes options disponibles pour les éditeurs indépendants, y compris les consolidateurs et les distributeurs régionaux.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Distribution définie** : La distribution signifie que les jeux sont vendus en magasins, où les détaillants les reçoivent généralement à partir d'un distributeur.
• 🛒 **Chaîne d'approvisionnement** : Les jeux passent par plusieurs niveaux avant d'arriver en magasin : éditeur → courtier/consolidateur → distributeur → détaillant → consommateur.
• 💰 **Retour sur investissement** : Bien que la marge par unité soit plus faible en distribution, le volume de ventes est plus élevé, compensant ainsi le montant moindre.
• 🌐 **Présence en ligne** : Les jeux disponibles uniquement sur un site web personnel sont moins connus et moins accessibles pour les acheteurs.
• 📈 **Volume et impression** : Pour justifier la distribution, il est préférable d'avoir un grand volume de ventes, ce qui permet de réaliser des tirages plus importants et de réduire le coût unitaire.
• 🏪 **Rayonnement local** : Les magasins de jeux locaux et les conventions sont des endroits clés pour la découverte et la vente de jeux de société.
• 💡 **Consommation de jeu** : Les librairies de jeux des magasins et les démonstrations en magasin peuvent augmenter les chances de vente.
• 💼 **Coûts de production** : Il est crucial de pouvoir produire et expédier un jeu au distributeur à un coût suffisamment bas pour maintenir les marges bénéficiaires.
• 🤝 **Consolidateurs** : Les consolidateurs, comme Impressions ou PSI, aident les éditeurs à économiser sur les coûts de livraison en combinant les expéditions.
• 📈 **CV de l'éditeur** : Les nouveaux éditeurs doivent présenter un CV solide, montrant des ventes et des engagements précédents pour être pris en compte par les distributeurs.
• 🌟 **Réputation et succès** : Les jeux qui ont connu un succès notoire, comme ceux ayant remporté des prix ou ayant des campagnes Kickstarter réussies, ont plus de chances d'être distribués.

Q & A

Que signifie la distribution dans le contexte du podcast?

La distribution fait référence au processus par lequel un jeu est mis en vente dans les magasins. Un détaillant achète généralement les jeux à un distributeur, qui à son tour les a achetés à un éditeur ou un courtier. La distribution implique ces différentes étapes pour que le jeu finisse dans les mains des consommateurs.

Pourquoi quelqu'un voudrait-il distribuer son jeu plutôt que de le vendre directement sur son site web?

La distribution permet d'atteindre un public plus large et d'augmenter les ventes. Même si le retour par unité est moindre, les ventes en volume sont plus élevées, ce qui permet d'obtenir plus d'argent au final. De plus, les magasins de jeux et les sites de commerce électronique sont des endroits où les joueurs recherchent généralement de nouveaux jeux.

Quels sont les défis associés à la vente directe de son jeu sur son propre site web?

La visibilité est un grand défi. Sans distribution, il est moins probable que les joueurs sachent qu'un jeu existe, sauf s'ils le recherchent spécifiquement. Les magasins de jeux et les conventions sont des endroits où les joueurs découvrent de nouveaux jeux grâce à des recommandations et des démonstrations.

Quelle est la différence entre un distributeur et un courtier ou un consolidateur dans le contexte de la distribution de jeux?

Un courtier ou un consolidateur achète les jeux à l'éditeur et les vend ensuite aux distributeurs. Les distributeurs, qui sont souvent plus grands, vendent ensuite aux détaillants. Les consolidateurs permettent aux éditeurs de petites tailles de bénéficier d'un accès au marché plus large sans avoir à traiter directement avec chaque distributeur.

Quels facteurs influencent le coût de production d'un jeu et son prix de vente recommandé (MSRP)?

Le coût de production d'un jeu, y compris l'impression, l'emballage et la livraison, affecte directement son MSRP. Il est important que le coût de production par unité soit suffisamment bas pour permettre une marge bénéficiaire adéquate lorsqu'il est vendu au distributeur, puis au détaillant, et finalement au consommateur.

Quels sont les principaux consolidateurs de jeux aux États-Unis?

Les principaux consolidateurs aux États-Unis sont Impressions et PSI. Ces entreprises aident les éditeurs de jeux à atteindre un public plus large en combinant leurs jeux pour la vente aux distributeurs.

Quels sont les avantages d'avoir un catalogue de jeux plutôt qu'un seul jeu lorsque l'on cherche à s'approcher d'un distributeur ou d'un consolidateur?

Un catalogue de jeux prouve que l'éditeur a une présence stable et une expérience dans le marché. Les distributeurs et les consolidateurs sont plus enclins à travailler avec des éditeurs qui ont déjà des ventes répétées et une demande constante de leurs produits.

Quelle est la stratégie que Dave Ferguson, de Castle Productions, a utilisée pour tenter d'intégrer sa distribution de jeux?

Dave Ferguson a d'abord essayé de vendre son jeu directement via son site web et Kickstarter, et en personne lors de conventions. Il a également visité les magasins de jeux pour y présenter son jeu. Cependant, il a été informé que les distributeurs ne voulaient pas le prendre en compte avant qu'il n'ait au moins trois produits dans son catalogue.

Quels sont les autres options pour les éditeurs de jeux qui ne sont pas encore prêts à entrer dans la distribution traditionnelle?

Les éditeurs peuvent chercher l'aide de nouveaux consolidateurs émergents comme Game Salute ou le Indie Game Alliance. Ces organisations peuvent offrir des opportunités de distribution pour les éditeurs de petite taille ou ceux qui sont nouveaux dans le marché.

Quelle est la recommandation pour les éditeurs qui cherchent à se lancer dans la distribution avec un nombre limité de copies de jeu?

Il est recommandé d'avoir au moins 700 copies pour entrer dans la distribution. Cela permet de satisfaire les premières commandes des distributeurs et d'assurer un approvisionnement continu pour les détaillants.

Comment un jeu peut-il être mis en avant dans les magasins de jeux sans être dans la distribution traditionnelle?

Les éditeurs peuvent négocier des contrats de vente à congé (consignment) avec les magasins de jeux locaux, où le magasin fournit de l'espace pour les jeux mais n'achète pas l'inventaire à l'avance. Les jeux peuvent également être vendus en ligne, lors de conventions et grâce à des démonstrations en magasin pour aider les ventes.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Board Game Distribution

Dans le premier paragraphe, l'animateur Richard et ses invités, Jeremy et Brian, abordent la question de la distribution des jeux de société. Ils expliquent que la distribution signifie que les jeux sont vendus en magasin, où les détaillants les reçoivent généralement via des distributeurs. Les distributeurs, à leur tour, achètent les jeux aux éditeurs. L'épisode traite également de l'importance de la présence en magasin pour la visibilité des jeux et des avantages d'une distribution plus large, notamment la possibilité de réaliser des tirages plus importants et ainsi réduire le coût unitaire.

05:01

💰 Understanding the Financials of Game Distribution

Le deuxième paragraphe se concentre sur les aspects financiers de la distribution. Les invités discutent du prix de vente建议零售价 (MSRP) par rapport au coût de production, soulignant l'importance de ces facteurs pour déterminer le succès d'une distribution. Ils expliquent également le rôle des consolidateurs, qui aident à économiser sur les coûts de transport en combinant les expéditions de plusieurs éditeurs. Les invités mentionnent également les défis que posent les nouveaux éditeurs pour s'intégrer dans la distribution, car les distributeurs peuvent être réticents à prendre de nouveaux clients à moins qu'ils ne présentent un cas solide.

10:01

🚀 Strategies for Getting into Distribution

Dans le troisième paragraphe, les invités discutent des stratégies pour les éditeurs qui cherchent à se faire distribuer. Ils mentionnent l'importance d'avoir un catalogue solide de jeux pour attirer les distributeurs. Les invités partagent des exemples de cas où des éditeurs ont réussi à se faire distribuer grâce à des campagnes Kickstarter réussies ou à des jeux qui ont connu un franc succès. Ils évoquent également les défis de vendre directement aux détaillants et la nécessité d'être un bon vendeur pour réussir sur ce marché.

15:02

🎉 Direct Sales and Alternative Distribution Options

Le quatrième paragraphe traite de l'importance des ventes directes et des options de distribution alternatives pour les éditeurs qui ne sont pas encore en mesure de se faire distribuer. Les invités décrivent comment certains créateurs de jeux préfèrent vendre directement à travers leur site web ou lors de conventions. Ils mentionnent également l'idée de la vente à la consignation dans les magasins de jeux locaux, où les jeux restent la propriété de l'éditeur jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient vendus. L'animateur remercie les invités pour leur contribution et invite le public à consulter leur site web et à soutenir le podcast via Patreon.

Keywords

💡Distribution

La distribution fait référence au processus par lequel les jeux sont vendus aux détaillants par des grossistes, qui les achètent à leur tour aux éditeurs ou aux brokers. C'est un élément clé pour les créateurs de jeux qui souhaitent voir leur produit dans les magasines physiques et en ligne. Dans le script, la distribution est abordée comme un moyen d'atteindre un public plus large et d'augmenter les ventes.

💡Retailer

Un détaillant est un magasin ou un commerce en ligne qui vend des produits finaux aux consommateurs. Dans le contexte du script, les détaillants achètent les jeux aux distributeurs et les vendent ensuite aux joueurs. L'importance des détaillants est soulignée par le fait qu'ils sont souvent le point d'accès pour les clients cherchent à acheter de nouveaux jeux.

💡Distributor

Un distributeur est une entreprise qui fournit des produits finis aux détaillants. Dans le domaine des jeux de société, les distributeurs jouent un rôle crucial en achetant les jeux des éditeurs et en les fournissant aux magasines. Le script mentionne les 'big five' distributeurs aux États-Unis, qui sont des acteurs majeurs dans la distribution des jeux de société.

💡MSRP

Le Prix de vente recommandé au détail (MSRP) est le prix suggéré auquel un produit devrait être vendu. Dans le script, il est mentionné que les créateurs de jeux peuvent obtenir un meilleur retour sur investissement en vendant directement via leur propre site web, mais la distribution permet de compenser un retour moindre par un volume plus élevé de ventes.

💡Consolidator

Un consolidator est une entreprise qui rassemble les produits de plusieurs éditeurs pour les vendre aux distributeurs. Cela permet d'économiser sur les coûts de transport et de simplifier le processus de distribution. Dans le script, les consolidators sont présentés comme une option pour les éditeurs qui ne sont pas encore prêts à travailler directement avec les distributeurs.

💡Kickstarter

Kickstarter est une plateforme de financement participatif en ligne qui permet aux créateurs de projets de collecter des fonds pour leurs idées. Dans le contexte du script, Kickstarter est mentionné comme un moyen pour les créateurs de jeux de lancer leur produit et de générer un intérêt initial, ce qui peut être un atout lorsqu'ils cherchent à se faire distribuer.

💡Print Run

Un print run fait référence à la quantité de copies d'un produit, comme un jeu, qui sont produites dans un seul processus d'impression. Un print run plus important peut réduire les coûts unitaires, ce qui est important pour assurer des marges bénéficiaires dans le cadre de la distribution. Le script discute de la relation entre la taille du print run et la capacité à entrer dans la distribution.

💡Margin

Les marges bénéficiaires se réfèrent à la différence entre le coût de production d'un produit et le prix de vente. Dans le script, il est expliqué que les créateurs de jeux doivent gérer leurs marges de manière stratégique pour être compétitifs sur le marché et pour permettre la distribution à travers les différentes étapes de la chaîne d'approvisionnement.

💡Game Store

Un magasin de jeux est un commerce spécialisé qui vend des jeux de société, de plateau, de cartes, et d'autres articles connexes. Dans le script, les magasins de jeux sont présentés comme un lieu où les créateurs peuvent promouvoir et vendre leur jeu en personne, en plus de la vente en ligne et de la distribution.

💡Consignment

La consignation est une forme de vente où le vendeur conserve la propriété du stock jusqu'à ce qu'il ne soit pas vendu. Dans le script, il est mentionné que certains créateurs de jeux travaillent avec les magasins de jeux pour vendre leurs produits sur consignation, ce qui réduit le risque financier pour les magasins et permet aux créateurs d'atteindre de nouveaux clients.

💡Regional Distributor

Un distributeur régional est une entreprise qui fournit des produits à des détaillants dans une zone géographique spécifique. Le script suggère que les créateurs de jeux qui cherchent à se faire distribuer peuvent commencer par travailler avec des distributeurs régionaux, qui peuvent être plus ouverts à prendre en compte de nouveaux produits que les distributeurs plus importants.

Highlights

Defining distribution in the board game industry as the process by which games are made available for purchase in stores.

The importance of having a larger print run to reduce cost per copy and increase the chances of getting into distribution.

The role of the 'big five' distributors in the U.S. for supplying games to retailers.

The potential for higher profit margins through direct sales, despite lower volume compared to distribution.

The challenge of getting a game into distribution if the manufacturing costs are high relative to the retail price.

The strategy of selling games at conventions and trade shows to build a customer base and recognition.

The necessity for publishers to have a 'resume' or a proven track record to be considered by distributors.

The existence of consolidators like Impressions and PSI, which help smaller publishers by combining their games for distribution.

The advantage of using a consolidator for cost savings on shipping and faster restocking of games in retail stores.

The difficulty new publishers face in getting their games into distribution due to the saturation of the market.

The suggestion to start with regional distributors if a publisher hasn't fully established their catalog.

The minimum order quantity typically required by distributors, which is around 700 copies.

The practice of placing games on consignment in local game stores as a way to get started without formal distribution.

The recommendation to have a game available on the publisher's website and to sell at conventions if not in distribution.

The success story of a local game designer who got his game into five Bay Area game stores through direct engagement and demonstrations.

The option for publishers to reach out to newer consolidators like Game Salute for potential distribution opportunities.

The existence of the Indie Game Alliance as a potential resource for publishers looking for distribution support.

Transcripts

I'm gonna climb a tree

watch out hi there well another episode

the board game business podcast I'm your

host Richard new and I'm here as always

with Jeremy commander and Brian Hank

today we're going to be asking how do I

get my game into distribution

now I'm gonna start with Brian because

Brian has distributed several of his

games and when I'm talking about there

are already been manufactured do we

won't even start with having your own

website and trying to sell them yourself

is that well you can say that part of

description no not yeah we should define

it we should define distribution because

people say that I want to get my game in

distribution what does that mean you go

into a store and buy games you buy it

from a retailer so the retailer gets

those games from a distributor usually

so there's only a few distributors out

there that supply all we'll just talk

about the contest the us right now so

all the gamers in the u.s. they go to

these they call them the big five

distributors and that's where they get

your games above that they're sometimes

a consolidator or broker level and then

above that it's the publisher so I will

sell my games to that broker the broker

will saw it to the distributors the

distributors will salt to the retailers

and that's where you'll buy your game

that whole system is kind of

distribution and we talked about this

originally when we talk about MSRP way

way back way back if you're selling it

by yourself you can get much better

return because you're not having to go

through all those different levels that

you yeah but in this case you're gonna

make it up on volume right you're not

gonna make as much per unit but you're

gonna make a lot more and that's why

you'd want to go into distribution you

get your money that way yeah exactly and

when someone is looking for a game if

you just have it up on your website like

you talked about before then you

nobody's gonna know what's there you

know like if I go in I want to buy a new

game I'm gonna go to my game store or

maybe I'll go to Amazon or maybe I'll go

you know to cool stuff I'm gonna find

that's where I'm gonna go to look for

games I'm not gonna go like search for

you know your game about zombies and

aliens you know and find your website

and then go buy it there or I'm in my

friend local game store and some comes

in and goes hey we played this game

really like

what else do you have it's like that in

the game the story goes oh these game

this game they're kind of like that if

you like that you might like these too

they go okay I'll buy that one and

that's it exactly you want to happen you

want it then at that extra sale people

looking for games in a certain genre or

a style that they enjoy yeah and get

that recommendation and where people

trying out games that if the game store

has a game library you can check it out

and play it and so that gives you more

chances to sell those copies of the game

also if you get into distribution you

can do a larger print run right because

you can sell more copies if when does

your cost per copy goes down so now your

margin on the ones who do sell off your

website or Kickstarter it's better

because you did a larger print run so we

met a guy at WonderCon and his game is

trekking the national parks and he had a

successful Kickstarter and the game is

beautiful as amazing art and it's about

going to different national parks and it

it's a nice game but his cost given his

print run per copy means he can't really

get it into distribution because if he

has if your game is a fifty dollar game

you have to sell it to the retailer the

retailer has to buy that for like half

of that and then the distributor has to

buy it for even less than half that so

the Stuart makes a little bit of money

and the retailer can mark it up to pay

their rent and pay their employees and

so he doesn't know the margins to do

that so he's only direct now he won a

Mensa Award he won the men's ohmygawd

award his game won that award and so

what he does to sell his game is he goes

to cons and trade shows and teaches

people how to play and sells the game

there and he sells it to wreck off the

website and some people found about it

from the Minnesota Ward other things

like that and he's all direct and that

does work but the volume of copies you

sell so it's gonna be small in that

method unless you're unless you're a

good salesman - I mean that's one thing

that a lot of designers and publishers

may be well least designers they might

not be good at being a Salesman or a

sales woman I'm not very good at that

when I go to a convention you know it's

hard for me to the you know get out from

like behind the booth you know I might

just stand there like hey you know wait

for some being combines I had like to

buy your game you know it's hard for me

to kind of get out there and say like

hey everybody try this game come play

this game you you sir sure totally

different skill set yeah

no Jeremy mentioned the idea that a $50

game might be too much for distribution

they're like a price point that you

should be aiming for if you're looking

at getting your game distributed yeah

and it's not necessarily a specific

price it's how much it costs to make

your game versus how much you sell it so

your MSRP compared to how much your

manufacturing cost is so that's what's

important in like each of those gonna

have to like ballpark that so let's say

I'm a twenty dollar game it was it was

RP mmm-hmm

what is the retailer buy it for from the

distributor fifty percent of that so ten

bucks ten bucks and what is the

distributor buy it from you for they'll

get a sixty percent discount so that

would be eight dollars so you've got to

be able to manufacture and ship your

game to the distributor for eight bucks

and still make some money in that eight

bucks well for us there's a consolidator

level too so they take a cut of that no

no no so that might be somewhere around

twenty percent of the eight dollars that

you got so what are we down to now

little six bucks if you know that you're

now gonna get from this sale so now your

manufacturing costs plus the cost to get

it to that consolidators warehouse needs

to be less than six dollars and if it's

five dollars and seventy five cents then

you make a quarter on every game that

yourself and and there's other costs

involved too you might have to pay the

designer or royalty you might have to

pay an artist a royalty or recover some

of the costs you spent on art there's

there's other there's other costs

involved in that tubes well my favorite

if I had a bunch of stretch goals yeah

raise the cost of my game now I just

killed that margin so it really depends

on how many of those costs you have some

people won't use that consolidator level

that top level and then that gives you

them some more room for you know either

for margin so that they make more profit

or to have a lower price a lower MSRP

who are the consolidators um so the one

we use is impressions they're a big one

the other big one

in our industry is psi at least in the

US and so they those are the two biggest

ones is there a difference between

impressions and Alliance them they're

pretty similar um psi has has some of

the the beer clients not they're not

like huge because if you're

you're gonna talk to distributors

directly and have a whole team that does

that you don't need like a consolidator

but they're there they're companies who

are bigger than us usually but then not

as big as some of the really big guys so

that they have fewer of those that's

what psi has impressions has the

companies that are more my my size are

even smaller and then they have more of

them so they have a bunch of those

little studios that come together to

make up a lot you know someone that a

distributor wants to talk to whereas psi

has still a lot they're still

consolidating a lot of studios but they

gotta be doesn't many minions

resurrections yeah yeah and so that

those are the two too big I guess I

don't know what a consolidator does yeah

the consolidator will take games from a

whole bunch of publishers and then

combine them to sell them to

distributors and they do that because

then they get to save money on like

shipping so like if someone wants five

copies of good-cop bad-cop they could

then bind that way yeah they can then

put it in one box save on shipping one

of the things we heard a gamma we were a

gamete talking to retailers and the

retailers didn't like dealing with some

smaller outfits in some cases because it

takes too long to get their order so you

have a game come out and it's a hot game

and selling the retailer calls you up

and goes hey I need more copies of this

game and they want you to ship it to the

retailer you know more cops looking that

week and through the distribution system

and the consolidators because they're

doing that regular shipments they can

restock those game stores as fast as

they need to be like you're their

regular weekly shipment so they stay in

stock with this stuff of selling and

they're not dealing with being out of

stock versus if I'm dealing with a

little indie guy like oh yeah we're

gonna get to that I have 80 orders to

ship before yours now the retailer is

frustrated they're not getting the

product when they want it the problem is

we've had so many new publishers come

out so many like Kickstarter games yeah

these guys are not the they're there to

they have been to many games in their

warehouse too many clients already that

they're supporting they won't take on

any new ones unless unless they make

somebody comes and makes a really good

case you know you now kind of need you

know as we talked about design

needing a resume for their game to get

it published right you almost need now

as a publisher as a new publisher to

have a resume to give to an in to to a

consolidator to to have them take you on

as a client so you know or what makes

for a publisher would be what like

having a catalog already yeah like

possibly a catalog of games that have

sold so that the the consolidator could

go on to be gg and look at your games

and see holy crap

you know 800 people have your game and

you're getting you know 30 plays a month

you know that that's pretty good you

know so like that would give them a

reason to stock your game because people

want it you know people are playing it

they're gonna want to buy it you could

also have a big Kickstarter campaign you

have a big head can yeah if you have a

if you have a huge huge game with 2,000

people who back to your campaign then

there's gonna be people playing that

game and wanting to buy it after the

campaign too so that would be another

thing to put on your resume so Dave

Ferguson who runs Castle productions his

game is the great debate which we played

before and that's a fun party game where

you debate different topics some are

serious system are silly like I draw a

card and it's Star Trek versus Star Wars

and I pick a society get to pick my

opponents so I met Richard argue for

Star Wars because I know that they give

me a better chance of winning the debate

but that's a fun game and it has an

expansion now and Dave's been trying to

get his games into distribution but the

distributor's he talks to didn't want to

talk to him until he had at least three

products in his catalogue and they said

yeah I come back to us when you have

they know three games and your lineup or

in your line

then we'll talked about carrying you but

we're not going to want to pick you up a

give you space we are a one-game thing

we want to see more of a mature

publisher before we'll pick you up and

so now this goal now is to get to the

point where he has a catalogue that you

can then go to the distributor with and

do that in the meantime he's selling up

his website

he's selling through Kickstarter and

he's doing a lot of direct sales so he

drives around to game stores and he

talks to the game order and like will

you carry my game here's my seller sheet

here's the elevator pitch and he says he

might have to go to 50 stores to get

picked up by only a couple of them and

so that's a much less efficient way of

getting the game out there and so we did

talk about the the two bigger

consolidators there are other ones now

because they're so there

they they can't really take on any new

clients there's like a gap of all these

publishers who need their games out in

the distribution at least in a place

where distributors can buy them and

possibly retailers can buy them so a

couple other newer like ones have kind

of popped up game salute is one that

have has popped up I don't know the

details exactly on on which games they

take on it might only be the games that

they publish but I think they can help

they would be someone to reach out to if

if someone listening is a new or

publisher you've done a Kickstarter

campaign or two and you're not in

distribution that would be someone you

can reach out to I've heard the indie

game Alliance does as well that's like a

big group of all these in kind of

independent publishers or game studios

design studios that have kind of come

together I know they were talking about

getting into that they might be now I'm

not really sure so they be another

another option to look into and I think

I've heard some rumors of some other

ones but every game says that's right

they could get Belov and you have the

same thing yep that's right and they

have their own warehouse and fulfillment

to do that they built on the backs of

signals of multi burst and so now like

guys hate me and other guys work with

them and I think I think Jamie rinse

space out of their warehouse to do stuff

to for his stuff so so those are options

to looking to you can try those are good

five options that you can you can at

least send them contact each of them and

ask what their policy is if they if

they're taking on new clients or not

game so loop does have outside clients

outside their own games because I asked

David Stirling of Sterling games you

know how did you get in a distribution

so we've talked about the consolidators

going down level have we talked about he

said there's big five distributors yeah

that's really talked about that so

that's more in the u.s. so we have

Alliance games a CD distribution GTS

distribution southern hobby in supply

and Peach State hobby distribution or

PhD so those are the big five people

talk about but there's also other ones

in usually in kind of smaller regions of

the of the US we're really talking to us

here there's other other distributors

like as Debbie M is a big one in Europe

and I know Asmoday has a distribution

distributor in Europe as well and then

there's there's one for you know

Australia there's there's there's you

know one or two distributors for the for

them you know and more for like just any

any area you can think of in the world

they have a distribute distributor

usually that's kind of more of a

regional one at least one so there's

would you recommend if you're trying to

if maybe you haven't gotten your your

resume completely whole yet starting

with sort of a regional definitely yep

distributor okay so ask your going to

your game stores in your area and say

who are your distributors and it's

usually gonna be one or two of the big

five that they use and then and then

usually maybe like a third that they'll

go to occasionally if they can't find a

game but then then they usually have you

know one or two of the the local

regional ones too that they use so go in

yeah visit your local game stores talk

to the owners and they should be able to

direct you to some of the your regional

dish you also said that this would be

something that you look into if you have

like a thousand extra copies is there a

minimum amount I should be having to

make sure that it's worth my time to go

into distribution like if I have a

hundred copies we should be looking for

um usually at least four impressions

when I first started working with Aldo

he wanted what was it it was about at

least I wanna say like 700 copies so if

you have that that that makes it

worthwhile so that they know they can

make their first initial orders and then

if they have follow mono orders then

they have at least a little bit to to

send the stores as well so we're

distributors as well so yeah I'd say

good 700 or so is what you'd want for

starters at least that and that's just

that's that's a really a minimum okay

sounds good question something to keep

in mind when you're looking at

manufacturing and trying to figure out

how many extra need to have yep so one

of our our local game designers Brandon

Roush he has a game called dubious

Alliance and it's like kind of a social

you know screw your neighbor game with

bunch of works you know going into a

dungeon and then stabbing each other

back and getting treasure at the same

time and so his his game

is not in distribution but he is in five

game stores here in the Bay Area and he

did that just by going and talking to

the game store and demoing the games all

come in and down the game and help you

sell help you sell it or I'll do an

event and some cases the game is there

on consignment meaning he owns the game

and so the game store you're giving him

shelf space but didn't have to pay for

the inventory so it doesn't sell they're

not out anything and so that he was able

to do that and that's a much smaller

scale so now he's able to his website

able to conventions and some local

retailers on consignment or by doing

promotions to help them sell the game

but otherwise I mean it's you really

just want to have it on your website

available for sale and then go to

conventions to try to sell it and that's

that's pretty much what you'd want to do

if you're not in distribution that's

what I'd recommend anyway and I should I

should give credit to a teal fresco was

another local birds of a feather yeah

he's in distribution

it's my impressions brother yeah you got

it you got it and because his first game

was like big enough hit that got him

noticed and then when he had multiple

games when he started how multiple

excuse then he got into impressions and

now he's doing that that way he said

well I guess because I had multiple

games and they had done well enough that

that the distributor was willing to pick

me up and so that was his method for

getting into your distribution this is a

fantastic game by the way principle

feather I love this game yeah well thank

you guys very much for helping me out to

understand that helping our audience out

I've been your host Richard and I'm here

as always with Bryan Inc and Jeremy

commander and I'll see you cross the

table Sunday hey this is Richard to

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