Hello, friends, fans and gaming family! It's a brand new year and big things are in the works here at Tab Creations! Let's dive in, but first let's take a look at last year in review.
All-in-all, 2022 was not a bad year for us. We successfully Kickstarted What Lies Beneath, our first campaign for Age of Ambition. Our Ganjifa cards are back in stock and can be found in stores. And we made four smaller releases using our new dual Patreon-Quickstarter funding model: Expert Bestiary, Disjunction, Tainted Gold and Dark Abyss. Those were all successes. Overall, our revenue was down slightly compared to 2021 or 2020, but it was still well above 2019.
In particular, the new Patreon-Quickstarter release model seems to be working out well for us. That is, we first make new releases to our Patreon, followed by a small, focused Kickstarter campaign that lasts for two weeks only. We then deliver the PDF the day the funding period closes, and order print books two weeks later when the money from Kickstarter comes in. This new funding model has roughly tripled the revenue we make from smaller releases, pushing them from often being break-even affairs to being solidly in the black. We plan to continue using it, although we do have some concern that repeated Kickstarters may detract from the focus and community attention that our larger releases receive.
Along those lines, we ran two crowdfunding campaigns this last fall: a larger campaign for What Lies Beneath and a smaller quickstarter for Dark Abyss. This was an experiment, and in retrospect, probably a mistake. In the past, we've always skipped making a smaller release when we launch a larger campaign. This allows us to have "all hands on deck" when releasing a larger product. And by splitting our attention this last fall, it made the production of both releases a bit more difficult. In the future, we'll resume the practice of skipping smaller releases when we launch a big one.
Our first priority this year is finishing the production and fulfillment of What Lies Beneath, as well as its unlocked extras. As of this post, the initial PDF has been sent out to backers, the poster map has been prepared for printing, one of the unlocked One-Sheet Scenarios is complete, another is being written and the third waits in the queue. Finally, the Player's Brief is still queued as well. We expect it all to be digitally wrapped up by sometime next month, although the time it takes to receive and review a printing proof means that physical fulfillment likely won't happen until sometime in March.
Meanwhile, the next Patreon-Quickstarter scenario is ready for launch next week. The Forslin Job will go out to patrons on Monday, January 30 and its quickstarter will begin on Tuesday, January 31.
Looking further to into the future, we just contracted a writer for a new, as yet unnamed Shadows Over Sol scenario set on Venus. We also have a GM's Guide and a High-Powered Options supplement in the works for Age of Ambition, as well as a second campaign focusing on organization/domain management and heroes who are truly political movers and shakers.
This year we also plan to begin a major outreach effort, reaching out to fans and players, seeking feedback on the Saga Machine system and our game lines going forward. But we'll have more to announce about this in the coming months.
So that's where everything stands right now. Have a great year and good gaming, everyone!
Tab Creations
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