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It has come to my attention that a Kickstarter cannot succeed from a first-time producer unless that producer can also produce a "How-to-Play" video. So I'm in the process of producing said video for Titanomachina. I was wondering, while I'm working hard at my day-job, what that video needs. I mean, aside from a run-down of how the rules translate into play.

You'll want to make it seem exciting. Perhaps have a basic scenario and then a "let's see how it translates to a bigger scenario...".

Well painted models will be a must, you'll have to show off what you're selling. Have everything painted, clean, with good lighting and minimal background - perhaps a white sheet behind the gaming table so there's no clutter, nothing to look at except your amazing miniatures and the fun game.

The well-painted models throws me for a loop, as I'm planning a board-gaming product rather than a line of miniatures. My prototypes are built with that in mind, so the components are colour-matching.

If you're not trying to sell minis then having minis well painted is a moot point!

The general sentiment is that your product has to look as good as possible in the video. if you're using paper counters whilst you wait for lasercut wooden ones, mismatching dice, or dice with rough stickers on them to make them specialist dice, it will reflect poorly on your product.

The video will be explaining the rules, but the visuals will be selling your product. if you do a video by hand with a rough prototype in a cluttered room, it will look less professional than a video from a tripod with a well presented product without distractions in the background.

Depending on the quality and richness of your voice, you may get some mileage from contacting your local radio station and seeing whether anyone on there would be willing to do the voice-over to give it a more professional feel. Most small-time radio presenters would see it as another feather in their cap, and if they aspire to move up then having their voice distributed in a video may be something they're willing to do. This would be useful if you had a stammer, or are prone to bridging gaps in your sentences with "uuuh", like an awful lot of people do.

That's another point, actually - if you hesitate on the rules, then it will give the impression that you don't fully understand them and will affect peoples views on the video.

Be careful on the music choice as well - don't pick anything annoying, nor too heavy, if you choose to include music at all.

Those are some great points! Thanks!

A few further points, much reiterating what has been said.

1) Clear audio! So many people mess up on the audio its painful. Even if you can't get a professional to do the voice, at the very least make sure whoever is doing any vocal parts hasn't got an annoying voice or a bad voice. You want clear (not shouted) comments that are confidently said to a clear recording system.

2) Clean setting and lighting. As said above if your video is a mess your product will seem like a mess. A proper setup studio situation is what you must aim for. A clear room; clean clear surfaces, good lighting that is well controlled.

3) TRIPOD. Put the camera on one! Yes this means you might have to do lots of little bits and then edit them together as you want to move the camera to different positions; but you need to avoid wobbly video camera syndrome. Wobbly video is very annoying to watch; it distracts and, again, makes you seem less professional.
A big part of KS is showing that you are professional in your conduct; if your video is sloppy or your product or anything is sloppy it will be noticed and it will affect funding.

4) Rehearse! Do multiple takes, take the best from each; do practice the lines; do repeat all the motions of moving things. These actions give you confidence and clarity when you actually do the final shoot because the motions you make are fluid and rehearsed, you know exactly what you are saying at each moment and you also can say much of it with your head (or however is talking) up. That means your voice is projected forward and not into your chest and isn't muffled up in any way.

5) As said be sure that even if you are working with a prototype, it looks the business! Also make note (a few bits of text clear in a corner) that it is a prototype on display.

6) Try to include some official product or masters in the video.

7) If there is music make sure its properly licensed for use and is background in nature. Music is great to have going because it can fill in those gaps when you are not speaking and lets you have natural pauses so that the video isn't just a huge stream of you talking at the viewer (information overload). But music must be in keeping with the aesthetics and be background in nature. You can be a bit more overt/showy with music if you brand it rather like GW has with their Necromunda videos - but if you're not going that pathway then don't bother and stick to subtle background tracks.

8) Don't get too close and focus clearly. A LOT of people shove the camera right up into what they are showing and they put it too close. It's so close it can't focus and even when it can you're cramming the screen so full that people lack the context of what you're showing them.
So don't get too close, back off a little and give what you're showing to the viewer some room around it.

9) Do spend an afternoon reading up on rule of thirds; leading lines; patterns etc.... Ergo some basics of composition. This will help you setup your shots and give you some structure to how you position things.
Also note - keep it simple. Have a watch of the early "Age of Sigmar" introduction videos/how to play put out by GW. Note how most of the video is very wordy, but the video distracts the viewer by doing random odd angles on the presenter. Those are not needed, keeping it simple to one single view is far better than jumping the view around for no reason.



As for content consider keeping the content focused. You might even have specific videos to specific things depending on how complicated and structured the game is. Or you might do one that showcases the game and then another that shows how to play in detail. The former would be more general (its your top of KS video) whilst the latter is your youtube video insert that goes into detail about how to play and what the flow of the game is like.

Note if its a two or more person game consider having a couple of people there even if they are doing very little besides being convenient opponents. It helps show how the game flows if each player does what they are supposed to do (eg interrupting one of your actions with their own) rather than "now player 1 an interrupt player 2, and player 3 can also do this etc..."

Reiteration is good. All of the best feedback I've gotten has been stuff seconded by additional sources. Thanks!

Something underlying this is definitely a script.

Also, be surrounded by scantily clad models (of both genders) and be playing it at a pool party.....




.... in all honesty, it might not be a bad idea to get someone who has some experience in presenting like local actors, voice-over artists, etc.

For me, the main thing is good editing and supporting visuals, with clearly-voiced narration.

If you look at the CMoN H2P videos, they are excellent reference materials.

You definitely need a script for what you're going to show. Construct the die rolls to properly show things. The old GW 40k primers are good storyboarding for this sort of thing.

Production aside, I'm working on the script and it occurred to me to think about stuff I should include. I've included all the game-states, as that tripped me up last time, but does it need to be a whole game, or a selection of representative turns? I suppose I could watch the CMoN H2P videos...

I'd show the setup and the first few turns - 15 minutes, and cut for speed.

It's a good enough point to warrant a re-write... I've re-jigged the script to last six turns, enough to show off all the features.

A passing comment elsewhere noted that 15 minutes was awfully long for a How-to-Play video. I'm inclined to agree somewhat where a game last 18 rounds and approximately 75 minutes, making it about 5 minutes a round.

With that in mind, I went back to the script I'd worked up and realized that I could trim it down further to just show how cards are played, moves and attacks are taken, and maybe a cursory look at the other options (raising shields, detecting buildings, using capacitors to over-charge, etc).

Additionally, I got some of the stickers printed up:

Ohh... those stickers do wonders for the buildings!

Agreed! Although I may have gotten too enthusiastic in applying them, as the notion was that the dark grey plastic underneath the review (and eventually production) copies would blend, and I got some of them on white prototype copies.