u/Old-Somewhere-8762

I’m working on the website for my board game and I’m currently struggling with one specific question:

If you land on the page knowing absolutely nothing about the game, do you quickly understand what it is and what makes it different?

I’m probably way too close to the project at this point, so I don’t trust my own judgement anymore 😅

I don’t want to explain the game here before you see it, because that would defeat the whole purpose of the test.

https://www.vestigesoftheancients.com/

I’d mainly love feedback on these three things:

1. What do you think the game is after the first 10–15 seconds?
2. What caught your attention first?
3. Was there anything visually confusing or that made you lose interest?

It looks much better on desktop than on mobile at the moment.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently launched a small free website created to give visibility to independent creators and their projects.

For this community, I’m especially interested in DIY electronics projects: Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi builds, sensors, robotics, automation, useful devices, hardware prototypes, custom tools, assistive tech, interactive objects, educational electronics, 3D printed enclosures with electronics, and other original electronic builds.

The idea comes from a problem many independent makers run into: you can spend a lot of time building something interesting, but it can be difficult to show it to people without it being seen as self-promotion or spam. Social media is algorithm-driven, ads usually don’t make sense for early-stage projects, and many communities understandably limit promotional posts.

So I wanted to create a small discovery space where independent projects can have a proper page with a description, images, videos, links, schematics or code if the creator wants to share them, and useful context about what the project does and how it was built.

There is no hidden catch, no paid promotion, no store, no publisher angle, and no secret commercial interest behind this. Right now the goal is simply to give more visibility to independent projects and build a small space where creators can also discover and support each other.

One important idea behind the site is reciprocity. I don’t want it to become a dead gallery where everyone only posts their own thing and leaves. The goal is that creators who appear on the site also take a little time to look at other projects, leave feedback, show interest, or support other creators.

If you’re working on a DIY electronics project and would be interested in possibly appearing on the website, feel free to comment with:

• The name of your project, if it has one
• What it does
• What hardware, boards or components it uses
• The current stage: idea, prototype, testing, finished, open source, launched, etc.
• Whether you’d be open to being contacted for more details

You don’t need to post full materials here. If your project seems like a good fit, I’ll contact you and let you know where you can send the full information.

I’m especially interested in original, useful, unusual or educational electronics projects. It doesn’t have to be polished or commercial. Rough prototypes, experimental builds and small personal projects are welcome too.

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently launched a small free website created to give visibility to independent creators and their projects.

For this community, I’m especially interested in inventions, prototypes, useful devices, technical experiments, product ideas, early-stage builds, assistive tools, mechanical concepts, 3D printed solutions, electronics projects, and other original things people are trying to design or build.

The idea comes from a problem many independent creators run into: you can spend a lot of time building something interesting, but it can be difficult to show it to people without it being seen as self-promotion or spam. Social media is algorithm-driven, ads usually don’t make sense for early-stage projects, and many communities understandably limit promotional posts.

So I wanted to create a small discovery space where independent projects can have a proper page with a description, images, videos, links and useful context about what the project is, what problem it solves, and what stage it is in.

There is no hidden catch, no paid promotion, no store, no publisher angle, and no secret commercial interest behind this. Right now the goal is simply to give more visibility to independent projects and build a small space where creators can also discover and support each other.

One important idea behind the site is reciprocity. I don’t want it to become a dead gallery where everyone only posts their own thing and leaves. The goal is that creators who appear on the site also take a little time to look at other projects, leave feedback, show interest, or support other creators.

If you’re working on an invention, prototype or original build and would be interested in possibly appearing on the website, feel free to comment with:

• The name of your project, if it has one
• What problem it tries to solve
• What type of invention or prototype it is
• The current stage: idea, sketch, prototype, testing, finished, patent pending, launched, etc.
• Whether you’d be open to being contacted for more details

You don’t need to post full materials here. If your project seems like a good fit, I’ll contact you and let you know where you can send the full information.

I’m especially interested in original, useful, unusual or early-stage projects. It doesn’t have to be polished or commercial. Rough prototypes, experimental builds and small personal inventions are welcome too.

Hi everyone,

I made a free showcase website for people building creative projects.

The idea came from a problem I kept running into: when you make something, it can be hard to show it to people without feeling like you’re just self-promoting or spamming communities. Social media is very algorithm-driven, ads don’t really make sense for small personal projects, and many forums understandably limit promotional posts.

So I built a small website where independent creators can present their projects properly, with a dedicated page, description, images, videos, links and useful material.

It’s meant for original projects such as board games, card games, RPGs, prototypes, inventions, 3D printed builds, art, crafts, tools, educational projects, indie games, tech experiments and other personal or small-team creative work.

It is not a store, not a marketplace, not a publisher, and not a paid promotion platform. There is no hidden catch or secret commercial angle. Right now it’s simply a free project I built to help give more visibility to things people are making.

One important part of the idea is reciprocity. I don’t want the website to become a dead gallery where everyone only posts their own thing and leaves. The goal is that creators who appear there also take a little time to discover other projects, leave feedback, show interest, or support other creators.

I’m already adding the first real community projects, and I’m still improving the site based on feedback.

I’d appreciate thoughts from people who make things:

• Would a free showcase like this be useful for your own project?
• What would make you trust a new website like this?
• Does the reciprocity idea make sense, or would it feel like friction?
• What kind of projects would you expect to see in a place like this?

If anyone here has made something and thinks this could be useful, feel free to comment with a short description of your project. I’m not asking for full materials here, I’m mainly sharing something I made and trying to understand whether it can be useful to other creators too.

Hi everyone,

I’m testing a small free website idea for independent maker projects, and I’d like to get feedback from people who actually build things.

The idea is to create a simple discovery space for original projects: inventions, hardware prototypes, Arduino/ESP32/Raspberry Pi builds, robotics, 3D printed objects, functional prints, tools, props, assistive devices, educational projects, tech experiments, crafts, and other things people are physically or technically building.

The problem I’m trying to solve is that many small creators make interesting things, but it can be difficult to share them without it being seen as self-promotion. Social media is algorithm-driven, ads don’t make much sense for early-stage projects, and many communities understandably have strict rules against promotional posts.

So I’m exploring whether a small, free, curated showcase could be useful: each project would have its own page with a description, images, videos, links and useful material, so people can discover what independent makers are building.

One important part of the idea is reciprocity. I don’t want it to become a dead gallery where everyone only submits their own thing and leaves. The goal would be that creators also take some time to look at other projects, leave feedback, show interest, or support other makers.

I’d appreciate honest feedback:

• Would something like this be useful for maker projects?
• What would make you trust a new showcase like this?
• Does the reciprocity idea make sense, or would it feel like friction?
• What kind of projects should or should not be included?
• Would you prefer submitting through a form, email, comments, or DM?

If anyone here is working on a maker project and thinks this could be useful, feel free to comment with a short description of what you’re building. I’m not asking for full materials here, I’m mainly trying to understand whether this is useful for this kind of community.

Hi everyone,

I’m building a small free website: a showcase for independent creators working on original projects, especially tabletop RPGs, RPG systems, settings, adventures, zines, solo RPGs, dungeon crawlers, print-and-play material, playtest documents and other tabletop design experiments.

The idea is simple: many RPG designers are building interesting things, but it’s hard to get visibility without feeling like you’re just self-promoting or spamming communities. I wanted to create a place where creators can properly present their projects with a dedicated page, including a description, images, videos, links and other useful material.

The site is not a store, not a publisher, and not a paid promotion platform. It’s a free discovery space for creators and people who enjoy finding independent projects.

We’re already starting to include some real community projects from independent creators, and I’m now looking for more RPG and tabletop design projects that could be a good fit.

One of the main ideas behind the project is reciprocity: I don’t want it to become a dead gallery where everyone only posts their own thing and leaves. The goal is that creators also discover and support other creators’ projects, by leaving constructive comments, feedback, or simply showing interest. A small community where people actually look at each other’s work.

If you’re working on an RPG-related project and would be interested in possibly being featured, feel free to comment with:

• The name of your project
• A short description of what it is
• What kind of RPG project it is: full system, supplement, setting, adventure, zine, solo RPG, hack, playtest document, etc.
• The current stage: early idea, draft, playtesting, ashcan, pre-launch, crowdfunding, published, etc.
• Whether you’d be open to being contacted for more details

Hi everyone,

I’m building a small free website, a showcase for independent creators working on original projects, especially board games, card games, tabletop prototypes, RPGs, dungeon crawlers, solo games, print-and-play projects and other design experiments.

The idea is simple: many designers are building interesting things, but it’s hard to get visibility without feeling like you’re just self-promoting or spamming communities. I wanted to create a place where creators can properly present their projects with a dedicated page, including a description, images, videos, links and other useful material.

The site is not a store, not a publisher, and not a paid promotion platform. It’s a free discovery space for creators and people who enjoy finding independent projects.

We’re already starting to include some real community projects from independent creators, and I’m now looking for more board game and tabletop projects that could be a good fit.

One of the main ideas behind this web is reciprocity: I don’t want it to become a dead gallery where everyone only posts their own thing and leaves. The goal is that creators also discover and support other creators’ projects, by leaving constructive comments, feedback, or simply showing interest. A small community where people actually look at each other’s work.

If you’re working on a board game or tabletop-related project and would be interested in possibly being featured, feel free to comment with:

• The name of your project
• A short description of what it is
• What type of game it is
• The current stage: early idea, prototype, playtesting, pre-launch, crowdfunding, published, etc.
• Whether you’d be open to being contacted for more details

If you’re working on a tabletop game project and you’d like to share it, I’d like to hear about it.

It could be a board game, a card game, a dungeon crawler, a wargame, a solo game, a party game, an RPG system, a prototype, a print-and-play project, or any other kind of tabletop design experiment.

I’m creating a small website to give visibility to creators, projects, and ideas that people are building on their own or with friends.

The idea is to make it a space for creators, by creators, and also open to anyone who wants to discover interesting tabletop projects.

Part of the reason I’m doing this is that it can be difficult to find places to share what you’re building without being immediately seen as self-promotion. I understand why communities need rules against spam, but I also think many designers need more spaces where they can simply show their work, explain what they’re making, and receive useful feedback.

So if you have a project you’d like to share, feel free to comment with:

• The name of your project
• A short description of what it is
• What type of game it is
• What stage it’s in: early idea, prototype, playtesting, pre-launch, crowdfunding, published, etc.
• Links, images, videos, rules, PnP files, devlogs, or campaign pages, if you have them
• Whether you’d be open to being contacted about possibly appearing on the website

Hi everyone,

I’m working on a fantasy world where ancient mechanisms were created to regulate forces like magic, movement, hidden paths and corruption.

I’m also building a real physical tabletop object based on that world: a board-like artifact that represents a small fragment of the setting. In real life, it can react to the player, move pieces by itself, block paths, reveal events, trigger enemies, and respond to cards that work almost like spells or ancient commands.

I’m trying to make the physical object feel narratively coherent, not just like “technology pretending to be magic.”

From a worldbuilding perspective, what would make an artifact like this feel believable and powerful?

I’m especially interested in how to make it feel ancient, mysterious and slightly dangerous, like something discovered rather than invented.

What would you add to make this kind of “living artifact” feel stronger in a fantasy world?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for visual references and inspiration for card art direction.

What board games or card games have, in your opinion, the most beautiful card art — the kind of cards that almost make the game worth owning just because of how good they look?

I’m especially interested in games with an atmosphere of:

- magic, spells, rituals or arcane knowledge

- ancient relics / forgotten civilizations

- mysterious artifacts

- old parchment, grimoires, runes, seals, symbols

- fantasy, but not too cartoonish

- cards that feel like objects with history, not just game components

For context, I’m working on a fantasy tabletop project where cards represent spells, actions or ancient mechanisms that are “invoked” through a magical altar-like reader. So I’m trying to study card art that feels beautiful, mysterious, premium and immersive, almost like each card could be a fragment from an old magical archive.

Which games should I look at for reference?

I’m not looking to copy anything, just trying to understand what games have the strongest art direction for this kind of magical / mysterious / ancient object feeling.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m preparing a Kickstarter campaign and I’m trying to solve a positioning problem. I’d really appreciate outside opinions from people who understand crowdfunding and niche products.

I’ve created a physical fantasy tabletop game where the miniatures move by themselves across the board through a hidden mechanism. Players interact with the board by scanning cards, almost like casting spells or activating ancient mechanisms. The game also has narration, sound effects, enemy behavior, events, doors, traps, and board reactions handled in the background by an app, but the main focus stays on the physical board.

The idea is to make it feel less like a normal board game and more like a magical artifact or a “living board”, something closer in feeling to the Jumanji board or magical chess from Harry Potter.

The problem is positioning.

I originally thought the obvious audience would be board gamers, dungeon crawler fans, and D&D/DM communities. I showed the concept to some of them, and the reaction is often something like: “That’s cool, but I don’t need it.”

The main issue is price. Because of the electronics, mechanics, custom components, app development, assembly, and testing, this cannot be priced like a normal deluxe board game. It is much closer to the price range of an automatic chess set where the pieces move by themselves than to a traditional dungeon crawler.

After a lot of feedback, I’m starting to wonder:

Maybe board gamers and dungeon crawler players are not actually the right niche.

Maybe the better audience is somewhere else.

Possible niches I’m considering:

- fantasy fans who love magical objects,

- Harry Potter, Jumanji, Tolkien-style worlds, etc.

- collectors of unusual fantasy artifacts or premium handmade objects

- solo/co-op RPG players who might like a physical “GM-like” board

- escape room / immersive experience fans

- gadget lovers who enjoy strange physical tech

- terrain / miniature / TTRPG table enthusiasts

- people who want a premium “wow object” rather than a conventional board game

So my question is:

If you saw a physical fantasy board where the miniatures move by themselves and the world reacts around the player, what niche would you target first?

I’m not looking for validation. I’m trying to understand the most realistic market for something this unusual before launching.

Any honest thoughts on positioning, audience, pricing psychology, or Kickstarter framing would be extremely helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m working on a physical fantasy tabletop project and I’d really like feedback from people who play solo RPGs.

The idea is a “living board”: a physical board where miniatures can move by themselves through hidden mechanisms under the surface. Players interact with it by scanning cards on the board, almost like casting spells or activating ancient mechanisms. The app stays mostly in the background, no interaction with it needed, and handles narration, sound, enemy logic and events, so the focus remains on the physical table.

I originally imagined it as a solo experience, for one player. Later, I added a second playable hero, but the main idea is still to let one player explore the adventure alone and enjoy the atmosphere created through music, sound effects, narration, enemy reactions and the physical board coming to life.

So my question is:

Would something like this be interesting for solo fantasy adventures?

More specifically:

Would automated enemy movement and physical board reactions make solo play feel more surprising and alive?

Would it reduce some of the “I already know what is going to happen because I control everything” problem?

Or would it feel too mechanical / too much like a board game rather than a solo RPG tool?

I’m not posting this to sell anything. I’m trying to understand whether solo players would actually value this kind of physical system, or whether the appeal is mostly visual.

I’d really appreciate honest feedback from solo RPG players.