Just wanted to throw out a shout that Dead Teenage RPG testing will come to a close on December 1st.  I will take report submissions though the following week. That data will then be used to make changes to the book so it can be released. Oh, and I'll let people know what the prize was for help after the 8th.

I would like to thank everyone for the information that they have provided from the testing so far. It's all been very helpful.

In other news, I have roughed out enough of Last Laugh: A Game of Coulrophobia that I was able to have a few people look it over. The best quote from the feedback:

"I never really know what you're going to make, but this is some really screwed up stuff. It's playable, but I'm not sure it should be."

Anyway, Last Laugh is a game about playing evil clowns that happened to spawn from a G+ conversation back around Halloween.

Evil Clown image by LunaMoon-seal on Deviant Art

Festive times again! Not really, I'm not much of a holiday kind of person, and I don't keep my giving narrowed down to a couple days a year. That being said, I do have a lot of giving coinciding with the holidays this year, and you all can help with it.

Dude, Run! is packaged in with about $150 worth of other game material for ONLY $20 in Evil Beagle Games' After the Storm III Charity Bundle. Money collected for the sale of this package goes to Doctor's Without Borders for the relief effort after Typhoon Haiyan. It's a good cause and some excellent gaming material, so purchase a copy.

Those Revolting Goblins is nearing completion and will be released shortly. It is a charity game, dedicated to the memory of a friend of mine who was really into Warhammer's Greenskins. Any money made from the sale of the game will be donated to ProLiteracy. There are millions of adults around the world who cannot read well enough to know how awful my games are, and we can help to change that. The Literacy issue, not how bad my stuff sucks.

I have also donated pdf copies of Dude, Run! and 1%er for the prize pack in Josh Jordan's Actual Play Festival. If you haven't already, you may want to get to recording a game session for a chance to win. Submit your recordings to gingergoatpress@gmail.com. Just get a move on as the Festival is the 1st - 15th of December.

I'll also be writing another piece for NEWLOW's ROLF! Christmas Special this year.  The profits from it go to feed Steve's cats. I like cats. It's a win/win. And it's easy stuff. Any would be game/comic/poetry creators who want to get their feet wet, you can get a shot with Steve Miller. I think the deadline is December 8th and information can be found here: NEULOW's Christmas Special

Kind of long, but I haven't posted in a while. Anyway, take part and help out.

Happy Gaming!

***Disclaimer: I am NOT a lawyer nor accountant, AND my business knowledge is 100% self-taught. I am making this post in hopes of reducing risks faced by the creators of crowdfunded campaigns based on my knowledge. This is not to be accepted as legal or financial advice.

Be advised.***


Word of yet another crowd funding scam surfaced recently. This one is somewhat unique as it's not the creator who pulled the scam but the backer.  This backer was supporting projects at high end tiers, around the $1,000 mark, and when the notification of the shipment of goods went out they filed a charge back. Charge back fraud is fairly common, more so with advent of online shopping, but most have never heard of it.

Just some quick information on charge backs, as many people who have never had a merchant account before (and some that have) have never encountered it. If a customer did not receive an item they ordered, or the item was significantly different then listed, or if their card was used without their permission; they can have the charges reversed. 

They file this with their credit card company, which then goes after Amazon Payments (in the case of Kickstarter) who then takes the funds from the creator. The creator will receive information of the charge back, and what information they need to supply to validate the delivery, Amazon Payments will have validation of the sale. If they have the information needed (proof of delivery), they will get their funds back, and Amazon Payments will go after the backers' credit card company. The biggest pain here is that for a time the creator does not have those funds, and that can be very devastating.

Many times, backers will give small dollar donations so this shouldn't be an issue. To be honest, you should always calculate a % in for charges that won't go through, even if your successful campaign funds. Some cards will be declined, and other madness, you want to be one step ahead of that.

For larger backers send tracked packages, insure them, or require a signature. Add any associated costs for this into that backer level. The confirmation of that delivery will be your salvation if a charge back should hit.

You could still spend a considerable amount of time without significant funds. If precautions weren't taken in advance, this could quickly become disastrous. Many posts about Kickstarter talk about all the early prep work so you have a successful campaign. Very few talk to you about protecting yourself and your assets from a worst-case scenario.

Your first line of defense is to form an Limited Liability Company (LLC). This turns your project into it's own legal entity and separates the creator from responsibility (unless it's found that the creator was the fraud). LLCs are a few forms filed with your state at a cost of anywhere from $50-150. The protection is well worth the expense. Check with your respective state's website for information on filing.

By having the LLC should anything happen, from funding issues to a completely failed project and impending lawsuits, you can almost always file a bankruptcy for the LLC and walk away. It's a huge safety net, and should not be looked at lightly.

Once you have your LLC, you next want an Employee Identification Number (EIN). You can get one HERE. You'll need this for banking and tax purposes.

Now hit the bank with your EIN and LLC and get a business checking account. Get the checking account as it will allow you to better track your payment distributions after funding. Those you will use for your write-offs on your tax forms.

Wait, write-offs? Yes, funds received from Kickstarter are considered income, if you make more then (I think) $20,000 or have more than 200 backers, you will get a 1099-K as proof of income for your taxes. You'll want the verification of payments to offset this. Once again, I am no accountant, but if you have a wildly successful Kickstarter you will want to get one.

The cool thing about LLCs is they are kind of cheap to make...and dissolve. This means you can make one for every project, and once all the project is concluded, you can dissolve the LLC and move on to the next. This happens all the time in the film industry, as almost every individual film is started as it's own LLC, this keeps a barrier between it and the studio making the film.

One final tip, if you're running your Kickstarter in one year, and don't suspect you will make payment distributions on it until the following year, make sure to file IRS Form 8842. The Federal Government doesn't recognize LLCs as companies for tax purposes. Form 8842 allows you to represent your LLC as a C-Corporation for tax purposes. This allows you to set your own Fiscal Year, so your funds and distributions can go out in the "same" year even if it's not based on the calendar. Once again, it's kind of complex and you may want to get an accountant to make it happen. Just add the costs into the crowdfund after the fact, but keep yourself safe from a massive tax mess.

Crowdfunding is an awesome platform for creatives. Just for the sake of you and your family, take the same amount of time insuring your safety as you do working toward a successful campaign.

Good luck and may you reach your dreams.

Once again, you can do your geek thing and have a chance to get free stuff.

My pal, Josh Jordan of Ginger Goat is throwing together a Actual Play Festival. What's that, you ask? It means you have to record (audio/video) your group playing a role-playing game that was released in 2013 OR was released outside the US. You send the recordings to him, and some fine folks are going to vote for the 2 best.

Not only will the winners be the first ever to get the Goatee Award, but they will receive a hefty package of pdf games for everyone in their gaming group.  And there are some really great games in there (and a couple of mine)!

Anyway, more information and instruction are posted on Josh's site, and he'll be updating there. So, yeah, you'll have to click the link below to get there.

Ginger Goat - Actual Play Festival
or add him on Twitter
@joshtjordan

Two more favorable reviews came in today. Cape Rust dug into Dude, Run! over at Roleplayers Chronicle. And Brian Fitzpatrick, creator of Moebius Adventures, checked out One Foot in the Grave for Game Knight Reviews. 

One thing that really got me was in Brian's review of OFitG:

"I have this image of a 'chase scene' involving a group of elderly folks with walkers racing down a hallway in their retirement home chased by a bunch of stumbling, bumbling zombies ready for a snack. And all along the way, the retirees are grumbling and trying to figure out who’s slowing them down the worst…"

I read that and realized that I passed on my vision. That's a pretty awesome feeling.

Here's links to the reviews:

Roleplayers Chronicle - Dude, Run!

Game Knight Reviews - One Foot in the Grave