Sunsetting Print-and-Play Hosting

We’re announcing today that we’re deactivating the IGA feature which allowed members to upload their print and play (PNP) game files to IGA’s servers.

We take this action for several reasons,
* More than half the people who try to use the feature struggle with uploading large files through slower internet connections, which causes the post timeout to trigger. Opening that timeout even wider than we already have poses a security risk for the IGA website.

* Of over 9,000 games in our system, only 70 PNPs have been uploaded. Nobody is using the feature.

* Those 70 PNPs represent more than a third of the total disk usage of the IGA website, and are impacting the ability to conduct proper backups of the site.

We know that PNPs are important, especially with the new playtesting system coming. However, there are many better places to host PNP files, such as BoardGameGeek and PNPArcade.com. We’ve converted the “upload a file” feature to instead request a URL for a PNP file hosted elsewhere, and we can use that for everything we need to do with PNPs going forward.

IGA Releases its Third-Generation Playtesting Service

The Indie Game Alliance is proud to announce the launch of the third generation of its playtesting service, which went live August 25, 2020. This fully re-imagined service leverages IGA’s 1000-member international demo team to expand blind playtest opportunities for indie designers and publishers, and was built both with costs and COVID-19 in mind.

Under the new system, IGA’s volunteer Minions may earn upwards of $50 in game credit for completing just three play-throughs per month and collecting player feedback in IGA’s proprietary survey tool. We’ve even rewritten our default survey to ensure your playtests get great feedback out of the box, incorporating concepts from IGA founding member Doug Levandowski’s playtesting rubric.

Unlike our previous offerings, we now support not just physical prototypes, but also print-and-plays and digital adaptations on platforms like Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia, Tabletop Playground, Yucata, Board Game Arena and others.

We’re also greatly expanding the visibility of our playtest program, dropping the 25-hour demo requirement for volunteers to join the program and putting playtest games front and center on our newsletter and our website. We’re giving the power to manage the team directly to the designer in the form of an automatically-generated email list for communicating directly with playtesters, sharing feedback, game updates and suggestions.

Volunteers are no longer held to a deadline; rather, they are incentivized using dramatically-increased rewards to stick with a playtest through multiple iterations of the game. There is no longer a final report to compile and approve, as the detail level of the final report has been incorporated into the basic player survey. Crucially in the time of COVID-19, where scheduling online games can be tricky, we’re now allowing every Minion who participates in a playtest to record the play and earn credit, instead of one designated “demoer.” Minions can easily track all active playtests and how close they are to earning their bonus for a given game from their Playtesting Dashboard.

IGA playtest periods will now last 90 days, after which time they may be extended for additional 90-day periods up to three times. This ensures that only active playtests remain visible on our site, preventing “stale” playtests from getting in the way of the games that still are seeking active playtests.

All current second-generation playtests have been converted to third-generation efforts, so if we already had your prototypes on hand, there’s nothing you need to do to start using the new system. For everyone else, we encourage you to check out our guidebook entries explaining the processes to member designers and to volunteer Minions.

IGA’s revamped playtesting service is included at no additional cost in both its IGA Lite for Designers membership level, providing support for designers who are not self-publishing for just $10 per month, and its IGA Pro for Publishers level that supports indie publishers for just $30 per month.

This is the first major module launch since IGA’s early August announcement that founder and executive director Matt Holden was stepping back from day-to-day operations temporarily to focus on the development of new and redesigned tools for IGA members. Several more new features and a completely redesigned IGA member portal are planned for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021.

Galaxy Hunters

Votes for Women

Five Torches Deep: Origins

Deck of Wonders

WizBang!

Boss Battle

Die of the Dead

Arkwright the Card Game

The FN Dice Wall

Lands of Theia 5e, Pathfinder 1e, Pathfinder 2e

Luzon Rails

Board Game Design Starter Kit

Button Shy Game Haul Bag

Postcard Games: Stamp, Send, Play!

Playmats and Bags for Board Games

Cafe Chaos : The Odd 1s Out

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SKEPTICS - Usiak Games and Designs

SKEPTICS is a 1-4 player, cooperative ghost-hunting game where you play as paranormal investigators, who form a team trying to prove the existence of ghosts that haunt an environment by gathering evidence of the paranormal.

Players race against the clock rolling dice to match icons to Search, Reveal, and Solve Clues. Each Clue will lead one step closer to revealing the Ghost. Environment Cards are drawn every hour which may have hazards and conditions that will impede the players’ progress. Investigators win if the existence of the Ghost can be proven in time, but fail if time runs out.

Shear Sheep Mayhem - Twilight Game Designs T&J

A family friendly card game. Designed with simple mechanics and humor on two levels so kids of all ages can enjoy. The cartoon style card game has plenty of cards that offer surprises that change the game and make sure everyone has a chance to win until the very end!
Players assume the role of workers on a sheep farm and its time to shear the sheep. But the sheep have other plans, so don't just stand there chewing the cud, get to hoofing it! Players take turns picking sheep to attempt to shear each turn and gain "wool points", normally, but not always, after all the sheep are gone from the pasture, the player with the most "wool points" wins! Along the way each play gets to draw and play action cards that can help them, hurt others or effect all players at once. Some cards are optional, some you have to play when drawn!
So were not pulling the wool over you or trying to ram this game to yah but we think you will have a hoof'n good time! So get out there and get ta shearing, those sheep won't shear themselves!

Death of Liberty - Board Game - No Limit Games, Inc.

Death of Liberty is a Risk! type board game of search and destroy. Take on the role of the New Dominion or the Resistance and seek out the enemy leader to conquer and win the game.

Scattered Nexus - Slim Studios

In Scattered Nexus, the Evil Chaos Illusionist has stolen characters from different indie comics to take their energy for his own means. Assemble your deck, fight alone against your friends or as a team to defeat your opponent in this easy to learn, shuffle building, battle card game. Recommended to anyone who's a fan of indie comics, Magic the Gathering, Smash Up, or Sentinels of the Multiverse.

Venture Capital - Sixpence Games

Venture Capital is a 15 minute bidding game for 2-6 players, with an additional solitaire mode. The game is played over 15 rounds: each round, all players bid on a given startup, and once all 15 startups have been acquired, the game ends. Whoever has built the most profitable portfolio is the winner. —description from the publisher

Arcade Inc - Orcs Unlimited

A card game where in the players attempt to build the most successful arcade by building new machines and drawing in people from the community. they can also sabotage the other players machines by placing them out of order. On the players turn they can either play a machine/upgrade into their arcade. Or they can place a meeple from the community onto an existing machine/upgrade. Out of order/repaired cards can be played at anytime to effect machines in play. When the first player has 6 machines in their arcade the game is over and a meeple count determines the winner of the game. —description from the designer

Orion's Spur - Fiero Initiative, LLC

Orion’s Spur is a starship battle game where you take command of a species’ fleet and show off your tactical superiority on the battlefield by defeating your opponents in combat.

Using your species's tactics and innate abilities, target your opponents ships to earn their worth in victory points. But be careful. Every species has their own tricks to minimize your damage or even counterattack! There are reinforcements on the way, but will they make it in time when you're low on energy and down to your last ship?

Stay strong and score the most victory points to prove your tactical skills are the best!

Scallywag! - Playable Games

Scallywag! is a drafting and deception game. Players are given a hidden identity and a starting hand of 8 items. The hidden identity they have indicates what items they are attempting to find. The goal is to determine which identity the other players are while scoring the most points from the items you draft and the bonus points from your identity.

Professor Prospector: Into the Important Cavern - cold pizza games, LLC

Dear Prospector,

What it really comes down to is will you remain as a member of Olympus Mons University, or will you be converted to join the bad evil Foundation and become a horrible human being? In this gemstone set collection take that card game, you'll have to make moral decisions. Will you try to expose The Foundation to Land City by scavenging 5 pairs of rare gems from the cavern, or will you aid The Foundation in paying their bills for building too many clones? Play Professor Prospector: Into the Important Cavern to find out your true calling in life!

Samurai Brothers - Moon Rock Games

This story begins in Feudal Japan with the mysterious death of the Emperor and the theft of his six Heirlooms. With such loss, the citizens give up hope and the Empire falls into chaos.

According to the law, the Emperor’s brother, Oho, should take control of the Empire. He determines to re-establish the citizens’ confidence by finding the missing Heirlooms. He promises the position of Shogun to the one who collects all the Heirlooms.

The six sons of the late Emperor, known as the Samurai Brothers, take his challenge!

You are one of the Samurai Brothers. Build your Dojo of ninjas and choose a wise Sensei to boost their abilities. Select Guards to protect your castle and dispatch your ninjas to steal Heirlooms and lead sneak attacks on your opponents.

Draft your playing pieces, which give you unique abilities to battle your opponents. Combine take-that gameplay with tableau management and you have a great strategy game that allows you to restore honor to your empire. Attack strategically, but aggressively to secure victory!

Card-Z: the 'burbs - Mantigames

A realistic, gritty zombie survival card game set in a suburban neighborhood. Your goal is simple–clear the neighborhood & rescue friendly people along the way!

Mystic Clans: Ninjas - Level Ladder

Mystic Clans: Ninjas is a light to medium card game that has bluffing mechanic with drafting, push your luck and set collecting elements for 2-4players in 15-30mins. The game is designed as easy to learn but hard to master and can act both as a filler game or main attraction in almost any game night setting.

Pets'n'Pirates - Pets'n'Pirates

Brace yourself for a crazy pirate treasure hunt. Be ready to meet tactical penguins, boarding chicken, cheating octopus, and much more. Through your journey, you will find new pirates ready to join your crew, powerful pets allies and unexpected events or even monsters. Pets ’n’ Pirates is a strategic card game for 2-4 players, ages 7 and up. 15-25 minutes playtime. How to play Each player starts with a pirate captain and 3 adventure cards. The goal is to find the treasure card buried in the deck (or steal it from another pirate) and hold it up to the end of the game (when the last card is drawn from the deck) Every turn a player can look for the treasure in the main deck, spy on other players, attacking them, playing tricks, or all these actions combined. At the end of each turn, the player draws a card from the deck: it could be the treasure, a powerful adventure card to keep for the next turn, or an unexpected event that must be shared with all the other pirate. Easy peasy? Not really! A cursed pirate is hiding in the deck waiting to take the treasure away from you. -description from designer

Ready to playtest your new game? Get started now!