This is Part 1 of our experience going to BostonFIG 2019. You can read Part 2 here.
We have the privilege of showcasing Alynthia at BostonFIG on September 14th and we wanted to share our experience of applying and, eventually, getting accepted into this indie board game convention. As a board game designer, it can be difficult to jump into the unknown. However, we hope that our experience will make applying to BostonFIG in the future a little easier for others.
What is BostonFIG
Before getting too far into how we got into BostonFIG, you probably want to know what it is! BostonFIG stands for the Boston Festival of Indie Games. It’s a tabletop and digital game convention that is held annually in Boston, Massachusetts for small independent designers. Not only is it a convention, but it’s also a board game design competition. If a game is selected by the BostonFIG curation team, designers are given an exhibition booth at the convention where they can present their game and compete for Figgie Awards. Most importantly, independent designers are given the opportunity to gain invaluable exposure to thousands of potential fans. It’s an incredible opportunity, and we are so excited that Alynthia was chosen to be a part of it this year!
How We Applied
We heard about BostonFIG from a board game developer group on Facebook and after some deliberation decided to apply. It’s difficult to know whether or not your game is ready for a competition, but we felt that it was an amazing opportunity and with that we took a leap of faith. Even if we weren’t accepted, BostonFIG promised to provide constructive feedback that we could use to make Alynthia better. This potential feedback helped convince us it would be worth it to apply.
BostonFIG required a submission video about the game in the application, so writing the script was the first order of business. It was difficult to try and capture Alythia in 5-10 minutes without repeating ourselves or going into too much detail. Thankfully, BostonFIG provided several resources on what they were looking for and soon, we were recording our voiceover. After that, we started filming the video; starting with shots of the components, then recording our friends playing a game of Alynthia, and finally recording us talking about ourselves as designers (the most difficult part by far). Once the material was captured; the process of identifying good audio and video, editing it together, and adding music took us close to the deadline. Fortunately, we were able to get it done in time. Here is our video (please note that the gameplay in this video is not final):
After about 2 weeks of frenzied activity, we finally submitted the video – along with a small fee – to BostonFIG and waited. BostonFIG was very upfront with the several months it would take to get a response, but that didn’t make the waiting any easier. We finally heard back from them and… drum roll please… we were accepted!
Since We Got Accepted
It’s been a whirlwind of activity since we heard that we had been accepted into BostonFIG, starting with the feedback we received from the judges. Using that feedback, we continued to refine Alynthia while working on ordering components, finalizing our itinerary, making booth decorations, and launching the full Xplody Games website that you are on right now.
It’s been crazy, but BostonFIG has pushed us to work hard, work together, and take risks. We are so excited to share Alynthia with the incredible patrons of BostonFIG. Of course, we hope Alynthia will win a Figgie Award, but even if it doesn’t, we are so excited to be able to learn from all the board gamers who will visit our booth. We hope to see you there!