We like itch.io. As an indie publisher, it’s a welcome use of easy point-and-click tools to create a customized webstore that (in our near future) can be embedded right on your site. That’s why we’re happy to launch our BRG Summer Sale from now until July 1st, 2019.
Hello again, Broken Ones. What’s this? Two new posts in a single week. Since we’re not launching anything new this month, you might be wondering what kind of madness this is. Fear not, for this is but another chapter in my ongoing tradition of sharing our sales results for the year. Why? To help those who are also trying to break into the industry or simply want to feel better (or worse?) about their own results.
For those of you interested in the inner workings of indie RPG publishing, it’s time for another instalment of Measuring Success, my ongoing financial presentations for Broken Ruler Games. Rather than go quarterly or bi-annually, I’ve decided to keep things simple and go with annual presentations for the near future due to my very busy workload. And because of that very busy workload and in the interest of expanding on the meaning behind the numbers, I’ve decided to forego most of the writing for this year’s presentation and instead record my take on 2018’s results.
So here goes. Below are the Broken Ruler Games sales results for 2018, including quantities sold by product type, gross and net sales.
| PRODUCT | SALES | GROSS $ | NET $ |
| Killshot: The Director’s Cut | 40 | $223.39 | $138.26 |
| 39 | $203.40 | $132.21 | |
| Hardcover B&W | 0 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Hardcover B&W + PDF | 1 | $19.99 | $6.05 |
| Killshot: An Assassin’s Journal | 9 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 9 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Softcover B&W | 0 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Killshot: Direction | 1 | $5.00 | $3.25 |
| 1 | $5.00 | $3.25 | |
| Softcover B&W | 0 | ||
| Killshot Files #0 | 36 | $3.95 | $2.57 |
| 36 | $3.95 | $2.57 | |
| Killshot Files #1 | 12 | $22.91 | $14.89 |
| 12 | $22.91 | $14.89 | |
| Killshot Files #2 | 11 | $36.27 | $23.58 |
| 11 | $36.27 | $23.58 | |
| Ironbound | 138 | $1.40 | $0.91 |
| PDF (PWYW) | 65 | $1.40 | $0.91 |
| Blessed and the Damned | 73 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| ScreenPlay | 643 | $138.84 | $77.06 |
| 639 | $103.60 | $67.34 | |
| Softcover POD | 4 | $35.24 | $9.72 |
| Dial M for Monster | 626 | $21.90 | $14.24 |
| 626 | $21.90 | $14.24 | |
| Softcover POD | 0 | ||
| Fragments | 619 | $57.00 | $37.05 |
| Duel (PDF) | 619 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| By The General’s Hand (PDF) | 38 | $57.00 | $37.05 |
| High Plains Samurai: Legends | 1800 | $91.50 | $22.56 |
| 1793 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Softcover B&W | 4 | $39.41 | $10.33 |
| Softcover CMYK | 3 | $52.09 | $12.23 |
| High Plains Samurai RPG | 34 | $435.00 | $273.29 |
| 31 | $330.00 | $214.50 | |
| Softcover B&W | 3 | $105.00 | $58.79 |
| TOTAL | 3980 | $1,073.43 | $631.24 |
| Killshot Directors Kit (Bundle) | 9 | ||
| The Ultimate ScreenPlay Bundle | 9 | ||
| IPR Sales | $276.01 | ||
| IGDN Convention Sales | $315.85 | ||
| TOTAL | $591.86 | ||
| ALL SALES COMBINED 2018 | $1,223.10 |
It’s important to note we participated in two charity bundles this year (the Puerto Rico Charity Bundle and ConTessa), which skews the sales to dollars ratio as we obviously didn’t actually make any money off those products.
And here is BRG’s overall results since I launched this company in 2012 with the past three years provided in detail. The total includes everything since day one.
| PRODUCT | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2018 | TOTAL |
| Killshot: The Director’s Cut | $140.08 | $75.42 | $138.26 | $1,688.43 |
| Killshot: An Assassin’s Journal | $5.95 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $22.64 |
| Killshot: Direction | $4.18 | $0.00 | $3.25 | $20.43 |
| Killshot Files #0 | $3.98 | $2.90 | $2.97 | $9.85 |
| Killshot Files #1 | $11.67 | $4.81 | $14.89 | $112.85 |
| Killshot Files #2 | $33.47 | $12.27 | $23.58 | $130.21 |
| ScreenPlay: The Rehearsal Edition | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Ironbound | $37.72 | $5.25 | $0.91 | $43.88 |
| ScreenPlay | $260.01 | $111.44 | $77.06 | $448.51 |
| Dial M for Monster | $0.00 | $40.08 | $14.24 | $54.32 |
| High Plains Samurai | $0.00 | $0.00 | $295.85 | $295.85 |
| Fragments | $0.00 | $0.00 | $37.05 | $37.05 |
| Killshot Directors Kit (Bundle) | ||||
| TOTAL | $497.06 | $252.17 | $608.06 | $2,864.02 |
Those annual totals have been divided up to showcase how they accounted for the overall percentage of BRG’s product lines and total earnings. For example, the total sales for Killshot equaled 8.19% of its overall earnings since the product was launched.
| PRODUCT | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2018 |
| Killshot | 8.30% | 4.47% | 8.19% |
| ScreenPlay | 57.97% | 24.85% | 17.18% |
| Ironbound | 85.96% | 11.96% | 2.07% |
| Dial M for Monster | 73.78% | 26.22% | |
| High Plains Samurai | 100.00% | ||
| Fragments | 100.00% | ||
| TOTAL | 17.36% | 8.80% | 21.23% |
Now for the analysis paralysis and this is where I’m going to save all of us the trouble of reading through my various thoughts on these numbers and record them for you. Feel free to scroll along as you listen (I tried to keep myself to a reasonable duration) and ask any questions you may have in the comments below.
What the…?!! We’re already one quarter of the way through 2018? Wow, that was fast. Which means it’s time for the quarterly update on BRG sales for the first 25% of the year.
Let’s start by offering up the actual sales numbers, with 99% of them coming from OneBookShelf sites (DriveThruRPG and RPGNow) and the rest from BreakoutCon this past month.
| Product | Total Sold | Gross Sales | Earnings |
| Killshot: The Director’s Cut | 8 | $20.90 | $13.59 |
| 8 | |||
| Hardcover B&W | 0 | ||
| Hardcover B&W + PDF | 0 | ||
| Killshot: An Assassin’s Journal | 2 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 2 | |||
| Softcover B&W | 0 | ||
| Killshot: Direction | 0 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 0 | |||
| Softcover B&W | 0 | ||
| Killshot Files #0 | 11 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| PDF (Free) | 11 | ||
| Killshot Files #1 | 4 | $5.96 | $3.87 |
| 4 | |||
| Killshot Files #2 | 3 | $6.82 | $4.43 |
| 3 | |||
| Ironbound | 38 | $1.40 | $0.91 |
| PWYW | 17 | ||
| Blessed and the Damned | 21 | ||
| ScreenPlay | 4 | $56.52 | $47.31 |
| 3 | |||
| Softcover POD | 3 | ||
| Softcover POD + PDF | 0 | ||
| Dial M for Monster | 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 1 | |||
| Softcover POD | 0 | ||
| Fragments | 402 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Duel (PDF) | 402 | ||
| High Plains Samurai: Legends | 472 | $90.00 | $62.55 |
| 470 | |||
| Softcover B&W + PDF | 3 | ||
| Softcover CMYK + PDF | 1 | ||
| TOTAL | 952 | $181.60 | $132.66 |
| Killshot Directors Kit (Bundle) | 2 |
There’s a vast difference between the total number of sales and the money we earned as a result of those downloads. It’s a difference I expected for one reason: freebies. There were two new releases launched this quarter, HPS Legends and Duel. Both of them are free PDFs (with Legends available in paid softcover copies through a variety of sites). While Duel was always intended to be a free PDF (it’s only 8 pages long), there was some internal debate on Legends‘ price. The deciding factor was building an audience. Because BRG used to be part of the Mystical Throne Entertainment family, those sales were part of MTE’s data and were not guaranteed to port over to ours. As a result, the decision was made to make Legends free to help build up an audience for BRG (as well as HPS) and because it was created as a kind of stretch goal from the Kickstarter. That’s why this section is called “Launching T-shirts…” because that’s exactly what this first quarter was all about. Just without the t-shirts. Or the canons that killed Ned Flanders’ wife.
The numbers for both new products are very encouraging as both earned over 400 downloads a piece, primarily in the month of March. There were even a couple of softcover sales for Legends online. As both products were the central focus of this first quarter, mission accomplished. The true measurement of their success will reveal itself by next quarter.
Speaking of free stuff, this quarter also saw the release of the official High Plains Samurai website (highplainssamurai.com). Beyond your typical setting-based website with basic rules, setting overview, and purchase links, the site features a weekly blog post called the Atlas of the One Land. If you haven’t checked it out yet, have a peak and learn about new locations, characters, even gargantuan monsters that wander across the Wastes. Data on the first two weeks of operation have been right on cue. To quote the Gauntlet podcast, this site is giving me life right now.
Add on the few sales for our older products, especially Killshot, and these numbers were very much what I was expecting. Q2 will be light with the launch of our second Fragments mini-game, By The General’s Hand, before the latter half of 2018 brings the full glory of HPS to the masses. Expect something about it on the site soon or you can learn more by signing up for the Broken Newsletter to the right side of this page (or on the bottom if you’re on a mobile). So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a core rulebook to finish.
Greetings once again, oh curious one. The end of another quarter means it’s time for another instalment of How Much Money Did We Make? Also known as Measuring Success. And yes, this one comes at the end of a quarter. Right on time and there’s a reason for that which I’ll dive into momentarily.
Below are the numbers of products moved and gross sales amount for both the last quarter of 2017 (October to December) along with the overall numbers for 2017. This is the first year I’ve collected a calendar year’s sales, not just a fiscal year (as mine runs from September to August). There’s a few new things I’m trying out with my accounting and this is one of them. These numbers include sales from DriveThruRPG/RPGNow, convention & direct sales (including to groups such as Ottawa Story Games and GenCon), Indie Press Revolution, and the Open Gaming Store.
| Product | Q4 Sales | Q4 Gross | 2017 Sales | 2017 Gross |
| Killshot: The Director’s Cut | 5 | $18.30 | 34 | $162.20 |
| 5 | 31 | |||
| Hardcover B&W | 0 | 2 | ||
| Hardcover B&W + PDF | 0 | 1 | ||
| Killshot: An Assassin’s Journal | 0 | $0.00 | 9 | $0.00 |
| 0 | 9 | |||
| Softcover B&W | 0 | 0 | ||
| Killshot: Direction | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $0.00 |
| 0 | 0 | |||
| Softcover B&W | 0 | 0 | ||
| Killshot Files #0 | 8 | $0.00 | 34 | $4.95 |
| PDF (Free) | 8 | 34 | ||
| Killshot Files #1 | 0 | $0.00 | 9 | $12.00 |
| 0 | 9 | |||
| Killshot Files #2 | 0 | $0.00 | 10 | $27.97 |
| 0 | 10 | |||
| Ironbound | 35 | $1.50 | 290 | $10.34 |
| PWYW | 15 | 120 | ||
| Blessed and the Damned | 20 | 170 | ||
| ScreenPlay | 720 | $53.28 | 761 | $243.73 |
| 718 | 755 | |||
| Softcover POD | 0 | 2 | ||
| Softcover POD + PDF | 2 | 4 | ||
| Dial M for Monster | 3 | $18.44 | 21 | $86.94 |
| 2 | 18 | |||
| Softcover POD | 1 | 3 | ||
| TOTAL | 774 | $91.52 | 1199 | $548.13 |
| Killshot Directors Kit (Bundle) | 0 | 9 |
As stated in the last instalment of this series, 2017 was a lean year because so much effort was put into getting ready for this year (ahem, High Plains Samurai). There was also our donation of ScreenPlay‘s PDF into the Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Bundle that has skewed some of the numbers (I’m a sucker for placing products into charity bundles once they’ve been out in distribution for a year). This amount is very acceptable because it’s enough to keep paying the bills, which are quite reasonable this time of year. Plus, these numbers do not include the Kickstarter funds raised in May-June 2017.
The last quarter of 2017 was… disappointing. It is possible the Bundle took out a lot of thunder for other sales, but I’ve spoken to a couple other publishers who have noticed a similar result in their Q4 sales. Even the uber massive Christmas sales were meh. To me, it’s a sign that new releases are in order as the pressure in this pipe is starting to fizzle out. This means there isn’t much more to cover with regards to sales and 2017 products that hasn’t been discussed already, so let’s move on.
Yes, the reason why I was able to actually produce quarterly results this time. BRG keeps me very busy and when combined with having a regular daytime job and some freelance work in between, my time is tightly managed to maintain my production schedule. If one of those things were to suddenly fade away, more time becomes available. And that’s exactly what happened.
As of the end of 2017, I am currently working full-time from home on BRG and my freelance graphic design. Doing so has allowed me to take the time to get things right and get back on track with HPS production after the expansion of High Plains Samurai: Legends, playtesting, and more. Along with some additional mini-games in the works (see Duel for a sample of our first product in the upcoming Fragments line). While the numbers you see above certainly do not come close to providing a solid income, this new year is going to be a game changer. Combine that with my freelance work and there’s only one way to find out, right?
We’re already moving forward with this expanded workflow, as shown by last year’s announcement of HPS Legends and Duel. Plus with more surprises along the way, we’ve set up a monthly newsletter to help our fans keep track of what’s going on. (Psst, you’ll receive a free PDF copy of Dial M For Monster if you do. Just sayin’.) These are exciting and terrifying times. We’ll see how it all pans out in three months’ time.
Broken Ruler Games 