Crowdfunding on Kickstarter

With a finished prototype and strong playtest results, we moved into crowdfunding. Neither of us had run a campaign before, so I handled most of the strategy, creative direction, and production assets. I built the campaign page, created infographics to explain gameplay, and scripted, filmed, and edited our campaign video to tell the story of the game’s development and showcase its mechanics.

In May 2022, we launched Pirates, Dragons & Treasure on Kickstarter alongside a coordinated social marketing campaign. The result exceeded all expectations — we reached over 600% of our funding goal, which allowed us to secure a reliable production partner and move into manufacturing.

Bringing the Product to Life

Once funded, I transitioned into production management, overseeing everything from art direction to vendor coordination. I provided visual briefs for our illustrators, reviewed digital proofs and test prints, and ensured the final deliverables met both our quality standards and manufacturing constraints.

During this phase, I managed the creation of final art assets, including card and box designs, ensuring a cohesive brand identity across physical and digital materials. I also worked closely with our partners on timeline management, keeping communication transparent and milestones on track through regular updates and issue tracking.

Optimizing the PDT Website

After our first wave of fulfillment, I completely redesigned the Pirates, Dragons & Treasure website to improve usability and conversion. The original campaign site wasn’t mobile-optimized and lacked clear calls to action, so I developed a mobile-first, parallax layout that immediately presented key visuals and a concise elevator pitch above the fold.

I also reimagined the digital rulebook, integrating feedback from our community and early backers, and overhauled the storefront with optimized listings, visuals, and applied SEO best practices. The new site launched in January 2023, offering a cleaner, faster experience that better represented the product and its players.

Community, Events, and Expansion

Beyond the launch, I’ve continued supporting the PDT community through Discord, providing answers to FAQs, updates, facilitating additional playtesting and gathering ongoing player feedback. I also designed and helped run our booth experiences for events like PAX Unplugged, where we demoed the game and built relationships with players, retailers, and fellow designers.

As the game gained traction, I led efforts on our first expansion for PDT, designing new cards, mechanics, and supporting materials based on player input. One of my favorite side projects was creating a custom card clip to act as a compact health tracker — designed in TinkerCAD, refined through several test prints, and shared with our community as a free 3D printable add-on.

This iterative, player-driven approach reflects my broader philosophy as a product designer and product manager: every release is an opportunity to learn, refine, and create a more engaging experience for players.