There's not a lot of info out there for indie wargame designers, and so this article intends to shed light on my experience releasing my first game, Bronze Shield, Silver Coin. I'm going to go over the steps I took during the design and playtesting steps, preparing for launch, and post launch results.

According to Google Docs, the first drafts of BSSC began in November 2023 and I released the game in November 2024, so almost exactly a year of writing and development.

The game's working title was Misthios and one of the first steps I did was to write down the "core principles" of the game. This is a step that wargame designer and youtuber Vince Venturella suggests to help you understand what you want players to get out of the game. The original principles I had in mind were for a much more narrative type of game with lots of random tables (a la 5 Parsecs and 5 Leagues by Ivan Sorensen). If you've played or read BSSC however, you'll know that this original conception is quite different from the finished product. I'm fine with that and still consider it a success--I'm a big proponent of "finding the fun". After playtesting several iterations, I made a conscious decision to focus on what I was finding most interesting in the gameplay (tight, brutal combat and the intricacies of the Intrigue system) and focus less on the original conception of a RPG-lite game.

My next step was to outline out the entire rules doc, or at least what I could imagine needing at the time. Not filling in anything, simply listing out the section headers something like this, based on what I knew I would eventually need to make a working game:

• Intrigue Cards
• Movement
  • Terrain
• Shooting
  • Cover
• Melee
  

From there it was about filling in the blanks for the most important parts of the core gameplay loop, meaning character stats, turn structure, movement, shooting, combat, and a morale system that was later removed from the game. I saved all the fancy and exciting "chrome" for later. I just wanted to make sure that the core gameplay loop worked and had something interesting or unique in it to dive deeper into.

As soon as I had just enough rules that the game wouldn't "fall over" as soon as I set it up, I got it to the table to test myself.

Guess what--it did fall over as soon as I set it up, but that's OK! My first few playtests were just me by myself playing both sides. After it was no longer embarrassingly broken, I coerced a friend to play with me (thanks Reid!). I asked him what he liked most and least about the experience. After the mechanics were starting to feel good, I tested with some other friends.

I sent the working doc to a couple friends who had not played before and asked them to walk me through the game, in order to understand if my writing was understandable and the mechanics made sense to someone reading them for the first time. This is as close to true "blind" playtesting as I was able to get to. Optimally you would send your ruleset off to a pair of players and then be a fly on the wall while they try to figure it out. Because of busy schedules and finite friends this is hard to accomplish in "real life".

In addition to testing with friends I brought the game to a local wargaming convention and got a couple of strangers to test out the game with me. Wargamer have a lot of opinions so I highly recommend this even if you don't implement every change!

In June I bought the Affinity suite to start setting up the book's layout in Publisher. Up until that point the rules had lived as a Google Doc, which is far easier to edit. I highly recommend putting off layout as long as possible as you iterate on your rules.

Affinity took a bit of getting used to. I am a digital designer "by day" so some of the concepts were familiar but I've never done print work or book layout. The software has a learning curve but if you've ever used complex creation software (video, audio, graphics), it's very approachable.

If you're planning on publishing through Drivethru/Wargamevault, they also have templates that will get you going pretty quickly. I also want to shout out Icarus Games,  a Youtube channel with a seriously helpful guide for getting started with game layout work. Find the video here.

I went with WargameVault because they cater to wargamers specifically and also offer Print on Demand, as it was important to me that players could buy a printed copy. I play from printed books pretty much exclusively (pdf expansions are OK sometimes I guess) and so this was a necessity for me. I also do NOT want to deal with shipping or storage or anything like that myself--I went into this project as an extension of my wargaming hobby, and am trying to keep it fun.

In the months leading up to launch, I started a spreadsheet of media and content creators who I thought might be interested in the game (everything from the print magazine Wargames Illustrated to Youtubers with a couple hundred followers). I also paid close attention to how other releasing projects were being advertised online and read articles about how video game producers prepare their product for launch (since there's really not much info on tabletop games).

I created a sharable press kit in Google Drive with the following:

• Logos (black on white background, white on black background, and some on transparent backgrounds)
• Screenshots from the rulebook
• Photos of games and miniatures set up
• Some "glamour shots" of the rulebook
• A short one paragraph summary and a longer description

I also sent a link to a full copy of the rules with every email I sent.

As launch got closer I tightened the list of publications and content creators to a shorter list that I:

• Thought were quality and enjoyed watching or reading myself
• Had a slight chance to be interested in the game's genre (there are far less historical gaming channels than sci-fi/fantasy)

I ended up reaching out to ten news websites, only one of which shared an article (wargameterrain.blogspot.com).

I contacted two wargaming magazines (Wargames Illustrated and Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy), who definitely appreciated the press kit and both graciously published reviews for BSSC. In the future I will reach out to these publishers sooner since they have the longest turnaround times. I contacted them 1.5-2 months before launch and it really should have been more like 3-4 months.

I sent an email to 17 youtube content creators, several of which replied, with two publishing videos as of this date. Special thanks to World of Wargaming and Modelling for Advantage. I'm not really expecting more content at this time, it's a huge time commitment to create videos and most are doing it for the love of the hobby.

Even early on in the design process, I wanted to start building up a community of gamers who would be interested in BSSC.

I decided to host my community on Discord because it's the social media I'm most comfortable with and because I was inspired by being a part of Ivan Sorenson's amazing Discord community (amazing except for the brussels sprouts haters). On my discord server I also had a link to a "quickstart" version of the rules that I made sure to explain as a beta version. Downloading the quickstart was the incentive for folks to join the server (which is a much more committed act than, say, "liking" a Facebook post).

I posted pics of my own painted minis in wargaming communities on Reddit and Facebook and mentioned that I was painting these for a game I was writing. I focused on Facebook pages dedicated to Ancients and Skirmish wargames. I put a blurb and a link to my Discord. These were communities where I was already active and sharing my paintjobs for other games and projects so this came very naturally. I didn't do Instagram, Twitter, or anywhere else because I don't use those services. I did open a thread at Lead Adventure Forum about the game.

Slowly my own Discord community grew and by the time of launch I had about 80 people who had joined because of their interest in the game.

Since I have no life I also created a Youtube channel of my own last year, and posted battle reports of games that I enjoy. This grew to around 250 subscribers by the time I posted a flipthrough video and a how to play video for BSSC.

On November 14, 2024 I released BSSC and posted in the same communities that I had shared my painting pics in. I published the rulebook flipthrough on Youtube the same day and made sure it was in the Wargamevault description for folks to get a better look.

With 20 sales on the first day, the game rocketed to the number four spot on the Bestselling Titles list (which should tell you that Wargame Vault is kind of a sleepy shop most days).

So here's the business part--like I mentioned before, I consider this part of my wargaming hobby and my goal was to make some beer money!

I decided to stick to around a $20 price point, in the range of some wargames books I consider similar in page length and "value" (whatever that means): Osprey's blue books and Snarling Badger games. I also wanted to make about $10 per purchase, which aligns with my "beer money" goal.

So I priced the Softcover/PDF combo at $20 and after paying for the book to be printed and giving Wargamevault their cut I make $11.03 per book sold. I priced the PDF by itself at $15 and make $10.50 for each sale.

In the first 30 days I sold 76 copies, with the vast majority being in the first three days after launch. 57% were printed copies versus 43% PDF only.

In the first 30 days I netted $821.33. My total costs for creating the book were:

• $300 for amazing cover art by a local artist Jason Bates
• $27 for test print copies from Wargame vault and free copies for content creators

So after earnings (but before taxes 😭) I walked away with right around $500 after the first month. That means if I just release 10 wargames rulesets a month forever I can do this as a full time job!

I hope this has been helpful to any aspiring game designers and has given you a better idea of what to expect and what strategies might help you self publish your own games! Now go join my discord

Since releasing my game Bronze Shield, Silver Coin, I've received several questions on where to get fitting miniatures to represent your mercenary warband, including your Captain and Second-in-Command.

Bronze Shield, Silver Coin is an Ancient Greek mercenary skirmish wargame playable with between 8-12 figures a side. It is miniatures agnostic and the rules are flexible enough to accommodate almost any Ancients figures you'd like, including those from other parts of the Mediterranean and beyond. All the basic weapon types are represented, including hand weapons (swords and axes), two handed clubs and falx, and the ubiquitous spear.

A serious consideration when equipping your troops is whether to equip them with light or heavy shields. In ancient combat, a soldier's role was defined by the type of shield they carried so I placed great emphasis on shields in the rules. Light shields (such as animal skin or wicker shields) were used by low status skirmishers. These troops are cheaper to hire to your warband but the shield only gives them an edge when defending against missile weapons. On the other hand, the famous bronze-plated hoplon (the round shield that gave hoplites their name) provides great protection both from missile as well as melee attacks, at an extra cost.

Bringing a Captain or a Second to a fight with no shield is an option (you will see an example from my Phoenician warband in the pic above) but you'll need to carefully allocate the special abilities of the character to make it work. In this case I've given the Second the bodyguard ability to protect the shield-less captain. Good for role-playing a leader who is less of a front line fighter but bringing a shield is always the more optimal choice.

With shields out of the way, let's talk manufacturers. There are a ton of figure companies that have lines for ancient Greece (and surrounding regions). I'm just going to talk about companies that I have used for my own collection.

For your money, Victrix multipart plastic kits are absolutely the best way to fill out your mercenary warband. These kits are great value and there are a variety of kits to build every kind of soldier you can hire in Bronze Shield, Silver Coin. Victrix has been producing kits for many years so they have some different options.

Now for the purpose of a warband-sized game like Bronze Shield, Silver Coin, Victrix kits are huge! The kits I'm talking about here contain between 48 and 56 figures which is enough to build at least four warbands! There is an alternative to buying the full kits though, and I'll talk about that after I go through some options.

Victrix's latest Greek kit, their updated hoplites, seems tailor made for skirmish games. They are dynamic and full of character. If I had to recommend just one kit to get into Bronze Shield, Silver Coin, this would be a good one. You could put together four full teams, although your weapon choices would be limited to swords and spears.

 Victrix has a variety of older hoplite boxes (Theban, mercenary, Spartan, Athenian) and these kits are a little less dynamic in the poses but still great. I mix them (and their bits) with the newer kit with no issue. Each of these kits have basically the same weapon and armor options, but there are different helmets and some special command bits (like the Spartans get some cloaks). So there's no reason to go crazy buying a bunch of different sprues from this series just for Bronze Shield.

The unarmoured hoplites sprue (or full kit) on the other hand is a great option for getting some variety in your warbands. I decided not to distinguish between levels of armor in the Bronze Shield rules but it's fun to mix and match armored and unarmored hoplites for a more "rag-tag" appearance. If you buy the full kit, you also get archers which makes this a pretty good "one box" Bronze Shield, Silver Coin option.

I could go on about Victrix options forever but I'll limit myself to just one more kit, the peltasts, javelin men, and slingers. This opens up your warband options to peltasts, whose javelins allow them to move and then immediately shoot. Peltasts can also be flexibly equipped with either light or heavy shields which further increases their flexibility. Speaking of light shields, this kit is a great source that you can use on either peltasts or to create lightly-armored spearmen or swordsmen.

If you're just starting out with ancient Greek miniatures and not sure you'll be doing army-size games in the future, buying individual sprues can be a great way to save money (and space in your "pile of opportunity"). It also lets you better understand what's in each kit before you order a big bag of 56 models!

I've bought individual sprues from the US-based SprueDude in the past and been impressed with the customer service. His inventory sells out sometimes but he stocks all the kits I've mentioned so check back often.
https://spruedude.com/collections/victrix

WGA's Persians box is a great buy for building a Persian warband. You get a huge variety of weapons (spears, swords, bows, and warpicks). There are light and heavy armors and light and heavy shields to mix and match.

Footsore do an amazing range of Greek characters to go with their Mortal Gods game. They make excellent Captains and Seconds with their commanding poses and interesting weapon loadouts. These are metal miniatures so might take some getting used to if you're used to plastic. The only reservation  I have about these minis is that they have separate hands. I'm not a fan of multi-part metal models and I've already had hands pop off during games.

Bronze Age Miniatures is a one-man operation from the US who produces characterful metal miniatures perfect for Captains and Seconds in Bronze Shield, Silver Coin. He even has a selection of women characters in his "Amazons" line! They are 32mm so some of them are tall, but hey--they are heroes!

There are more options than these when it comes to 28mm ancient Mediterranean warriors. One of my goals with Bronze Shield, Silver Coin was for each player to find their own unique place in ancient history, so be creative, go forth, and build your warband!

Buy Bronze Shield, Silver Coin on Wargame Vault

I'm happy to announce my first published wargame, Bronze Shield, Silver Coin, is now available for purchase on Wargame Vault in PDF or Paperback.

Bronze Shield, Silver Coin was started in 2023 when I was searching for an Ancients skirmish game to scratch a certain itch and couldn't find it. There aren't many games set in Ancient times that only utilize a couple sprues of models (most in fact are large army games) and I was also looking for a game that would let me use my imagination, let me carve out space for a couple characters and a warband that could adventure in the Ancient Mediterranean.

My main influences were the video game Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (still the most fleshed-out Ancient Greek video game experience ever made) and tabletop games like Frostgrave and Pulp Alley,  where the focus is on customizable characters.

I read a number of history books to gather information, the most impressive being the excellent Ghost on the Throne by James Romm, which covers the details of Alexander the Great's death and the start of the Successor period. This is one of my favorite periods in history for the rich characters, sudden betrayals, and shaky alliances. Historical persons like the Illyrian warrior woman Cynane and the ruthless bounty hunter Archias only confirmed that I wanted to make a game that focused not on the huge battles, but on the small campaigns and dirty deeds of the mercenary forces during the period.

The more I learned about the period, it was the frequent betrayals (such as when an entire army changed sides due to loyalty to Alexander's mother Olympias) that inspired the Intrigue system, which uses a deck of cards to represent bribery, shaken troops, and the fickle nature of the gods. This quickly became the "killer feature" of the game, setting it apart from other warband level skirmish games. The combination of the Intrigue system and the deep focus on maneuvering let me know that I was headed in the right direction. Games of Bronze Shield, Silver Coin are short, 6 turns, and each turn becomes a rich puzzle that both players are trying to solve. Should I bid for initiative? Which of the opponent's characters can I attempt to corrupt with the Intrigue cards? Where do I consolidate my power? When do I go for the objective?

I hope you will check out Bronze Shield, Silver Coin and enjoy it. The historical "fog" that separates us from the Ancient world gives us a great excuse to create characters and stories to inhabit it. I certainly already have ideas for places to take Bronze Shield next. A solo campaign based on Xenophon's Anabasis was pulled from the rulebook to continue development. I also have ideas for geographical expansions (such as 4th century BC Italy) or new eras (Trojan War anybody?).

As I work on my Ancient Greek mercenary skirmish game, Bronze Shield Silver Coin, I knew that cypress trees would be necessary to make an immersive Greek table to play on! I didn't find any tutorials that I loved so I set about experimenting. To my surprise I found a way to make great looking trees with no flock needed, and pennies worth of supplies.

I started by hot gluing some 1/4" dowels onto 3mm "sintra" board bases (it's a pvc product commonly used in sign making, can be cut with a craft knife and doesn't warp!).
I then used some miliput to further reinforce the dowel.

Working in strips, I took aluminum foil and, after crumpling it, hot glued it piece by piece onto the "trunk", shaping it as I went.
I did my normal basing techniques of PVA glue, small rocks, and sand.

Next I primed the trees with rattle-can, brown for the bases and a dark green for the leaves. You may need multiple coats from different angles to hit all the exposed shiny foil.

I slapped on some brown and khaki colors on the bases, working up to a light drybrush of cream.

Then did a drybrush of a yellow-green on the leaves.
And that's it! Very quick and easy cypress trees that can be used in any Mediterranean environment.