Funding the Dream

Richard Bliss
  • 4.9 (39)
  • BUSINESS
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Raising money and launching a business are daunting tasks. Since 2011, Richard Bliss has hosted a wide array of guests who bring their expertise in all areas of business.With a heavy focus on the board game industry, Richard and his guests have taught thousands of people how to fund their dreams. Join Richard and his next guest as you look to build and grow your own business.

  1. MAR 23

    EP 340 Claude AI is my live guest - Talking AI

    You’ve probably heard plenty of arguments about AI already. We take a different path: I bring my AI companion, Claude, onto Funding the Dream and let you hear how we actually work together when nobody’s selling a product and nobody’s reading a script. The goal is practical and specific: running a solo Traveler campaign and using AI for tabletop RPG worldbuilding, scenario iteration, and creative companionship without pretending the hard questions don’t exist. We talk through the nuts and bolts that made the campaign feel real: a persistent “memory” built from hundreds of project files, long running NPC arcs, and a hidden antagonist whose motives I choose not to spoil for myself. Then we get into the make-or-break issue for any AI game master: fairness. Claude admits the default instinct to smooth outcomes and protect the player, so we show the fix that restored tension and trust. I roll the dice. Claude owns the consequences. No fudging, no plot armor, and yes, character death is on the table. From there we zoom out to what this means for game designers and RPG publishers who are wary of AI because of public backlash. We argue that a solo AI experience can work like digital print and play, a low friction way for players to taste a game before buying, and a way to create more players, not fewer. We also draw a bright line between design craft and plagiarism: learn how other systems solve problems, then adapt with intention. If you’re curious about solo RPG play, Traveler, AI assisted game mastering, tabletop storytelling, and ethical AI in game design, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a designer friend, and leave a review telling us: where do you think AI genuinely helps the tabletop RPG hobby?

    14 min

  2. MAR 19

    EP 339 How Van Ryder Games Built Final Girl Through Crowdfunding

    Kickstarter for board games used to reward scrappy creators with a prototype and a promise. Now it often rewards publishers who look like they’re already finished. After 14 years, I sit down again with AJ Porfirio, founder of Van Ryder Games, to map that shift from the inside, from his first $10K campaign to Final Girl Series 4 pushing $1.5M with thousands of backers. We talk about how AJ got started designing a solo board game simply because he didn’t have people to play with, and how tools like TheGameCrafter and early crowdfunding made experimentation possible. Then we get honest about what’s changed: higher production expectations, heavier marketing, and the reality that you may need real capital before you ever launch. We also dig into Final Girl’s growth, what it means to be “completionist-friendly,” and why AJ is calling Series 4 the end of Era One before moving to a more flexible Era Two model that gives the team more creative freedom. To close, we tackle AI beyond the usual artwork debate: AI in game design, playtesting, rules support, and even AI as a potential companion that helps players learn and explore a system. AJ shares why he’s skeptical today, what would need to change, and how publishers might think about monetization and control if AI becomes part of play. Subscribe to Funding the Dream, share this conversation with a creator or backer who lives on Kickstarter, and leave a review with your take: is crowdfunding getting harder, better, or just different?

    29 min

  3. JAN 27

    EP 338 How Physical Rolls Sync Seamlessly With Online Play

    A roll that matched twice—once on-screen and once at the table—sparked a wild idea: what if your physical dice could post their results straight to your virtual game? We sit down with Scott Strong of Order of the Dice to explore the Vision Dice Tower, a computer vision device that reads your real rolls and syncs them into platforms like Roll20. No more arguing with streaky RNG, no more losing the tactile thrill of a toss, just the satisfying clatter of dice backed by trusted results in your online session. Scott walks us through the journey from aha moment to pre-beta prototype: a sensor-triggered snapshot, a model that recognizes die type and face value with about 99.5% accuracy on standard dice, and a clean pipeline that posts outcomes to your character sheet. We talk about why pseudorandom generators can erode confidence, how physical rolls restore fairness, and what it takes to design hardware that 3D prints today and scales to injection molding tomorrow. Along the way, we dig into smart Kickstarter strategy—setting a realistic goal to cover manufacturing, using guerrilla outreach to build the first crowd, and stacking stretch goals that actually matter to players. The roadmap is where things get exciting: support for more VTTs beyond Roll20, better recognition for ornate dice, app refinements that log and audit rolls, and future formats that fit different tables. The bigger vision reaches beyond dice—bridging tactile moments from the physical table into the virtual space so remote friends keep the feel, the rhythm, and the trust that make game night magic. If you love the weight of a D20 but need the reach of online play, this conversation shows how both worlds finally meet. If this resonates, tap follow, share with your party, and leave a quick review. Your feedback helps us bring more creators and breakthrough tools to the table.

    22 min

  4. JAN 11

    EP 337 - From Booth Hustle To Board Game Boom: Lessons On Crowdfunding, Conventions, And Survival

    A lot of people think the golden age of tabletop is behind us. We don’t. Richard sits down with longtime friend and convention owner Aldo Ghiazzi and Goodman Games founder Joe Goodman to get real about what it takes to succeed right now—when 800 new game projects launch monthly and attention is the rarest component on your bill of materials. We trade floor-sleeping origin stories for hard-won systems: making every convention cash flow positive, measuring success beyond likes, and using the “three-channel” strategy to stabilize growth across crowdfunding, retail, and direct sales. Joe breaks down why great products still convert in 20 minutes, how a hands-on booth approach can double sales, and what he learned moving from Apple and Gap to a full-time game company. Aldo maps the fractured marketplace—Amazon, mass, cons, PDFs, bundles, social—and why seven impressions still matter more than any one ad. Then we wade into tariffs, nearshoring, and the uncomfortable math behind printing domestically. You’ll hear exactly why card-driven designs are spiking, what U.S. printers can and can’t deliver, and how creative logistics are reshaping costs. We talk mentors, apprenticeships, and the pragmatic path for first-time creators: booth work, store ops, and relentless playtesting before pressing “launch.” The thread through it all is scrappiness redefined—not being cheap, but being precise with unit economics, timelines, and where you show up. If you’re building a game, a booth plan, or a business that lasts the next ten years, this conversation gives you a map and a mindset. Subscribe, share with a creator who needs it, and leave a review telling us your smartest scrappy tactic—we might feature it next time.

    45 min

  5. 07/15/2020

    EP 336 How Board Games Have Changed on Kickstarter with Brotherwise Games

    In this episode of the podcast, Salvador Briggman interviews Chris O'Neal from Brotherwise Games on his most recent Kickstarter for Overlord: a Boss Monster Adventure. You'll learn about what goes into building a successful board game company, how to get funded on Kickstarter in 2020, along with some tips and tricks the team has picked up along the way. Links Mentioned on The Show Become a guest on the podacastOverlord: a Boss Monster AdventureBrotherwise GamesWant to become a podcast sponsor? Email: sbriggman@crowdcrux.com

    44 min

  6. 07/01/2020

    EP 335 Board Game Fundraising Tips With Bobby Fiorentino

    Bobby Fiorentino launched the Kickstarter project "This Game Is A Disaster!" and raised  $8,420. He came on the show to share how he was able to do this, along with advice that he has for beginning board game entrepreneurs. Links  Become a guest: http://fundingthedreamonkickstarter.com/Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/boardgameclub/this-game-is-a-disasterCoaching w/ Sal: https://www.crowdcrux.com/coachingThe Board Game Club FBBoard Game Club FB Group

    37 min

  7. 06/16/2020

    EP 334 Tabletop Wholesale and Retail Distribution Explained by HitPointSales

    On this episode of the Funding the Dream on Kickstarter podcast, Salvador Briggman talks with James Takenaka, who has over 25 years of experience in the collectible and tabletop games industry. Apply to Be on the Show: Funding the Dream on Kickstarter James started selling at collectibles shows in 1990 and then was a co-owner of the Comix and Cardz Etc. hobby store. In 2001 he co-founded Hero Factory Inc. to produce licensed trading cards and served as a consultant for Bandai America Inc. in the collectible card game market. From 2007-2012 James served as Bandai’s Games Division Sales & Marketing Manager, working with hobby game distributors, overseeing their Organized Play Network and co-creating the Star Trek DBG. James joined  Hit Point Sales in March 2012. https://www.hitpointsales.com/about-us

    38 min

  8. 05/29/2020

    EP 333 Gamedec (an Isometric, Cyberpunk RPG) on Kickstarter Community-Building

    On this episode, you'll learn an effective Kickstarter community-building strategy from Gamedec, a project that attracted 4,911 backers. In this game, you are a detective who solves crimes inside virtual worlds. Use your wits to gather info from your witnesses and suspects, getting to the bottom of deceptive schemes. The game continually adapts to your decisions and never judges. Salvador Briggman is the new host of the Funding the Dream on Kickstarter podcast. Links and Resources Mentioned:  Become a guest on Funding the Dream on KickstarterGamedec Kickstarter Campaign

    47 min
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About

Raising money and launching a business are daunting tasks. Since 2011, Richard Bliss has hosted a wide array of guests who bring their expertise in all areas of business.With a heavy focus on the board game industry, Richard and his guests have taught thousands of people how to fund their dreams. Join Richard and his next guest as you look to build and grow your own business.

Information

  • Creator
    Richard Bliss
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2026
  • Episodes
    342
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Funding the Dream
  • Show Website
    Funding the Dream

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