A Narrow Defeat and a Lasting Win

Just got back from beautiful Austin, Texas, where we showcased and sold Side Effects in our booth on Indie Row. Three fun-filled days in the Austin Convention Center, chatting it up with anyone who stopped by, including Patrick Leder (who won best tabletop game of the year for Root) and the other nominees for the audience-voted Gamer's Voice award: Keymaster Games, Odd Bird Games, Grey Fox, Thorny Games, and Golden Bell Studios.

In the end, Grey Fox with their game Tsukuyumi took home the award with a margin of only 12 votes. Side Effects was a hard and sloppy second.

A typical day at SXSW 2019.

But much like Rocky in Rocky, we felt victorious despite the outcome. We sold out of our entire inventory, including games, letterpress prints, and wooden boxes; and played more games with people than we could possible count. The fans were numerous and supportive—they even cheered when our name flashed on the screen at the opulent award ceremony.

Overall, it was an honor just to be considered among such polished and prestigious games. Alongside them, we definitely felt like the punk rock of the show.

And now, for this...