Should I Build It Should I Build It
02 Jul 2025
Community

Social network or online community for indie tabletop designers where ...

...they can connect and share their game building progress

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.

Your are here

Your idea for a social network for indie tabletop designers falls into the 'Freemium' category. This is supported by the existence of 7 similar products, suggesting a viable market, though competition is something to consider. The engagement with similar products is medium, averaging 6 comments per product launch. While we don't have explicit 'use' or 'buy' signals from similar products, the 'Freemium' category description suggests users are inclined to use similar platforms but hesitant to pay. This means you'll need to be creative about how you'll differentiate your offering and generate revenue. Given the existing competition, you'll need to focus on creating unique value for designers and perhaps explore monetization strategies that go beyond individual subscriptions.

Recommendations

  1. Begin by deeply understanding what specific needs indie tabletop designers have that aren't being met by existing platforms. Look closely at the criticism from similar product launches: IndieHub's registration issues and Spark's Discord server issues. What can you learn from these early failures to better serve your user base? Address these issues head-on in your initial product design.
  2. Identify which users (e.g., designers with published games vs. those still in development) get the most value from the free version of your platform. This understanding will inform your premium feature development. Focus on features that address the pain points of your power users (e.g., advanced collaboration tools, playtesting features, or marketing support).
  3. Develop premium features that cater to the needs of your most engaged users. For example, early-access opportunities, enhanced profile customization, or the ability to promote their games more effectively within the community. The SQUAR CLUB launch saw users wanting more live events/workshops; could this be a premium feature to consider?
  4. Given the collaborative nature of tabletop game design, consider charging teams or studios rather than individual designers. This aligns with the 'Freemium' recommendation to look at group-based monetization. Offer team-based collaboration tools as a premium feature to justify the higher cost.
  5. Consider offering personalized help or consulting services related to tabletop game design, marketing, or publishing. This could be a separate revenue stream, distinct from the platform's premium features. Perhaps run workshops on crowdfunding or on marketing or on creating a sustainable business.
  6. Before committing to a specific pricing model, test different approaches with small groups of designers. Offer different feature sets at varying price points and gather feedback on what resonates most. This iterative approach will help you optimize your monetization strategy. Create a landing page and A/B test various pricing models or premium feature bundles to get live market feedback.
  7. Actively engage with the tabletop design community on existing platforms (e.g., BoardGameGeek, Reddit) to understand their needs and pain points. This will help you refine your value proposition and build a network of potential users. Participate in conversations and contribute valuable insights to build trust and credibility.
  8. Prioritize a seamless user experience, focusing on a functional registration process, clear instructions and effective support, especially at launch. This could be something that differentiates you from others, such as IndieHub, which had registration issues. Given Spark user concerns, you can make sure you choose the right platform for your online community.

Questions

  1. Given the competitive landscape, what unique value proposition will differentiate your social network from existing platforms and attract indie tabletop designers?
  2. How will you balance the need to provide a valuable free experience with the need to monetize the platform and generate revenue?
  3. What specific metrics will you track to measure user engagement and identify opportunities for improvement and monetization?

Your are here

Your idea for a social network for indie tabletop designers falls into the 'Freemium' category. This is supported by the existence of 7 similar products, suggesting a viable market, though competition is something to consider. The engagement with similar products is medium, averaging 6 comments per product launch. While we don't have explicit 'use' or 'buy' signals from similar products, the 'Freemium' category description suggests users are inclined to use similar platforms but hesitant to pay. This means you'll need to be creative about how you'll differentiate your offering and generate revenue. Given the existing competition, you'll need to focus on creating unique value for designers and perhaps explore monetization strategies that go beyond individual subscriptions.

Recommendations

  1. Begin by deeply understanding what specific needs indie tabletop designers have that aren't being met by existing platforms. Look closely at the criticism from similar product launches: IndieHub's registration issues and Spark's Discord server issues. What can you learn from these early failures to better serve your user base? Address these issues head-on in your initial product design.
  2. Identify which users (e.g., designers with published games vs. those still in development) get the most value from the free version of your platform. This understanding will inform your premium feature development. Focus on features that address the pain points of your power users (e.g., advanced collaboration tools, playtesting features, or marketing support).
  3. Develop premium features that cater to the needs of your most engaged users. For example, early-access opportunities, enhanced profile customization, or the ability to promote their games more effectively within the community. The SQUAR CLUB launch saw users wanting more live events/workshops; could this be a premium feature to consider?
  4. Given the collaborative nature of tabletop game design, consider charging teams or studios rather than individual designers. This aligns with the 'Freemium' recommendation to look at group-based monetization. Offer team-based collaboration tools as a premium feature to justify the higher cost.
  5. Consider offering personalized help or consulting services related to tabletop game design, marketing, or publishing. This could be a separate revenue stream, distinct from the platform's premium features. Perhaps run workshops on crowdfunding or on marketing or on creating a sustainable business.
  6. Before committing to a specific pricing model, test different approaches with small groups of designers. Offer different feature sets at varying price points and gather feedback on what resonates most. This iterative approach will help you optimize your monetization strategy. Create a landing page and A/B test various pricing models or premium feature bundles to get live market feedback.
  7. Actively engage with the tabletop design community on existing platforms (e.g., BoardGameGeek, Reddit) to understand their needs and pain points. This will help you refine your value proposition and build a network of potential users. Participate in conversations and contribute valuable insights to build trust and credibility.
  8. Prioritize a seamless user experience, focusing on a functional registration process, clear instructions and effective support, especially at launch. This could be something that differentiates you from others, such as IndieHub, which had registration issues. Given Spark user concerns, you can make sure you choose the right platform for your online community.

Questions

  1. Given the competitive landscape, what unique value proposition will differentiate your social network from existing platforms and attract indie tabletop designers?
  2. How will you balance the need to provide a valuable free experience with the need to monetize the platform and generate revenue?
  3. What specific metrics will you track to measure user engagement and identify opportunities for improvement and monetization?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 7
  • Engagement: Medium
    • Average number of comments: 6
  • Net use signal: 10.9%
    • Positive use signal: 14.9%
    • Negative use signal: 4.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

IndieHub - Where your ideas take flight (and sometimes crash)

26 Oct 2024 SaaS Social Networking Social Media

IndieHub: A community for indie developers, creators, and entrepreneurs to connect, share projects, and grow together. Join us to get feedback, find resources, and collaborate on your journey!

The Product Hunt launch is receiving mixed feedback. Users appreciate the concept, but there are technical issues reported, specifically with the registration page. There's also interest in understanding the feedback mechanisms and incentive structures related to the IndieHub launch.

The primary criticism is that the registration page is not functioning correctly. This issue prevents users from signing up and fully utilizing the product.

Avatar
13
2
2
13
Relevance

I made a site for sharing 'work in progress' updates

01 May 2024 Social Media

I've always been fascinated by seeing other people work. Not just their end result, but the process that got them there.Over the years builders have become more willing to share their process. But those updates were scattered throughout the web on different blogs and social media accounts.So I made a social network, very similar to Twitter, focused solely on answering the question "What are you working on right now?"Throughout the day people share small updates of what they have completed. I find it both interesting and motivating to see people make progress on their projects.It's mostly bootstrapped startups, but there are also some authors writing books and people working on various hobby projects.https://wip.coIt's invite-only at the moment to protect the community from an influx of new users (sorry!), but curious to get HN's view on this and whether they'd consider joining such a platform.

Criticizes invite-only post on Show HN.

Invite-only post not suitable for Show HN.

Avatar
4
1
-100.0%
1
4
Relevance

Spark - Community for indie hackers to learn, network & grow

31 Jul 2023 Development Community

The hub for Indiepreneurs, Solopreneur & Builders.

The Product Hunt launch received overwhelmingly positive feedback and congratulations. Users expressed excitement, offered well wishes, and complimented the branding. Questions arose about unique aspects, current user numbers, the inspiration behind the product, future plans, and Discord server usage/access, with one user suggesting alternatives to Discord. There was also a question on if bots are leaving comments on some product launches. Some users reported issues with joining, while others expressed support and excitement about the community.

Users criticized the Discord server for lacking clear instructions and guidance. Some suggested alternative platforms like Telegram or a forum for better communication. One user reported difficulty accepting the invite to the Discord server, though it's unclear if this was a widespread issue.

Avatar
168
26
11.5%
26
168
15.4%
Relevance

SQUAR CLUB - Design community for creative professionals to learn & grow

08 Jan 2024 Community Design

Your creative hub to enhance design skills, design challenges, connect with like-minded creators, share ideas, give/receive feedback, and join clubs for discussions.

SQUAR CLUB's launch has been met with excitement and praise, particularly for its stunning website design and the value it provides to creatives. Users appreciate the platform as a space to connect, showcase work, and participate in design challenges and clubs. Several users congratulated the team on the launch and expressed eagerness to try the product, while one user noted that more support is needed.

Users expressed a desire for future live events or workshops to enhance their experience. There is also a need for improved product support to address user inquiries and issues more effectively.

Avatar
118
13
30.8%
13
118
30.8%
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