Pitching

STUDIO'S PURPOSE

Beginning the placement, our instructors where very clear on incentivising us to apply to as many business competitions as we could. The 3 key points that all pitching organisers want to know from you are:

What problem does your business / product solve? 

What impact will it have?

What will you do with the money we give you? Since I have planned my business' approach well, I am not in need of money at the moment, I have done everything I can to reduce expenditures - especially at the very beginning because not all things that are bought are assets, they can be actually be a liability in disguise. I will use the money to produce prototypes and samples to ensure the product is of high quality. I will get to encourage a larger audience to playtest my game because I will have the room to give away 

Although creative businesses like game / entertainment studios don't seem to solve problems in a traditional sense, they succeed by finding a gap in the market and filling it with solutions. 

COMPETITIONS / 

Panda Game Manufacturing - 25 in 25 Manufacturing Sponsorship - 25 in 25 Sponsorship Submission link

Online Submission Deadline: 15 September 2025

• Sell Sheet (PDF) – A one-page document summarizing the game, including its theme, mechanics, player count, playtime, and unique selling points.

• Video Overview & Quick Play (10 minutes maximum) – A short video about you as a designer, your game, its mechanics, and why it stands out. Include a demonstration of core gameplay and player interaction in 1 to 2 rounds.

• Complete Rules (PDF) – Blind tested rulebook that allows a new reader to learn and play the game without additional guidance. Must be in English.

Pitch 2 Win 

Pitching Day: 7 October 2025

• Presentation & speech

• Why do I need the money?

MATERIALS & SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES:

Recyclable materials : paper & Card. I am thinking of using other materials for dice and the curiosity keys (tokens) aswell as thin layers of shiny material so I will need to look into these. As for packaging, most (all that I have seen) use thin layers of non-recyclable plastics to wrap their products. This is because it is not only cheap and helps keep the product safe from scratches (helps make the product feel new for the customer) but also because you can see the product easily - you know what you are getting, no secrets or surprises.

Resin dice are the most cost effective and the most magical looking. (Budget wise ✔  + Aesthetic Wise ✔ , but environmentally ? )

 Resin can be recycled, but not all types are recyclable. There are five types of resins. You have polyester/fiberglass resin, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, silicone resin, and eco-resin. Despite being complex to do so, Polyester/fiberglass resin, polyurethane resin, and eco-resin can often be recycled. Epoxy resin, however, is usually not recyclable due to its hazardous nature and the complexity involved in separating its components.

For the currency tokens, I was planning for a slightly flexible and transparent material so I was planning to make them out of lightweight acrylic strips. HOWEVER!! acrylic is really harmful for the envirnoment. It is non-biodegradable and has a toxic production process. This isn't something I would be proud to use for my product. I want everything to be recyclable so it is a clear message: "once you are done with this game, you can put the entire box in the recycling bin!" (of course try and resell it and reuse it as many times as possible). An alternative to acrylic strips are transparent PET or rPET strips! Like any plastic, these can still contribute to microplastic pollution. I also want to use 

As for the shiny foil alternatives. This will probably be the most difficult to do whilst balancing function + Aesthetic + Budget + Environment. I could use Ink-Based Metallics / metallic vegetable-based inks. Spot UV is the best option for recyclability but it is difficult to see from all angles on the table - function is disregarded. I could look into Eco foil (biodegradable and recyclable foils but it will be more difficult to get a hold of).

• FSC certified paper & card for cards, rule book, and box.

• Water Based / soy based inks for printing cards

• Biodegradable + Eco-friendly magnetic sheets

• Biodegradable Glue 

• Biodegradable Resin Dice

• Recycled plastic tokens

• Recycled Plastic trays or Paper card trays /  dice pulp inserts

Markup, Margin + MSRP

MANUFACTURER'S SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE

Markup = how much you increase the cost to determine the selling price

(costs £10 to make -> add 100% markup -> sell for £20)

Margin = the percentage of the selling price that is profit

(selling at £20 with a £10 cost = 50% margin because half the selling price is profit)

Tabletop games generally have 3 layers of pricing.

Manufacturing & shipping cost = what you pay

Wholesale price = what retailers / distributers pay you

Retail price = what players pay in the store

Indie tabletop games retail price is generally 4 - 6x manufacturing cost. Most card games targeted at my target audience / market are sold at £20. If it costs £5 to manufacture, retail will likely be £20 - £30. Distributers usually take 40- 60% of the retail price so if you choose to sell directly to customer you can keep more of the profit.

Ethics 

ETHICAL PLAYTESTING, MANUFACTURER PRACTICES

...

Social Media & Online Presence 

USERNAMES + EMAILS + CONTENT CREATION

I was unsure whether I should make a social media account with the name of the studio or with the IP. Our first goal is to build a brand around the first IP so this could mean it would be better to use the IP Name. This would make it more memorable when people see it on shelves, it also makes followers feel immersed in the world. It would also make sense because I will be posting game-specific art, lore, playtesting moments, and process videos.

1 crayon in his suitcase

high angle - first day on the job - Jazz music in the background 

LUNCH BREAK

oh yeah.. I had a job here... THERE IS A SUPER COOL CARD GAME IN PRODUCTION and I'm here to show it all to you guys (puffed up chest).. they haven't shown me any of the works to me yet - prooobably best that sir crayon doesn't get in the way... so i'm going to have to come with mehhhh to find some cool things in the office.

when life gives you lemons - GIVE THEM TO MEE I LOVE LEMONS ..  and cookies.. they promised cookies here but i can't find them so tell me if you come across any. (someone was trying to make invisible ink from the card game)

spinning on a swivel chair is my speciallty i have to say. probably how i got hired... ok so apparently... pretending to do work is actually a looot of effort.....I have heard a rumour about a thief who likes to steal a bunch of shiny things. the wand thief.. I like shiny things... maybe we could be friends.. (something swoops by and steals the bottom of the shiny chair and pesky falls out of the chair and so does the camera and the video cut out.

Runs to the screen. look look look loooooook I got a card. it fell from the desk. What do you think it means? turns it over. mosquito on the back squashed - EUGHHH - cuts video.

Pesky's fav foods are lemons, cookies, and jam... and chewing on his comfort crayon

"Yooo baby photos you cant look at that!!"

Branding

NAME

My team came up with the name Pesky Dragons Studio. We initially wanted to make the name plural because we are a team of pesky dragons.. but we realised this would make it easy for others to take that name in it's singular form so we decided against it. We then wondered whether we should make it all one word, or it's two word form.

So we decided to go with PeskyDragon, a creative indie studio

My team talked about how we wanted to make sure our logo didn't feel corporate at all. We wanted something that felt like it could easily fit into our fantasy worlds and which felt homely and.. we finalised our idea and wanted to go for a logo which looked like a stamp. This gives a traditional, welcoming, and playful vibe for the business.

Examples of logos / stamps / icons which we were drawn to:

We really liked the silly ink stamp cats and these head icons of animals. It felt playful and slightly ppeculiar which is exactly what we want to go for. 

STYLE BIBLE: CREATE BRAND GUIDE

Approachable, Welcoming, Creative, Personal, Whimsical, Silly

- CReating -

LOGO SKETCHES

Firstly I need to practice how to draw dragons because I never draw such fantastical things such as dragons in my university course so I am out of practice..

When it comes to iteration you need to exploit all ideas - even the bad ones - to make sure you tried all bases. 

sketching practice to understand how  to draw dragons (referenced birds, Stoats, deer for their horns..)

Concepts by Bea

Attempt at character design sheet.  Pesky Team thought it looked too cat when we want it to be more dragon.

Lots of exploration on Pesky's eye style and placement