Who We Are

My name is Rodney Smith and because of your support, my friends & family have been creating videos dedicated to teaching and playing board games for 7 years. This is something we'd like to continue!

Our goal is to:

• Create enjoyable, high quality content.
• Fully teach you the game, so you can skip the rule book.
• Play the game, so you can see how it works and decide if it is a good fit for you.
• Create a community where you know are a valued participant.
• Make it easier for more people to discover and enjoy tabletop gaming.

What We Created Last Year

Donations to Watch It Played enable me to work on the series full time. Your support last year created 167 videos, where we:

• Taught 44 Unique Games
• Played 11 Unique Games
• Conducted 9 Live Q&A Shows
• Previewed 12 Games
• Previewed 6 Products
• Posted 19 Videos from the GTS Come & Play Event
• Posted 4 Table Talk Segments
• Created 17 News, Updates and Contest Videos

The Fundraiser Goals!

Below you'll find our key goals to success this year (and some fun stretch goals too!). Completed goals will gain this UNLOCKED title!

UNLOCKED! - GOAL: $60,000 - Tutorials & Rodney Funded! This goal gets things started by ensuring I'm personally funded and can continue creating tutorial and other related solo content all year long! You can track our progress towards this first goal below. Each $5,000 we raise covers another month that we'll mark on the calendar as FUNDED.

UNLOCKED! - GOAL: $70,000 - Gen Con Mountie Cosplay! You funded the show and you're well on the way to ensuring I have a co-host. Your support deserves a display of gratitude! At Gen Con 2018 I will wear a Mountie costume for a full day of cosplay, as requested by a viewer at Origins this past year! Pictures will be taken and shared.

UNLOCKED! - GOAL: $80,000 - Game Plays & Pep MacDonald Funded This is a very important goal for Season 7. Being able to record game play episodes requires a partner. It also allows us to cover more tutorials and bring you more fun. Pep MacDonald has been working on the show for the past year, but to support his ongoing contributions, I need to be able to compensate him for all he brings to the table. This stretch goal ensures I can do that.

GOAL: $90,000 - We Did It! You've ensured Watch It Played maintains its fundraising from the previous season and can continue to grow in new directions. As an extra thanks I will be letting the viewers vote on a game we feature during the 7th season. Note: Games that I would not find appropriate for the show, or fall outside the boundaries of my capabilities (or are the game featured in the next perk level), will not be included in this vote.

GOAL: $100,000 - The Force Is Strong! It has become an online source of jokes and prodding (spearheaded by a certain Marty Connell from Rolling Dice and Taking Names), but at this funding level, yes... for all of you going above and beyond... I will... finally... create a tutorial video for Star Wars Rebellion.

UPDATE - August 4, 2017
I don't even know where to begin. In response to this stretch goal, a video was secretly created and posted online by some of my most favorite people.  It's... well... just watch.

Season 7 Perks

Unique Promo Cards: The promos are meant to be a small token of appreciation - rather than the purpose of the donation, but I hope you'll enjoy these offerings from our publisher friends!

• Delivery of these promos will be dependent on when I get copies from the publishers. I will keep you updated during the campaign and in regular fundraiser updates following it.
• To ensure all backers have the best chance of getting each promo card they want, you may not request duplicate promos within the same donation.
• Unless otherwise stated, each pictured promo is a single card. For example, if you want all of the Legacy promos, when making your selection, these will count as 3 separate promos.
• If you're looking for a promo we offered during a previous season and don't see it listed, that is because we didn't have enough to offer at this time.
• The Dead of Winter Promos are in limited supply. I may not be able to get them again, but I should have enough left over to cover anyone who donates at their perk levels. If I feel we may run out, I'll put an update on the fundraiser page well in advance to indicate it, and donations for them will be fulfilled in order of when the pledge was made.

$5 - The Backer: Every donation counts, and we thank you for yours - you help make the show possible!

$15 - The Reader: At this donation level you'll receive a Newsletter after the fundraiser closes, with important information about the next season of the show. Don't worry, only one or two newsletters will be sent a year - promise!

We have 4 new promos this year, and at the $20 donation level, you can choose one of them, or get all 4 at the $45 pledge level.

$20 - The Traveller: We hope you enjoyed joining us for our Near and Far play through, and now you can bring us along for your own! This single promo does include both a Rodney and Pep adventurer for your games of Near and Far. If you are curious about their special icons:
Rodney: If you complete a quest, you gain or lose 1 extra reputation (your choice).
Pep: If you complete a quest, you gain 1 extra coin.

$20 - The Raider: When we set sail in our play through of Raiders of The North Sea, we were competing raiders, but now we've united in a single Hero card that we're excited to share with you!

$20 - The Martian: You've been exploring the landscapes of Mars in First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet, and now you'll have new objects to find in this 4 token set that counts as one promo.

$20 - The Noisemaker: This year we taught you the deck-building, dungeon delving game Clank, and we're getting a unique promo for that game to offer you. Artwork is pending, but we will update this space as soon as we have it.

$45 - The Gatherer: At this backer level you'll get all 4 new promos released this season.

$65 - The Survivor: At this backer level you'll get all 4 new promos released this season and the complete set of Dead of Winter promos we offered in the past. These are two Crossroad cards featuring Andrea and Luke, and a full character promo of Rodney with standee (but no stand). The Dead of Winter Promos are in limited supply. I may not be able to get them again, but I should have enough left over to cover anyone who donates at their perk levels. If I feel we may run out, I'll put an update on the fundraiser page well in advance to indicate it, and donations for them will be fulfilled in order of when the pledge was made.

$80 - The Producer: At this backer level in addition to all the individual promos listed previously you'll have your name added to the credits of every video we release this season (with some rare exceptions where the situation might require). You also gain early access to our game play videos to help check for errors, and begin planning your game play suggestion for when it goes live. Note: you can be removed from the mailing list for the early access any time you want with a quick email to me. This is one of my favorite perks, as it highlights many of the fellow gamers who make this show possible. See The Survivor level for information on the Dead of Winter Promo availability.

$100 - The Legacy: Thanks for your generous support to push our fundraiser to its goals. There truly isn't a perk offering I could offer to thank you properly for this donation, but at this perk level you'll receive everything from The Producer level as well our past promos for Imperial Settlers and Legacy: The Testament of Duke de Crecy. See The Survivor level for information on the Dead of Winter Promo availability.

Looking Back (and Ahead!)

In this video I discussed last year's season in more detail, and shared some of my personal thoughts about the year.

In this follow up video I shared some of your comments and feedback, as well are my responses to them.

Why I Need Your Support

I have had the privilege of working on Watch It Played full time because of the support of my family, sponsors and viewers like yourself. The money I make from the show is how I contribute financially to my family, which allows me to keep creating videos.

If you have enjoyed the videos we create, please consider making a donation!