Thread by @jdragsky, So for those of you who don't know, I'm a project manager. [...]

So for those of you who don't know, I'm a project manager. I help run Kickstarters, and I manage Possum Creek Games, where I launch a lot of small game-projects. This is a thread about scope.
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There is a vast gulf between the world of things you want to do and the world of things you feasibly can do. Part of putting together a product is learning what is and isn't feasible for the product, based on your resources and your ROI.
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Before you start a project, sit down and do the math. How much for an artist? Graphic design? Editing? Writing? Promotion? Printing? Shipping? When you bring other people in, you need to figure out how to pay them.
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Once you look over the math, you might realize your project isn't feasible. That's okay! It means you need to refine your project goals. If you were planning on spending $100 on art, but your project won't make $100 in profit, you need to rework things.
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There's a lot of budget-friendly alternatives. Stock photos or already-made art instead of new commissioned art. Skill trades. Sometimes it just involves knowing "hey, my project won't be as pretty as I dreamed of, and that's okay!"
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It is never okay to even offer to underpay people. If you can't promise someone what they're worth, you need to adjust your project scope hardcore, and figure out what you can get that IS within budget.
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Maybe you can't afford to provide a deck of cards with your Kickstarter. Maybe you can't afford a bunch of art, or full-color printing, or hardcover books, or an editor. It's okay to admit that, and figure out what your project should be instead.
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If you think you can move 50 copies of your game and you need to make $500 off your game to pay people, then you better charge $10/game, or be ready to lose a lot of money. And if you can't do either, you need to recalibrate.
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Example 1: Between art and printing it would have cost more than $3K to make decks of cards for Sleepaway, which would have doubled my original budget. I didn't know how successful the project would be, so as my first Kickstarter I scuttled that.
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Example 2: My lyric games (excluding Esoteric) don't sell great, all things considered. I cannot afford to commission art for them, but sometimes I'll buy usage rights. Almost all the work on my lyric games are by me (except editing)
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You can make beautiful things on shoestring budgets. A lot of my lyric games use typography and careful placement of color to make them eye-popping. Stock photo sites let you do amazing stuff. But the moment other people are involved, you need to respect them too.
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It sucks to feel like your project won't be perfect. But you can never ask other people to compromise their survival on your dream. If you do, you're favoring people with the privilege to do exactly that. Because it's a privilege to undercharge or work for free.
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Anyway, that's my thread on scope as a project manager. If you have any questions about that (be it a PWYW Itch game or a $10K+ Kickstarter) or are interested in hiring me for your KS, DM me or reply to this thread!
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