Social Media Strategy Revision: Troll Lord Games

Background: Troll Lord Games (TLG) is a 25-year-old subsidiary of Chenault & Gray Publishing, LLC, and has been developing and publishing tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs) since 1999. Their flagship game, Castles & Crusades, was developed by Stephen and Davis Chenault alongside Gary Gygax, the creative mind behind the worldwide gaming sensation, Dungeons & Dragons.

Challenge: A recent controversy regarding the creative rights to third party publishers and using material from Wizard of the Coast (the current owners of Dungeons & Dragons) called into question their dominant market share in the TTRPG industry. In response, I was contracted to write and produce a new creative series designed to entice a younger generation of gaming enthusiasts to “jump ship” from Dungeons & Dragons and to try out Castles & Crusades.

Approach: After conducting an audit of TLG’s YouTube channel and comparing their content to that of similar channels, I pitched and was approved to write and produce a miniseries focused on both a story-driven narrative and opportunities to demonstrate the mechanics of the game. This miniseries would consist of roughly 1.5 hour long episodes that followed a cast of players who were comfortable in the mechanics, but were not yet fully versed, allowing for opportunities to teach.

Execution: Production took place over the course of around 2 months. During this time, I coordinated around the player’s schedules, coached them through certain character development ideas, and edited the entire production, releasing them on a weekly schedule to maximize channel growth. Additionally, I consulted with an artist to provide direction into creating digital assets to further enhance the quality of production.

Results: The miniseries, The Storm’s Front, performed incredibly well and garnered a significant amount of organic growth and awareness to the brand: