At the end of May we introduced you all to OnTableTop the new name for the platform we all call home (or our home away from home!), since then we have continued working on the platform, its content and have taken OnTableTop on a grand tour of major gaming conventions...

Today we take another small step

As many of you know we have been beavering away on improving the platform on an almost daily basis (and yes we still have a long roadmap of changes, fixes, and expansions on the way!) but today we take another small step in the rebranding process by introducing the OnTableTop badge to the top of the site.

We are taking the opportunity to do this as our mini world tour of the conventions will soon come to an end (Essen) and we wanted to introduce a new and streamlined navigation to the top of the site.

The new nav should make it easier to see all the options and features available to you, and highlight the main games we are partnering with at any particular point and creating content for, giving a little extra exposure to them while also acting as a handy quick link to games you are most likely to find recent shows for.

Again we'll keep working at it and use the flexibility it introduces to try and make the platform easier to use and navigate at every opportunity... and of course feel free to send us feedback or ideas!

Where next?

Obviously, the next phase will be a permanent switch of the domain name, but this is still a long way off and don't worry the www.beastsofwar.com will always direct here.

We have continuing work to do on the database of games, places, companies, ranges, and professionals to open them up for you guys to start adding data, and now we have the crack 'Curation Team' in place that is coming closer.

Channels are our next big task, and work is underway on opening up the platform to share the space with some other great content creators out there to further expand the range and variety of gaming goodness you can experience here.

So we'll get back to work here...

Why the new name again?

If you missed our announcement first time around... as the development of the new BoW 2.0 progressed we realised that the whole environment was going to evolve into more of a shared space, where you could share all kinds of projects, and with the channels functionality in the works, we are hoping to share and develop other new and existing content creators.

Couple that with the massive changes taking place in our industry and the diversification of styles and genres in Tabletop Games - and our stats showing that you guys are enjoying a much wider variety of games than ever before - we felt that a new top-level Name and Brand for the community, one that was more all-encompassing and inclusive, felt like a good idea.

So, we decided to develop a new and inclusive brand for us all as a community to feel like we can take ownership of and work alongside.

What About Beasts Of War?

Don't worry, Beasts of War isn’t going anywhere. It will gradually become one (or more) of the selected channels here on the platform and will retain its focus on miniature gaming (and the odd willy joke) and will not allow any of our genres or interest groups to fall by the wayside. We are still completely committed to Historical, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and the PPHW genres in miniature form.

How Was The New Brand Developed?

We started about two years ago, around the time we had solidified what the specification of the initial 2.0 launch was going to be and spent a few weeks on and off brainstorming and conceptualising in-house. We wanted to explore lots of possibilities and all sorts of wacky ideas, but there came a point where we really wanted to bring in some outside perspective to help solidify our thoughts and settle on a direction.

We then had the good fortune to hook up with a group of Branding Mentors and a Brand Developer, David, from Bag of Bees. David is a wonderful chap who spent a lot of time with us and with you guys in the background browsing around and reading. He instinctively ‘got’ the changes the industry and community were going through and the opportunities we hope to create with you guys.

He then, in true ‘designer’ style, promptly took all our hard work on ideas…and chucked them in the bin!

He and his team then came back with the concept of OnTableTop, and while of course we were uncertain to begin with, something about the concept and how we could use it really struck us.

For anyone who has ever been involved in this kind of thing, you will know that, as with all things in life, there is no perfect solution, and Brands and Identities take time and effort to build and establish. However, the key is finding a Brand that you can ‘work’ (or in our case ‘play’) with, and do interesting things with to communicate what you are about rather than just a badge to stick on stuff.

OnTableTop ticks a lot of those boxes...

It feels like an inclusive identity that can easily sit alongside the developing brands of other creators on the platform.
It is open and encompassing of the much wider diversity of games we play today and who we play with.
It is to the point, short, descriptive and meaningful.

Its primary feature that will be used in our visuals etc. is the circle, a powerful symbol that represents:

Inclusiveness - Wholeness
All-Encompassing (you’re getting everything about a game) - Totality
A circle of friends (a community) - Oneness
A Zero, a Starting point - Potential

Within the circle we then have the representation of the TableTop, the place where we all meet, compete, build stories and friendships together.

So What's Lloyd about to do with that Microphone?

I'm afraid to answer that! By the way, you can learn a little more about Lloyd and the rest of the team here: Meet the Team

So this one's for you guys; especially for you budding content creators who fancy showcasing the aspects of the TableTop Gaming hobby you love.

Let’s see where we all go with it and thanks so much to our wonderful community who has supported us every step of the way.

We took a big new leap into the unknown and it's been a blast so far sharing that adventure with you.