Former World of Game Design Employees Claim Tabletop Company Exploits Workers and Clients

In late August, game designer Ian Yusem posted a thread on Twitter alleging that World of Game Design was “unlawfully selling” his books, owed him thousands of dollars in unpaid consignment sales, and had failed to return his leftover inventory. Rascal reached out for more information, and within hours Yusem had responded to provide more context. Hours later, another message landed in our inbox—this one from World of Game Design’s owner, Jared Nielsen, who described himself as “the clean up guy.” WoGD's Twitter account has since been deleted.

What followed was a months-long investigation into a company that multiple sources have characterized as abusive, exploitative, and predatory. With accounts from over a dozen former clients and employees, Rascal has attempted to complete a picture of World of Game Design—part crowdfunding consultant, part tabletop publisher, part distributor, and part organized play league. WoGD has and currently represents some of the largest publishers in gaming, including Modiphius, Marvel, Monte Cook Games, Cubicle 7, and Tuesday Knight Games; hosting thousands of events at major conventions across the United States. From the outside, the company might seem like a boon to the industry, a well-oiled machine placing a cornucopia of games in front of eager, unaware audiences; from the inside it was a house of cards built on handshake deals between naive but passion driven creatives. Atop it all is Jared Nielsen, a man who claims his road to hell was paved with good intentions. 

“At best, my experience with WoGD was one of misguided promotional stunts that went nowhere and wasted my time,” one former client told Rascal under anonymity. “At worst, I was talked down to, ignored, and jerked around by a small company that appeared to be run by a handful of over-busy and unprofessional businessmen.”