indiePRgrowth

How to Build an Indie Game PR Server Using Baby Steps’ Narrative Hooks

UUnknown

2026-02-19

10 min read

Build a character-led Discord PR plan—devlogs, character reveals, early access, and press outreach modeled on Baby Steps for 2026 growth.

Hook: Your game is good — but no one’s in the room yet

If you’re an indie dev, you’re juggling design, builds, taxes and existential dread — and you still need to grow a community that cares enough to beta test, stream, buy and evangelize. The problem isn’t just discovery: it’s keeping people engaged after the first hype spike. You need a repeatable, low-cost PR roadmap that turns playtesters into storytellers and press leads into feature articles. That’s where a character-led Discord strategy — modeled on 2025’s hit Baby Steps and adapted to 2026 platform trends — becomes the single best leverage point for indie PR, early access management, and sustained engagement.

Why character-led PR works in 2026 (and why Baby Steps is a blueprint)

In late 2025 Baby Steps proved what many marketers suspected: players bond with a protagonist’s flaws faster than a polished hero’s origin story. The game’s deliberately awkward, whiny protagonist became a narrative engine — players shared memes, wrote fan-fiction, and tuned into devlogs to see how he’d fail next. Translate that into your server and you get:

Ongoing content opportunities — character reveals, diaries, and “in-character” AMAs give you weekly, shareable moments without always inventing new gameplay updates.
PR hooks that humanize the game — journalists prefer stories about development choices and character arcs over dry patch notes.
Higher retention — narrative investment keeps members returning to see how the story (and your dev progress) unfolds.

“It’s a loving mockery,” said the Baby Steps team of their character design — and that candid, human approach is exactly what turns on modern press and communities.

2026 trends that make this approach more effective

Discord’s broadened community toolkit (Events, Threads, Forum channels, and Server Subscriptions) means you can run layered access (public teasers vs closed betas) without a second platform.
Creator monetization in 2025–26 pushed more indie devs to use gated early access and micro-subscriptions — done right, this funds QA and community rewards.
AI-assisted moderation and content generation tools matured in 2025, letting small teams scale devlog production and safety moderation while keeping the voice consistent.

How to build the server — step-by-step

The roadmap below assumes you start with a small core team (1–4 people). Each step is actionable and includes channel, role and outreach templates you can copy into your server.

Step 1 — Define your narrative hooks and character bible (Week 0)

Before you build channels, write a 1-page Character Bible that defines the protagonist’s voice, flaws, key relationships and humor style. Like Baby Steps’ Nate, lean into imperfection — players attach to authenticity.

Create three repeatable hooks: (1) weekly devlog in-character, (2) monthly major reveal (art/ability), (3) community challenge (meme/level design contest).
Map out a 3-month reveal schedule: character teaser → backstory snippet → gameplay reveal → closed alpha invite.
Decide on authenticity rules: what’s in-character vs out-of-character, and how moderators will mark it.

Step 2 — Server architecture (ready-to-deploy template)

Build a lean, discoverable server that grows into a community hub. Use Forum channels for long-lived discussions and Threads for ephemeral conversations.

Channel list (initial launch):

#welcome — rules, quick start, how to get roles
#announcements — verified dev announcements (locked write)
#devlog — weekly dev posts (use pinned posts and threads)
#nate-diaries (or character name) — in-character posts, RNG humor
#early-access — gated channel for testers
#bug-report (with bot-powered issue tracker)
#media-kit — press assets, logos, key art, trailer links
#pressoutreach — private channel for PR team and press liaisons
#events — scheduled streams, AMAs, playtests
Forum: feedback, ideas, fan-art
#off-topic — community hangout
#mods — private moderator HQ

Step 3 — Roles & permission blueprint

Roles should be simple but expressive. Keep sensitive permissions tightly controlled.

Owner / Lead Dev — highest permissions, can post in announcements.
Dev Team — post devlogs, reply to press inquiries.
Tester — access to early access channels and private build download links.
Character — in-character accounts (bot or verified role) that post in-character content.
Moderator — moderate channels, manage discipline and appeals.
Verified Press — read-only access to media kit, private press channel.
Member — default community role.

Permission tips: never give bots or community managers Admin. Use channel-specific overrides for write access to announcement and press channels. Require Verified Email or CAPTCHA to reduce raids.

Step 4 — Early access & QA management

Alpha testers are your best PR and QA assets. Treat them like collaborators, not customers.

Use a role-gated #early-access channel combined with a secure downloads hub (use hashed keys, code redemption through Steam or itch.io).
Run structured test cycles: Week 0 smoke test → Week 2 focused feature test → Week 4 open stress test. Post results publicly in devlog to show progress.
Collect reports via a bot that converts bug reports to your issue tracker (GitHub/GitLab/Jira). Mark bug reports with status tags in the #bug-report forum.

Press outreach — make journalists care about the character

Press love a story. A character-led pitch is a story. Use the character as the narrative entry point, not the game mechanics.

Press kit checklist

One-sheet: 300 words about the game + a sentence about why the protagonist matters.
Assets: high-res logo, 3x screenshots, 1 trailer (30s & 90s), GIFs optimized for socials.
Developer bios and a short statement on design intent (mention influences, humor and what you’re trying to do differently).
Embargo schedule & build access: clear dates and how to access the build.

Character-led pitch template (email / DM)

Use this as a modular copy paste. Personalize the first line with the journalist’s recent coverage.

Subject: [Embargo date] — You vs. Nate: A tragicomic demo of [GAME NAME]

Hello [Name],
We loved your piece on [recent game/genre story]. Our game, [GAME NAME], launches an early demo on [date]. Instead of a hero, our protagonist is [one-line character hook — e.g. "an anxious, middle-aged man in a onesie who keeps losing his hiking boots"]. He’s terrible at everything, and that’s the whole point — the design uses failure as humor and progression.
We’re offering an exclusive early access build + a short in-character Q&A with our lead designer on [date]. Media kit & 30s trailer here: [link]. If you’d like keys or an interview, reply and we’ll reserve a test slot.
Thanks for considering — we think Nate’s terrible decisions make for a great story.
— [Your name], [Title], [Studio]

Community engagement tactics that scale

Turn passive members into active promoters with repeatable, low-effort touchpoints.

Weekly devlog (out-of-character + in-character thread) — post a development update and an in-character ‘diary’ reply. Pin both.
Character Reveal Cadence — small reveal (screenshot) Tuesday, dev commentary Thursday, community challenge Saturday.
Playable events — rotate: internal playtest, streamer collab, community speedrun. Use Discord Events and schedule reminders.
Fan-art & meme threads — run a monthly contest; winners get tester role or in-game credit.
Press: Tiered exclusive access — staggered exclusives (trailer first to press A, demo later to press B) keeps momentum.

Moderation and trust signals

Scale safety early. A small mess can become a community reputation problem.

Clear rules & escalation — pin a short rules card and a moderator escalation flow in #mods.
AutoMod + human review — combine AutoMod filters for spam/links with a human moderator triage during high-traffic events.
Appeals and transparency — publish anonymized moderation logs or a monthly moderation summary to build trust.
Role audits — quarterly permission reviews. Remove old bots and tokens; rotate keys if you use hosted build servers.
Legal & ethics — disclose sponsored coverage; enforce no-doxxing and do regular community reminders about privacy.

Monetization and retention — ethical, community-first options

By late 2025 small monetization features became mainstream. Use them to reward supportive members, not gate the game’s core experience.

Server Subscriptions: offer cosmetic flair, tester priority or behind-the-scenes streams.
Merch drops: tie drops to character jokes (limited-run shirts of the protagonist’s onesie).
Patron-style reward tiers: early keys, credits, naming NPCs (with clear rules).
Keep a free path: community and core game should remain accessible.

6-month PR & community roadmap (sample)

Use this as a calendar you can copy and adapt.

Month 1 — Server launch: Character teaser, welcome AMA, press one-sheet distribution.
Month 2 — Closed alpha: 200 testers, bug-tracker sprint, first devlog series.
Month 3 — Character deep-dive: backstory content, fan-art contest, streamer outreach.
Month 4 — Open beta: public demo, press embargo lift, curated content push.
Month 5 — Monetization soft launch: subscription perks & merch preorders.
Month 6 — Launch readiness: final playtests, press roundtable, launch stream with creators.

Metrics that matter

Track simple, high-impact KPIs weekly and present them in your devlog to show progress:

New members per week
Active members (7-day DAU) / total members
Retention (7-day and 30-day)
Engagement per post (replies, reactions)
Bug reports triaged vs outstanding
Press mentions and referral traffic to store page

Two ready-to-use templates

Devlog post format (copyable)

Title: [Week #] — What broke, what we fixed, and what Nate did

1–2 line summary of progress
One screenshot or short clip
List of fixes/changes
Testers: what to focus on
In-character reply from [Character] (1–3 lines — comedic)
CTA: join the beta / submit bugs

Pitch DM template for creators (short, DM-friendly)

Hey [Creator], we think your viewers would love a chaos-run with Nate — our hopeless protagonist. We can offer early demo access + co-op keys for your stream. Interested? TL;DR: 30–60 min stream, keys for giveaways, and a short backstage Q&A.

Case study: Translating Baby Steps lessons into your server

Baby Steps made a deliberate creative choice: imperfect characters create content. Translate these lessons:

Make character flaws a content engine: weekly “Nate fails” clips are easier to create than engineered marketing content.
Encourage user-generated transformation: let players submit alternate outfits, remixes, and jokes — then reward winners publicly.
Be candid in interviews: press pick up authenticity. Offer journalists unique narrative hooks, not just a trailer link.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Pitfall: Over-gating early access and creating FOMO that alienates. Fix: Stagger gates and always offer a free public demo after a short period.
Pitfall: Mixing in-character content with policy-sensitive conversations. Fix: Clearly label channels and archive in-character content that could confuse newcomers.
Pitfall: Letting moderator burnout fester. Fix: Rotate duties, automate routine tasks, and publish a moderator playbook.

Final checklist before launch

Character Bible completed and approved
Devlog cadence scheduled (at least 4 weeks of backlog)
Press kit uploaded to #media-kit
Alpha testers invited and bug-report flow connected to issue tracker
Moderation automation and human rota in place

Takeaways — why this works

Character-led PR turns a single creative choice into a multi-channel growth engine. By treating your protagonist as a storyteller rather than an NPC, you create predictable content, press hooks and community rituals that drive retention. In 2026, when platforms reward consistent activity and authentic narratives, this approach gives indies disproportionate visibility for low cost.

Call to action

Ready to convert your protagonist into a PR engine? Start by drafting a one-page Character Bible and the first devlog. If you want, copy the channel and role templates above into a fresh Discord server and invite three trusted testers this week. When you’re ready, drop your server link in our community post (or reach out for an editable server template we’ve battle-tested with indie studios). Build with story first — press and players will follow.

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Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.