Advisor Brief

Tricoman

Jason Schklar · Serbia Rising Stars · March 23, 2026
🎮 PC RPG — Serbian Studio 🧭 Advisor / Mentor 📅 Session today at 8:30 AM 💰 ~$400K confirmed (Catapult) ⏱ ~18mo runway
✅ Today's session is done — meeting occurred at 8:30 AM this morning. This brief summarizes what was covered and what's on your plate.
⚠️ Advisory structure unresolved: 4 hrs/month feels too thin. You committed to thinking through the right model and discussing at the next meeting. Review the advisory agreement draft on Discord.
Company — Tricoman
Tricoman
Serbia Rising Stars · Advisee
👤
Danka Milenkovic — Lead contact
👤
Nevena Jankovic
🏛
Marijana · BITF (Business & Innovation Technology Fund)
Snapshot
Product
PC RPG (fantasy)
Studio
Belgrade, Serbia
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Funding
~$400K (Catapult ✅)
Runway
~18 months
Target (vertical slice)
€350K
Full budget
€7M
Next funding window
Sept–Oct 2026
Today's Session — Mar 23 (8:30 AM)
  • Catapult Co investment confirmed — ~$400K operational capital, ~18 months runway (pending final production quotes)
  • Outsourcing strategy for 3D visuals, animation, and cut scenes being finalized — freelance art director being onboarded to manage local + external partnerships
  • Advisory scope flagged as too thin — 4 hrs/month won't create meaningful UX impact; broader structure discussion needed
  • UI currently looks too mobile for a PC RPG — art direction and component style guide must be locked before more UI development happens
  • Dedicated UX/UI hire not feasible now; door opens with Creative Europe grant or additional angel investment (Sept–Oct)
  • Art Bully named as likely outsourcing partner for visuals — concern raised about Tricoman being too small a client for the attention they need
  • Proposed advisory model: Jason (or a UXIF director) provides consultative UI/UX direction; Art Bully / local freelancers execute the component library build-out
  • Half-hour walkthrough call proposed — one of your team members to cover component style guide examples, Figma structure, Unity handoff workflow
  • Advisory agreement draft shared via Discord — seemed broadly acceptable; you agreed to review
  • Stretch ask: warm intro to Critical Role talent (Matt Mercer or Laura Bailey) for trailer voice work — potential revenue-share collaboration downstream
Your Action Items (from today)
  • 1
    Review advisory agreement on Discord Do This Draft was shared. Seemed broadly OK. Mark up any scope concerns — especially around the hours/month constraint.
  • 2
    Rethink advisory structure Before Next Meeting 4 hrs/month is insufficient. Come to the next meeting with a concrete proposal — either scope expansion, a different model, or how to tier the engagement once the Creative Europe grant comes through.
  • 3
    Set up UXIF team walkthrough call You Committed 30-min session with one of your designers — walk Danka's team through component style guide examples, Figma structure, and Unity handoff workflow.
  • 4
    Get Art Bully crew info from Discord Danka is sending this. Once received, evaluate whether to recommend them or flag the small-client risk and suggest alternatives.
  • 5
    Keep eyes open — Critical Role intro Long-term Matt Mercer or Laura Bailey for trailer VO. Revenue-share angle is interesting. Warm network intro only — no cold outreach.
Their Action Items
  • Send Art Bully crew info via Discord
  • Provide timeline update in 2–3 weeks (once art director is set up + outsourcing quotes in)
Relationship History
Mar 23, 2026 — Today
Catapult confirmed (~$400K). Advisory structure flagged as insufficient. UI "too mobile" for PC RPG. Art direction + style guide made priority. Component library model proposed.
Feb 5, 2026
ERA Accelerator NYC in progress. 200K angel + 200K Catapult matching = $400K total. Legal consultations on Delaware registration underway. Dimitri (Hevelli) intro in progress.
Dec 18, 2025
160K confirmed (53% of round). Feb 2026 production start targeted. AI concept art pipeline showing strong efficiency gains. Epic Games building research center in Novi Sad (talent pipeline opportunity).
Nov 13, 2025
AI integration discussions. Marco training AI agents on scripts for 3–4x narrative output. Draft term sheet at 110K–160K. Catapult accelerator trip to NYC being arranged.
Oct 2, 2025
110K committed (30% of round). Accepted into ERA Accelerator NYC (Nov 30 – Dec 14). Susan Cummings (Games Angels / 2K co-founder) and Dmitri (Hevelli) identified as key investor contacts.
Jun–Jul 2025
Ongoing monthly advisory sessions. Fundraising strategy, investor outreach (Kevin Greene), network warm-up through Jason's game industry connections.
Jan–Feb 2025
Relationship established through Serbia Rising Stars. Initial advisory scope defined. Game: PC fantasy RPG in UE5, early production stage.
What They're Building

Tricoman is a Belgrade-based indie studio building a PC fantasy RPG in Unreal Engine 5. The game targets a narrative-heavy, high-production-quality aesthetic — think Critical Role-tier IP ambitions — but is operating at indie scale with a lean team and outsourced art pipeline.

  • UX challenge: Current UI reads as mobile — needs a full PC RPG art direction pass and component style guide before further development
  • Art pipeline: Outsourcing 3D, animation, and cut scenes. Art Bully (large studio) under evaluation. AI-assisted concept art workflow already in use (generative polish → manual overpaint)
  • AI integration: Using AI for narrative output (3–4x capacity), concept art pipeline, and 2D→3D character extraction experiments
  • Funding path: Catapult Co confirmed ($400K, ~18mo). Creative Europe grant and additional angel round expected Sept–Oct as next milestone
  • Talent wish list: Critical Role voice actors (Matt Mercer, Laura Bailey) for trailer — revenue-share deal being considered