Jackson Pope: So You Want to Be a Published Game Designer

It seems like everyone I meet these days has an idea for a game or has gone even one step further and already designed a game. What’s next if you want to make the leap and see your name in lights – or least printed on a box in your local games shop?

One route is self-publishing, that is, starting a company to make the game you’ve designed. Lots of the established companies started off down that path, and with a great game it’s possible to make yourself some money, but it is hard work, requiring skills in project management, sales and marketing, not to mention a large wad of hard cash for start-up capital. You’re taking the risk with your own money, which might not be what you’re interested in.

If you decide to go down the other route and try to get your game picked up by an established publisher, what should you bear in mind?

First things first: Get your game playtested. You want lots of feedback, some of which needs be critical. If everyone you’ve played the game with loves it, you’re playing it with the wrong crowd. Even the most popular games, such as Agricola, the number one ranked game on BoardGameGeek, have their detractors, and you need to hear what your game’s detractors have to say. You may chose not to change anything based on their criticism, but you have to at least be aware of what some people don’t like about your game and have a good reason to have made the decisions you made.

The next step is to choose the right publisher. Some of the bigger publishers don’t accept submissions, instead relying on a group of in-house or established designers who can definitely come up with winners for their line. It’s no use submitting to them if your submission will be ignored. Similarly a monster wargame that takes days to play isn’t going to be accepted by a company that makes light, family-oriented Eurogames that play in an hour or less. Choose you market. Play some of the games they have published. Is your game in a similar vein to their existing oeuvre?

Contact publishers before sending games to them. Most companies that accept submissions will have information on their website explaining their submission process. A sure-fire way to be ignored is to send a massive prototype without any prior warning or communication. My process requires three hoops that designers have to jump through:

• First, I ask for a couple of paragraphs in an email, explaining what the game is like. I want to know components, major mechanisms and theme. This first hurdle is just a chance to weed out the games I have no interest in publishing – I have no interest in wargames, I don’t have the capital or contacts to do a mass-market game – so I can reject these at the first stage.

• Second, I need a copy of the rules. This will give me an impression of whether I think the game is interesting. A rulebook will also give a pretty good impression of how well-tested the game is. If the rulebook has no diagrams or gaping holes where rules are missing, then I can be pretty sure the design has not been sufficiently tested. Your rulebook should look like that of a published game – not in terms of graphic design, but in terms of clarity. It should be concise, yet comprehensive with diagrams to explain the more difficult concepts.

• The next stage is a prototype. Prototypes I’ve received vary greatly in quality, and to a large degree I don’t care, as long as the game is playable. This sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised. If the game features cards, either print on card, if you can, or glue them onto cards from another game or put them in card sleeves with a card from another game. (Magic: the Gathering commons are easily available and very cheap.) Flimsy bits of paper are very difficult to shuffle and render your prototype almost unplayable. If pieces are supposed to be on thick cardboard, why not glue them onto cereal packet card or foam-core it makes them easier to pick up?

  Some effort in presentation shows that you’ve taken the time to take the game seriously, but there’s no point paying an artist to make it look gorgeous or get custom pieces made since the publisher will want to do the presentation themselves so that it fits with the rest of their line.

Publishers are looking for games that can make them money, games they think will sell well. Be prepared for setbacks. Most of the submissions they receive will not be published. Having said that, if you’ve got a game that you’ve tested over and over again and that proves very popular with complete strangers, it is definitely worth submitting it to a publisher. The worst they can do is say no!

Good luck!

Jackson Pope owns Reiver Games, publisher of Border Reivers, It’s Alive!, Carpe Astra and the forthcoming Sumeria.

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