Sign me up for La Isla and Impulse, please. I'm not stalking you, Derek, I promise.

After getting few replies here, I posted some similar questions to BGG. Just thought I'd post a link to that thread here in case anyone happens upon this thread and wants to get some information. LOTS of resources linked there. Still haven't read them all myself!

https://boardgamegeek.com/article/23550292

Please sign me up for the Dominion tournament.

I'll also be bringing my game, Merchant's Dilemma, out to the Game Designer's Corner again. Had some good games last time around! Let me talk to Derek about timing before you post that though.

Sign me up for Cyclades, please.

Alright, let's play some Galaxy Trucker.

GAME: Galaxy Trucker
TEACHER: Stephen Kenny
START TIME: 6:30
DURATION: 60-90 minutes
# OF PLAYERS: 4
URL: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31481/galaxy-trucker

This idea stuck in my mind after you brought it up on Tuesday. I think it's an interesting concept, and has me brainstorming other ways to use a similar framework in games. Can you expand a bit more on the details? I assume one Avatar is the Avatar of Good, while the other is the Avatar of Evil. I suppose that means they're fighting, but do they have win conditions or at least goals they are trying to achieve? Do the players swear allegiance to one side or the other at different points in the game? How do the Avatars influence the players to try to get them working for Good/Evil, or is it just a fight over who gets to tell the story?

Merchant's Dilemma has gone through about a dozen play-throughs now (along with dozens of hours of thought), and is feeling pretty great for the most part. I may tweak a few things here and there for balance or interaction, but the core rules are essentially done in my mind. Of course I'll try to make it the best it can be in the coming weeks, but I figured it couldn't hurt starting to consider what I'll need when I'm ready to make this a real thing.

Derek mentioned TMG (Tasty Minstrel Games) as one option to consider, and I've seen their name elsewhere as well. Another thing that caught my eye is the FallCon Canadian Game Design Award in Calgary, though I'd have to shoot for 2017 if I wanted to get involved there.


In the meantime, though, a few questions for those of you who have gone through this process before.

- How do you approach a publishing company? I don't see a "Do you have a game idea" button on the TMG website, for example.

- What are publishing companies looking for to get the process started? A cursory glance tells me they'll want a complete set of rules at the very least, but should I be preparing a sheet of additional information as well? What should that contain?

- For that matter, how does the publishing process work? They like the initial look and ask for a copy of the game to try out?

- What kind of percentage should I be expecting to get from a project? I've heard rumours of about 5% - is that pretty typical for a company to offer?

- I understand that a company will essentially want to see a finished product, but is there anything a company will consider necessary? For example, how many playtests does a game need under its belt before it's even considered?

- Assuming a company takes a game on, they'll do all the art, all the formatting, and everything else, right? How much can a game change during this process? How much would I be involved in the process after agreeing to pass it off to them?

- Any other words of wisdom that I don't know to ask for?


Thanks for any feedback you guys can give me on this. To others considering publishing (either with a company or by yourself), feel free to hijack this thread with your own questions too!

Thanks!
Stardust

Meant to get this up sooner. Hopefully there's still interest!

GAME: Merchant's Dilemma
TEACHER: Stephen Kenny
START TIME: 8:30
DURATION: 30-60 minutes (~10 minutes per player)
# OF PLAYERS: 3-6

Since I designed this game myself, there is no BGG link, so here's a quick description.

Welcome to Merchant's Dilemma, a political game of cooperation and rivalry for 3-6 players.

In Merchant's Dilemma, you are playing as a merchant who must negotiate with your fellow players to gain gold. Will you cooperate and both profit, or will you compete to try and take the riches for yourself? The choice is up to you.

Each turn, you will choose to cooperate or compete with another player. Cooperation results in the biggest payout overall, if you both agree. Choosing to compete while they cooperate, however, will gain you more while they gain nothing. Hopefully they don't hold a grudge.

Invest in Buildings to expand your influence, or play Tactics to get revenge on your enemies, but be careful who you burn along the way. You might need them later if you hope to get ahead.

In for Legendary.

Maybe no one will see this before it's too late, but I've got a volleyball game at 8 am on Sunday, so I'll be at the mall at 10 am for sure. If you want to come find me to play some EDH, c'mon down!