Subject: rec.games.design FAQ
Date: 12 Mar 1996 13:56:14 GMT
Summary: Frequently Asked Questions (with answers) for rec.games.design
Version: 1.71

REC.GAMES.DESIGN list of Frequently Asked Questions
  
   This list is posted monthly to rec.games.design, rec.answers, and
   news.answers.
   
   The list is maintained by Travis Casey. Any ideas for changes,
   additions, or corrections are exceedingly welcome, and should be
   directed to: casey@cs.fsu.edu
   
   Please put "rgd FAQ" or something similar in your subject line.
   
   
                              TABLE OF CONTENTS
   
   
   (New or changed items are marked with an * ).
   
   Note that the end of each section has a link to return to the table of
   contents.
   
Section 1 -- General Questions

    1. What is the purpose of this group? 
    2. I'm writing a computer game in the BOGUS language, and I need
       help! 
    3. Is this group just for RPG's? 
    4. What is proper etiquette for this group? 
    5. Are there any books on game design available? 
    6. Where can I find info about games on the net? 
    7. What is the address of company X? 
    8. I'm worried about protecting my ideas. How do I copyright my game?       
    9. Do you have any advice for a beginning game designer? 
   10. Are there any magazines on game design? 
       
Section 2 -- RPG Questions

    1. What is net.rpg's status? 
    2. What is net.rpg, for that matter? 
    3. What is FUDGE? 
    4. I'm trying to design an RPG. What advice do you have? 
    5. What is DragonNet? Where can I find out about it? 
    6. Where can I find RPG's on the net? 
       
Section 3 -- Computer Games

    1. What is FRUA? 
    2. What's the best language to write a game in? 
    3. How do I... ? 
       
Section 4 -- Wargames and Boardgames

    1. I'd like to get a wargame published. What should I do? 
    2. FTP-able games. 
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Section 1 -- General Questions

    1. What is the purpose of this group? 
       
     This group is meant for discussion of the design aspects of
     games--board games, computer games, role-playing games (RPG's), card
     games, or any other sort of game. This is the place to post ideas
     for games, thoughts about systems, questions about how something
     should work in a game, or anything else about designing games.

    2. I'm writing a computer game in the BOGUS language, and I need
       help! 
       
     This isn't a good place to look for help with computer languages.
     The main focus of this group is on *design*, not *implementation*.
     Try the *.lang.* and *.programmer groups first, especially
     rec.games.programmer.

    3. Is this group just for RPG's? 
       
     No. As mentioned above, all sorts of games can be discussed here.

    4. What is proper etiquette for this group? 
       
     It's basically the same as for any other group: use informative
     subject lines, if you're posting about a specific thing, include
     what it is in the Subject: field (e.g. "FUDGE:" at the start of a
     Subject line for an article discussing the FUDGE game; see below)
     
     Don't get mad if someone doesn't like your pet idea: listen to them
     and try to answer their points. Remember, the purpose of this group
     is for us to discuss our ideas and improve upon them.
     
     Some of the things that shouldn't go here include announcements that
     you've made a new game (unless you're posting it up for review),
     questions about what a specific rule in a specific game is supposed
     to mean, announcements of things that don't relate to designing
     games (e.g., role-playing BBS's, FTP sites for games, etc.), and
     anything else that doesn't relate to game DESIGN.

    5. Are there any books on game design available? 
       
     Some books that may be of assistance are:
     
     The Study of Games
     by Elliot M. Avedon and Brian Sutton-Smith
     pub. by J. Wiley, copyright 1971 A collection of articles mostly by
     other authors; somewhat scholarly. Avedon is the Director/Curator
     of the University of Waterloo's Museum and Archive of Games in
     Waterloo, Canada.

     
     The Art of Computer Game Design
     by Chris Crawford
     Available by writing:
     
     Chris Crawford Games
     P.O. Box 360872
     Milpitas, CA 95036
     USA

     
     Balance of Power
     by Chris Crawford
     pub. by Microsoft Press
     ISBN 0-914845-97-7
     Talks about this classic game of international diplomacy. Important
     if you are going to make a global-political game.

     
     The Complete Wargame Handbook
     by James Dunnigan
     pub. by William Morrow and Co.
     ISBN 0-688-10368-5
     An excellent book; focuses mainly on pencil-and-paper wargames, but
     does have some coverage of computer wargames.

     
     How to Make War, 3rd. Ed.
     by James Dunnigan
     pub. by William Morrow and Co.
     ISBN 0-688-12157-8
     Focuses heavily on real-world weapons and tactics; invaluable not
     only for designers of classical-style wargames, but also for
     designers of RPGs set in combat zones.

     
     Numbers, Predictions, and War
     by T.N. Dupuy
     pub. by Hero Books
     ISBN 0-915979-06-3
     Discusses the HERO system of combat simulation developed by the US
     military. Highly mathematical, but with emphasis on empirical
     validation of the methods.

     
     A Handbook of Game Design
     by Henry Ellington, Eric Addinall, and Fred Percival
     pub. by Nichols Publishing Co., 1982
     ISBN 0-89397-134-0 Geared towards classroom and corporate
     simulations, but has separate chapters on designing card, board,
     "manual", and computer games.
     

     The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic
     by Richard A. Epstein
     pub. by Academic Press, 1967
     The Bible of gaming probabilities.


     Inside Electronic Game Design
     by Arnie Katz and Laurie Yates
     pub. by Prima Publishing
     ISBN 1-55958-669-9
     

     Computer Gamesmanship: Elements of Intelligent Game Design
     by David Levy
     pub. by Simon & Schuster
     ISBN 0-67149-532-1
     Focuses on chess, checkers, and poker algorithms.
     

     The Game Inventor's Handbook
     by Stephen Peek
     pub. by Betterway Books
     ISBN 1-55870-315-2
     
     
     The Art of Wargaming
     Peter Perla
     pub. by Nav. Inst. Press
     ISBN 0-87021-050-5
     
     
     Pentagon Games
     by John Prados
     pub. by Harper & Row
     ISBN 0-06-096130-9
     Gives insight into the kinds of simulations the military creates,
     and includes 3 original games by the author.
     
     
     A Gamut of Games
     by Sid Sackson
     pub. by Castle Books, 1969
     Not actually about game design, but it does give some insights and
     covers a wide variety of games.
     

     Game Design: Volume One: Theory and Practice
     by Nick Schuessler and Steve Jackson
     pub. by Steve Jackson Games.
     No longer in print, no further volumes were produced. Nevertheless,
     if you can find a copy, this is an excellent resource.
     

     New Rules for Classic Games
     by R. Wayne Schmittberger
     pub. by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
     ISBN 0-471-53621-0
     Includes variants on games from chess to Monopoly, plus ideas for
     creating your own variants.  (Which, in turn, can provide ideas for
     original games).

     
     Wargame Design
     by Strategy & Tactics Magazine
     pub. by SPI
     ISBN 0-917852-01-X
     
     
     How to Sell Your Game Design
     by Lou Zocchi
     pub. by Gamescience
     GS 10404
     
     
     Note that these references have been garnered from the net, and I
     make no guarantee as to their accuracy.

    6. Where can I find info about games on the net? 
       
     For computer games, the best site that I currently know of is the
     Games Domain site on the Web. There, you can find FAQ's for plenty
     of games, links to WWW sites for specific games, including ones run
     by the companies that put out the games, FTP links for games, a link
     to a list of RPG companies, and more. The address is:
     
     http://wcl-rs.bham.ac.uk/GamesDomain
     
     For RPG's, try woodelf's RPG site, at:
     http://dax.cs.wisc.edu/~woodelf/RPG
     
     If you're looking for other newsgroups, here's a few you can try:
     
        rec.games.programmer 
                The forum for talking about game programming on Usenet.
                Questions and discussions about implementing computer
                games should go there, instead of rec.games.design.
                
        comp.ai.games 
                A forum for the discussion of artificial intelligence in
                games.
                
        rec.games.frp.advocacy 
                Originally meant to hold flamewars about RPGs, this group
                has recently undergone an astonishing transformation.
                Now, most of the discussion is on the nature of RPGs,
                gamemastering RPGs, etc. Please note that this forum is
                about pencil-and-paper RPGs, not computer RPGs.

        rec.arts.int-fiction
                A newsgroup for discussing interactive fiction and
                associated tools; that is, text adventures such as
                the old Infocom games (though such games need not
                be text-only).

                The FAQ is available via FTP from

                ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/rec.arts.int-fiction/faq

                and via the web at
 
                http://speedracer.nmsu.edu/~jholder/
                
    7. What is the address of Company X? 
       
     Two lists of game company addresses are kept on Usenet, as far as I
     know; here's the info:
     
     The "Wargame Company E-mail Addresses" list is kept by
     jrboeke@uci.edu. It is generally posted once a month to
     rec.games.board and rec.games.design.
     
     Johnathan Sari (surge@buck.cqs.washington.edu> maintains a "Complete
     Role-Playing Game Companies List," with the snail mail, email, and
     fax/phone numbers of most RPG companies. This list is periodically
     posted to rec.games.frp.misc.

    8. I'm worried about protecting my ideas. How do I copyright my game?
              
     Well, I've got good news for you, and bad news. First the good:
     
     If you're in the US, England, any Western European Country, Canada,
     or Australia, anything you write is automatically considered to be
     copyrighted under the terms of the Berne convention that all these
     countries adhere to.
     
     Now, the bad news: a copyright does NOT protect your ideas. All a
     copyright does is protect the _expression_ of an idea. Thus, it's
     perfectly legal for someone to take all the rules of, say, Advanced
     Dungeons & Dragons, paraphrase them, and eliminate references to
     Dungeon Master and a few other terms TSR has trademarked, and sell
     the resulting product.
     
     That said, including a copyright notice in your work does give you
     one benefit: it makes it easier to collect damages if someone does
     copy your material. If there is no copyright notice, the copier can
     claim "innocent infringement" (that is, "I didn't know I couldn't
     copy it") and get off with a slap on the wrist. In addition, you may
     want to look into registering your copyright. In the US, at least,
     this provides definite proof that you wrote your material first, and
     allows you to collect money from copiers beyond simple damages.
     
     To protect the ideas of a game, a patent would be necessary. In
     general, though, it's probably not worth the effort. To qualify for
     a patent, a game must include physical components beyond simple
     board, dice, and rules, so that it can qualify as a "machine." Thus,
     most games won't be eligible. In addition, obtaining a patent is a
     long and complicated process which will almost certainly require you
     to hire a patent attorney, pay his/her large fees, and pay a large
     (and nonrefundable!) amount of money for a patent application.
     
     In my opinion, though, you needn't worry about protecting your
     ideas. Chances are that if you've thought of it, someone else has as
     well. Thus, refusing to discuss aspects of your game in order to
     protect your ideas isn't likely to keep anyone else from using that
     idea, and will prevent you from getting feedback which might help
     you improve the idea.
     
     (A bit from my own experience: a few years ago, I came up with an
     idea for a die-rolling method for an RPG which I had never seen
     before and which greatly simplified the system I was making. Since
     then, I've encountered at least three systems which also use the
     same method, none of whose authors could possibly have seen my
     work.)
     
     In general, games do not succeed because of any single "neat idea;"
     in fact, innovative games are less likely to succeed because most
     people do not want to learn large amounts of unfamiliar material.
     
     For more information, I recommend Terry Carrol's Copyright Law FAQ,
     which can be found on the FAQ list at Ohio State:
     
     http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet 
     
     or, if you're viewing this via the WWW, you can use the direct
     reference here.

    9. Do you have any advice for a beginning game designer? 
       
     Sure. Here's my version of the 10 commandments:
     
     1. WRITE GAMES YOU LIKE.
            
     Never put something in a game or take something out just on someone
     else's say-so. If you and your friends like it, chances are somebody
     else will too.
     
     In the same vein, don't write a game on subject X just because it's
     the current "hot topic." Write games on the things YOU like and
     hopefully your enthusiasm will come through.

     2. EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER.
            
     The best way to learn game design is to read a lot of games, play a
     lot of games, analyze those games, and design your own games or game
     extensions. Since my main experience is with RPG's, my examples will
     come from them, but the idea is applicable to all kinds of games.
     
     I've read tons of RPG's: somewhere over 50 last time I bothered to
     count. I've played most of these, and GM'ed over 30. In addition to
     playing and gamemastering, though, I also analyze games. What makes
     this game good? What's bad about it? How would I modify it to make
     it do this instead? What areas does it represent well? What areas
     does it represent poorly? Why?
     
     Having played and analyzed other games, I use this knowledge to help
     with my own games. For example, both Champions and DC Heroes had
     good results using an exponential attribute scale for superhero
     gaming. Thus, if I were going to design a superhero game, I would
     know that an exponential scale can work very well. This kind of
     analysis gives you a bank of "proven" concepts to work with.
    
     3. TEST, TEST, AND TEST SOME MORE.
            
     Playtest your games. Play them as much as possible; get other people
     to play them, preferably without you around, and talk to them
     afterwards. (Having other people play the game without your presence
     is called blind-testing, BTW.)
     
     In addition, think about your rules. Consider hypothetical
     situations and work out the probabilities involved. For example, if
     you're making an RPG, try figuring out the percent chance an average
     person has of hitting a man-sized target with a bow at a range of 1
     meter, 5 meters, 10 meters, 50 meters, and 100 meters. For a WWII
     game, examine your CRT and figure out the probability that a small
     infantry unit will damage a tank unit. Repeat the calculations under
     different conditions; different terrain, at night, etc. This will
     help you find places where you've made a mistake in your math or
     made a bad assumption.
    
     4. LEARN YOUR BACKGROUND.
            
     If you want to write a medieval fantasy game, read medieval
     literature and history. Read books about magic. Read existing
     medieval fantasy games. Similarly for any other type of game; if
     you're making a game set in the Vietnam war, read official histories
     of the war, unofficial histories, and especially analyses of
     strategy and tactics.
     
     All this background is useful in several ways: for one thing, it
     will help you in creating realistic rules. For another, it lessens
     the chance that you will make a major mistake in terminology or
     background. And, of course, the material is often interesting in
     itself. If you're not interested in learning about X, why are you
     writing a game about it anyways?
    
     5. FORMAL EDUCATION.
            
     Take a class in introductory probability and statistics. Try reading
     some on the mathematical theory of games; you probably won't find it
     useful, but it does provide some perspective. Polish your English
     (or whatever language you plan to publish your game in); games are
     much easier to learn when they're well-written, or at least don't
     have a lot of grammatical errors.
     
     If you want to do computer games and haven't already taken any
     programming classes, take a few. You may not learn anything about
     how to program, but a good class will teach you some things about
     how to organize a program to make maintenance and bug-finding
     easier.
     
     While you're at it, build up a "reference library." This is a set of
     games and books on whatever subject you're making your game on. This
     will help immensely when inspiration strikes at 3 AM and the library
     is closed.
    
     6. TAKE TIME OFF.
            
     A game is like a child; when it's first born, it's parents think
     it's perfect. Take some time away from your game to keep from
     getting burnt out and to get a fresh perspective on it. Repeat this
     from time to time.
    
     7. KEEP RECORDS.
            
     Make sure you have more than one copy of your game. If you're typing
     the rules on a computer, keep one copy on the hard drive, one on a
     floppy, and a printout of a fairly recent version (say, print it out
     once a month, or once a week if you're working really fast). You can
     never have too many copies, since if it's any good, friends will
     want copies to borrow/keep, and having all these copies will greatly
     reduce the chance of losing it all to a hard drive crash/lost
     notebook/whatever.
     
     In the same vein, keep copies of older versions as well. You may
     find in playtesting that your new idea isn't as good as the old one
     was, and what are you going to do now if you've trashed the old
     copy? Keep at least one copy of the last version around, in addition
     to the copies of the current version.
    
     8. DON'T FORGET THE INCIDENTALS.
            
     Great rules and writing are nice, but a good visual presentation
     will do wonders for your sales. If you're doing it yourself, learn
     something about desktop publishing, and either find some ready-made
     illustrations (for example, in the Dover clip art stuff or US
     government publications) or find someone to draw a few illustrations
     for you.
     
     Find a printer and talk to him/her; discuss ways to do what you want
     as inexpensively as possible. A lower price will help sales some,
     and lower expenses will help your profits.
   
     9. REMEMBER, IT'S ONLY A GAME.
            
     Don't ignore real life to work on your game. If someone doesn't like
     your game, don't take it personally. Don't get worried about people
     stealing your ideas. Remember rule #1 and have fun with what you're
     doing.
    
    10. THERE IS NO NUMBER 10. :-)
            
     
     
     And, here's some extra advice from Tom Lehmann, president of Prism
     Games (thanks Tom!):
     
         1. Incremental innovation often works best. If everything in
            your game is familiar, it will feel stale. If everything is
            very different, it may feel strange. A single clever twist on
            a familar theme is good but may result in your game being
            viewed as a "variant"; TWO clever twists on familiar ideas
            makes a game feel fresh while still easily accessible. So
            don't try to re-invent the wheel. Instead, try to present
            existing ideas cleanly and simply while extending a few key
            concepts in new and interesting directions.
            
         2. Revise and Polish your game ideas. Testing serves not only to
            clean up bugs in the game system and rules presentation but
            also as the forum in which the game designer may discover the
            game that he or she *really* wanted to put forth, as opposed
            to the one they actually have put together. If you leave
            testing to the end, this discovery may not do you any good.
            If you test early and often with an eye towards trying to
            figure out just what the game really is about, you can often
            improve a game considerably.
            
     
     
     "Alpha" testing can be viewed as asking the questions: "Is there a
     game here?" and "Have I found it yet?" "Beta" testing can be viewed
     as asking the questions: "Is this the best way to achieve this
     effect?", "Is this game mechanic essential -- or can it be
     simplified or eliminated?" and "Are all the major game systems
     working together to impart the game experience I want?" "Gamma"
     testing asks the question: "How can I improve game balance and
     presentation?" Too many designers stop after Alpha (producing an
     intriguing but shoddy game) or go from Alpha to Gamma, skipping Beta
     (producing games that are ok but not great). Often it is neccessary
     to go beyond your immediate friends / local gaming group early on to
     get enough critical analysis for you to figure out what needs to be
     done to improve an already pretty good game.
     
     And some more from me:
     
     I've never had clear-cut "stages" of game testing when I made games;
     instead, I tend to do a bit of each at every stage. I rework some
     systems, toss out some and replace them, and improve the balance and
     presentation of others, all more or less simultaneously. Part of
     this comes from the type of the main game that I'm working on...
     when doing a universal RPG, you have to work on a piece at a time.
     
     The key, though, is to find whatever works best for you. Try it
     different ways until you find one that's comfortable, then stick
     with that.

   10. Are there any magazines on game design? 
     
     There are two that people have informed me of... please let me know
     if you know of any others!
     
     INTERACTIVE FANTASY (IF)
     A magazine of games design, theory and criticism
     Published three times a year
     Price: $7.95
     Available from specialist games stores, or direct from the
     publisher.
     
     Published in paperback-book format, IF discusses the issues and
     meta-issues of games design, focussing primarily on RPGs. Writers
     include big names such as Greg Costikyan and Jonathan Tweet, and
     each issue from #4 onwards has a section devoted entirely to design
     matters. Back-issues available.
     
     Email if@hogshead.demon.co.uk for more information
     
     INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN
     Published by computer-games guru Chris Crawford, who also supplies
     90% of its contents, IED deals with the abstract side of games
     design and development, from issues of interactivity to implementing
     good story-telling techniques. Issues are slim (typically 16 pages),
     but extremely thought-provoking: few people in the industry have a
     better handle on what makes a good game good than Chris, and IED is
     a friendly, approachable and very readable explanation of his
     thoughts and theories.
     
     IED is published six times a year. Subscriptions are $36 within the
     US or $50 outside. More information can be obtained from:
     
     Interactive Entertainment Design, 5251 Sierra Road, San Jose, CA
     95132, USA or by email from: ChrisCr@aol.com
     
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Section 2 -- RPG design

    1. What is net.rpg's current status? [use net.rpg: in headers] 
       
     Net.rpg is basically dead. A net.rpg FAQ is kept by Magnus; it
     contains a summary of some of the discussion that took place about
     net.rpg. (Magnus can be reached at magnus@ii.uib.no)

    2. What is net.rpg, for that matter? 
       
     Net.rpg isn't really anything yet. The idea is to try to hammer out
     a free role-playing game using the gathered game design talent here
     on the net.
     
     There was a large amount of discussion at first, but almost no one
     could agree with anyone else on what net.rpg should be like. Thus,
     after some time, the discussion died down. The general consensus now
     seems to be that net.rpg is an impossible dream; you're never going
     to get that many game designers to agree on anything, unless you use
     some type of committee approach ... and we all know how good things
     designed by committee usually are!
     
     However, the net.rpg discussion did generate a fair amount of good
     ideas.

    3. What is FUDGE? [use FUDGE: in headers] 
       
     FUDGE is one of the products of the net.rpg discussion; not THE
     net.rpg, but a net.rpg. FUDGE stands for Freeform Universal Donated
     Gaming Engine. It's author is Steffan O'Sullivan, who semi-regularly
     posts a FUDGE FAQ. (sos@oz.plymouth.edu)
     
     FUDGE is available from Grey Ghost Games and via FTP from
     ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in /pub/fudge.
     
     Grey Ghost Games can be reached via snail mail at:
     
     P.O. Box 838 Randolph, MA 02368-0838
     
     or via e-mail at
     
     ghostgames@aol.com

    4. I'm trying to design an RPG. What advice do you have? 

         1. Don't think you're going to make money. Chances are you
            won't.
            
         2. Don't think you're going to sell it to any established RPG
            company; most of them don't want to dilute the market even
            further by releasing yet another game.
            
         3. If you are trying to create a game for sale, don't make it
            too much like any established system... there are already far
            too may AD&D look-alikes out there. Try to come up with
            something different.
            
         4. Do make something *you* like... chances are that if you like
            it, someone else will too. However, if you try to listen to
            the "experts" and follow their advice about how realistic the
            game should be, how long combat should take, etc. and end up
            with a game you don't like a lot, chances are no else will
            like it too much either. Besides, if you're going to spend
            months or years writing something, shouldn't you have fun
            doing it?
     
     So, what does that leave? Well, if you're doing it for your own use,
     or your friend's use, go right ahead. If you're trying to break into
     the RPG business, you'd probably do best writing articles for RPG
     magazines and sending them in to them. The industry is pretty
     close-knit, and word does get around about who does good work (and
     does it on time!).

    5. What is DragonNet? Where can I find out about it? 
       
     DragonNet is an RPG currently being developed on the net. Instead of
     trying an "open table" method, like net.rpg, the organizers have
     decided to use mailing lists and require people to ask to join up.
     They have produced an alpha version of the game, which is available
     from Games-request@monosys.com (see the next question).

    6. Where can I find RPGs on the net? 
       
     A mail server exists which has most of the rpgs available on the
     net. You can get information on how to use it, and a list of the
     games and supplements available from it, by sending email to
     Games-request@monosys.com with the subject "help". (Without the
     quotes, of course.)
     
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Section 3 -- Computer Games

    1. What is FRUA? [use FRUA: in headers] 
       
     FRUA is short for Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures, a program
     from SSI for creating computer adventures like their AD&D series.
     FRUA is not shareware or freeware; you should be able to order it
     from just about any software store. There is a mailing list devoted
     to FRUA (address?).

    2. What's the best language to write a game in? 
       
     That's a complicated question. It depends on several things: your
     knowledge of computer languages, what kind of game you're writing,
     what computer you're writing it for, and what tools you have access
     to.
     
     My first advice would be to program it in a language you are
     familiar with, and the more the better. There's nothing worse than
     spending most of your time looking in manuals instead of writing
     code. Second, go with something widely used (e.g., C). The more
     widely used your language is, the better the chance is that you'll
     be able to find someone who can help you if you need it.
     
     With the preceding in mind, if you're writing a game for PC, Unix,
     or Macintosh platforms, I'd recommend C. It's a powerful language,
     good implementations exist for all three of these platforms, and
     there are large numbers of C programmers out there who can help you.

    3. How do I... ? 
       
     This really isn't a very good group in which to ask specific
     questions about how to do something in a computer game. You'll be
     much more likely to get help by posting such questions in
     rec.games.programmer.
     
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Section 4 -- Wargames and Boardgames

    1. I'd like to get a wargame published. What should I do? 
       
     Here's some advice from Kerry Anderson, quoted with his permission.
     
     ---- QUOTED TEXT BEGINS ----
     
     From: kanderso@nofc.forestry.ca (Kerry Anderson)
     
     I've published three games through other companies. These are
     MARINE:2002 (Yaquinto,1980), MOONBASE CLAVIUS (Taskforce, 1982), and
     CLASH OF EMPIRES (Wargamer issue 58?). It's not easy and you're at
     the mercy of the company if they decide to publish.
     
     The first step is to write the best letter you can to these
     companies, giving the impression you know what you know what you're
     doing and that the game suits their line and that it will be a hot
     seller. Expect to get no answer from some, "thanks but no thanks"
     from most, and "yes, send us a copy to evaluate" from a few.
     
     If you get the chance to send in the game, put every effort into
     producing a polished, final copy. Give them the feeling that you are
     a professional and that you know what you are doing. Put great
     effort into the graphic quality of the game to catch their eye.
     Write and edit the rules to death and print up the final product on
     a laser printer. You must make the game as appealing as you can. If
     the game is poorly put together, they might not want to bother
     trying to figure it out and reject it immediately.
     
     If the game is accepted, expect the worst in the final product. Let
     me describe my experiences:
     
     MARINE:2002 was my first game and admittedly was poorly put
     together. They accepted it, but changed it inside and out. I got
     bumped from "game designer" to "game concept". Admittedly, it was a
     slick product when they finished it but it doesn't always turn out
     that way.
     
     MOONBASE:CLAVIUS was a polished game. I got someone to edit and type
     the rules. I sent it to Avalon Hill (who, by the way, rarely look at
     unknown designers) and it was rejected. I sent it to Taskforce who
     immediately accepted it. After about a year, they put it into one of
     their pocket games and decided to throw in a few changes like
     reversing the sequence of play to fight-move. It destroyed the game
     but what could I do now?
     
     AUGUST 1914 was left virtually intact. They even used my rules for
     the final text (with a couple of small changes). Regrettably, The
     map was abysmal and the counters hard to read. It drifted off into
     obscurity.
     
     As you can see, trying to sell games to other companies can be
     disheartening. Expect a lot of rejection. While I do have three
     games published, I've had several of my games rejected, such as VIMY
     RIDGE (for being too realistic) and THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON (for
     not being apocalyptic enough) by XTR - both game prototypes UNPLAYED
     (am I bitter?). You may be better off trying to do it yourself. This
     is something I'm seriously thinking about now.
     
     Kerry Anderson
     
     ---- QUOTED TEXT ENDS ----

    2. FTP-able boardgames, cardgames, etc. 
       
     There are a few boardgames available by FTP. Among them are:
     
     BARNARD'S STAR, by Kerry Anderson
     
     Available from sunbane.engrg.uwo.ca as /pub/postscript/bseps.zip.
     This is a pkzipped set of EPS files which contain all the components
     of the game. To use it, you'll need something which can unzip files
     and a postscript printer.
     
     BARNARD'S STAR is a science fiction game on an attack on an outpost
     on a moon in the Barnard's Star system. Units are company sized and
     the scale is 100 km per hex and 10 hours per turn. The game contains
     lots of neat SF chrome including bombardment from space, planetary
     defenses, jump troops, teleporation, etc.
     
     BONE GAMES
     
     Bone Games is a group which creates free games and distributes them
     on the net. Their games are available via FTP from ftp.cdrom.com, in
     the directory /pub/misc/bg; there are several games there,
     including:
     
     Barons of Fyn - a card game Laplace, Newton, and Lagrange - a
     spaceship combat game Sovereign Seas Lite - a naval combat game The
     Way - a strategy-type card game
     
     The games are available in postscript and Adobe Acrobat formats and
     are zipped. Acrobat readers for Windows and Macintosh are in the
     directory as well.
-- 
       |\      _,,,---,,_        Travis S. Casey  <casey@cs.fsu.edu>
 ZZzz  /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_     System Manager, FSU CS department
      |,4-  ) )-,_..;\ (  `'-'   (904) 644-4290; Room 101C Carothers
     '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)       No one agrees with me.  Not even me.
  rec.games.design FAQ: http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~casey/design.html
