First off, thanks for the tips. I wouldn't mind having Django/Bottle/Flask support as I do write python code. I assume that if a basic HTML service becomes obsolete for me, changing DNS to point at new service is relatively quick?
Heh. I didn't expect I'd get questions in this thread. :)
My biggest advice is not surprisingly, make games and more importantly PLAY those games. Play them a lot with many different groups. Give your games to people you don't know and let them try to figure it out from your rules.
There is no substitute for failure here. Success at designing games only comes after many failures. I've designed about 40 in 10 (or so) years and I'm only actively trying to sell 4 of those. The others? There's good ideas in there, but they would all need a serious revisions as they are either broken, or just not fun to play.
If other people can't understand the rules, figure out how to write technical manuals, or find someone else to do it for you. When you are licensing a game, the publisher is buying your rules. If the rules are not written well, they will get passed on.
I broke in by sending intro letters to publishers. I've been sending them for about 6 years. I researched publishers on boardgamegeek.com first to find companies that print similar products. After I targeted four or five companies, I sent introduction letters. This is the board game equivalent of a pitch. Be polite. Show excitement. Be short. If they like it, they'll ask for more. If not, move on.
Make sure you have a professional, presentable prototype!
If a publisher asks to see the game, send your prototype and forget about it. The publisher that is producing my game took two and a half years to accept it. That's fairly normal in the industry. Publication schedules are years in advance. Unless you have a name behind you, or your game jumps on a new hot theme, you aren't going to be rushed to the front of the line. It's okay to email them every 6 months or so, but don't be a nuisance.
And finally, like everything else: network, network, network. Go to conventions and shake hands. Go straight to the publisher and shake hands. Get involved with design discussions on boardgamegeek.
Heh. I didn't expect I'd get questions in this thread. :)
My biggest advice is not surprisingly, make games and more importantly PLAY those games. Play them a lot with many different groups. Give your games to people you don't know and let them try to figure it out from your rules.
There is no substitute for failure here. Success at designing games only comes after many failures. I've designed about 40 in 10 (or so) years and I'm only actively trying to sell 4 of those. The others? There's good ideas in there, but they would all need a serious revisions as they are either broken, or just not fun to play.
If other people can't understand the rules, figure out how to write technical manuals, or find someone else to do it for you. When you are licensing a game, the publisher is buying your rules. If the rules are not written well, they will get passed on.
I broke in by sending intro letters to publishers. I've been sending them for about 6 years. I researched publishers on boardgamegeek.com first to find companies that print similar products. After I targeted four or five companies, I sent introduction letters. This is the board game equivalent of a pitch. Be polite. Show excitement. Be short. If they like it, they'll ask for more. If not, move on.
Make sure you have a professional, presentable prototype!
If a publisher asks to see the game, send your prototype and forget about it. The publisher that is producing my game took two and a half years to accept it. That's fairly normal in the industry. Publication schedules are years in advance. Unless you have a name behind you, or your game jumps on a new hot theme, you aren't going to be rushed to the front of the line. It's okay to email them every 6 months or so, but don't be a nuisance.
And finally, like everything else: network, network, network. Go to conventions and shake hands. Go straight to the publisher and shake hands. Get involved with design discussions on boardgamegeek.