Game Submission

So you think you have created the ultimate game, with a completely new mechanism and gameplay?

The first thing to do is make sure you know what's out there... All the worst games we receive tend to have one thing in common. The designer thinks that the ultimate in game design is Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit or something similar. We strongly recommend that if you haven't played at least three of the following, then you do so before you consider submitting a new game to us:

• Agricola
• Caylus
• Dominion
• Imperial
• Power Grid
• Puerto Rico
• Settlers of Catan
• Ticket to Ride
• Anything by JKLM Games

If you've played some of the above, and you still think you're game is worth us looking at, then we'd love to see it.

What to do:

Firstly, send us a message through the Contact Form, and tell us a little about your game.

We'll usually reply fairly quickly, and ask for a copy of the rulebook by e-mail. So please make sure that you have a copy of the rulebook that is in electronic form, and in English! If you can provide a couple of pictures of the game in play, that will also help.

If we like what we see, then we will ask you to send us a prototype that is:

• in a playable state
• with a complete rulebook
• preferably in English
• make sure the contents of the box matches the contents list in the rulebook (It’s remarkable how many people fail on this aspect!)
• make it easy to identify the items in the contents list, e.g. rather than "6 player markers", write "6 player markers (15mm wooden disks in the player colours)".

We highly recommend getting at least one group to learn the game from the rules before you send it to us, just to check that the rules are complete.

Include your name, postal address and e-mail address in the box

We also recommend using lightweight components to keep the cost of posting the prototype down - especially if you're sending it airmail.

What we will do:

We evaluate the game, playtest it, playtest it some more, and then we let you know what we think of it. We can’t put a date to it, because as you probably know, you are not the only one providing us with a prototype! But in general, the longer we take, the better the news is likely to be!

The most common reasons we turn games down are:

• We can't follow the rules. There are a number of common reasons for this:
  • We are unable to match the contents list with the contents of the game.
  • We are unable to follow the rules as written.
  • The rules are for a different version of the game to the components!
  As we said above, we highly recommend getting at least one group to learn the game from the rules before you send it to us.
• The game is complicated, but luck-oriented. If a game is simple and luck oriented, then it has potential as a high street game. If the game is strategic, then it has potential as a gamers game. But a lot of games we receive fall between these two markets, and as such, are not suitable for either.
• We will never turn a game down because of the production quality or artwork quality of the prototype, provided the game is playable.

If we do turn your game down, then we will return the prototype to you.

And remember, this could be the biggest sale of your game that you ever make. So it's worth putting the effort in to get it right.