How to respond to publishers when they ask for rules?

Question

I have a game in development, and I obviously think that it's good. It's fairly easy to play, but it's complex to balance. I have worked long and hard so far to make it almost ready for playtesting.

I have been promoting the game in adequate circles in hopes of getting publisher attention. And so I got, from a major one. All they asked is to send over the rules...

I'm not sure if I should. I don't want a game that is similar to mine popping in the future - I rather not lose this opportunity.

I have no experience, as this would be my first game I attempt to publish. What do you think? How should I approach my answer? I don't want to be disrespectful.

I thought along the lines of expressing how complex the mechanics are in the development background, show some screenshots, thank for the interest, explain how a game would look like to players (trying to think with the reader's mind), and ask for feedback.

Answer 1

Send the rules.

1. Fear of having your idea copied/stolen is a uniquely amateur mentality. Daniel Solis (designer) and Gil Hova (publisher who references other publishers) cover the topic well in their articles about this very topic. Additionally, there is this entry on BGG. They all conclude that you should not worry about someone stealing your idea.
2. The company asked for the rules. Do you suspect they won't act in good faith? If so, the rules issue is moot. Otherwise, please know that this is standard practice. Earlier this week, I made appointments with about 20 designers for Gencon - and declined several others - after looking at a combination of rules and sell sheets. Let the professionals see your game for what it is!

Answer 2

Search for a case where this happened. A lot of game designers have this fear and it seems totally unsupported. Publishers would kill themselves if they did it, because nobody would give their rules to a a company that stole rules once.

The board game scene is comparatively tiny and things like those will spread like wildfire.

Answer 3

I think Chaz 2.0's advice is quite sound, and this is only to supplement:

• Make sure that you're creation of the game is well documented

I go so far as to suggest formally copywriting the rules (costs about $30 and can be done electronically at Copyright.gov.)

I mention that not because it gives you any actual protection--copyright does not protect game mechanics, and the submission would only cover the "literary content" of the rule description or the "artistic content" of any images, but it could be used as leverage for a settlement if a company does decide to rip your idea without compensating you. (i.e. you don't mention the company expressing interest, so we can't judge if they are a reputable firm.)

If you feel you have novel game mechanics (i.e. the game is more than just a recombination of existing mechanics) you may want to explore a provisional patent. These can be filed inexpensively, and give you a year of protection, even when you disclose. However, if you have publicly disclosed more than 1 year prior, the intellectual property is in the public domain, and no longer patent eligible. (This is for the US--patent rules differ by region.)

Also be advised that a large company may already have similar games in the pipeline, or in a file cabinet, so there is the possibility you could be turned down and still see a similar game in future which was not based on your game.

• Pursue crowdfunding as an alternative

It's always good to have a backup plan in case the publishers pass! Crowdfunding has been quite successful for indie board and card games.