[#012] Hobson's Choice, types of responses, pitching correctly, and more

Welcome to your weekly dose of board game design!

Last week was a week of side quests - from having a crazy dream about a game design to working with a new client to picking up a color laser printer (!), I didn't get as much done on my usual projects as I would've liked. Will get back on track this week, though.

Something I learned about game design this week

The term Hobson's Choice was new to me (until recently), but you may be more familiar with Henry Ford's quote: "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants, so long as it is black." Hobson's Choice is the earlier version of that, and comes from a 16th century gentlemen that owned a stable of horse. The legend holds that he only rented out the horse closest to the door instead of letting the best horses always get chosen (and thus overused).

In other words, a thing presented as a 'choice' that only offers one course of action isn't really a choice. In the real world, doing nothing is sometimes an option, but it's almost never the fun option in a game. What makes a choice interesting is a valid reason to select any or all of the options the game offers you.

This week's tip

I'd like to thank Robert R. for inspiring this week's tip, who asked how I got started pitching games.

I'd love to attribute consistent hard work and persistence, but also just showing up and doing the work is incredibly important. I've heard a lot of 'no's' over the years, and it helps to let those roll off your back. Those 'no's' often have a reason, and it's important to listen to why they're saying no. There are a few types of 'no's':

• It's not a fit for us / our current direction / our future direction - translation: it's not your game that's the issue. This is a good time to ask what they're looking for. My go-to question: 'in the interest of pitching you better, what are you looking for these days?'.

• We're working on something like it - translation: it's not your game that's the issue. My go-to question worth asking: 'how might this fit as a follow-up or successor to that game?'

• We already have something like this... - translation: it's not your game that's the issue (your research might have missed something, or they may be mistaken about the similarities. Worth asking: 'cool - which parts are similar?'

• It feels like it's missing [insert something specific]... - translation: you're about to give you some free insider advice, so WRITE IT DOWN.

• This would be difficult / expensive to manufacture... - translation: you're about to give you some free insider advice, so WRITE IT DOWN. Publishers have different tolerances for manufacturing bespoke pieces, and some are aiming to remove as much plastic from their games as they can. If they only make games with cards or boards, pitching them a game with a ton of custom-made plastic pieces is unlikely to be a fit. Make a point to stop by and chat up some of the staff at a manufacturer (Panda, Eastar, Gameland, and Boda are several that frequent some cons) to sanity test some of your designs.

• It won't fit our box / retail price point - translation: it's not your game that's the issue. For some publishers, this sort of thing is part of their branding, and it's easier to make on their end because they already have a template for it. My go-to question: 'what box sizes or retail price points are you looking for?'

• Our pipeline is full - translation: it's not your game that's the issue. My go-to response: 'oooh, nice, congrats! What can you share about what's coming out?'. They'll probably be a bit cagey about unannounced games with someone they don't know well, but it's a hint. Keep your eyes out for their announcements, follow them on social media, and/or volunteer to help out at a con. The goal is to stay in the loop

To be sure, I've heard 'no's' that were more focused on the game. One recent 'no' wanted the game to be 'more fun' and 'less serious', which I'll accept as the free insider advice that it is. This will be a question I'll put to playtesters: how can I make this game 'more fun' and/or 'less serious'?

In literally hundreds of pitches, I've literally NEVER heard a publisher say anything like 'your game is terrible'. You'll also notice that most of the 'no's' below have nothing to do with your game. Also, advice of this type comes from people that want to see it improve and succeed.

I think that much of my success comes from coming correct and doing my research. What you see in the Tabletop Publishers' Dossier is the result of several hundred hours of research, and naturally doesn't include publishers not looking for games (which was time spent without a 'result' I can use in the Dossier - it's still important to make it as complete as possible, of course).

In short:

• Research, research, research. Did I mention research? =) It won't ever be complete (websites and social media can't reflect the future), but you can know by looking at their offerings whether your game might cannibalize or fit alongside their existing titles.

• Have everything ready to show - a sell sheet, a description, video, and a TTS or online way to play are all necessary. At a con, emphasize you have a physical prototype ready to offer, a print-and-play if they prefer, and so on.

• Understand the publisher's perspective - What matters to them is the product they would have to turn around and sell to the gamers. They have to think in dollars / pounds / euros and cents, whether it fits their brand, and all the business stuff you'd have to decide for yourself if you self-published the game.

• Practice your pitch - Know your hook and what makes your game unique. This is one of those things they'll have to know to turn around and sell to the gamers.

• Be patient - very few games are signed immediately after pitched. The person you pitched usually takes it to a team or their partners, compares it to the other pitches they've received, and then chooses the ones they want to move forward on. It's fair to reach out a month or two after pitching to see if there are thoughts.

What I’ve been working on last week

• Brainstorming work for a client's game design

• Playtesting Smite and Shell Company

• Picking up a color laser printer (I love my inkjet printer too!)

• Collecting notes about a game after having a dream about a super-large escape-room-meets-megagame-meets-LARP sort of thing...

• Updating Tabletop Publishers

What's coming up this week

• Updating Tabletop Publishers (this is going to be on here for a few weeks - it's a big list and I'm checking literally everyone on it)

• Playtest Smite and Shell Company

• Gear up for Airecon (which really just means figure out which games to play!)

• Continue to collect notes and chat with people about that escape-room-megagame sort of thing

Random picture of the week

Maybe not everyone's idea of fun, but a great design prompt. Start with a phrase you've heard people say / use a lot. Imagine that phrase is the title (and for the sake of argument, pretend it's never been used as a game title before). How does that phrase inform the game play? In this case you are the bull knocking over china... but could you also be the china cups trying to escape the bulls... or the store owner trying to distract the bulls?

Thanks for reading!

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Thanks for reading, and see you next week!