Got a game . . . next step?

[Cthonic Echo]

I've been working on a tabletop tactics/strategy game on and off for a couple of years now, and am finally drawing near to the point where I'm looking at publication - not at Steve Jackson games, but in general. So . . . I'm wondering if anyone here can point me in a direction that would get a few questions I've got answered. Are there any links out there for authors that give a walkthrough of the process? My Writer's Market was woefully silent on a number of things . . . i.e. . . .

What's the going rate for a game, anyway?
What rights are negotiable, what rights do publishers particularly want, what don't they have any business having, and what rights should a writer keep a death-grip on?
What sort of advance is reasonable?
Is it possible to license a game for publication, while keeping control of the copyright/characters/distinctive look-and-feel of the product?
How much interest should a writer keep in how the printed project looks?

Now . . . the dark twist that makes this interesting . . . I have a co-conspirator who has been talking to a few friends who are trying to start up a game-publishing company. What sort of pitfalls should I look out for here, considering that they probably are somewhat inexperienced as well, in order that I not get screwed out of years of arduous toil? I'm interested in how to get the best, most reasonable terms, while maintaining ownership on the offchance that the friends of my friend horribly botch the job.

The product is fairly sophisticated, the rules being on their fifth revision, simple enough that someone can go in cold with a few starter pages, learn the game, play it for eight hours straight, and then go through withdrawal symptoms if play is withheld for a significant amount of time afterwards. So . . . it's a good game.

Anyone know where I can go to find what I need to make the most of it?

[Kyle Miller]

Depending on what sort of investment you've made in this, and plan to make in this, you may do well to seek out an attorney to help you with contracts and stuff. When entering into a business venture of any sort, you want to have things in writing.

Out in the real world, folks who come up with games are called inventors. Use that term in your searches and you might have some better results.

When marketing your product, you have to realize that while you might think your game is the greatest thing around, others might need a bit of convincing. After all, if they're expected to put down large sums of money for printing, assembling, manufacture of pieces, etc. they'll expect a certain amount of return on their investment. Otherwise, it's just not going to be worth it. It's your job to convince them that the product is going to be successful and to do that, you'll have to present hard data on who is expected to buy the product and (more importantly) why they'll want to buy your particular product, especially if it's being sold at XX amount of dollars.

[LKW]

Even if you don't use a lawyer (and I suggest that you at least consult one), get a contract or a letter or agreement in writing. I occasionally work on a handshake with some people, but only one's I have dealt with before. A handshake and a verbal agreement are fine and dandy if you trust the people you are dealing with, but what if the people you trust sell the company to someone you don't trust? SJ Games (for example) prefers to work with written contracts, even with people like me who have known Steve for nearly 25 years, because either one of us could (heaven forbid) suddenly leave the picture. Get it in writing.

Without knowing more about your game, I can't advise about patenting the mechanics or filing for a registered trademark for the title or any of the myriad other details.

As for how much money to ask for, this is negotiable (pretty much everything is negotiable). Be advised that what you think is a fair return for your time and creativity is not always what other people will think it is, and others may not recognize your work for the true genius you think it is.

As for rights: You can sell everything outright, or you can sell parts of it and retain other bits, or you can license a company to produce a game for a while, paying you a fee of some sort. Be specific what you are selling, and be specific that anything not mentioned remains yours. Also spell out what happens to the property if the publisher decides not to print it any more, or if they go out of business -- you might want the property to revert to you.

I hope this helps, even though I haven't given you the kind of specific numbers you seem to want.