What Board Game Publishers Want

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0:38 - 1. A “hook” to grab customers’ attention in seconds:
1:22 - 2. A game that will create special moments for players
2:20 - 3. A game that has been thoroughly playtested
3:31 - 4. A game that doesn’t have too many expensive components
4:19 - 5. A game for their line up in 1-3 years (usually)
4:57 - 6. An “evergreen” game
5:25 - 7. No overdone themes or mechanics
6:29 - 8. INNOVATION!
Theme music outro by / @huddy_t
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[@Ggdivhjkjl]

A game where people judge whose food is best sounds like a show from the olden days when people watched television.

[@Monkeyman3251]

I feel so validated hearing that publishers care about the moments in games!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes, it’s all about those special moments! :)

[@ludwigmises]

I’m working on a design based on a Native American legend I totally stumbled across: I like animal-themed games and also games with colors that pop. I was mulling this over and into my head popped “Rainbow Crow.” I googled it and found a legend from the Lenape Tribe. There was even a short animation on KZbin that played out the story, and I knew that it would be a wonderful theme. So I’ve been trying to translate it into a board game for a couple of years, setting it aside when I get stuck. Lots of fun. You never know where ideas will come from.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

You might like Cascadia, it has a bunch of animals and is pretty colourful! Best of luck with your designs 🙌

[@kosterix123]

Dorfromantic, Slay the spire, the old One Deck Dungeon, and the upcoming Dead Cells, and Morta, this and next years you'll see a lot of roguelite games. I don't really care what publishers want - ask yourself if you want to be in such an oversaturated market. But for those that want to regardless- this is a good video.

[@boardgamedesignsa]

Hey Pam. Your words ring so true and to be honest I think we all need to get our 1st few "NO's" from publishers. That fear of the 1st time pitching is the worst but after that, you start to find the groove and realize the publishers are people too. The 1st No is really a killer for some and that initial one is the one that hits right in the pain button. Thanks for sharing and getting into some more nitty gritty with us!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes! It’s absolutely true you need to get used to rejection in this industry. Most of my pitches get a No but I don’t let that stop me from learning from it and trying to come up with something better. Having a thick skin and bouncing back is a designer’s superpower 🦸‍♀️ Thanks for the comment and for watching 🙌

[@jasonlevine6286]

Excellent video, great points! About the hook, something I've been doing is starting with the hook and sell sheet first so that when I start making a game, I know right away whether it has something about it to make it stand out, and just as important, can I communicate that in a brief sentence. If there's no hook, or I can't communicate it succinctly, I'll set it aside. This helps me focus on the best ideas.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

That is an interesting approach! I agree it’s good to try to see the game from the publisher’s perspective, but sometimes the “hook” will develop through playtesting so just be careful to not archive a game too early. But I def agree it is good to think about whether or not your game has a hook early on in the playtesting process.

[@3MBG]

Points 7 and 8 apply to critics as well. The number of people who's games i decline because they are tired and boring looking themes and mechanics cannot be counted. As for the video, i think this is generally all excellent advice even if it hugely contradicts my personal experience pitching and signing games. But i understand my personal experience getting game signed is very unusual. Having the hook, the great moment and some innovation is real good. And being able to pitch the game well. I occasionally go to designer events and put my critic hat on. One question I've had to ask is "where is the fun?", its a little different to your special moment question, but it works on so many dry designs that seem perfectly functional as games, yet are utterly joyless.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks for the thoughtful comment! Yes it’s tough to quantify or define “fun” so that’s why I moved more towards “moments” since that’s usually when players were having the most fun/joy. And if we aren’t helping people experience fun and joy, then what’s the point?? Thanks for watching, I also really enjoy your videos and am subscribed 🙌

[@3MBG]

@@PamWallsGameDesign With my games coming out in the near future, im looking at pivoting to do some designer advice content. Yours is excellent, so if i end up riffing on your thoughts ill be sure to direct people to you.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

That would be great! Thanks 🙏 ☺️

[@jakobs5518]

Conclusion, making money :)

[@captainiceberg8637]

I love your videos, and on a sidenote, your eyes are so pretty, wowzer

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thank you, and thank you! I was born with em 😆 👀

[@n20games52]

Extremely helpful info. Yay!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for watching 🤗

[@crosscutgames]

Solid advice! The most important is: how does your game stand out and above? So difficult, but so important!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Yes there are so many games out there, you gotta stand out for sure! Thanks for watching 🙌

[@thegamebard]

This is awesome!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks for watching! 🙌

[@denisgiles]

Another quality video! Great insight.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks so much Denis! 🙏

[@joehout24]

This was so good. Thank you!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks for watching! 🙌

[@brandonbell3133]

Very informative

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks for watching! 🙌

[@ryanbanwart5547]

Thanks! Great info!

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks so much for watching! 🙌

[@herbertph8879]

Hello Pam, I'm new here on the channel and I really enjoyed the video. Thinking about Hook or what makes your game different from others is already a great direction for your own work.

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks for being here! Yes it’s good to try and think how the publishers think and see things from their perspective, and the “hook” is definitely top of their mind! 🙌

[@snowsamurai]

What games have you made ? Can we buy them ?

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Hi! I have three published games so far, Hold That Face, Act Fast and Blob Party (releasing at Gen Con 2023). The links are in the description. Thanks for watching!

[@Bonesandbanners]

Excellent video! ( The twitter link in your bio points to an invalid account. )

[@PamWallsGameDesign]

Thanks for watching! And the Twitter link works on my end (twitter.com/PamWGameDesign), what does the error message say for you?

[@FrankHolland-gh5wy]

Hey Pam, I'm frank holland I have 4 play perfected sports games all unique an novel ,filled with competition ,excitement .can u help .