Concerning sharing our game ideas or a full (unpublished) game. (this may come up alor but i found no sticky)
I would really like to have the confidence to discuss openly with other developers. But i don't think i am confident enough for complete openness (like opening a game as PnP for everyone).
Yes, i know, i read many threads about how the developers shouldn't need to worry about having their game stolen. Still, one thing i know about the Internet is that people usually regard everything they find on it as Public Domain...
Imagine the Rondel. The Rondel is a pretty original and specific new game mechanic. Mac Gerdts invented that mechanic and developed what has became known as the Rondel series. I don't think no one is making Rondel games, i think that anyone who tries to make a Rondel game beyond Mac Gerdts has good chances of being acused of lameness (or maybe even of copying).
Now, i wonder, if he had shared the rondel mechanic in the Internet. How easy would it be for someone to look at the mechanic, not copy it, forget it, and one day come up with an «original» game mechanic? Maybe even publish a Rondel game before Mac Gerdts published it's first one.
But, now, imagine Richard Borg and it's Commands & Colours system (and game series). Even though it is a unique new mechanic (i think), it isn't all that different from the most common game mechanics around at the time. How easily would it pass someone using that new idea? Decreasing the originality value of Richard Borg's games.
And now, even further, imagine a game that doesn't have any really original game mechanic: it is just a solid and good working set of already existing common mechanics (a game doesn't need original mechanics to be good). How easy it is to be influenced by that and try to copy parts (even if not everything) of the game that work really well?
And now, imagine Warhammer from Games Workshop, an already published and well established «board»-game. It was stol.. sorry, law says that Warcraft was "inspired" by Warhammer.
And now, imagine Warhammer 40K from Games Workshop, an already published and well established «board»-game. It was stole.. sorry, law says Starcraft was inspired by Warhammer 40K. So, the Terran are «only» inspired by the Space Marines, the Protoss are only inspired by the Eldar, the Zerg are only inspired by the Tyranids, so i can't say that starcraft is a rip-off of warhammer 40K!
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I was reading a blog (i think kind of a diary) about a board game designer. Like so often, also he talked about how silly developers looked when trying to protect their games with copyrights (which i understand because it is automatically «protected» at creation and either way it is still copyable) and silly when trying to protect them by not opening them to the public and, also, how he didn't knew of any case where board-game stealing had happened (well, i could point Warhammer 40K -> Starcraft).
But then, he talks about a game he wasn't able to publish because, after the game had been aproved for publishing, they learned about a game coming out almost exactly the same.
I read a few times about how people usually come up with the exact same/very similar ideas. I know it happens inocently (sometimes or even often). But how are people so sure it is always just a coincidence? I know of at least 2 instances where a board-game has been ripped-off.
Consider a very inocent happening: not copying intentionally but, unconciously copying some ideas because the memory stored something and that something comes up in someone's brain later on and that someone thinks (s)he came up with something original.
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I am ok with a game being inspired to some degree by another *already published* game (not like Warhammer 40K -> Starcraft), or using some similar mechanics to an *already published* game. Like using something kind of similar to the Rondel, now that Mac Gerdts established it's empire of Rondel series's games and benefits fully and rightfully from it's original idea and established empire.
But i fear someone benefiting from my hard work before i even publish one single game. As an unpublished and uncredited developer, i don't think i could even make anyone believe my work had been ripped-off... I also have fear of benefiting from someone else's work in that same manner, so much that i often (always?) don't read other's unpublished ideas or game rules.
I would like to feel at ease to be completely open about all of my game ideas (and even open my games as PnP) but i don't think i can reason any reasoning that allows me the confidence to do it.
Thanks for the answers.
As a note: i wasn't complaining about feeling forced to share ideas or game content, nor was i excusing myself for not doing so. I was considering the whole thing and trying to hear opinions about it.
I think it's about risk/reward
I am sure i will still keep at least moderate reservations but i think i will try to warm up a little to exposing my ideas and parts of my most advanced game. I'l see how it goes from there.