Not much Board Game Piracy

Yeah, it's weird in a way, as most rulebooks for boardgames are online somewhere, and most components can be replaced with bits of paper and a few dice. It's probably a combination of the reason you mentioned (effort) and the attraction of a properly-finished and produced boardgame.

To be fair, the two markets are VERY different and there are more reasons that board gamers are less pirated.

The pool of players in the board game industry is MUCH smaller than the video game industry. I've never worked at a studio that would even consider shipping a game for 2500-5000 copies. They generally manufacture in the hundreds-of- thousands and up. The sheer size difference of the audience means that the piracy rate will be lower.

Second, the video game is an instantaneous crowd. They download to buy the game NOW. They get tutorials to teach them to play NOW. They are constantly fed rewards to feel satisfaction NOW.
People who make up the majority of the "Board Game" audience know that they are going to invest in the game. They are willing to put in the time and effort to learn a new game. If they are willing to invest time and energy... do you really think they'll refuse to invest money?

Third, the advertising plays a MASSIVE part in this. In any crowd, very few people actively go out searching for news and new products. Video games have boatloads of massive advertisements, trade shows, and news articles telling people to buy more. This means that even the casual players who don't want to spend money will learn about the game... which they promptly pirate to try.
I rarely see board games advertised to an outside crowd. The people that know about the brand spanking new board game are the dedicated players. These are the ones that are willing to pay for games and want to support them.

Finally, board games are a social activity. If even a single friend owns a game anyways, I can just play it at his house with him. If no one in my group was interested enough to play... why the hell would I want to get it?
Video games are about a single player and are often locked to a single account. You can't share your version with me and I can't play with you unless I buy my own copy. This is a decent motivator for piracy.

Having to make a game is absolutely a factor, but there are many more reasons that piracy is lower in the board game industry. There are similarities, but there are also MAJOR differences.

Does it actually exist?
For most board game inventors the cost of not only manufacture but more importantly the affective marketing of their game will be such that they will look to a major game company with the hope they will negotiate a royalty. Self publishing in large numbers in itself will be expensive. Also unless they have the confidence or ability to market and sell it the chances of success aren’t likely.

You only have to read the various post on this site to realise most of us are just inventors and that our enthusiasm for it overshadows our naivety regarding things such as cost, protection issues, manufacturing, promoting etc. If a major game company will take an interest in your game and it’s usually a big “IF” the royalty you’d negotiate would be that small it wouldn’t be in their best interest to steal it from you. In this scenario it basically it comes down to realising that one percent of something big is better that one hundred percent of nothing.

Apart from the classics like Monopoly and others spawned out of the depression you have the German games that are the solid foundations of board gaming. Inexpensive entertainment during hard times and in colder climates where families may stay indoors more often.
With the introduction of electronic or computer games the board game industry is sadly in my opinion basically dead and buried and most of the board games being manufactured currently are either reproduced editions of Monopoly with different playing pieces or substandard garbage to promote and market some television show.

I believe the first thing for all board game inventors need to realise is (no matter how good your game is) the odds of even moderate monetary success are against us.
Just the satisfaction of creating a game that could be played between friends can be enough so for me personally if anyone was to pirate one of mine and publish I’d be more flattered can upset.