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your game re-purposed

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chg2winter
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Joined: 02/05/2014

(Sorry if wrong forum, best guess)

Have you ever been approached about your (did not succeed the way you hoped) game - it never got traction or found a market - and had someone say 'I like your concept, lets work together to repurpose this and re-release it as something new'?

If so how did you respond? Or how do you believe you would respond?

Would it help if the person was well known in a niche market and carried a pre built publicity machine with him (not famous in the general sense, but for example very well known in the area of ...oh, "sticky note history" - for fans, this person is a star, but the rest of world would never heard of them)?

Shoe
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Joined: 12/21/2012
I'm always willing to change

I'm always willing to change almost every element of my game...except for one.

Each game I design starts with what I consider to be a fantastic idea, it could be the theme, one of the mechanics, a new interaction between 2 old mechanics...etc

I will not change that. Anything else is fair game, especially if someone in the industry is willing to support the game after the changes.

For example, my latest game (Fisticuffs - https://drive.google.com/a/snobbywalrus.com/folderview?id=0B5hWskZvZFxFT... ) the shared pool of resource cubes is the most important thing that I like about the game, and from day one has got all the good feedback about it. I wont change it, but I'd redo anything else about the game, even how those resources can be spent and what to spend them on if I thought it would make it a better game (and possibly get published)

jvallerand
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Joined: 10/12/2013
Shoe wrote:I'm always willing

Shoe wrote:
I'm always willing to change almost every element of my game...except for one.

Each game I design starts with what I consider to be a fantastic idea, it could be the theme, one of the mechanics, a new interaction between 2 old mechanics...etc

I will not change that. Anything else is fair game, especially if someone in the industry is willing to support the game after the changes.

For example, my latest game (Fisticuffs - https://drive.google.com/a/snobbywalrus.com/folderview?id=0B5hWskZvZFxFT... ) the shared pool of resource cubes is the most important thing that I like about the game, and from day one has got all the good feedback about it. I wont change it, but I'd redo anything else about the game, even how those resources can be spent and what to spend them on if I thought it would make it a better game (and possibly get published)

I'll second that opinion. All of my games have one or two things that need to stay: the rest can be changed if it helps the game. Helping a game includes making it better (shortening without taking away the depth, simplifying complex things, making the game more tense or more thematic), but also making it more marketable (as even a tremendous game that nobody plays is in a rather bad situation).

Corsaire
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Joined: 06/27/2013
I think I'd be flexible,

I think I'd be flexible, unless it was changng it into a game I wouldn't want to play. And as long as I retained design credits.

questccg
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Joined: 04/16/2011
I agree...

The other designers are right in saying some elements in the game should remain the same. In my current WIP there are about three (3) elements in the game that I would not change. They are:

1. Deck-Building (DBG)
2. Role Selection
3. Space Battles

I would be willing to change roles (but not having roles). The game must be a DBG. And lastly I want space battles to be a core component of the game.

How any of those are implemented are open to discussion.

So I would figure what aspects of your game "make" your game. Are they distinct in the market such that a combination makes your game *unique*? Things like that. Figure out what is essential to your game and then re-purpose what isn't!

jvallerand
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Joined: 10/12/2013
Also, keep in mind that

Also, keep in mind that Japanese proverb: a garden is not complete when there's nothing else to add, but when there's nothing else to take away (paraphrasing, of course). Same is true of a game. The core, however, cannot be taken away, or the game loses its identity.

Dan Felder
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Joined: 02/06/2014
I'd be willing to change

I'd be willing to change everything. The more you change, the more it becomes some completely different game. If you change *everything*, you get to make a brand new game, which means you can always return to the original idea for your next project. It's win-win (as long as the new game is still one you like).

questccg
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Joined: 04/16/2011
Doesn't make sense to me...

Dan Felder wrote:
I'd be willing to change everything. The more you change, the more it becomes some completely different game...

Usually when you are *designing* a GAME, there is some sort of vision you expect from the end result. Changing everything is like you said designing ANOTHER game. Why would you want to design another game - a new one - based on another game you were already in the process of designing???

It doesn't make sense to me.

He might as well tell the other guy: why don't you design your own game. What's the point of re-purposing HIS game???

jvallerand
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Joined: 10/12/2013
questccg wrote:Dan Felder

questccg wrote:
Dan Felder wrote:
I'd be willing to change everything. The more you change, the more it becomes some completely different game...

Usually when you are *designing* a GAME, there is some sort of vision you expect from the end result. Changing everything is like you said designing ANOTHER game. Why would you want to design another game - a new one - based on another game you were already in the process of designing???

It doesn't make sense to me.

He might as well tell the other guy: why don't you design your own game. What's the point of re-purposing HIS game???

I think that Dan's point was that if somebody offers you support, but wants to change too much, you just keep your base idea on the back burner, switch to this new "supported" idea, and then go back to your first idea afterwards.

I don't see why somebody would come to you and say: "hey, I like your game, except for everything. Let's change everything, and work together," but maybe that's just me.

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