Hello all I am new to the forums but would like to ask a few question about a game I am designing.
To start I was asleep one night and woke up to remember the dream I was having was about a board game I have never seen or even played before. It was about 4:30 am but I went to my computer and started writing everything I could remember about the game. 2 hours later, I was at the beginning of thoughts to design the game I saw in my dream. I realized that my game was kind of a mix of my know part, settlers and Master of Orion 2(MOO2) for the computer if anyone knows this game. It was made 10 years ago and I still play it to this day.
This leads into the questions I have:
1) the design of my game in not the same concept as in MOO2 but I would like to use names and races from the game, I don’t have to I just would like to. If I do this do I need to have permission from Atari if this game becomes something in the future?
2) Before I start much into design of the game I started looking at all the board games out their and I found one that uses tiles like I am going to use in my game but the focus of the game is different, could this affect anything that might need to be changed in my game b/c of copyright stuff?
3) Also for my home prototype I am going to use the tiles from the other game for my game. The other game has all of its information on the internet and it is in PDF for anyone to download and play. Using these parts of their game and editing them for my game is this considered wrong? I can make the tiles myself but the way I see it if I can use something already out there then I should. Mainly in the community is this considered bad?
This game might take a while to work on b/c I am a gaming competitor and also work for a living. I have been reading these forums for a week now and think I need to get a little base set of rules and my parts of the game made so I can run some play tests with my wife. I think with all the parts I can make everything for about $20. so, I have started my cards and would like some input from the Q’s above to get some of the main parts going.
Thanks for your time and I will try to check back today at least after work.
Camper out.
Hello and welcome. It's good to hear that you ahve such productive dreams!
I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can. Please note that I am not a lawyer and that none of this should be construed as legal advice. For that you will need to consult a competent lawyer who is licensed to practice in your area.
1. To use names and races from a published source, you would need to get a license. For the purposes of making a prototype, you can use the names and races as much as you like, but if you make a copy to sell or give away without having secured the rights to the terms, then you could be in some trouble.
If you submit the prototype to a publisher, then iot would be up to that publisher to secure the rights. Considering the game is 10 years old, there is a better chance that they will re-theme it or re-brand it with something more current anyways. But either way, they are the ones who will need to deal with the licensing headaches.
If you want to self publish, then that licensing would fall to you.
2. Many games use tile laying mechanics in a huge variety of ways, so I think there is room for you to use tiles in your game. Try to make your tile laying mechanism a little different that what has been done before if you can.
3. Using parts from another game for your own prototype is OK, depending on what you are using and why. Are you using tiles from another game and pasting your own artwork over them? Are you using the tiles from another game as they are and as they are used in the other game? If so, then you may want to revise your mechanic a little so that your game stands out from the other in some way.
You want to be able to give players an experience that is in some ways different from other games. If that's the direction in which you're heading, then you're on the right track.
Good luck!