If a games company shows interest in a game I'm making how should I present the rules - at the moment they are printed on a single glossy A4 sheet (looks good).
I was wondering if I needed to make it look like those supplied with proffesional games i.e. illustrated front cover, folded pages etc.
Just wondering.
Many thanks.
I was wondering if I needed to make it look like those supplied with proffesional games i.e. illustrated front cover, folded pages etc.
Not at all.
What is important is that it is as clear as possible. With illustrations if need (these don’t need to be professional either) to aid with the understanding of the game play. They have people who do the layout for the published set.
They are going to read the rules and if they don’t make sense to them it’s a big strike against you. Have as many people as you can try to learn your game from the rules to make sure there are no ambiguous statements in it. If you are dealing a hand of cards make sure to say weather they are dealt face up or down etc. These questions do come up all the time when learning a game.
Remember the rules are what they are licensing from you. Unless you are one of those rare designers who do their own art.
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I usually lay my rulebook out in a simple desktop publishing program (for some reason, I still use Publisher) and try to pay attention to subtle, but effective formatting -- clear category headers, a nice large readable font, appropriate use of examples, and even add some thematic clip art. Then I print this to PDF (if you don't have your own PDF maker, PrimoPDF is a great free product to make PDFs from any application) and send the PDF ruleset to the publisher.
Generally, though, if they're interested, they also ask for a prototype. IF that's the case, I print 2 copies of the rule on the highest quality setting I can on sturdy cardstock and slip it into a small presentation jacket when I send off my prototype - I find it useful to have more than one copy in case they lose a set, or have several people interested in looking over the prototype at once.
The bottom line is, put as much effort and time into it as you can. Aside from your original submission, the rules may end up serving as a "resume" for your game. I think you should strive to make the rules clear, easy to read and attractive. Attractive doesn't necessarily mean needing textures and boxed inserts like a Rio Grande or Fantasy Flight game, but it should be "easy on the eyes."
Best of luck!