A while back there was a news item about a joker who was trying to raise capital for his board game by holding an ebay auction for $15 million, with the winner earning the right to have their picture on the box.
As absurd as this idea sounded, it seems that such things really are done, albeit on a smaller scale. At a consignment sale yesterday, I happened upon a game called "Fuh Gedda Boutit", an eminently forgettable roll-and-move about try to be the best mobster -- I got it for $1.50, simply to scavenge it for parts -- it has a quad-fold 20" board and a couple other pieces I can use.
What was interesting about the game was that is was billed as the "Official Fucillo Edition". For those not in the NY Area, Tom Fucillo owns a huge chain of auto dealerships spanning the entire state (and probably beyond...) Why he would want himself associated with a game about being a mobster, or why anyone would want to buy a game simply because he was on the box is beyond me...
What I guess is interesting is that someone used this marketing strategy, and I don't think I've seen it anywhere else. The game box, board, and play money feature Fucillo-specific art; I found it surprising that the board does, since that makes the board "custom" from game to game, but perhaps the printer was willing to print several runs, each with a different set of text in the "custom" spaces. At any rate, clearly this is a way to get a game financed, which perhaps might be of interest to folks trying to figure this out...
-Jeff
the problem with doing something like this is that it makes you look like a joke. In an industry in which a name or the box might be the only thing to sell a game this seems like the worst possible way to publish or get published.