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PNP: Video review without releasing the rules

5 replies [Last post]
Tue, 08/17/2010 - 09:29
larienna
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For commercial Print and play game, you generally don't want to give the rules for free on the internet because that is the most important things they need to play. If they have the rules, there is no need to buy the game.

As some people suggested, I could do a video review of my game, but that would mean exposing the rules of the game.

Of course, I do not need to go into the details and they don't need to know the content of every card. That could prevent the user from making their own game without buying it. But again, that only works if you have a lot of unique components in the game.

Do you think it is a good idea to do a video review of commercial PNP game even if there is a demo available or do you think it is too risky of being ripped off?

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Tue, 08/17/2010 - 16:50
#1
Casamyr
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Video Reviews

I don't think you necessarily need to talk/show the rules during the video review. I'm gonna point to the Inevitable promo that Dralius posted - awesome, nothing about the rules, but makes me want to play it thanks to the awesome v/o and still images.

When I check out a video review of a board game, I don't care about the rules, I want to how how fun it is to play, i want to see some of the components (I understand the fear here with users making their own components) but not all of them, certainly not enough to generate their own, I just want the general gist of the game how it looks all laid out and so on, just enough to grab me and to make me want to go buy a copy.

Perhaps think a little outside the square to figure a way to video promo your PNP game that makes people want to buy without much knowledge of the rules. Even use it to point to the demo to help generate

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Tue, 08/17/2010 - 17:51
#2
Redcap
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Don't you just wish everyone

Don't you just wish everyone was honest, that would fix half of our problems.

In my own humble oppinion I would say post the rules. Those who "steal" the game would most likely not have bought it is the first place, whereas those who are genuinley curious will have the opportunity to know what they are getting when they place an order instead of just skipping over your product.

I would never buy a pnp without knowing how it played or hearing good things about it, and I would never steal one by reading the rules. So in short not posting the rules may prevent piracy but not posting the rules rules me out as a potential customer. Sale lost, and no one wins :(

Hope that helps. I think people will always burn you no matter how careful you are, so at times it is better to trust in your customer even if a few may take advantage of you.

To paraphrase one of my favorite books "Myst Born" it is better to trust and be hurt than never trust anyone.

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Tue, 08/17/2010 - 20:49
#3
red hare
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do a tie-in

I thought I replied to this topic, but I don't see my post.

Anyways, it sounds like your goal is to create a presence on the net and basically promote your game. An alternative approach might be to look at your game's theme and see if you can tie it in with an existing website or simply make your own. For example, if your theme has a historical base, you could write up a wiki article for wikipedia to explain your game and historical references. Or you could simply make a website that is an informational source that gives all of the background stuff that your game is based on, and then have your game appear as an ad or in some form. This way you create a useful source of information and might draw in people who might be interested in your game's theme.

Just a thought

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Fri, 08/20/2010 - 05:49
#4
pelle
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wikipedia to advertise a game

Quote:
A Wikipedia conflict of interest (COI) is an incompatibility between the aim of Wikipedia, which is to produce a neutral, reliably sourced encyclopedia, and the aims of an individual editor. COI editing involves contributing to Wikipedia in order to promote your own interests or those of other individuals, companies, or groups. Where advancing outside interests is more important to an editor than advancing the aims of Wikipedia, that editor stands in a conflict of interest.

COI editing is strongly discouraged. When editing causes disruption to the encyclopedia through violation of policies such as neutral point of view, what Wikipedia is not, and copyright compliance, accounts may be blocked. COI editing also risks causing public embarrassment for the individuals and groups being promoted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Conflict_of_interest

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Fri, 08/20/2010 - 08:29
#5
larienna
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Demo video

I just thought that I could do a video review of the demo game and explain rapidly what will be different in the real game. This way, there is a video review for those who are more visual and it explains nothing more than the demo rules already available.

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