What do I do with my design?

Well, I can't afford it either.

That's why I am planning to do a second test run with more people. Not just 1 guy.
And register them all.

If anyone copies the idea. The others are witnesses that it is my game.
But then again. The chance of it happening is slim when you test with friends and family.

Don't waste your time on copyrighting, trademarking or patenting. It's expensive and if you plan on shopping it around to game publishers, it's a bad idea because that's something they'd handle for you. Just post about it, put it out there. The more people who know you created it, the more people will be able to back you up if you get ripped off.

However, you should look at a video from the Dice Tower Review on Youtube about their Top Ten Tips for game designers. The chance you get your idea ripped off is really less likely than you think. Writers worry about it too, but truth is, ideas are a dime a dozen. What matters is the execution.

I have tried to send various games out to be blind tested by friends and friends of friends and I run into the same problems every time. The game is never played, the feedback is poor at best and I never end up getting the game back or the game never gets circulated. I should say, I don't expect to get copies of the game back or have them circulated like currency, but I consider it rude to get something for free with the intention to play it and comment and turn around and not play or return or not at least to forward the game to a friend/family member to play the game instead. I am very clear that the purpose of me spending time and money to get a person a game is to have them play it.....anyways.

My new strategy is to go to local comic stores and ask to have a table for game nights. I can control how many copies of the game are being played, I can get feedback just from watching people play the game, I can get instant feedback from the people who play the game. The next step is when a game night player shows some level of interest I ask them if they would like to take a copy home or to a friends and have them test it blind. Because the people I give copies to have seen my face and shaken my hand, I gain a comfort level that they will do with the game what they say they will do and not try to take advantage of me and the game. The hope is that they will start telling their extended network of local, non-local and online friends they have played this awesome game and everyone should try it out. Yes, this is an ideal situation but I think I have given up on trying to force my games on people and will use the organic growth model from now on. As interest grows, I can either send out copies or send people to the game on TGC. To be honest, I have not gone that far in the strategy, but I have only taken this route for 6 weeks now and I am happy with early "returns".

I have to say, I'm with the shop idea. I am in super-early design phases with my game right now, but I was curious how to move forward. I went to my local game shop and spoke to them. They have a board game night on Wednesdays where about 100 people turn up. The manager said I should come along one Wednesday and say hello and ask the organisers (who are not shop staff) to address the whole group. Then say that I will be coming back in x weeks with a game looking for play testers - they normally book up what they're going to play in advance, so this kind of notice is necessary - and then turn up and hopefully get a table or two interested in playing. That way you can also explain the rules to a bunch of people all at once. Hope that's helpful.

What better example that ideas are a dime a dozen when you see the success Twilight achieved, and then a year or two later you see the bookshelves FILLED with vampire love stories. One was more than enough.