We’re baaack….
Hi everybody!
If you recall, a few months ago we sponsored a contest wherein we offered a $500 prize for a simple dice game that turned out to be not so simple.
We did get a good game (and a winner) out of it and all those who entered will still be getting a free copy, but now the product has changed somewhat and we need a new game.
Capitalizing off our last experience, we would like to propose different terms, to wit: we are no longer asking participants to design a complete game on spec and this is no longer a contest.
Instead, we would like people to submit IDEAS for a game which we will evaluate. The submission can be as simple or elaborate as you like. If we like your idea, then we will HIRE you to develop the game for a one-time fee of $500, but…and this is a BIG but…if we end up using your game we’ll also pay you a royalty of 1% of domestic wholesale on first-year sales (and list your name as designer on the packaging). To answer the question that just appeared in your mind: Yes, we may hire more than one designer if we like more than one idea. WE WILL NOT USE IDEAS THAT WE DO NOT PURCHASE. Because the product will NOT be marketed as a “game” (it is a collectible, which can, if desired, be used to play a game) we are not in a position to offer standard game design rates.
The rules of the game are as follows:
1. The game uses two dice whose sides contain facial expressions that display the following emotions: Happy, Sad, Calm, Angry, Goofy, and Afraid.
2. The sides also contain numeric pips from 1-6. Every emotion on every die is the same and the same numeric value is always assigned to the same emotion, but you are free to pair them up any way you like (1-Happy, 2-Sad, etc.)
3. The game should include betting with generic chits (pieces of candy, pebbles, pennies, whatever) and can include bluffing, roleplaying, concealment, subterfuge, or other creative game-playing mechanism.
4. The game should be multi-player for 2+ for age 8+ but our target is nerdy teens & young adults.
4. You may include readily available accessories (like a coin for flips or a pen and paper to keep score) but you may NOT include a proprietary game board or any other item that would have to be manufactured and packaged along with the dice.
5. Finally, these dice will marketed in pairs of OPPOSING characters (like good and evil). So think: a cat and a dog or an angel and a devil.
We realize you are all serious game designers who, under normal circumstances, do not work under constrictions, but since this is a commercial product and not a “game” we need to work around marketing and manufacturing limitations.
If this project is of interest to you, please get back to us with any comments, questions or feedback you may have.
And thanks again,
THE COUNCIL OF ELDERS
Yes.