Starting my own game

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**Your Friend Doctor Robert**

If I were to start my own Miniature Battle game, should I go to work for one of the big companies(Games Workshop, Steve Jackson, Wizards Of The coast), or start my own?

**Ledabot**

You could sell the idea... Creating your own bussiness would lack the international marketing and production capabilitys that working for a big company would have access too.

**Your Friend Doctor Robert**

That's basically what I figured. Start my own company, and I'm limited by how much money I can put into the game(not much). Take it to another company and I'll probably either get sent away, or get a one time payment while they buy the rights.

**Kouzuki**

I suggest you start designing the rules in your free time first.

perhaps once you have designed rules, you can then move on to potential model/figure designs.

Finally, playtest the rules with your friends etc. Commission a small batch of the figures to be made and play.

Unless you have already done the above, don't even bother thinking about "starting your own company" or "going to a big game company."

**Your Friend Doctor Robert**

The rules are done but untested. Of the five armies I plan to launch with, half of the first is complete, rules wise.

**Ugavine**

Make sure you get any copyrights & trademarks before you go to any company with the ideas - Trademarks usually have to be paid for. Copyright is automatic, but that doesn't mean you won't need proof you created it if someone tries to steal your ideas.

Also you'll find that if you work for any company, big or small, one of the usual conditions of your contract is that anything you create associated with the business, even created in your own time, remains property of the company.

Personally I think you should try taking it to a smaller company, or at least making the game yourself and finding a distributor. You'll proabably have to have industry credentials to even get in the door at the big companies. And you will need feedback from testing and from market research if you want financial backing.

Whichever way you go I wish you luck.

**biccat**

Do you want to start your own game or your own company?

The former isn't terribly difficult, just make a ruleset, publish it as a .pdf, and put it up on a website.

If it's the latter, then you've got a lot more to think about. What are you adding to the company? Are you a sculptor? Rulesmaker? Artist (providing plans to sculptors)? Writer? Caster? Distributor?

If you don't do all of this, who are you going to hire to do these things? How are you going to pay them? How do you (ultimately) expect to make a profit?

**RanTheCid**

Rules are dime a dozen. You can find hundreds of free rule sets at places such as http://www.freewargamesrules.co.uk/

Unless you really have something special & the money to promote it, you are better off just posting the files online. Or at the best, self publishing at a place like http://www.lulu.com/

**blackclaw1**

This might sound cruel but i don't mean it like that , wargames are in a niche but saturated market.Whatever your idea is , someone probably done it.I would recommend looking into a career with an established company and jus doing yor own rules a a fun side project and then pitching it to them.sorry if thats sounds unduly cruel but accepted the same thing as i had planned on doing my own war game but the concept for it was already out there albeit a small game.