Game Designer Advice

[Human Paragon 3]

Thread title is only a little misleading, as I don't actually need advice on how to design a game. I am a designer and I do need advice though.

My design partner and I recently sold a board game to a company that shall remain nameless. Now I need to figure out what I actually will ask for them for money. Obviously, I will be asking for royaltees, but I'm not sure how much to ask for. I heard somewhere that the going percentage for a game designer was 7%, but I can't remember where- or if that was even the right number.

For anyone on the forum that actually HAS designed a game that's been produced, please share your experience with me. I would be very grateful for any help given.

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

I would recommend a touch of deception here. Mind you, this "deception" way well lead you into taking on services, but think before you act.

Contact a lawyer and make inquiries into the rates on royalties, and the lawyer's percentage of those rates, or if there's a flat fee, etc. Toss numbers, realistic or imagined, as much as you want to get the information you really need. Odds are, however, that you'll want to engage the lawyer to protect your interests. The language of "legalese" is usually daunting, and if the layman eye misses one precious little word of great importance, you can get burned.

I signed a contract once. I found a PR rep in NY to handle a romantic/comedy screenplay I'd written. I was smart enough to read the contract in full before signing, with a dictionary on hand to get through some of the language. There was a little paragraph in there that made me financially responsible for all communication the PR rep made with others; the money was to be paid, by me, as the communications were made. I crossed this section out, stating clearly that I was on a limited income and could pay nothing as it happened, but would happily surrender the appropriate funds when/if a sale was made. The PR rep agreed to this stipulation...

...and then did nothing. There was nothing in the contract that insisted she work on a sale, only that she would represent me should the opportunity arise. Nor was there anything in the contract that demanded she keep me posted on her efforts to market my work. E-mails went unanswered. Excuses ensued. The potential path out of poverty was paved in so much fool's gold.

Do as you will, but I recommend hiring an independent lawyer to protect you.