Paths to Release: Publishing Your Game
Key terms and numbers for comparing print-and-play, pitching, self-publishing, and digital release paths.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
Print-and-play release
Posting rules and printable components as a free PDF (itch.io, BoardGameGeek, your site) — zero cost, a weekend of work, real feedback and a public artifact.
Print-and-play posting checklist
Page-size-agnostic layout (US Letter AND A4), black-and-white-friendly art, component list on page one, and a version number so feedback is traceable.
What do you trade when pitching to a publisher?
You give up commercial rights; the publisher handles art, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing and fronts the financial risk.
Typical designer royalty rate
Roughly 3–8% of the publisher's WHOLESALE revenue (not retail), sometimes with a small advance.
Sell sheet
One page with title, player count, playtime, age, the hook in two sentences, a prototype photo, and your contact info.
Best odds way to pitch
Demoing in person at a convention's designer/publisher speed-dating event; a ~5% hit rate overall is normal.
Self-publishing (usually crowdfunding)
You become the publisher: hire artists, get manufacturing quotes (500–1,500 copy minimums), run Kickstarter/Gamefound, then handle freight, customs, fulfillment, and support for years.
Self-publishing cost realities
Art and graphic design commonly $2,000–$15,000; e.g. 1,000 copies at $12/unit manufacturing + $6/unit freight and fulfillment = $18,000 in variable costs.
Tabletop Simulator / Tabletopia mods
Cheapest way to get remote strangers playing a physical design — useful for both testing and release.
Board Game Arena
A curated digital platform for board games — you generally must meet its selection requirements rather than simply uploading.
