Wyvern Charming: the First Attempt

UK Games Expo is coming up at the beginning of June, and I am planning to attend from Friday to Sunday, which will give me more opportunity to participate more fully than I have in the past.  I am planning to join in the public playtest sessions again, but this year I am hoping to go another step further.

One of the events taking place over the weekend is the Wyvern's Lair, which is inspired by the TV show Dragon's Den.  The idea here is that there will be a panel of representatives of assorted game publishing companies and game designers get the opportunity to make a pitch to these people.  This isn't really about getting someone to invest in or publish a game (though that is a possibility) but more about making contacts and having the opportunity to talk to people and, hopefully, get some advice and guidance from them.

I spent quite a while agonising over this.  Boogie Knights is clearly the game that I have progressed the furthest and is closest to being publishable (other than the tiny I Know An Old Woman), but I don't feel it is really ready to pitch to a publisher.  However, the blurb on the UKGE website suggests to me that "completed" games are not really necessary, so why not give it a go?

Of course, it's not quite as easy as putting your name down.  One does not simply walk into the Wyvern's Lair.  Well, maybe one does, but first I need to submit a written pitch of no more than 100 words plus a single image.  It turns out that getting the essence of a game down to 100 words in such a way that it makes someone want to know more is quite tricky.

I have read in blogs and heard on podcasts all sorts of advice about pitching games, but one of the key aspects I remember is that a lot of designers make the mistake of focusing on the mechanics of their game and how unique they are, rather than emphasising  the overall experience and "feel" of the game.  So I drafted up a few sentences along those lines along with a short bullet list of features (play time, number of players, components) and slapped them together with a picture.

The picture took some thinking.  At short notice I figured I had three main options:

1. Use a picture I had taken at a recent playtest, which would feature the not-quite-latest black and white art.
2. Mock up a picture on the computer using the latest art.
3. Print out a copy of the game with new art and stage a game to photograph.

I decided to go with the first option as I figure it gives some impression of how the game works, and I quite like the slightly scruffy table and the hands waving around in view.  

A couple of friends had offered to look at what I was doing, and they provided some really helpful feedback and suggestions.  I'm not really much good at salesmanship, so coming up with a short and punchy bit of text doesn't come easily to me.  These guys helped me trim out some superfluous words and focus on the guts of the message, making the pitch a whole load better, I think.  The end result isn't far off the back of a game box, which seems like a good place to be.

Lesson learnt: don't be afraid to ask for help.

Anyway, I've now submitted my initial pitch and have nothing to do for the moment but wait.  I have no idea how many people are applying for a place or how many spaces are available, so how good my chances are of being selected are anybody's guess.  But it has been a worthwhile experience and I feel I have now found a reasonable "elevator pitch" for Boogie Knights, and I think that is a big help in itself.

The back of the BK box? Not quite, but it is at least something...