If one wants to develop a board game, are there little indie boardgame publishers that are into taking “unsolicited manuscripts” so to speak? Or does one have to just basically do everything oneself from design on up to publishing?
Different publishers have different submission guidelines, but most will require that you have a playable prototype already designed. Often, it’s a matter of contacting the game publisher and requesting a submission form. Other publishers may ask that you demo your game in-person. Still others don’t accept unsolicited game submissions at all. When in doubt, contact the publisher(s) you’re looking to work with and ask.
I’ve seen people touring with prototypes at gaming conventions to get people interested and potentially sell their game. There’s also the option of just diving in and publishing it yourself which depending on the component quality might not be that expensive.
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There are certainly different publishers with different rules
For example see http://www.zmangames.com/submissions.htm
FYI these may be of interest:
Brian