Publishers Answer: Would You Reject a "Good" Game?

After my last post about not being a publisher, I got a surprising number of comments disagreeing with the statement that if a game is good, a publisher will be interested, and if no publisher is interested, then the game isn't very good. JR and I asked a ton of publishers (probably literally) and they answered! Below, in alphabetical order by the publishers' last names, are their responses to these questions:

"Are there any reasons that you might reject a game that you think is both 'good' and finished? What, if anything, would you tell the designer in your rejection?"

Editor's Note: We've left responses in their original format. 

Eminent Domain: Microcosm, by Seth Jaffee

"Microgame" is an ambiguous term in the tabletop gaming world. It's kind of an "I know it when I see it" thing - Love Letter (16 cards) is definitely a microgame, and so is Tiny Epic Kingdoms (lots and lots of cubes and boards and pieces), but I don't often hear folks call Coup a microgame, even though it comes in the same size box as TEK and has fewer cards than Love Letter (albeit with some chips and other little boards).

I admit confusion at what constitutes "micro", but I still use the word to describe those things that definitely are a game in a small package. Not all microgames are created equal, and in a Kickstarter-led world of reducing components and size and weight to reduce shipping and printing costs, there's a whole host of games that are playable, but fit squarely in the "flash in the pan" variety. 

Not so with Eminent Domain: Microcosm. At 34 cards and about a playmat's worth of table presence, ED:M could absolutely be called a microgame, but I'd rather call it a great game. Just like its macro predecessor, Eminent Domain, there's nothing micro about the depth of choices and the various paths to victory that emerge during play. The experience lives up to everything I expect from larger, deeper two player games like Patchwork and Akrotiri, and for this I say it's one of my favorite games of the year! 

Gen Con 2014 Designer/Publisher Speed Dating Coverage

Gen Con, aptly nicknamed "The Best Four Days In Gaming", is an event of such size and scale that it can't be experienced fully in one visit. It's the only place I know where you can find anything you'd want from the gaming world.

Of the many events scheduled during Gen Con, "Designer/Publisher Speed Dating" is among the most interesting. James Mathe and his team have created an event designed to provide game designers the chance to demo their games for publishers large and small, and to do so in a structured, rapid-fire environment that promotes professionalism and efficiency. 

I got permission from James to cover the Saturday evening edition of the event, and arranged a series of interviews with game designers Drake Philyaw and Kelsey Domeny (Two Penny Games) and with publishers Jeff and Nathan Cornelius (Cosmic Wombat Games) and Daniel Hadlock and Seth Jaffe (Tasty Minstrel Games).