Broad appeal
Family and mass-market friendly, with enough tactical or strategic texture to keep experienced tabletop players interested.
Proof-of-Play™ game submissions
What are we
looking for?
We are looking for smart, approachable games with the kind of immediate appeal that can reach families and the mass market, while still giving hobby gamers enough to chew on.
Submit Your GameThe wishlist
Simple to learn.
Hard to put down.
Think in the neighborhood of games like Duck & Cover or SkyJo: theme-light, often number-driven, instantly understandable, but with a satisfying puzzle or decision at the center.
Light theme
Theme can help, but the core game should carry the experience. Number-based and abstract-leaning concepts are especially welcome.
A puzzle inside
We love games that create a little mental itch: pattern recognition, sequencing, optimization, timing, deduction, or another satisfying problem to solve.
Lean components
Ideally, the game is 108 cards or fewer with little to no additional components. That is a preference, not a rule.
Not hard limits
Exceptional beats tidy.
These are targets, not submission gates. Lock & Chain itself uses nearly 300 cards, so clearly we are willing to break our own rules for the right game.
We plan to select only one or two Proof-of-Play™ projects each year, allowing us to give each chosen game greater focus and attention.
We will also consider more traditional tabletop games if the design is exceptional. If a submission is not selected for Proof-of-Play™, it may still be relevant to our work with Best in Play, including publisher matchmaking and licensing opportunities.
The short version
Show us a game that is easy to understand, satisfying to explore, practical to produce, and difficult to stop playing.
What to send
Keep the pitch simple.
You do not need a giant presentation. We just need enough to understand the game, see how it plays, and know where the prototype stands.
01
A sell sheet or short video
Send either a sell sheet or an explainer video of about three minutes.
02
Rules
Include a current rule sheet so we can understand the full game beyond the pitch.
03
Prototype status
Include photos of the prototype, or tell us the current status of a print-and-play file or physical sample copy.
Ready to submit?
Send us your game.
Email your materials using the subject line Game Submission - Proof-of-Play.
Start Your Submission