Dialogue on criteria for board games participating in the design competition

This event is designed to create a dialogue about the commercialization of board games in relation to the design competition at Fastaval.

Since its inception, Fastaval’s board game design competition has faced a dilemma regarding commercialization. The dilemma is between 100% volunteerism for all Fastaval organizers on the one hand, and the opportunity to design and publish, and thus earn money from, one’s board game on the other.

From the outset, Fastaval wanted board games participating in the competition to follow the same conditions as role-playing games designed for Fastaval and published at Fastaval. But while role-playing games at Fastaval have limited opportunities to reach a wider audience—and winning an Otto is one of the greatest achievements a Fastaval role-playing game can attain—board games have entirely different opportunities.

Fastaval is organized by a group of creative volunteers, and this is very important to Fastaval. Commercialization, i.e. someone making money from other people’s voluntary work, kills the desire to do voluntary work and is therefore always a point of attention for Fastaval.

This has always posed challenges in the design competition, where it is difficult—perhaps impossible—to draw up clear rules for what a board game at Fastaval may or may not do before and during Fastaval. Can the game be part of a Kickstarter campaign, must there be an agreement with a publisher, must the game have been at other conventions or other commercial events?

Fastavals and ALEA therefore wanted to hold a dialogue meeting with Fastavals’ board game designers and the organizers of the design competition, as well as others who might find this interesting. The purpose of this meeting is to engage in dialogue, but the ultimate goal on the part of the organizers is also to create understanding for the dilemmas facing the competition and perhaps achieve a self-regulating competition.