The Grand Scam & The Silver Lining

Since I began my journey to publish tabletop games, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of the game design and publishing communities. More than once designers and publishers have gone out of their way to help me trouble shoot a problem, share their best practices, and support me and my business. It can be easy to forget that not everyone is as upstanding as the people in our community generally are.

The Grand Scam

I was hesitant to write this article. As a general rule, I want this blog to be positive, uplifting and proactive. Here is how to commission artwork, a deep look at cards, types of board game business plans, and the occasional plug for a product that I am excited about. But I thought this topic, and my recent experience is an important cautionary tale.

We recently applied for a trademark for Nut Hunt. Our lawyer Zack Strebeck (who I’ve had a great experience with), cautioned us that we might get scam letters, and to not pay anything for a trademark except through his office.

A couple weeks later this arrived in the mail.

Don’t worry I didn’t fall for it.

It is made to look like an invoice for trademark registration. It is designed to deceive small businesses to the tune of $1,420. Just read the fine print.

Please note that this private publication is not linked to the publication of official notifications and is not a registration of government organizations and we do not have a business relationship yet.

Starting a small business is a scary, and difficult endeavor. I am constantly learning new things and discovering whole fields of knowledge that I know almost nothing about. And as I educate myself, it has been and will continue to be a pleasure to share what I learn with all of my fellow aspiring games publishers.

The scam letter is a stark reminder that we must be vigilant, read the fine print, and understand what it is that we are paying for before we cut a check. And, most importantly, we need to have each other’s back.

It is also a reminder of how lucky I am to have stumbled into this industry – and to be a part of a community of creators who go out of their way to support not just themselves, but those around them.

So, here is a short and incomplete list of more experienced creators who have gone the extra step in their interactions with me. Who have answered my questions when they had no obligation, and who gave me advice and encouragement before I had earned it.

I hope that we can all aspire to be more like them, and if you get the chance to support them, I hope you will: Joel Bodkin (Featherstone Games), Jamey Stegmaier (Stonemaier Games), Seppy Yoon (Fight in a Box), Gabe Barret and every single person in the Board Game Design Lab forum.