Tabletop Game Designers Association persuades Barnes & Noble to start namechecking board game designers in online store listings -

US retailer Barnes & Noble has begun including the names of the designers of board games it sells through its online store after a successful approach by the recently-launched Tabletop Game Designers Association.

While authors and musicians have long seen their names credited alongside the titles of their works in major online stores such as Amazon and Target, board game designers have been overlooked until now, with companies instead tending to highlight which publisher produced the game.

But last Friday saw Barnes & Noble “step up” and upgrade its website to include designer names, TTGDA co-founder Geoff Engelstein told BoardGameWire, meaning creators such as Wingspan’s Elizabeth Hargrave and Ticket to Ride’s Alan R Moon now have their names credited next to their games’ titles in its online store.

Engelstein said the idea was first suggested by TTGDA member Tom Lehmann, the designer of games included Race for the Galaxy and Res Arcana, who persuaded the organisation to reach out to major retailers to ensure designers are properly credited.

TTGDA said it was using BoardGameGeek data to help assist Barnes & Noble in the “ongoing process” of adding designers to its large catalogue of new releases and existing games.

Connie Vogelmann’s design Wyrmspan on the Amazon store, with red arrow and box added to show how far someone needs to scroll down to discover she is the game’s creator

Sabrina Falcone, senior merchandise manager at Barnes & Noble, said, “Tabletop gamers are always eager to learn more about the people who create the games they love.

“When TTGDA approached us about adding designers to our site, it immediately made sense to us. By adding game designer credits to our listings, we are not only enhancing the shopping experience but also helping our customers connect with designers in the gaming community.”

Ticket to Ride series designer Alan R Moon added ,”When people fall in love with a novel, they naturally want to read other books by the same author.

“I’m glad that Barnes & Noble is making it easy for Ticket to Ride fans to find more of my designs. Barnes & Noble has always been a leader, and I am glad to see they remain at the forefront with their support and recognition of game designers.”

Engelstein, who launched TTGDA in May alongside Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave and Mind MGMT designer Sen-Foong Lim, said, “It may seem like a small thing, but we think it’s an important step to having game designers recognized as creators by the general public.

He added, “Barnes & Noble highlights book authors and musical artists on the listings for their creative works. We believe that game designers also deserve recognition for the creativity and hard work required to bring a game to life.”

TTGDA aims to help board games designers in North America with everything from playtest advice to contract wrangles, as well as advocating on their behalf on issues such as royalties, licensing, rights and credit.

Launch supporters of the association include Pandemic Legacy designers Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau, Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield, Root designer Cole Wehrle and Ticket to Ride creator Alan Moon.

BoardGameWire spoke to TTGDA co-creator Engelstein last November when he revealed plans for the TTGDA were in the works.

He said at the time that the need for TTGDA first came to him when he learned about “how Disney was trying to strong arm famed writer Alan Dean Foster over book royalties”.

He said “Ultimately the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers went public on his behalf, and together they were able to (somewhat) rectify the situation.

“Even though I have a bit of a ‘name’ in the industry I have had my share of issues with collecting royalties in a timely fashion, and have been presented with contracts with ridiculous clauses.

“Talking with other designers more well-known than I revealed that the scope of the problem was far larger than I realized.

“And if these people were having problems, what was happening to the new designers looking to break into the business?

“Tabletop designers need an organization like the SFWA that can fight on their behalf and expose bad actors.

“There are existing organizations out there including SAZ, SAJ, and AL in Europe. SAZ reaches most beyond their geographic center of Germany (Alan Moon was actually president for a bit).

“We talked with them about expanding into NA, but all agreed that a separate organization would probably be more effective.”