ah there's nothing like creating shit.
Jesse Builds a Board Game!
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 On 10/10/2014 at 04:05 PM by Jesse Miller See More From This User » |
So with my interest in board games steadily increases, I’ve been drawn to the idea of crafting my own board game to play with friends and possibly to produce should it prove entertaining/smart enough. This is by no means a quick thing to do and will go through the normal process that most games go through: Thematic Inception à Setting Mechanics à Prototype à Playtest
1) Thematic Inception: Come up with the general basis of the game including the game type (classic board game, card game, dice, minis, etc…) and theme.
2) Mechanics: Generally a game is based around a single ruling mechanic or a collection of related mechanics. This step is interchangeable with the first step depending on your train of thought (mirroring videogames).
3) Prototype: Develop a rudimentary prototype that can be used to demonstrate and test the game’s mechanics.
4) Playtest: Self-explanatory; get friends, family, and anyone else you can to play through the game. Take copious notes.
5) Re-tool: Using your playtest notes, make adjustments to the game to account for any exploitable rules, broken mechanics, and anything else that could hamper enjoyment.
6) Repeat steps 4 and 5 many, many, many times.
7) Profit?
I’m currently going back and forth between step 1 and step 2. I’ve had to adjust my themes as I’ve developed mechanics, but the overall game is rather simple. I’ll give you a general overview:
It’s a resource hording competitive card game with random environment altering elements as well as a randomly determined end point.
The game is competitive in nature, but being too much of a dick could screw you over in the long run. As I get further along I’ll post more updates – perhaps as a development diary. Since I may end up trying to Kickstart a game of this nature down the line (a long shot, but a possibility) I’ll be light on the ideas until I get some kind of trademarks in place. It’s not that I don’t trust you guys, I just don’t trust “the internet”.
Anyone else out there ever create any games? Share your experiences below!
Game on.
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