The process of designing a game to be played, such as the creation of the game mechanics and theme and the associated rules, board, map, cards, tokens and/or other playing implements. Also includes the process of play testing early versions of the game to refine and improve these elements.
23
votes
4answers
806 views
Is kingmaking in multiplayer games a problem that can be fixed?
The original Kingmaker was Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. He was instrumental during the Wars of the Roses in the deposition of two kings. The term kingmaker has come to mean, "a person or ...
23
votes
2answers
460 views
How do game designers come up with suggested (or minimum) age requirements for games?
Is there a standard formula or procedure for determining suggested (or minimum) age requirements for games? Or do a few game designers just sit around and discuss for a few minutes and then just come ...
22
votes
7answers
1k views
Why are there fewer board games with a triangular grid?
Many games have a rectangular grid, some even use hexagonal but it's quite rare to see triangles. I have heard the argument that hexagons confuse players. Is that true? Is there any evidence to ...
18
votes
5answers
631 views
What makes a cooperative board game actually a game?
Most board games are competitive, where you have players competing against each other, trying to win. Some board games are described as "cooperative", where the players are trying to do...what ...
18
votes
7answers
439 views
Something that only happens every X turns
I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it Brazening) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's ...
16
votes
13answers
1k views
What's the fastest way to print a card game prototype?
My goal is to minimize the amount of time I have to spend, with a budget of about $40.
Also, I'm absolutely terrible at using scissors and glue.
16
votes
3answers
263 views
How can I mitigate some of the downtime between player's turns?
For games in which it is not possible to take simultaneous turns, as the number of players increases, so does the wait time between a player's turn and their turn again. It becomes a balancing issue ...
14
votes
3answers
221 views
How do I find players willing to participate in test-playing my games?
I have some game ideas that are currently in the prototype phase. I am now looking for groups who are willing to test these games.
I am somewhat afraid that they won't like the game and would not be ...
13
votes
4answers
566 views
I have an idea for a card game. How can I best start testing it?
I've been playing around with an idea for a card game for some time, and I think I've finally got the idea fairly well in place. How can I best start testing it out to refine it?
13
votes
2answers
766 views
Which computer board game designer works best for card games?
I've heard of a few computer board game designers, such as Vassal, Cyberboard, and Zun Tzu. Which would work best for building a custom card game? Note, I am willing to use one I haven't heard of, so ...
13
votes
4answers
435 views
Hello World game for many game systems
Ron Hale-Evans mused about creating a benchmark game that could be ported to many different game systems as a design exercise. Do you think that would be a useful tool, and can you suggest a game that ...
13
votes
1answer
177 views
Are there statistic/probabilty applications specifically made for card game designers?
I am developing a card game that involves building out sequences of matching symbol pairs and also has a lose state for a (different set) of symbols that is hidden to the player. Trying to create an ...
12
votes
5answers
250 views
What components does “everybody” have?
When designing a board game to publish on the web, what components are safe to assume that most people will already have in their collection?
12
votes
3answers
1k views
What's a good source of generic pieces/components?
I'm interested in building up a decent collection of generic components that I can grab when I want to throw together a quick prototype of a game. I'm not aware of any "component collections" that you ...
12
votes
2answers
484 views
Playing Risk in an arbitrary graph
A Risk board represents the map of the world, or of Europe. Thus, it implies some constraints for example on the connectedness of a territory.
I would like to explore how graph theory could help your ...
12
votes
2answers
625 views
What's the easiest way to prototype a board game design?
In an idle moment I had an idea for a simple war game simulation. (Really simple - honest!) I'd like to prototype it, just to see if the game mechanic I thought of has any merit. I don't want to spend ...
12
votes
1answer
222 views
Tri-dimensional board games: How does the additional dimension extend possible player requirements & game structure?
Recently I saw the Star Trek chess game in a serial and looked it up on wikipedia. It exists as a real game, but it seems it's not too popular, too tricky, too unwieldy to carry and play everywhere, ...
11
votes
7answers
442 views
How can you have units with secret locations on the board?
I've heard that there are games where the units on the board are secret -- that the other player doesn't know where they are. How does this actually work? How can you have units on the board without ...
11
votes
4answers
267 views
Players who can't seem to follow the rules — What can be done?
Non--board-game people keep making up their own rules, without knowing it.
I'm talking about players who are intelligent and literate, but who don't generally play board games.
Is there anything a ...
11
votes
3answers
777 views
Non-disclosure agreement or no?
I told some of my friends and co-workers about a board game I designed, and we're hoping to play it sometime soon. However, I am not sure if I should let everyone sign a non-disclosure agreement or ...
11
votes
2answers
239 views
Am I at legal risk if I use a mechanism from another game in my own design?
I'm juggling with a card game idea based on a popular fantasy universe. The game still has a long way to go yet.
But before I really invest in developing the card game I want to make sure I'm not ...
11
votes
6answers
258 views
What game mechanic can be used for evenly selecting other players but not yourself?
I am looking for a game mechanic for a game I am designing, that would let players randomly select other players, but that by the end of the game all the players were selected equally.
My first ...
10
votes
7answers
416 views
System for secretly choosing between two options?
I have a graphics project for school and the task is to design a board game. I need to work out a system by which two players can simultaneously make a secret choice between two options and then ...
10
votes
8answers
205 views
How can I clearly detail all possible destinations from every point of the map in my game?
I'm making a game about traveling the world and I stumbled across one big problem, so I hoped you could give me some good suggestions.
In my game players can choose to which cities they want to go on ...
10
votes
7answers
3k views
What is the best way to print cards for my game?
I want to print cards for my game, without using a commercially-available site. Basically, I'm looking for materials I could find in a store.
How do I make these cards in a work- and price-efficient ...
10
votes
2answers
215 views
Board game design dictionary
Are there any dictionaries specific to the subject of board game design or board game culture? This would contain words describing elements found in board games or used by designers or players.
9
votes
4answers
420 views
How do I tell potential game designers their ideas are bad?
Many groups of gamers will eventually attract potential game designers. I love testing games or playing with mechanics and enjoy play testing or theory crafting. But a good boardgamer does not a ...
8
votes
9answers
589 views
Rock-paper-scissors type randomizers [closed]
Most non-luck-free games use either open-ended randomizers (like dice, or spinners) or closed-ended randomizers (cards, chit pulls, etc).
But there is an alternative, which is simultaneous revelation ...
8
votes
2answers
378 views
Resolving Diplomatic actions in a RISK-style board game
I'm working on a board game called Farlanthia: Lords of War. And I need some help with resolving diplomacy during play.
My original idea was to have Diplomacy be a form of "attack" like in RISK. ...
8
votes
2answers
326 views
What set of attributes can be used to describe, compare and contrast various board games?
A recent question about a good mix of board games got me thinking about how one could even objectively define "a good mix".
My idea is to try and define a set of attributes that could describe, ...
8
votes
2answers
375 views
Formal Format for Documenting the Game Design Process
Is there a formal format for documenting the game design process?
Before you answer with "The Game Design Document (GDD), of course!", in my opinion (and lots of people's opinions as well, I think) a ...
8
votes
1answer
453 views
Are there guaranteed winning strategies for Quarto?
As we all know in standard tic-tac-toe the game can't be won if both players play optimally. So:
Is Quarto a game that will end in a draw if both players play optimally?
If yes, what are the most ...
8
votes
1answer
158 views
Do you need a solo player variant to make a Print&Play game successful?
A friend of mine is creating a multiplayer dice game. The game rules are currently designed for 3-5 players, and don't require much of an investment for the PnP to create the necessary components. ...
7
votes
4answers
354 views
Why isn't the minimum bid for a property its mortgage value?
It seems rather odd that the minimum bid for an unmortgaged property in Monopoly is $1, instead of it being the mortgage value (or mortgage value -10% approximately).
Bidding may start at any ...
7
votes
6answers
206 views
Looking for the “magic'al” formula
Im a big fan of the Magic the Gathering trading card game.
And with all these new cards coming in, I was wondering how the cards were balanced, and manacost calculated.
Im thinking there must be a ...
7
votes
2answers
314 views
Are cards that interact with sacrificing rare, and why?
For independent reasons, I was looking recently for cards that interact with Sacrificing. At the time (owing mostly to my lack of knowledge in MtG templating), I found none. Looking at the Avacyn ...
7
votes
1answer
223 views
Does anybody know of a list of color-appropriate effects for new cards in Magic?
My playgroup has started to get into creating custom cards for our casual Magic: the Gathering games, but it's no fun if the cards aren't designed in a plausible way.
According to Mark Rosewater's ...
7
votes
1answer
252 views
What are common replacement components?
As my board game collection grows and wears down, I find myself curious about efficiencies that can be made when hauling games around from place to place. The first time I realized that you could ...
6
votes
2answers
150 views
How can I identify games that would work better on the computer?
What are the things that the electronic version can do to enhance gameplay? Conversely, what could the board game version do to overcome this view? Feel free to use examples if it would help clarify ...
6
votes
1answer
134 views
Will a developer fix a (small) broken mechanic, or should I fix it before the submission process begins?
I am (co)designing a pickup-and-deliver strategy game.
Extensive playtesting has revealed what I believe to be a slightly broken aspect of the endgame (basically, there comes a point when everyone ...
6
votes
2answers
162 views
18xx Companies able to buy other companies, what will be the impact
One of the fun parts of the 18xx games, is that its fairly easy to create your own (local) version. I like to create a dutch version (yes there have been two already but with limited availability). ...
6
votes
1answer
115 views
Know any games designed for old game systems like Orion or Sly
Recent game systems like piecepack, Decktet, or Stonehenge have tons of games to try, but older game systems like Sly and Orion only seem to have the official rules (PDF) that came with them.
...
5
votes
2answers
118 views
A game for two. Should I make it playable by more?
I am developing a strategy game for two players. It is something
somehow in the line of 1960: The Making of the
President
(but less complicated and with a quicker gaming rhythm…) Both the theme
and ...
5
votes
1answer
261 views
With Print&Play board games, should the focus be beauty or simplicity?
Many Print & Play (P&P/PNP) board games come from a designer's desire to get people to play their game. If the intent of designing a P&P board game is getting the most people to play it, ...
5
votes
1answer
116 views
What do I need to consider when creating a new card game variant?
I came up with a card game variant, combining Texas Hold 'Em and Cribbage, with a friend. You basically follow Hold 'Em play mechanics, and the best hand at showdown is the 5 card hand (2 hole cards ...
4
votes
3answers
109 views
Source for significant historical events
I'm designing a game that involves identifying historical events, and I'm looking for an online source that I can use to generate a set of event cards.
For my prototype, I'm using a copy of the game ...
4
votes
2answers
90 views
How can I cheaply and easily create stackable tiles?
I'm building a prototype with stackable tiles in several different shapes. I 3D-printed some tiles that lock together nicely, but it is too expensive to 3D-print all the tiles I need to make multiple ...
3
votes
2answers
141 views
What are some methods for delivering questions to players?
I am design several games for students. The purpose of these games is to encourage the students to discuss various topics related to their lessons during their study hall period or at home. If the ...
3
votes
2answers
99 views
How does roll and move affect games like Talisman?
I'm wondering if the roll and move mechanic has any real effect on how Talisman, or any similar game, plays out. Would the overall experience be fundamentally changed if, for instance, you could only ...
3
votes
1answer
100 views
Has online play testing been an important part of any boardgame designs?
I am wondering if any game designers have used an online implementation of a game to balance and tweak it before commercial release.
