Questions tagged [game-design]

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.

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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 ...
user1873's user avatar
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60 votes
16 answers
23k views

Is it possible to design a two player game of skill with absolutely no luck?

I really do mean absolutely no luck. This would disqualify even games like Chess as White has an inherent advantage, winning between 52 and 56 percent of all games. A good test for a game with ...
Aadit M Shah's user avatar
38 votes
8 answers
10k 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 ...
eipipuz's user avatar
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38 votes
13 answers
19k views

Which program to chose when designing my own cards? [closed]

I am working on a prototype of a board game for which I need to design several cards. The cards will have several features like name, picture, text and some additional symbols. I am not sure which ...
Smajl's user avatar
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34 votes
2 answers
6k 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 ...
Joe Golton's user avatar
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31 votes
6 answers
3k views

What makes a cooperative game require multiple players?

Many cooperative games (like Pandemic or Arkham Horror) could be played by a single player, even though they're intended to be played by a team of players striving against the board. What makes a ...
Joe's user avatar
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29 votes
7 answers
4k 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 ...
Joe's user avatar
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29 votes
1 answer
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Why is Agricola named as such?

Agricola is a farming game that shares a name with a (mildly) famous Roman general. They have the same pronunciation, i.e. the game is not pronounced as agri-cola. Given that Agricola the general isn'...
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28 votes
10 answers
131k 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 ...
tarrasch's user avatar
  • 383
27 votes
7 answers
10k 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 ...
Johno's user avatar
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23 votes
7 answers
841 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 ...
Joe's user avatar
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23 votes
2 answers
3k 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 ...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
22 votes
3 answers
2k 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 ...
user1873's user avatar
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20 votes
3 answers
2k 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 ...
Oliver Hankeln's user avatar
19 votes
14 answers
12k 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.
warbaker's user avatar
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19 votes
8 answers
2k 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 ...
Joe's user avatar
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19 votes
1 answer
4k views

How can showing the least number of fingers be used to determine who goes first?

I was reading this article about marbles and came across this line about determining who goes first. When I played, we used a common practice of the past where each player at the count of five would ...
Kenny Bilko's user avatar
19 votes
6 answers
3k 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 ...
Joe's user avatar
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19 votes
3 answers
4k 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 ...
PearsonArtPhoto's user avatar
18 votes
5 answers
8k 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?
PearsonArtPhoto's user avatar
17 votes
1 answer
546 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 ...
Gabriel Walsh's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
2k 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 ...
Davide Giraudo's user avatar
16 votes
5 answers
1k 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, ...
Hauser's user avatar
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15 votes
10 answers
679 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 ...
AlpineFreak's user avatar
15 votes
4 answers
1k views

Handling multiple "timers" on the board and player mat

The game I'm working on might feature a number of "timed" events, such as: a big ability requiring a cooldown before it can be used again a summoned or undead unit decaying over time a bomb timing ...
Hypergardens's user avatar
15 votes
5 answers
3k 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 ...
Nils Munch's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
612 views

How to respond to publishers when they ask for rules?

I have a game in development, and I obviously think that it's good. It's fairly easy to play, but it's complex to balance. I have worked long and hard so far to make it almost ready for playtesting. ...
mozzribo's user avatar
  • 153
15 votes
2 answers
2k 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 ...
LittleViking26's user avatar
14 votes
5 answers
4k views

What dice to use in a game that revolves around triangles?

I am currently in the process of prototyping a game that revolves around triangles. I want my players to roll 3d4 dice to move, but am worried about the effects it might have vs. a traditional 2d6 ...
TheCentaur's user avatar
14 votes
5 answers
484 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?
Don Kirkby's user avatar
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14 votes
3 answers
3k 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 ...
whamsicore's user avatar
14 votes
5 answers
2k views

How have coop board games prevented a player(s) from taking over decision making

A 'problem' with some coop board games is that it's easy for a dominant person or people to take over all decision making in the game. I personally see this happen in Pandemic all the time, even ...
Landerah's user avatar
  • 374
14 votes
3 answers
623 views

What reasons would a designer want to employ squares over hexes in a battle simulation game?

In many games I have played, initial editions (eg the 1960s version of Midway) use squares for their boards. Often, later editions (eg the 1990s edition of Midway) change to a hex pattern. Hexes get ...
warren's user avatar
  • 1,727
14 votes
4 answers
711 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 ...
Don Kirkby's user avatar
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13 votes
6 answers
3k views

Do Collectible Card Games without shuffling exist?

All Collectible Card Games (like Magic the Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh!) I know require the players to shuffle their decks before the game begins. Also, the deck's card order is unbeknown to the players. ...
user1478302's user avatar
13 votes
6 answers
819 views

Creating an "Everyone but me knows my role" mechanic

I am trying to design a game where there are X citizens + 1 saboteur. Unfortunately for the saboteur he does not know that he is it. All the citizens know that one of them is replaced, and they all ...
Andrey's user avatar
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13 votes
4 answers
2k views

Fairness of Cowry Shells as Dice

I just learned about the use of cowry shells as binary dice and find the idea enchanting. However, I'm concerned about the apparent "fairness" of the dice. Obviously, because there are multiple ...
JAMalcolmson's user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
1k views

What are the qualities of a successful beta testing session from the player's perspective?

I'm a board game designer with the luxury of a large public playing area filled with board game enthusiasts. I would like to beta test a new board game and was wondering what YOU, as the player, would ...
Justin Whitney's user avatar
13 votes
6 answers
592 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 ...
Andrey's user avatar
  • 3,796
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why does Cascade exile?

From a design point of view, I cannot figure out why Cascade should specifically exile the cards involved, then return them to the bottom of the deck instead of revealing them (like Spellshift or ...
Circeus's user avatar
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12 votes
3 answers
958 views

How can I prevent players from cheating on their stats that carry between games?

I have created a card game that allows players to advance. The problem is that you can keep your stats until your next game (with anybody else). For the life of me, I can't find out how to be able to "...
user5444's user avatar
  • 121
12 votes
5 answers
2k views

Organizing a rule book

Bit of Background I am currently trying to organize a comprehensive rule book for a board game I have been designing for some time now that is about to go into a testing phase. This being my first ...
Nicholas_Moughler's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
1k 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.
Village's user avatar
  • 365
12 votes
1 answer
13k 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 ...
Jean-Sébastien's user avatar
11 votes
7 answers
2k 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 ...
SeriousSamP's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
790 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 ...
MrHen's user avatar
  • 1,253
11 votes
1 answer
689 views

Is "meaningful decisions per hour" a good measure for how fun a game might be?

People quickly grow out of games like Candy Land and Tic-Tac-Toe. They don't have any meaningful decisions to make. Then there are games like Monopoly, that have a few meaningful decisions to make, ...
user1873's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
4k views

What kind of paper can I use for a game card?

I really want to make game card that's similar to Monopoly cards or the like. What kind of paper should I use for the cards?
Rhibboleth's user avatar
10 votes
9 answers
2k views

How to show turn order when turn order can change during the round

I'm working on a game where the order of players' turns matters quite a bit, and I'm having trouble coming up with a way of showing the order. During the round, each player will take their turn. ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 3,465
10 votes
13 answers
3k views

Does a game exist where some win, some lose, and some don't?

In most games, everyone starts off with the potential to either win or lose. At the end, they've all either won or lost. Some games have a player who's like a referee -- they can neither win nor ...
Joe's user avatar
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