Introduction
When it comes to making a board game, there are many different types to choose from. From classic strategy games such as Monopoly and Risk to more modern or creative games like Catan and Quiplash, there is a type of game that appeals to everyone. Strategy games, for example, often involve managing resources or amassing armies in an effort to outwit opponents. Many of these are “Euro” style board games whereby players use tokens on a board with cards and dice that help manage their progress. Creative elements come into play more often in card-based or party games which focus on fast-moving conversations and quick thinking rather than slow, studied building strategies. Here are some common types of board games:
Strategy Games – These competitive board games rely heavily on the player’s ability to plan ahead and think strategically in order to outwit their opponents. These are usually heavier and may require reading over rule books before playing due to the depth strategy component of the game. Examples include classics such as Settlers of Catan and chess, but also newer titles such as Pandemic Legacy.
Adventure Games – Unlike strategy boardgames, adventure boardgames allow players to journey through a story-like experience by progressing through various scenarios throughout the game’s material components and ruleset structure. The most prominent examples of this genre would be fantasy themed franchises such as Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) but there are other dungeon crawlers such as Mage Knight which combines adventure with strategy elements during a narrative based format.
Cooperative Games – Cooperatives require groups of players uniting against an adversary that all players attempt to beat together instead of one another alone (example: Pandemic). These boardgames are great introductions for newbies who may feel overwhelmed by the competitiveness featured heavily in other genres while still having enough possible strategies gamers can develop against the opposition presented within each scenario.
Card Based Games – Card based cardgames feature decks built entirely out decks differing sets of cards with determined artwork/textual functions dependent on title setup resulting in different intrinsic values being ascribed through gameplay transactions between multiple parties utilizing said cards within limited user interfaces secure via potential rule enforcement methods typical among collectible card titles while creating heavy interactive behavior where strategic decisions must always be made with every move made therein resulting in potentially highly customizable experiences given deck building aspects constantly featured within its design framework whether or not explicitly advertised upon title release prompting greater freedom when choosing how best tackle during match progression possibilities enabled thereby altogether providing extraordinary long term replayability not typically seen within classic wargaming subject matter forays predating its quintessential permission granted category nature introduction once revolutionizing this hobby afterwards much loved community ever since emergent mechanics implementation begining cathartic rejuvenation movement sparked remarkable transformation period therefore universally championed today encompassing multitude tales tackled trips spanning realms real appearreal–etc
Gathering Ideas
Before you begin the steps to make your board game, it is important to come up with your concept. You’ll want to start by brainstorming ideas for your board game and then doing some research on the ones that stand out. You can start by thinking about the goal of the game: is it meant to be educational, entertaining, or something else entirely? Additionally, ask yourself questions about what type of gameplay you would like. For example, do you want it to be a strategy-based game involving multiple players or a more solitary linear experience? Other components you may want to consider are how long the play session should last, how complex rulesets should be, and if luck will be a factor in the game.
The next step is to conduct some research on genres of board games which can help narrow down the possibilities for mechanics. This could involve looking into game reviews and buying books related to board game design that discuss different types of mechanics. Additionally, playing existing board games can help show you successful concepts and provide inspiration for new rulesets or pieces you may not have thought of before. Finally, look for any trends in modern table top games such as cooperative play or variable level difficulty that could also become potential features in your own.
Planning Out the Mechanics
The first step in making a board game is to come up with the game’s rules, objectives, and mechanics. What type of game will it be (strategy, luck-based, cooperative, etc.)? Who are the players (two or more)? What’s the aim of the game? By establishing these essential components you can begin to determine how complex you want to make the game and what pieces will be required.
In order to make your board game effective it should have both strategy and luck elements, so consider adding dice or some other randomizing element. Players should also be able to define their own tactics or plans as they play through turns by using resources gained every round. The use of cards, tokens or markers is good for keeping track of players’ moves as well as ensuring all players remain active throughout the entire duration of a turn. Consider adding an element of chance into each player’s turn by assigning them randomly chosen tasks such as: draw an event card which must be completed before continuing on with their next move; roll a die to decide whether their piece is moved up one space or forward two spaces etc. These kinds of interactive elements can create excitement amongst players and encourage further gameplay. Don’t forget about setting limitations for actions taken during each turn (such as amount of pieces moved/time limit) so that no one gets bored waiting for another player’s turn. Lastly, it is important not to forget your ultimate goal – fun! Ensure that the overall objective remains clear while still allowing enough variation amongst capabilities within any given move.
Setting a Theme
Creating an interesting and engaging theme is an important first step in designing a board game. This is what makes it stand out from the crowd and draw in players, giving them something to relate to and identify with. After you’ve decided what your theme will be, create a visual aesthetic to reinforce it. Choose colors and fonts that reflect the feeling of your game, as well as a logo or graphics that can help people recognize your game quickly. Using artwork by professional illustrators or graphic designers can really make your game come alive, so be sure to find someone who specializes in creating art for board games. Once you have established a coherent and compelling look for your board game, you are ready to move onto the next stage – actually putting together the physical components.
Crafting the Board
No board game would be complete without a board! The most important aspect of building the game board is getting the pieces just right. Depending on your design, you need to plan out and outline where different components will go. A hexagonal or modular board grid may be one way to approach it, allowing for even development of surfaces for pieces to traverse or interact with. In addition, you need to decide how long each “turn” can last maybe – from rolling dice, to counters the player can move around on a field. Create a definitive finish line each turn must reach in order to be successful; this could be defined by numbers of players that have reached a certain end point, based on tokens acquired as points, or based on goals set out prior to comencing gameplay.
Deciding on a Goal
Once you know what type of board game you want to make, the first step is establishing the objective and win condition of the game. Having a goal in mind before creating your board game will make it much easier to develop. This goal should be achievable but difficult enough that it will require players to think strategically while playing. The difficulty and challenge should grow incrementally as play progresses. To help decide on an overall goal, you could think about what kind of theme or genre would work well with the mechanics you already have in mind. For example, if your idea involves collecting resources, maybe you could consider making a resource gathering game with a farm-like theme. This will help give your game more focus and direction when designing rules and mechanics.
Creating Components
When making a board game, the most essential components you will need to create are the art, cards, and game pieces. When creating these components, your goal should be to make them as clear and concise as possible.
The art should capture the theme of the game and provide a visual representation of the underlying mechanics of the game. To accomplish this, consider using software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to create artwork that is heavily detailed or dynamic illustrations. It is also important to consider how color, layout, typography and object placement can influence how players interact with your game.
Cards should provide instructions for any given action (movement in a case like chess or taking an event card in Settlers of Catan) or tell players which type of reward they get for completing certain tasks. Make sure you keep cards simple yet creative so they don’t distract from playing the actual game. Consider creating specific rules for each card just like any traditional board game would have!
Game pieces are what signify possession or ownership over certain elements (like owning a property space on Monopoly). Be careful not to overcomplicate pieces design too much so they won’t intimidate players while playing. Using icons or characters could be great ideas to symbolize events during gameplay – use basic shapes so everyone knows what’s being represented without confusion.
Finalizing and Play Testing
Once you have your game prototyped and tested a few times, it’s time to refine it. What rules can be simplified? Do the mechanics work for all players? Does it take too long to play? Are there any broken pieces or card combinations that don’t make sense? Every single part needs to pass rigorous testing in order for the game to succeed.
Make sure you always test with the intended audience, listening to first-hand feedback from people who match the demographic of your target audience. Note down what works and what doesn’t and be prepared to tweak parts of the game where needed. Iteration is an important factor in making great board games. Keeping an open mind when play testing will ensure that your game design is based on user feedback – which will ultimately improve your final product.
It is also important to begin public playtest sessions, offering players discounts or perks after they review their experience with your board game – this will help you identify potential problems quicker, while also earning yourself loyal fans within the gaming community. Furthermore, investing in professional photography helps bring out a sense of quality associated with high end board games and establishes greater credibility in front of general audiences or potential publishers. Finally, market research before launching any type of project should be done; Google Trends is a very useful tool for analyzing global interest towards certain topics related to gaming campaigns and development processes – get familiarized with competing titles in order to determine specific opportunities for your own product as well.
Documentation and Tutorials
When making a board game, it is crucial that the instructions are clearly written and easy to understand. This includes the rules of the game as well as a tutorial outlining how to set up the game and play it. The instruction manual should be written in a way that makes sense to those who are unfamiliar with the game, so that everyone can easily learn and enjoy it.
Another important part of making a board game is creating quality materials for playing the game. This could involve printing custom-made boards or cards, or collecting pre-made pieces such as dice or chips from an online store. It makes your board game much more enjoyable if there is quality art work associated with it, as well as an interesting story behind the gameplay in general.
The development of digital versions of board games is becoming more common these days, with some retailers providing online templates for creative content creation. If you want to make a digital version of your board game, there are also various tools available on various platforms such as HTML5 or Unity that allow you to create your own interactive environment in which people can play.
Finally, it is essential to test your board game thoroughly before releasing it into public distribution. Gather friends and family around a table and have them playtest your product! This will help determine whether any rule modifications need to be made or if additional content needs to be added before selling it to customers.
Sharing Your Board Game
Once you have successfully completed the process of creating your board game, it is time to share it with the world. Promoting and releasing your board game to the public is an integral step in making sure that your game reaches its potential audience. Before you release it there are several steps you should take.
The first step is to get it playtested. Share your board game with people who play board games regularly so they can provide feedback on how the game looks, plays, and works. Gathering other player’s opinions from outside the development process will allow you to point out any issues that may not have been obvious before, like rules that are unclear or elements of the game that don’t feel fun. By getting constructive criticism from people who have experience playing other games, you can understand what works and what does not work for your players.
Additionally, create a website or blog for your board game and use social media marketing to promote it. You should also make good use of Kickstarter or crowdfunding platforms if you plan on selling it commercially. These platforms let creators make their project bigger than they would otherwise be able to on their own. The more people who back the project, the more successful it will be when released publicly. Finally, if possible look into working with physical distribution partners that can help increase visibility of your product through brick-and-mortar retail stores around the world. After taking all these steps properly, you will be ready to officially release your new board game!
Conclusion
Now that you have completed all the necessary steps to create your own board game, it is time for a reflection on the process. You likely faced many obstacles along the way, from conceptualizing a creative idea for a game to finding ways to test and refine the mechanics during development. Taking some time to reflect on each of these steps can be beneficial in continuing your board game design journey: what worked best? What was your most exciting moment while creating and testing? How could you improve upon this game concept in the future? Understanding your journey with some reflection will help you identify current successes, troubleshoot issues that arose and provide direction for subsequent projects.
I love playing all kinds of games – from classics like Monopoly to modern favourites like Ticket to Ride.
I created this blog as a way to share my love of board games with others, and provide information on the latest releases and news in the industry.
