Best products from r/tabletopgamedesign

If you can get away with a required book, I would insist you use Theory of Fun. It's not about boardgames specifically, but more about what is fun and why games are fun. It's quite easy to read (every other page is a drawing), but it's excellent and deep. It would definitely give you a good foundation to go on and talk about games from a more educated standpoint.

"Why do you like this game?" "Ok, do you remember where the book says that's a fun thing to do?"

Or look at some critically acclaimed games and see why they fall under good design, or some popular, yet poorly designed games and why some people don't like them (Monopoly for one).

Scott Nicholson had a great video series called Boardgames With Scott that might have some useful videos. He's currently at MIT on sabbatical doing game design/teaching research (looks like maybe he just finished).

If you're looking for a book for yourself,

• http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Game-Design-lenses/dp/0123694965/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1
  
• http://www.amazon.com/A-Theory-Fun-Game-Design/dp/1932111972/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Play-Game-Design-Fundamentals/dp/0262240459/ref=pd_sim_b_7
  
  You'll notice a lot of them aren't specifically games, but deal with fun and play. It's important to understand those before you can talk about games. That is also a good topic. What is a game? How do you define it? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game#Definitions
  I personally like Chris Crawford's definition, but you get a lot of backlash from the general public for such a strict definition, as if forms of interactive entertainment are somehow inferior if they are not "games."
  
  I'm just sort of rambling and vomiting thoughts here, but to summarize some topics I would want to go over:
  
  
• History of games
  
• Definition of a game
  
• What is fun and play and how are those used to make good or bad games
  
• Genres of games and how that affects design choices.
  
• Pick a different game to teach and play each day/week? Perhaps at the beginning tell your students why a specific game is thought to be fun, and by the end ask them if they can recognize the major mechanics. You could start off a lesson this way and then revisit it at the end.
  
  Artificial intelligence could be an interesting side topic. Looking at search algorithms and how they are used to solve tic-tac-toe and how you use the EXACT same method to solve checkers or play chess and go (currently unsolved).
  
  If you do decide to talk about a variety of games, here are some I would suggest you look at:
  
  
• Go, for its simplicity in rules and depth of strategy. I would consider it one of the most pure games.
  
• Settlers of Catan for introducing euro-style boardgames to the USA and popularizing board games. Also involves heavy player to player trading.
  
• The Resistance as a short-form hidden treachery and secret agenda social game.
  
• Dominion as a game that introduced an entirely new genre that is now super successful. Also a good example of a multiplayer solitaire game.
  
• Tic-tac-toe as a game whose depth ceiling is too low and complexity space is too small for humans.
  
• Pandemic as a completely cooperative game (there might be a simpler game for this, not sure)
  
• Can't Stop - a look at chance and how it can be used as an interesting core mechanic and not just a way to make things random
  
  
  As you can tell, I love stuff like this. Let me know what you think about my ideas, or if you want to talk more or throw ideas back and forth, feel free.
  
  Other sources:
  
  
• http://boardgamegeek.com

Hello, and welcome to /r/tabletopgamedesign!

I can see in the comments that you are keeping your idea intentionally close the vest. You don't need to worry about people "stealing" your ideas - that really doesn't happen for three reasons:

• Everyone already has their own ideas they care more about. I'm not going to bother stealing your idea when I already have fifty-billion of my own.
  
• The hard work is everything that comes after the idea. Game ideas are a honestly a dime a dozen, but taking an idea and chiseling away and polishing it until it's a finely tuned machine is the real challenge.
  
• You literally cannot copyright game mechanics. I could release a game that is mechanically identical to Risk but used my own unique art and assets, and could probably get away with it. But, nobody would buy it, because Risk exists.
  
  Eventually, you will need other people to help make your game into a reality, whether it's working with a publisher, a manufacturer, or even emailing your art to staples@printme.com to print them at your local store. Careful! A rogue Staples employee / aspiring game designer might steal your stuff! /s
  
  If you really don't want to share, nobody here can force you, but the quality of advice we can provide will be much lower. FWIW, I'm not just walking the walk - I have a website for my game, IntraSolar that anyone can visit and download the rulebook for. I'll also be releasing a print-n-play version sometime soon!
  
  ---
  
  My #1 piece of advice, however, is that nobody will design your game for you. Game design itself is not a game in that there are no set rules, pieces, or paths. Your path is your own, and will be more rewarding if you take initiative and purposefully move down it, rather than waiting around for someone to guide you.
  
  For now, I can at least share with you some very high-level information that should help get you started. Looking at your user history, I'm going to assume that you have no-to-little experience with tabletop gaming, but this also could be a completely incorrect assumption.
  
  

  Books to Read
  

  
  

• Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design by Geoff Engelstein.
  
• The Game Inventor's Guidebook by Brian Tinsman
  
• Probably most books on this page.
  
  

  Games to Play
  

  
  I'm going to recommend some boardgame staples. Many of these games are older, but all of them have been very well received in the boardgaming community and have valuable lessons to teach if you haven't played them.
  
  There are many other great games out there, many of which are heavier than this, but considering that you are (likely) new to the hobby, this is a great starting point.
  
  

• Seven Wonders
  
• Pandemic
  
• Dominion
  
• Splendor
  
• Secret Hitler
  
• Mysterium
  
• Sushi Go!
  
  

  Podcasts to Absorb
  

  
  You can also find them on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
  
  

• Ludology
  
• Shut Up & Sit Down
  
• Heavy Cardboard
  
• Board Game Barrage
  
  

  Blogs to Follow
  

  
  

• Boardgame Geek's Blog
  
• The Geek Weekly
  
• Meeple Like Us
  
• Meeple Mountain
  
• Punchboard Media
  
• Stonemaier Games' Blog
  
• Pandasaurus Games' Blog
  
  

  Creators to Watch
  

  
  These last two are more videogame-focused but still contain relevant & great ideas / discussions.
  
  

• Shut Up & Sit Down
  
• Board Game Geek
  
• Watch It Played
  
• Game Maker's Toolkit
  
• GDC
  
  ---
  
  There are so many other great games and resources out there that I couldn't possibly hope to put together a comprehensive list, but these are my top picks for beginners. I frequently listen / watch / read many items on this list myself on a daily basis.
  
  Good luck on your journey, and I hope you open a window into your prototype soon!

"...elegance is the quality we see in games where several characteristics of the game and the gameplay experience are brought together:

• There is a metastable rather than static uniformity to the entire system that is cognitively and emotionally satisfying. The game changes each time it is played but retains an overarching familiarity in the experience it provides. The player is able to continue to find satisfaction in exploring the ever-changing gameplay space through repeat plays without feeling that the theme or the overall experience itself changes.
  
• The high-level systems are simply defined but have great hierarchical depth. As a result, the player is able to gradually discover this depth, building a mental model of the game along the way. This multilevel organization gives rise to complex behaviors and gameplay that further inform the player and reveal the game’s systems and theme.
  
• The deep systems exhibit a degree of symmetry or self-similarity: each lower-level system reflects the overall structure of the system of which it is a part (as shown in loop form in Figure 2.24 and in plant form in the broccoli in Figure 2.25). The subsystems need not be exactly the same as those above them, as long as they are similar enough that higher-level systems provide scaffolding for learning more detailed ones. This creates an unobtrusive, highly contextual aide to the player’s ability to easily increase comprehension and build a mental model of the game. As players explore the game more deeply, they have the positive feeling that they almost already know what they are seeing for the first time.
  
• There are few “loose ends” in the form of rules exceptions or special cases. Such exceptions ruin the mental symmetry of the self-similar hierarchical systems and increase the player’s mental load—requiring the player to focus on remembering rules and how to play the game rather than just playing it.
  
• Finally, as players have thoroughly learned the hierarchical systems of the game to the point that they can reflect on them (an instance of metacognition), they are able to perceive and appreciate the qualities of depth and symmetry in the game’s dynamic structures. At this point, the game is enjoyable and satisfying not only while it’s being played but even when the players are musing on its rules and systems.
  
  Elegance of this degree is rarely attained. It requires a masterful comprehension of the game systems by the designer, who must apprehend them all at once, as if they were laid out, while at the same time seeing them in linear form as the players experience them."
  
  (Quoting myself, admittedly, from Advanced Game Design, pp 85-86)

Love the idea of an economically based space 4x game. Been a huge fan of TI3 myself over the years, but the mechanics sometimes just get in the way of telling the stories of these space empires interacting. Always love the Hacan and their focus on trading and making money instead of conquering the galaxy and wished there was a game that would let me explore that sort of gameplay.

Interestingly enough FFG announced a supplement book for their Star Wars RPG detailing the Hutts and their homeworld of Nal Hutta which got me thinking about how a galaxy where the peaceful but ruthless Hacan would compete against an organization like the Hutts who willingly break all the rules to get ahead.

Complete side note too, but curious if you ever heard of the novel called Lock Step byKarl Schroeder. The book itself isn't that good (sorta young adult stuff) but the universe he outlines is fascinating. Basically he explores the idea of what a galaxy spanning empire would function without the old sci fi trope of 'going faster than the speed of light'. In Lock Step, every member planet of the empire voluntarily goes into hibernation for 30 year periods. During these hibernation steps, robots and other automation gather resources for trade/consumption and ships travel the great spans between stars. When everyone wakes up, its business as usual for a month, then they go into hibernation again.

Always thought a 4x game where the foundations like that are already setup, and you had to lead your company/clan/trade prince/etc to profit would be fascinating. Player turns would be essentially 'programming' their moves in advance then allowing the passage of time dictate if they were successful or not. Did those robot miners hit paydirt where you sent them out? Did your convoy successfully make it to that distant star or did non-hibernating pirates get it?

Bit off topic, but not sure where else to gush sometimes :P Quite interested in your game for sure and will be paying attention.

OP, can you clarify what you mean by "I've been given a tight deadline of 3-4 months to provide the game for printing." Who's giving this deadline, and why is this deadline a thing?

BTW, totally cool about the lack of experience. We all start there. Many of these questions have been answered (at least partially) in this sub and on awesome blogs around the internet.

So, to partially answer a few of your questions:

2: design is mile 19 of the marathon, and may not be important at all unless you're Kickstarting it. Publishers will likely use their own artists (though to your credit, having art may put you ahead of the game since that's less work for them to do.

3: This is where playtesting over and over again is necessary. Beyond that, fifth grade math FTW – if this card is in the deck X times and the deck is Y big = X/Y.

4: I started with maybe $20 worth of games from a second-hand store (mostly for the pawns, dice, etc.), some index cards and sleeves, and Sharpies of different colors. Get the mechanics and fun right, worry about the design later.

5: This varies by game – how much luck / strategy is appropriate?

6 and 7: Somebody can probably write a book to answer this one. At least one is worthy reading: https://www.amazon.com/The-Game-Inventors-Guidebook-Role-Playing/dp/1600374476

I'm currently midway through Characteristics of Games, written cooperatively by 3 people, probably the most notable of which is Richard Garfield (designer of Magic: the Gathering and RoboRally). It is really good, and has great insights into how games function. Most of what it discusses is focused on board games, though it does discuss videogames at times as well. Highly, highly recommended.

I also find the Ludology Podcast to be invaluable. It's hosted by Ryan Sturm (who also hosts the How to Play Podcast) and Geoff Engelstein (designer of Space Cadets and Space Cadets: Dice Duel). They tend to pick a topic and elaborate on it for an hour or so, and if you start at the beginning, it's a really great way to slowly introduce new things to think about when designing games.

I usually just start with basic 110lb cardstock. This is commonly available at Staples and other sources, and is easy to run through almost any printer.

​

https://www.staples.com/Staples-Card-Stock/product_SS992807

​

Once things are a little more stable you can either print onto label stock and put it onto mat board, or just print onto regular paper and use a spray adhesive like this:

​

https://www.uline.com/BL_773/3M-Light-Duty-Aerosols

​

For cutting, you can use an xacto knife and a metal ruler. But if you're going to be cutting a lot, it's worth investing in a rotary cutter like this:

​

https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Rotary-Paper-Trimmer-18inch/dp/B0006HV9O8

​

That Carl rotary trimmer is by far the most useful thing I have ever purchased to help me with game prototypes.

​

Tangentially related but The Characteristics Of Games is the best games design boom I've read https://www.amazon.co.uk/Characteristics-Games-George-Skaff-Elias/dp/026201713X

Richard Garfield is a co author :)

I use these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007LVDL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


They're great because you can print your cards directly onto the sheet, then pull them apart. Really useful if your game involves multiple copies of the same thing, since you can just copy and paste instead of writing the same damn thing over and over. Also, typing is faster than writing anyway. It's 13 USD for 400 cards, which is cheaper than 100 of the suggested blank cards + sleeves (~20 USD). You can't reuse them, but if you buy 2 packs for $26, you should get a lot of use out of them, and are basically paying a few extra bucks for something that's waaaaay easier than writing out 800 cards by hand.


The sheets are kind of thick though, so I'm not sure if home printers will do the job right. I've only ever printed with the copier at work (shhh, don't tell my boss).

Since you're asking this kind of question, I would say the first step is to read and listen to all the interviews and literature that's out there first first. Having a base knowledge of the industry is going to help you with all future steps you've listed.

Kolbold's Guide to Board Game Design is a great book to kick off the journey.

There's also many board game design podcasts out there that I found extremely helpful:

The Board Game Design Podcast
Ludology
Tuesday Knight Podcast

As a quick note, add two spaces after your links in order to create a line break for your headings.

Another good resource for icons is http://game-icons.net/.

The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design is a solid repository of advice for designers.

Also, this is a bit specific to me and won't have the same impact for every designer, but this was the single most important piece of advice I've ever read regarding game design: http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/11885/you-have-have-guts-ask-question

The single biggest issue I had with designing when I started is that I would solve design problems by adding new rules to cover any edge cases that came up. "This thing is exploitable? Let's add a new mechanic that fixes that." "This part is confusing? Let's add another system that helps the player better understand the existing system." There was some amount of give and take, but it largely just boiled down to bloated designs. Ever since I started designing with the philosophy that no rule is sacred in mind, I became a much more competent designer basically overnight.

Challenges for game designers is a highly recommended book, although it is not designed to be used with kids. Might have good exercise ideas, though.

Edit: also, will there be time to play games? Playing some simple games and breaking down the mechanics involved, like deduction, set collection, drafting, etc, could really be illuminating.

Challenges for Games Designers is a book I regularly recommend when people ask me for a book.

Otherwise it's just lots of work, Games Design is like a muscle it gets easier and stronger through use.

Pandemic is great for cubes.

For other things it depends on what you want. I am using catan houses in a prototype right now, and before I used an othello board/tokens for something else.

One thing that I have is a bunch of circular colored tokens. (something like this https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-LER0131-Transparent-Counting/dp/B00004WKPM IDK where I got mine)

and a bunch of dice in ten colors. I got this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074C8N5XG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B074C8N5XG&pd_rd_wg=Y6rqd&pd_rd_r=5YFCCSC3XA4CFKBSB0HV&pd_rd_w=yuvJX two of the dice had a little extra paint on the two side that made them look like a three at a glance, so I threw them away. Still got 98 dice though.

Play a ton of games. Try games that are outside of your comfort zone! the Book Rules of Play is great too

As far as books go, I highly recommend the "Kobold Guide to Board Game Design:"

https://www.amazon.com/Kobold-Guide-Board-Game-Design/dp/1936781042

It has a bunch of articles from board game designing veterans and will give you some great tips on everything from how to get started, to how to polish up your prototype for publishers.

As for making a board game from an existing franchise... that's something where the owner of the IP reaches out to you, not the other way around. They'll typically be looking for industry veterans who have had several best-selling games over the course of several years. So unfortunately for 99.99% of us, designing a product for a franchise like Warcraft or Game of Thrones will never be anything more than a dream.

Characteristics of Games is a touch dry but it goes into pretty good depth.

https://www.amazon.com/Characteristics-Games-Press-George-Skaff/dp/026201713X

I have found The Game Inventor's Guidebook by Brian Tinsman to be a wonderful resource. It is a bit dated since so much has changed these past 8 years, but the book is a great tool nonetheless.

Blank dice and stickers. You're going to change things.

Here's 50 blank dice for nine bucks:

https://www.amazon.com/Nakimo-Blank-White-Board-Teaching/dp/B00BAKWKP2

Here's a thousand half-inch round stickers you can print on for six bucks:

https://www.amazon.com/Round-Circle-Labels-White-Printer/dp/B0731Q24NT/

​

Fifteen bucks and you've got perfect tools for prototyping. Bonus: use colored pencils and you can revise as you playtest.

I was hoping to avoid the brown craft sheets to do white instead. On my investigation it looks like most of the chipboard on Amazon is well thinner than 1.5mm, but I'm going to try out this one, as it looks thicker: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017TJ985C/

​

Thanks!

Following a problem from a book of game design challenges (this one for those curious), I'm starting a WWII era RPG based on the Brothers in Arms video game series. Game play has a focus on combat (is that bad for an RPG?) so I'm currently working out the details.

The intention is for it to be used in a classroom setting with high school students, which means rules need to be simple and easy to learn. This has proved to be quite the challenge to maintain interesting combat mechanics inspired by the core mechanics of the series, while keeping rolls to a D6 and math to a minimum. Feel pretty excited about it though!

I'm currently reading Tracy Fullerton's Game Design Workshop, and it's very interesting because she's heavily involved in a college tabletop design program. Even if you don't go in for that, her book is fantastic as something for you to do on your own. It's filled with exercises for you to explore and do.

> Building Blocks of tabletop Game Design

Your comment got me curious so I checked Amazon. It looks like a very large percentage of the book is available for preview Here https://www.amazon.com/Building-Blocks-Tabletop-Game-Design/dp/1138365491. Gonna definitely read some myself!

This book does a great job on giving industry tips and tricks on game design in the form of topic based essays and is in my opinion the best way to get immersed in the culture of game design as a newbie. https://www.amazon.com/Kobold-Guide-Board-Game-Design/dp/1936781042

On the topics of game balance, theory, pitfalls, tips, I think I speak in line with many users of this and other game design communities when I say: "Just get something out that is broken and messy and put it in front of a group of unbiased playtesters." Once you get your game/RPG system in front of real players you'll quickly find out what their experiences are with what you've built and where to take your design for its next iteration.

In general:
"Playtest early and playtest often."

Can it be larger? This one's pretty big: https://www.amazon.com/KongNai-Silicone-Collapsible-Foldable-Transferring/dp/B07STBWMB7/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_79_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WT1AQYPH0ZFNP46K0381

Really really good game design book (a lot of university game design teacher use this one as main core of their courses)
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Art-Game-Design-lenses/dp/0123694965

I really like.

Challenges for Game Designers by Brathwaite and Schreiber: https://www.amazon.com/Challenges-Games-Designers-Non-Digital-Exercises/dp/1542453313/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493469101&sr=8-1&keywords=challenges+for+game+designers

Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton: https://www.amazon.com/Game-Design-Workshop-Playcentric-Innovative/dp/1482217163/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1482217163&pd_rd_r=C4KTX74FX6FRDX63HCJQ&pd_rd_w=EuUkE&pd_rd_wg=y877F&psc=1&refRID=C4KTX74FX6FRDX63HCJQ

*Kobold Guide to Board Game Design: https://www.amazon.com/Kobold-Guide-Board-Game-Design/dp/1936781042/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493469414&sr=1-1&keywords=kobold+guide+to+board+game+design

$10 for 50 blank dice, draw on them with Sharpie or wet-erase?

Nakimo 16MM Blank White Dice for Board Games, DIY, Fun, and Teaching, Pack of 50 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BAKWKP2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RLMXCb45Q39TJ

Challenges for Game Designers is full of non-digital game design exercises. One of the authors, Ian Schreiber, put together an accompanying free online class/blog.

I only own of a couple of these, but if I were to throw a prototyping jam I would get:

Color Sharpies

Blank Boards

Blank Cards

Blank Tokens

Pawns

Counters

Dice

I think that would cover 95% of anything you'd want!

I would always suggest starting with Characteristics of Games before diving deeper.

This one was just released:
BGG redid their mechanics classification system based on this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Building-Blocks-Tabletop-Game-Design/dp/1138365491

Characteristics of Games Doesn't just talk about board games, but Richard Garfield is one of the authors.

It's possible to hire people to do it - there are companies that specialize in finding people to do focus-group testing of various products - but that's a bit expensive.

This book on board game design has a couple chapters on playtesting that would be relevant: http://www.amazon.com/Kobold-Guide-Board-Game-Design/dp/1936781042

Why not set yourself some challenges and see if you can stick to them? Constraining components can be a great way to spur creativity. For example, create some aspect of your everyday life as a game, but you can only include 20 cards. Next challenge restrict yourself to 10 cards. Then no cards.

Alternatively, maybe try this book? I have it on my bookshelf but have never opened it... https://www.amazon.com/Challenges-Game-Designers-Brenda-Brathwaite/dp/158450580X

If heft is an issue, you can swap out uncut white dice for wooden cubes. I imagine you could apply the same process OP did - painting and mod-podging - and get results that feel more like a regular die.

They're cheap, too. You can get 50 blank white 16mm dice on Amazon for under $8, which works out to about sixteen cents a die.