[#006] A structure for inspiration, the $100 challenge, and more

Welcome to your weekly dose of board game design!

Can't wait for winter to be over already... Anyway, lots of good stuff straight ahead.

Something I learned about game design this week

Don't be afraid to change the core mechanic or the theme if a better one comes along. One of my co-designs is about to take a big leap forward because we started thinking outside the box our current theme was keeping us in.

The mechanics directly contribute towards the feeling players have. What constraints do the mechanics and physical pieces introduce? Do they match up, or is something abstracted out? The quality of the physical prototype can really change how players approach a game. In a dexterity game, for example, how players use the pieces might come down to how big they are, or the slickness of the surface they're playing on, or the size of the target they're aiming for. Think ahead to what the final offering might be like, then scale as necessary.

This week's tip

Inspiration is all around you. You probably already knew that, though I'll also argue that inspiration requires a bit of structure.

Way back in the day, I started two Google Docs: one titled 'Themes with No Mechanics' and one titled 'Mechanics with No Themes'. Whenever I thought of a theme, I'd write it up in the Themes with No Mechanics document, and so on. When you need a theme, go to that document. Looking to combine two ideas? Open the two docs side by side in your browser / screen setup.

I might be writing something random in my paper notebook or have a thought while reading something cool (a shoutout to r/imaginarymaps on Reddit for a cool place full of world building)... but that structure is lost if those notes don't make it back to these documents... so the real tip here, I guess, is to ensure those notes get back to the structure you've set up for yourself.

Question from a reader

Reader Joanna asks:

So I want to start making games, and I've saved up about $100 to buy some stuff. I already have some games, but I don't want to take pieces from the games I've already got. What should I buy to start making games?

Believe it or not, $100 will go a long way towards a bunch of supplies for making games.

A few quick notes:

• I'm going to assume you'll have a few basic office supplies around your house (think paper clips, scissors, white / PVA glue, permanent markers, etc.), so I won't be including those here.

• I'm also not including normal paper, a printer, or print shop fees, since these will vary based on what your game needs.

• I'm using some Amazon affiliate links here, and naturally your pricing / mileage may vary.

First and foremost, start saving your cardboard - both corrugated and non-corrugated cardboard have their uses. They're great for boards, chipboard pieces, and so on. Thicker, flatter pieces are better than smaller, curling pieces.

• Sticker paper makes it so much easier to attach paper to cardboard. Sure, glue and tape work, but they're fiddlier. 30 sheets for $6.95

• Playing cards or Magic commons: you might find the playing ards at your local dollar store cheaper than on Amazon. Do aim for poker-sized cards, not bridge-sized cards (they're a quarter-inch narrower and will rattle around inside a sleeve.) To start, assuming you're working on 1 or 2 game ideas, aim for a couple hundred cards - 4 or 5 packs would be perfect. On Amazon, search for 'bulk playing cards', or head to your FLGS and make a deal for some Magic commons. Let's budget $10 for 5 packs, or about 250 cards.

• Card sleeves are amazing: just take your printed or hand-drawn card, add a playing card / Magic common, and push them into the sleeve. This listing has 500 sleeves in 10 different colors for $24.95.

• Six-sided dice: Great for dozens of things, and also useful in prototypes as a bunch of things. 50 dice in many colors for $6.29.

• Centimeter cubes: Another one of those versatile sorts of pieces. I'd also buy some meeples if I had more than $100, but since I'm trying to keep costs down a bit, cubes can double as meeples. Be sure they're actually 1cm cubes - other sizes are available, but these are the standard. 500 cubes in many colors for $18.59.

• Poker chips: Attach some sticker paper and you have an easy token. Look for 1.5 inch (38mm) chips with a smooth surface to affix a sticker. 160 chips in 4 different colors for $9.99.

• 38mm / 1.5 inch circle punch: Perfect for cutting out pieces for poker chips, whether it's normal paper attached with glue or sticker paper. Among other options, this one's $9.99.

• A plastic toolbox: Gotta hold everything, after all. I like the ones with a handle, a removable tray and a nice, tough feel to them. Feel free to use some plastic drawers or containers that works with your storage space, or save a few bucks by using cardboard boxes instead. One toolbox with over 1,000 ratings is $11.99.

Total spent: $98.75.

What I’ve been working on last week

• Updating sell sheets for Nuremberg

• Playtesting IRL and virtually (How Does Your Garden Grow, Oh Fudge, a dice drafting game, and Smite

• Some client work (editing rulebooks and creating TTS mods)

What's coming up this week

• Pitching / gearing up for Nuremberg

• Follow-up with publishers

• Retheme a game to use different art and form factor

ICYMI

One of my games is coming to Kickstarter! It's called Snorkel, and is a combination of Memory, Set, and Three Card Monte (and don't worry, very little memory is actually necessary). Go follow the Kickstarter page.

Also, there's a new series on Youtube about how game stuff is manufactured - if you've ever been curious about the process, this is a great place to start. Hero Time's most recent episode is about foldable game boards:

Random picture of the week

A shoutout back to Essen and one of the coolest business cards I've ever seen. That's a real wooden meeple, inserted by hand into a laser-cut hole in the card. Need custom meeples? That's meeplestudio.com for some cool stuff. (Not an ad, just a fan of the clever marketing.)

Thanks for reading!

Got a question about game design you'd like answered? Find an amazing new resource that would help fellow game designers? Reply to this email and share =)

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!