GUEST POST by Chris Sutcliffe
While teenagers who play football will often dream of going pro, I played enough board games that I eventually began to make my own. Often they were a gift for a friend’s birthday, and were simple ‘progress around the board collecting tokens’ efforts with the added wrinkle that they were easily converted into drinking games.
One, in fact, for my friend Phill’s birthday, was just a drinking game that happened to involve a board: Called ‘Phillmanji’ for some reason, it was a complete success in that it got everybody involved paralytically drunk and simultaneously a complete disaster in that it got everybody paralytically drunk.
Since then, though, I’ve made two board games which were intended to be played seriously. One was a role-playing mystery game, a mixture of Cluedo and Castle Ravenloft.
The other one I’m working on at the moment, is a trading game called To The King where players are encouraged to betray each other and change the goal; it’s sort of a mixture of Discworld: Ankh-Morpork and Fluxx. It’s still in the play-testing stage, but in making it I’ve learned a lot about what makes a successful board game.
So for everyone who’d like to create their own game, whether just for friends or to eventually try to sell it, here are four tips to make your game a success.
While teenagers who play football will often dream of going pro, I played enough board games that I eventually began to make my own. Often they were a gift for a friend’s birthday, and were simple ‘progress around the board collecting tokens’ efforts with the added wrinkle that they were easily converted into drinking games.
One, in fact, for my friend Phill’s birthday, was just a drinking game that happened to involve a board: Called ‘Phillmanji’ for some reason, it was a complete success in that it got everybody involved paralytically drunk and simultaneously a complete disaster in that it got everybody paralytically drunk.
Since then, though, I’ve made two board games which were intended to be played seriously. One was a role-playing mystery game, a mixture of Cluedo and Castle Ravenloft.
The other one I’m working on at the moment, is a trading game called To The King where players are encouraged to betray each other and change the goal; it’s sort of a mixture of Discworld: Ankh-Morpork and Fluxx. It’s still in the play-testing stage, but in making it I’ve learned a lot about what makes a successful board game.
So for everyone who’d like to create their own game, whether just for friends or to eventually try to sell it, here are four tips to make your game a success.
1. STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
Consider what the unique aspect of your game is. When you’re just making one for your friends, it’s not necessary to have particularly original gameplay, but if you’re thinking about selling your game or getting it crowd-funded, it has to have a unique aspect. Once you’ve thought of a unique twist or gameplay mechanic, check online to make sure it genuinely is original: Video series like Shut Up & Sit Down or Tabletop are good ways to check if it’s been done before. Ideally you should be able to sum up what makes it original in a single sentence.
2. DESIGN ISN'T EVERYTHING
Don’t worry too much about the visual aspect of the board. While it’s nice to have a detailed design ultimately the game lives or dies based on how much fun it is to play, not how nice it is to look at.
3. AVOID LOOPHOLES
Always be aware that players will find loopholes in the rules, particularly if your game is complicated. While these loopholes can be fun and reveal new facets to the gameplay, it’s up to you to ensure they don’t become gamebreakers. It’s no fun if there’s an ‘instant win’ button that players can easily use.
4. PLAY-TEST, PLAY-TEST, PLAY-TEST
Play-test a lot, and with a lot of different people. By doing so you’re more likely to be able to see any weaknesses in the gameplay that wouldn’t be exposed in a few tests, or where the majority of players are likely to become confused by the rules so you can clarify. Don’t be afraid to take player feedback: Remember that games are supposed to be fun, and if you can amend your design to make it more so, even at the expense of having your vision changed somewhat, it should be done".
Consider what the unique aspect of your game is. When you’re just making one for your friends, it’s not necessary to have particularly original gameplay, but if you’re thinking about selling your game or getting it crowd-funded, it has to have a unique aspect. Once you’ve thought of a unique twist or gameplay mechanic, check online to make sure it genuinely is original: Video series like Shut Up & Sit Down or Tabletop are good ways to check if it’s been done before. Ideally you should be able to sum up what makes it original in a single sentence.
2. DESIGN ISN'T EVERYTHING
Don’t worry too much about the visual aspect of the board. While it’s nice to have a detailed design ultimately the game lives or dies based on how much fun it is to play, not how nice it is to look at.
3. AVOID LOOPHOLES
Always be aware that players will find loopholes in the rules, particularly if your game is complicated. While these loopholes can be fun and reveal new facets to the gameplay, it’s up to you to ensure they don’t become gamebreakers. It’s no fun if there’s an ‘instant win’ button that players can easily use.
4. PLAY-TEST, PLAY-TEST, PLAY-TEST
Play-test a lot, and with a lot of different people. By doing so you’re more likely to be able to see any weaknesses in the gameplay that wouldn’t be exposed in a few tests, or where the majority of players are likely to become confused by the rules so you can clarify. Don’t be afraid to take player feedback: Remember that games are supposed to be fun, and if you can amend your design to make it more so, even at the expense of having your vision changed somewhat, it should be done".
This guest post was arranged and edited by Joe Hall.