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Everyone has a favoritetabletop game, whether it is one they found and fell in love with or were introduced to. If you’ve ever considered what your favorite game might be like with different mechanics or a new goal, then you should try making your own game. Designing a tabletop game can seem daunting, but the process is easier than you think.
Here you will receive a primer on making your first game, from deciding on an idea to completing your first playable version. Many online resources can provide deeper dives into game design or aspects like publishing a game, although they will not be covered here.
Finding Your First Ideas
Often the best starting point for any game is to settle on what the core of the game will be. This will decide what the gameplay loop is like. It is important that the main loop is entertaining and plays like you want it to.
For example, if you enjoy set-collecting games like Sushi Go you’ll want to start with something to match, like rolls of a die or playing cards. Knowing the type of game decides what you should gather. Like dice, paper and pen, or playing cards.
Materials for a game prototype will vary significantly based on the type of game you want to make. A social deduction game doesn’t usually need dice and a deck builder often won’t require a game board. Some suggested items to gather when developing an idea are listed here for you.
Vital to test with
Important extras
Nice to have
Playing cards to write on
Pen and notecards
Cardboard for a game surface
Pen and dice
Game tokens and pieces
Lots of paper for players
Pencils and notepads
Topic and object lists
Many things you may already have make for great game pieces.Standard playing cardsor extras from a TCG can stand in for any card you need with some writing or a reference note. Dice are a fantastic testing tool not just to roll, but to stand in for game tokens and player pieces.
If you have old or incomplete games, bringing all their pieces together in a new container offers a wonderful resource of game parts. You could form a complete and new game out of parts from others with very little added work on designing parts or drawing up cards and boards.
Chessex Pound-O-Dice
If you’ve no dice to create with, this handles it
For rolling, marking, moving, and playing, the Pound-O-Dice can supply a dozen games with pieces and parts. If you don’t have an existing dice collection and are interested in the hobby this is a perfect starting point. You’ll get everything needed for board games and roleplaying games of all kinds.
When in the beginning stages, it is best to focus on an idea and repeatably iterate on it. Gather the correct materials and try out as many versions of your idea as you can. Ideally, you will attempt anywhere from 10 to 15 initial designs.
After trying many variations of your idea, you can select the few that worked out best to build on and improve. With set-collecting games, for instance, you might try out matching rolls of dice, cards, or shapes. Draw on the games you know and love to find ideas to try out.
Designing Better Gameplay
When making your board game you will want to study many sources and games for the mechanics and designs you like best. Playing other games during your design process can be a great exercise, providing inspiration and making it clear what you find fun in games.
To continue with the set matching game if you liked dice rolling then how do you build on that? Say you’ve enjoyed rolling six dice and looking for patterns, games like Yahtzee or Ravensburger’s Strike have similar gameplay you could examine.
Kobold Guide to Board Game Design
For a deeper dive into designing great games
The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design is an excellent choice for those invested in game design and wish to make games. Even if you don’t expect to create many games this is a wonderful insight into the process that you will not regret learning from.
For this dice game, each player using six dice could quickly require a lot of dice as players increase. Looking at Yahtzee and Strike we could have lots of dice or only a few and take turns matching. When searching how other games solve problems,resources like BoardGameGeekcan help you find games similar to yours.
As you’re fleshing out your first game mechanic, you’ll want to discover how your game can be different. Any given mechanic or genre of game can have hundreds of game variations published around it. The best of those games will have a unique twist or added element.
The dice-matching game could add playing cards to the mix to affect your dice or your opponents. If you’re a fan of card drafting, which can be added to the game, for instance, every set of three dice on your turn lets you take a card.
When To Start Playtesting
Playtesting is the act of gathering some friends and teaching them your current game prototype to get feedback and see where it needs changes. But how do you know when to playtest your game? It will be far earlier in the process than you might assume.
As soon as your game has a couple of elements you may play with, you should try to test it. The sooner you test mechanics, the faster you can adjust and make them better. Playtesting early in the process means you can change ideas quickly if something isn’t working well.
The imaginary dice-matching game, for example, is already enough to playtest. With some dice and playing cards, you can immediately attempt playing it, deciding what cards do based on what sounds fun. It is important to look for the fun first and worry about balance and smoother play as you test and improve it.
Until the final polishing stage fancy game pieces and cool design are not needed. Power or item cards can be existing cards from your favorite TCG or board game, and abilities already written on them can be adapted for your own use. Material and inspiration in one!
When you attempt your first playtest with friends, you’ll likely feel like the game is wrong or doesn’t make sense, and that’s normal! These bumps are why playtesting early is so important, often in the beginning stage every playtest reveals something you wish to change. So test and test again.
Refining Your Game
With multiple playthroughs under your belt and feedback from friends, your initial game will likely have many changes and discarded mechanics. While you focus on the fun and choose elements to stay, you can begin thinking about cleaning up rules or balancing play.
Game balance is often seen as being incredibly important, but in reality, it matters only as far as ensuring all the players have fun. A game can be wildly unbalanced but remainsfun for everyone at the table. As you continue playtesting, look for things that frustrate other players when entering play. Those are the elements to change or balance.
As complex as balancing a game can be, it is far easier than making an unfun game fun. Always starting from the position of “follow the fun” in your game creation will take you far. Balance mechanics can be added later, and adjustments to existing rules are easier than making entirely new ones.
By the later stages of testing, you will want to arrange a blind playtest of your game. What is a blind playtest? For a blind playtest you’ll do your best to explain the game and its rules in writing and hand the game and its test rulebook to a group who hasn’t played. This can seem scary, but don’t worry.
Just as your first playtest revealed areas that you wanted to change, letting people play your game who weren’t involved in its creation will reveal the remaining sticking points. If a game mechanic is confusing or unclear, players new to the game will find it. This lets you refine your game until it is enjoyable and playable, even for those who have had no introduction to it.
Only in these final stages of refinement should you worry about the appearance or production quality of your game. With rules and mechanics set in place, you can seek printing services and better game pieces to really help your game shine. Placing a game you designed yourself on the shelf is a fantastic feeling, and offers a unique experience when you host game nights.
Additional Resources
The previously mentioned site BoardGameGeek is a treasure trove for discovering games and learning their similarities. Endless lists of games,common mechanics, and game designers can be found easily. Description of how games play and reviews for them from real players can be really helpful too.
Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design
For those who are serious about making tabletop games
This massive reference guide is a complete encyclopedia of how games work. With in-depth explanations of all the most used game mechanics and systems, this makes for an excellent source when looking for what to add to your game.
If you are interested in designing games but don’t wish to invest money in it yet, a search for game design at a nearby library is a free peek into the process. A plentiful supply of books on good design practices and the process of making your first game is readily available.
Youtube channels and online video classes on game design can often be found free as well. Watching content from those who have published and released games before offers practical real-world design advice.
Other sources of help you might not realize are your friends who are gamers. Many tabletop fans dream of creating their own game, so if you reach out to like-minded souls, you’re likely to find a partner for your game design journey.
