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Badmovies.org Forum  |  Other Topics  |  Off Topic Discussion  |  Table-top Game Development « previous next »
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Author Topic: Table-top Game Development  (Read 1565 times)
Javakoala
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« on: September 10, 2014, 04:34:23 PM »

Does anyone here know anything about how to go about designing a table-top kind of game?

I have ideas for two games that will use similar systems of cards and dice. Designed for the solo market but can be played by up to four people. I want to keep the mechanics as simple as possible. I'm looking at the Pathfinder Card Game and finding I probably need hours of practice and a degree in engineering to understand the rules. I have the new version of the Netrunner card game coming in so I can see how it is designed.

I know that if I go at this thing willy-nilly, I will never complete it. If I can develop stages to accomplish, I can work with a sense of structure, which my ADD requires.

Anything?
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Derf
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« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2014, 07:19:06 AM »

I have tried looking into this also. I have a game concept that is just about ready for a prototype. It seems like most games are independently produced these days; there are hundreds of board game publishers, each with only one or two titles. So as far as actually producing the game, I'm stumped.

But that isn't what you're asking about. As far as developing the game in stages, the main advice I can give is to document things: write notes about every idea as it occurs to you and worry about organizing it and editing it later. Make paper cutouts of your cards with design ideas. List out what cards are needed. I even went shopping for dice, found one that would work (a 4-sided die) and then painted over it to make it fit my game play. My personal next step is to start organizing and finalizing the rules so I can make a mock up and let a few people play it to see what needs tweaking. But so far I've been too lazy to get that done.
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Javakoala
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« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2014, 10:56:11 PM »

Yeah, I think I'm going to draw out a basic play through of the game so I can see what basic elements are needed, then go through and start tweaking those elements to provide variety and challenge.

I really want to avoid creating a game that requires a tacklebox for all the pieces and a manual that reads like a dissertation on quantum physics. Simple, but with enough variables to make each play session unique.

This is really helping me keep my mind focused. Plus, I have four new games I bought to examine their play mechanics, so once I wade through their freaking manuals, I can play them instead of video games.
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dean
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« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2014, 02:38:40 AM »

I got Netrunner the other day and man the instructions sucked.  At the moment I still haven't figured it out, but I'll sit down and nut through it another day.

I'm not a big table top gamer other than being a Magic player in high school, though at our house we're starting to get into the idea more so I'm getting better at figuring out the mechanics.  Ultimately it depends on what type of game you want to make as to how complex it can be.  Something like Settlers/Forbidden Island can be fun and a relatively simple thing to construct, with enough variety it doesn't   Others like Arkham Horror/Netrunner etc have a lot of rules and things happen in a much more dramatic and adventurous way, so the pay off can be pretty good, but too much complexity can also mean harder to use.

Without going into too much detail, what type of game are you thinking?
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Javakoala
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« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2014, 04:33:12 PM »

Two games that will use the same basic structure.

One is a simpler version of Netrunner. It can be played by 1 to 4 people. the player is the decker/runner/hacker. You will attack nodes in a computer system to gain certain items or credits. Each playthrough is random as the nodes will be a deck of cards so they will never play in the same order as long as you shuffle them. You can limit the length of the game by using fewer or more node cards.

The other is a dungeon crawl. Again, 1 to 4 players. instead of nodes, the main deck would be the passages through the dungeon. depending on the card and encounter rolls, there would be creatures, rooms to enter or traps to disarm. The last card in the main deck would be the final monster, which would be randomly pulled from the creature deck. Again, you can limit the length of the game by using more or less passage cards.

Fairly simple stuff. Designed to be easily portable and playable in a very small space. These are games I want to play, and they've been dancing around in my noggin for years. It's time to start creating them. Even if I never sell them, I can play them and people I know can play them.

Of course, if they did sell, they would be expandable.
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