This week I get into Conventions. Sometimes these are even conventions within conventions. If you can only make one or two conventions a year, as a game designer, you should make one of these. I don't know them all, I will list a two here with their websites: Unpub (unpub.net) and Protospiel (protospiel.org). Both of these organizations have many events throughout the year. Some are there own conventions, some are at local game shops, and others are at other conventions. For example, Unpub will be at GrandCon this year. They also had Unpub 4 in Deleware this past January. And they have an upcoming event at The Game Parlor (a local game shop in VA) that I will be attending in June. The focus of this article will be what you can get out of these events, I will have a strong bias toward Unpub since those are the events I have attended.
Why go to a convention with a bunch of unpublished games?
It's funny, yesterday someone asked in the comments of DToW #2 about trying to break your game. I think this is the number one reason to attend one of these events. If there is a chink in the armor of your game, putting it in front of a bunch of other designers will test it's limits. These people are your peers and they know how hard it is to do what you are doing. They aren't there to shatter your dreams, they have a lot of great ideas how to make your project better. One of my future articles is going to be about working with a publisher and these conventions are a first step to that. You will get very similar feedback that you would get from a publisher from your fellow designers. While they are playing your game and in the feedback time after, their whole focus is breaking down the mechanics of what you have and trying to make it better. Bring paper. Take lots of notes. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they aren't, but don't make that decision on the spot. Take it home with you and give consideration to each of them. Sometimes I thought something was a terrible idea upon first hearing it. Then after stewing on it a while I realized that it was exactly what the game needed. This isn't always the case, and don't go making wholesale changes unless your game needs it, but certainly consider every possibility.
Another benefit of Unpub (I am pretty sure this is true for the others too) is that there are publishers there. If your game can stand up you may have people contact you, or even get a contract on the spot. That is where we first made our contact with AJ from Van Ryder Games who will be publishing Salvation Road. Even if they aren't interested right away, word spreads in this industry and we have had several publishers reach out to us about The Last Bastion even though we only showed it twice there. And the game wasn't ready for publishing then, but one person talked to another, people heard about it, and we will be sending prototypes out soon. So don't be discouraged if things don't work out right away.
Even if your game doesn't get signed, the feedback from publishers is amazing. They will tell you what they are looking for, and ways to make your game more commercially viable. They may not be interested, due to the theme or mechanics not matching what they do, but may know another publisher that is looking for exactly what you have. For example, Chris from Dice Hate Me actually introduced us to AJ. Publishers provide another stream of feedback that is invaluable to making your game better.
Another group that is great are the people that come without a game. They are literally coming to see your game. They have no agenda. They don't have fixes to their games running through their minds. They are just there to see the next big game, or mechanism. They are there to help. And their feedback is just as valuable. We have had people from Unpub 4 stay in contact with us after the convention asking about the progress of the games because they are such big fans. This is a great source of outside playtesters for you when you need to test the rules.
The last benefit may not seem like it at first, but it is huge for me. Playing other designers games. Being taught a game by the designer, and seeing their passion is priceless. It helps with your process too, because you can challenge them on a mechanic and they will tell you why they put it in there. It gets you thinking differently. In fact we almost didn't get a table for Unpub 4 this year. Darrell Louder (designer of Compounded, great game) who runs Unpub asked me if I would have come anyway even if I didn't get a table. I laughed and said no. But my answer has definitely changed. I would go back anytime. The learning that goes on there, even if it isn't about your game is amazing. And the best part is, even if you don't have a table, people are playing all morning and night. Before the hall opens people are playing in the hotels near by. At night people are playing in the hotel. You will find time to play your prototype if you put in the effort. If you play someone's design during the day, and really respect the game, ask them to give you feedback on your design. They may even let you use their table to play it during the day (don't expect this, although most people I have met are super nice, they are there to test their game and may have people waiting to play).
I played someone else's game and it was much better/ prettier than mine. I don't want to bring it out now.
This is a big fear at these conventions. Some games are more finished than others. Don't sweat it. Bring what you have. Make sure it is a game first. Playtest it before you bring it, but even early prototypes are welcome. You will get feedback that makes your game better no matter what stage of development you are in. Pretty art and graphics aren't required either. We didn't have either for our games, just text on cards with some clip art.
Taking that leap to show your game to someone else is very hard. Especially when the group is as savvy as the group that comes to these conventions. It is worth taking the leap. You may even be surprised how well people like it. The pressure to succeed will also drive you in the days, weeks and months leading up to the event to make the game the best it can be even before you get there. It is a great way to put a deadline on yourself. Which gives you motivation to work on the game when you may have watched TV or gone to bed otherwise.
That went really long.
Yes it did. I tend to ramble a lot. The bottom line is, if you want to make your game the best it can be these groups design great events for you to attend. Take advantage of it. Who knows you may even find a design partner to gain all the benefits I discussed in DToW #3. You will certainly meet some great people that you look forward to seeing again in the future.
Next week I will be talking about my top games of 2013 and what they taught me. Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great
games.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
DToW #3 (Co-Design)
This week I want to talk about teamwork in game design. There are a lot of ways to go about this, but I am going to focus on co-design this time.
What are the benefits of Co-Design?
There are a quite a few benefits, but I think I can demonstrate the most important ones through an anecdote. When I first started designing The Last Bastion, the game came together fairly quickly. I was enjoying creating and tweaking until I got stuck. I had a game, but it wasn't fun. The mechanics all worked. There were interesting decisions. But something was missing. I lost motivation and the game sat shelved for months. It was my first design and I wasn't trying to be a game designer so I just went back to playing games.
Then I met Mike. He wanted to look at what I had created. We played it together and he immediately had all kinds of great ideas for how to make it better. Streamlining the game, while adding more tension and fun. My energy was renewed and together we built something fun. Then we broke it, started over and built something better. Then we broke the new game, started over and built it better again. I think this happened over 14 times. But we never got bored or frustrated, or threw it aside to work on something else. Because we were having so much fun building it and breaking it together that it never got stale.
For me these are the greatest benefits of having a design partner. Someone to bounce ideas off of at 5pm when you are driving home from work. Or shoot a quick e-mail to in the middle of the day when inspiration strikes. SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE PROJECT AS MUCH AS YOU DO. Mike is someone who shares my passion and if fuels it even more.
With a partner I also found that problems don't stay problems for long. If one of us hits a wall the other one usually finds a solution pretty quickly. Which again drives the process forward. The creativity of 2 people coming from completely different directions makes the games better with each iteration. If one of us has a crazy idea, we try it before bringing it to our partner. We will always tell each other about it so we can try and shoot holes in it before we spend a lot of time playtesting, or going down the wrong rabbit hole. If it works, then the other one tries it and if we agree, we implement it.
Other benefits, which I will probably get into more in future editions of DToW, are: Working conventions together. Or working them apart if someone can't come. Playtesting at twice the speed. For example, we were trying to get a new change implemented for Salvation Road one weekend and together we got 40 playtests in. Working your strengths, and letting your partner work theirs (I think this is our biggest advantage). Making a bond closer than any normal friendship. Building something together and having someone to share your successes with.
How do you handle it when you don't agree?
I think this is probably the hardest part about working with a co-designer. For us, we have always had a lead designer for the game, and a co-designer. The lead designer is the one who came up with the concept and original prototype for the game. We start by designing separately until we have a working prototype. We will bounce ideas off each other, but really one person is doing all the work for that game. Then we come together and figure out which of our ideas is the best/closest to being complete. We then drop all other projects and focus on that project.
Whoever came up with the idea becomes the lead designer and if we disagree, that person breaks ties. It has never come to that though. We have had to go separate ways for a while, designing off the same base, but testing different ways to do it. Then we bring the prototypes together and it is usually clear which one is cleaner and more fun. A lot of times we take the best parts of both systems and mash them together to make something even better. I think passion for your project, healthy debate, and a strong desire to succeed will overcome any one mechanic that you may disagree over. Sometimes you have to lose your favorite mechanic to make the game better. You certainly can't have an ego, saying this is my part, and that is your part. Just remember it is "our game." If you make all decisions with this in mind, and you want it to succeed, you will always make the right call.
Wow, that is just scratching the surface, tell us more?
Not this week. Next time I will cover Unpublished meet up groups (mostly UnPub as that is our experience) and why they are so useful. If you have any other topics you want to hear about, or if you want me to expand on anything I have touched on please contact me at MVPBoardgames@gmail.com or post in the comments below. Until next time, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
What are the benefits of Co-Design?
There are a quite a few benefits, but I think I can demonstrate the most important ones through an anecdote. When I first started designing The Last Bastion, the game came together fairly quickly. I was enjoying creating and tweaking until I got stuck. I had a game, but it wasn't fun. The mechanics all worked. There were interesting decisions. But something was missing. I lost motivation and the game sat shelved for months. It was my first design and I wasn't trying to be a game designer so I just went back to playing games.
Then I met Mike. He wanted to look at what I had created. We played it together and he immediately had all kinds of great ideas for how to make it better. Streamlining the game, while adding more tension and fun. My energy was renewed and together we built something fun. Then we broke it, started over and built something better. Then we broke the new game, started over and built it better again. I think this happened over 14 times. But we never got bored or frustrated, or threw it aside to work on something else. Because we were having so much fun building it and breaking it together that it never got stale.
For me these are the greatest benefits of having a design partner. Someone to bounce ideas off of at 5pm when you are driving home from work. Or shoot a quick e-mail to in the middle of the day when inspiration strikes. SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE PROJECT AS MUCH AS YOU DO. Mike is someone who shares my passion and if fuels it even more.
With a partner I also found that problems don't stay problems for long. If one of us hits a wall the other one usually finds a solution pretty quickly. Which again drives the process forward. The creativity of 2 people coming from completely different directions makes the games better with each iteration. If one of us has a crazy idea, we try it before bringing it to our partner. We will always tell each other about it so we can try and shoot holes in it before we spend a lot of time playtesting, or going down the wrong rabbit hole. If it works, then the other one tries it and if we agree, we implement it.
Other benefits, which I will probably get into more in future editions of DToW, are: Working conventions together. Or working them apart if someone can't come. Playtesting at twice the speed. For example, we were trying to get a new change implemented for Salvation Road one weekend and together we got 40 playtests in. Working your strengths, and letting your partner work theirs (I think this is our biggest advantage). Making a bond closer than any normal friendship. Building something together and having someone to share your successes with.
How do you handle it when you don't agree?
I think this is probably the hardest part about working with a co-designer. For us, we have always had a lead designer for the game, and a co-designer. The lead designer is the one who came up with the concept and original prototype for the game. We start by designing separately until we have a working prototype. We will bounce ideas off each other, but really one person is doing all the work for that game. Then we come together and figure out which of our ideas is the best/closest to being complete. We then drop all other projects and focus on that project.
Whoever came up with the idea becomes the lead designer and if we disagree, that person breaks ties. It has never come to that though. We have had to go separate ways for a while, designing off the same base, but testing different ways to do it. Then we bring the prototypes together and it is usually clear which one is cleaner and more fun. A lot of times we take the best parts of both systems and mash them together to make something even better. I think passion for your project, healthy debate, and a strong desire to succeed will overcome any one mechanic that you may disagree over. Sometimes you have to lose your favorite mechanic to make the game better. You certainly can't have an ego, saying this is my part, and that is your part. Just remember it is "our game." If you make all decisions with this in mind, and you want it to succeed, you will always make the right call.
Wow, that is just scratching the surface, tell us more?
Not this week. Next time I will cover Unpublished meet up groups (mostly UnPub as that is our experience) and why they are so useful. If you have any other topics you want to hear about, or if you want me to expand on anything I have touched on please contact me at MVPBoardgames@gmail.com or post in the comments below. Until next time, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
Monday, May 12, 2014
DToW #2 (Some Tools of the Trade)
This week I want to focus on some of the tools I use. To make cards and boards I use 110lb paper. I also use card sleeves to make the cards easier to shuffle. I find it hard to play test a card game without sleeves. If you don't need to shuffle or draw the cards often, I won't sleeve them just to save some money on the prototype.
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Centimeter-Cubes-1000/dp/B000F8VB4G/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1399926869&sr=1-1&keywords=1000+plastic+cubes
One of the coolest new items I bought are lights for my cutting table. Huh? I came up with the idea after seeing a kickstarter for a cutting board with a light strip for more precise cutting. I thought this was a great idea since it is so hard to be precise. I already had a cutting board that worked great and I didn't want to spend another $60. So I bought these lights from Amazon. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Fulcrum-30010-301-Battery-Operated-Stick-On-Silver/dp/B000R7PM36/ref=sr_1_1?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1399926108&sr=1-1&keywords=Led+lights
$7.75 for 3 lights. I will use 2 or 3 depending on the length of the paper. Here is an example of how they will help.
http://www.amazon.com/Fulcrum-30010-301-Battery-Operated-Stick-On-Silver/dp/B000R7PM36/ref=sr_1_1?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1399926108&sr=1-1&keywords=Led+lights
$7.75 for 3 lights. I will use 2 or 3 depending on the length of the paper. Here is an example of how they will help.
You can probably see how obvious your cut line will be. You may also notice that we placed a dot in the middle of the board. This shows up on the top right of the picture. When the board was split into 4 pieces it will show up on all of the slices. Also, we use lines on the outside edges for the same purposes. You may be able to see this on the bottom right. These lines and dot help with cutting the board evenly and you can barely see them on the final product.
The last thing I will cover today should probably be your first purchase. The little plastic cube. It is as essential to a game designer as a little black dress to your favorite lady (who may be you). They go well in any situation. I use to get them at teaching stores, but you can get them on Amazon as well. Here is the link:
I use the cubes for everything, including but not limited to resources, action markers, character pawns, and enemies. You can even increase the variety by. Glueing them to plastic disks. This distinguishes them from other cubes of the same color, and gives them a neat look and feel.
That's all for this week. Next week we will talk about teamwork in game design.
Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great
games.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Contact Info
Figured it would be good to put this all in one place incase anyone wanted to follow us, or ask anything:
Twitter: MVPBoardgames
e-mail: MVPBoardgames@gmail.com
Twitter: MVPBoardgames
e-mail: MVPBoardgames@gmail.com
DToW #1 (Make Time for Other Things)
Tip #1
Don't forget your friends and family. It is very, very easy to get wrapped up in design to the point you don't think, or talk, about anything else. Sometimes this is good and healthy, but make sure not to take it too far.
It is probably appropriate that I post this right before Mothers Day weekend (I have two kids 6 and 3). There is no one recent experience that brought this up, but I think it is crucial to being successful. Work life balance is key. Game design can feel like a 2nd full time job and it is easy to get burnt out.
If you are struck by inspiration either write things down, or set aside a little time to work on your project, then lay it down. If you have someone you share a space with (partner, wife, friend, parent, children) make sure after you are done you spend time with them. It doesn't just burn you out to work all the time, it affects those around you too. It affects your mood when you are with them. M
Don't forget to go out with your friends. Play games. Go to a restaurant or drinking establishment. For most of us design isn't a full time profession. Most of us have other professions. So if this becomes as much work as our full time job you won't have energy for anything else. When I am happy I am at my most productive. Taking a night off every once in a while brings inspiration. Lets you look at things with a new set of eyes. When you are too close to a problem, or design, for too long it is hard to see other possibilities.
This is a little touchy feely for my first post, but I think it is important. Next week I will be talking about a cool way I found to make sure my lines are where I want them to be when using a cutting board. Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
Don't forget your friends and family. It is very, very easy to get wrapped up in design to the point you don't think, or talk, about anything else. Sometimes this is good and healthy, but make sure not to take it too far.
It is probably appropriate that I post this right before Mothers Day weekend (I have two kids 6 and 3). There is no one recent experience that brought this up, but I think it is crucial to being successful. Work life balance is key. Game design can feel like a 2nd full time job and it is easy to get burnt out.
If you are struck by inspiration either write things down, or set aside a little time to work on your project, then lay it down. If you have someone you share a space with (partner, wife, friend, parent, children) make sure after you are done you spend time with them. It doesn't just burn you out to work all the time, it affects those around you too. It affects your mood when you are with them. M
Don't forget to go out with your friends. Play games. Go to a restaurant or drinking establishment. For most of us design isn't a full time profession. Most of us have other professions. So if this becomes as much work as our full time job you won't have energy for anything else. When I am happy I am at my most productive. Taking a night off every once in a while brings inspiration. Lets you look at things with a new set of eyes. When you are too close to a problem, or design, for too long it is hard to see other possibilities.
This is a little touchy feely for my first post, but I think it is important. Next week I will be talking about a cool way I found to make sure my lines are where I want them to be when using a cutting board. Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
DToW #0 (Who am I)
Who am I?
My name is Peter and I started designing games about 9 years ago (2005). I wanted to make an adventure game that I liked. I have played them all and while I like parts of most of them, nothing was exactly right. As I started putting together the framework for my game I realized what I really wanted was something persistent. I wanted my characters to get better and worse as I went along. Yes, I said and worse. One of my favorite games is Blood Bowl and one of the cool parts about that game is that your team doesn't just progress, but gets worse too. The decision between short term success and long term building is fascinating, and keeps you engaged in a game long after you have lost. I don't want to get too far down this rabbit hole on my first post, but that is how I got started.
So what is this MVP Boardgames?
After a few years of working on my masterpiece (note sarcasm) I met someone who was as enthusiastic as I was about making a great game. His name is Mike. We talked all the time working through the problems and making OUR game better. Working with a partner really sped up the process. It also kept me motivated. Again, long story short (I am sure we will get into all the details throughout the course of this blog) we met and worked on a game together. We then pitched that game to a publisher who was interested. While he was looking at our first game we both started working on other games. When we brought them together, his was more polished so we kept working on it. Sadly after working with the publisher for our first game for 9 months and many revisions, they decided not to publish it. Good news though, our 2nd game Salvation Road got picked up by Van Ryder Games this year (2014) and should be on Kickstarter soon (fingers crossed) if all goes well. Mike's wife Venessa has helped us a lot with graphic design, art, and play testing. Hence the name MVP (Mike Venessa Peter) Boardgames.
Why am I doing this?
I have met a lot of cool people in the game design space. I just wanted to contribute something. I posted one of these on twitter and got some likes, so I figured there was some interest out there. I am just going to do it. No editing, no censoring, just raw. These tips are meant to be brief and give you something to think about. Some will be fluffy, like my 1st one coming later today. And some will be more technical. Some may be tips on selling your designs to publishers. Some may be Kickstarter tips as we get closer to the campaign. Some may even be questions to the community. Anything that would be useful to a game designer. As long as people are into it, I will keep doing it.
What's the plan?
My goal is to have a new tip out every Monday. Some will be longer than others.
Any last words for us?
Until next time, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
My name is Peter and I started designing games about 9 years ago (2005). I wanted to make an adventure game that I liked. I have played them all and while I like parts of most of them, nothing was exactly right. As I started putting together the framework for my game I realized what I really wanted was something persistent. I wanted my characters to get better and worse as I went along. Yes, I said and worse. One of my favorite games is Blood Bowl and one of the cool parts about that game is that your team doesn't just progress, but gets worse too. The decision between short term success and long term building is fascinating, and keeps you engaged in a game long after you have lost. I don't want to get too far down this rabbit hole on my first post, but that is how I got started.
So what is this MVP Boardgames?
After a few years of working on my masterpiece (note sarcasm) I met someone who was as enthusiastic as I was about making a great game. His name is Mike. We talked all the time working through the problems and making OUR game better. Working with a partner really sped up the process. It also kept me motivated. Again, long story short (I am sure we will get into all the details throughout the course of this blog) we met and worked on a game together. We then pitched that game to a publisher who was interested. While he was looking at our first game we both started working on other games. When we brought them together, his was more polished so we kept working on it. Sadly after working with the publisher for our first game for 9 months and many revisions, they decided not to publish it. Good news though, our 2nd game Salvation Road got picked up by Van Ryder Games this year (2014) and should be on Kickstarter soon (fingers crossed) if all goes well. Mike's wife Venessa has helped us a lot with graphic design, art, and play testing. Hence the name MVP (Mike Venessa Peter) Boardgames.
Why am I doing this?
I have met a lot of cool people in the game design space. I just wanted to contribute something. I posted one of these on twitter and got some likes, so I figured there was some interest out there. I am just going to do it. No editing, no censoring, just raw. These tips are meant to be brief and give you something to think about. Some will be fluffy, like my 1st one coming later today. And some will be more technical. Some may be tips on selling your designs to publishers. Some may be Kickstarter tips as we get closer to the campaign. Some may even be questions to the community. Anything that would be useful to a game designer. As long as people are into it, I will keep doing it.
What's the plan?
My goal is to have a new tip out every Monday. Some will be longer than others.
Any last words for us?
Until next time, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
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