What are you talking about?
This is going to be a series about ways to improve your game by stepping away from it.
For example?
This week I am going to cover working on other games. It could be your games, other prototypes, or published games.
I thought of this topic when I was playing Salvation Road the other day. One of my favorite mechanisms in that game is the wound system. The way it works is that your carrying capacity goes down each time you take a wound. So if you could carry 6 items then take a wound, your maximum capacity is reduced to 5. If you were carrying something in every spot you would have to drop it. The carrying capacity is also your life total. When your last circle is filled, the character is removed from the game. This mechanism came to us when we were working on a different game.
We were trying to solve a problem with the other design. We wanted the capacity to be limited so that players were encouraged to interact with each other, but also players had a way to play more conservatively if they wanted . We wanted to make certain targets more or less enticing. Imagine they were ships (they aren't). You would be more likely to attack the ship that was loaded with the most cargo as you are more likely to get more loot. It works the same in this system. You attack someone and if there are open spots the wounds just cover them and you get nothing. However, if you are carrying a full capacity you would have to drop one or more items. So while it is more efficient to carry more, you are also a better target.
It doesn't work exactly the same Salvation Road, since you aren't attack each other. But your capacity is still limited and so the decisions become more interesting. Do you push you luck and stay out there gathering more items, to be more efficient with your actions, and hope the Marauders don't find you? Or do you run back to the Compound, protecting the resources you gathered, but spending more actions?
So how does this relate to "Letting your design go"?
If we never stepped away from Salvation Road to work on this other game, we probably wouldn't have come up with this Mechanism. We were trying to solve a different problem, but it worked on multiple fronts and worked out great for Salvation Road. Will this mechanism work well in the other game? Maybe, but it still has a great life even if the other game doesn't work out.
What about playing other people's prototypes? Are you stealing their ideas?
Not at all. Unless they say it is ok :). I am talking about giving people feedback on their games being a creative endeavor. While at prototype conventions people always want to play their own games. But you can make progress on your own game by helping other people with their designs. You may have a great idea stored in the recesses of your mind that you don't even know about. Your brain can't see how it applies to your game because you are too close to it. But when you give it as feedback to someone else on their design, it clicks. This happened with The Last Bastion. We weren't even showing it off at this Unpub mini event. But when talking to someone about how to make their decisions mean more, the Favor Token was invented.
In Bastion you have the ability to change the board state while resting at the infirmary. The problem is that in doing so you are just helping other players get the first shot at the new stuff. The favor token makes sure you have access to the changes you made to the board. It is a key mechanism to the game now, that probably wouldn't have been discovered if we weren't trying to help someone else solve their problem.
Bottom Line?
Don't be afraid to step away from your game. If you are stuck on something, or it just isn't coming together, work on something else and inspiration will come. If it doesn't come right away, at least you were still being productive instead of beating your head against the wall.
What is this series you referred to at the beginning?
A lot of the topics I have been covering have a lot of depth to them. So far I have only scratched the surface of a lot of these. A primer if you will. I will be revisiting a lot of these topics in the future with more depth. With that in mind, if you have any subjects you want us to cover more in depth please let me know in the comments, or through email at MVPBoardgames@gmail.com.
What's Next?
That's it for this week, next week I am going to talk about preparing for a convention (as we prepare for WBC). Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
DToW #12 (The Last 10%)
What do you mean "The Last 10%"?
I am talking about the last 10% of your game design. What takes an average game and makes it good. What takes a good design and makes it great. What takes a broken design and makes it playable. This is the part of design that takes the longest if done correctly. This is where all the playtesting and breaking your game occurs. This is where you tell your friends and family, "it is almost done." And then it takes 6+ more months.
What? How is that possible?
It can and does take this long or longer all the time. This can be the longest part of design. It is so hard because you are so close. It almost feels right. Or worse yet, it does feel right but really isn't ready and you release it. Lots of games get released without this final, crucial step. Not just Kickstarter game or small independent games, but games from big companies. I would argue that most of Fantasy Flight Games were this way for a while. That is why they kept releasing expansions that fixed their games. Or have 10 page FAQs. Or change the rules with the re-release (see RuneWars). They have gotten much better at this lately and their expansions can focus on what they are meant to, adding great content for people who love the game.
I don't want to pick on Fantasy Flight, it happens all the time to many different companies. At least they took the time to fix their designs. There are so many "Meh" games that come out, and a lot of that is just not taking the time to polish the design. After designing games for a while you will see this lack of polish when playing others games. The game has a good idea in there, but it just isn't complete.
How do you know if you are at this point?
The last 10% is after you have your main mechanics in place, but you still need some tweaking. The game is solid, you may even have some people who really love it. But as you play it more yourself, or watch others play it you realize there is something missing. Maybe it is balance. Maybe it is fun. Maybe the game takes too long. Maybe the game ends too quickly. Maybe there is a balance issue you haven't seen yet because you haven't playtested enough. Maybe the game isn't as replayable as it originally appears. Maybe it just needs......something.
Have you had this experience?
We are at this point with Bastion right now. The game even has a following of people who really love it. But we know it isn't done. We have been searching for something. The mechanics are solid. The gameplay works well, is smooth and fun. But something has been missing. We have recently started working with a publisher who found the thing we have been looking for the last few months. The game needed other ways to score. We were so close to the problem that we couldn't see it. We tried a lot of things to add more dynamic gameplay, but all made the game too complicated. After a fresh set of eyes took a look at it we were able to identify the problem and work toward a solution.
The same thing happened with Salvation Road. The game was good, probably good enough to publish, but after working with AJ and making a few tweaks it really started to shine. We even thought we were done with this one and there was room for polishing. I am not saying to never release your game to the public, but I am saying to get more eyes on it. The benefit of a publisher is that they have financial investment in the project too, so they will be more critical.
A lot of times that is what it takes. A fresh set of eyes to help push past this barrier. And it is little tweaks we are talking about here, not sweeping changes to the rules.
What can you do about this?
This is a big topic with lots of things to cover, so I will just get into the basics this week. The main thing you can do is playtest, tweak, playtest and show it to others. If you have access to other game designers or publishers they are the best for this kind of feedback. If not, take it to conventions and show it to strangers. Join a designer group. The worst thing you can do is just release the game before it is done. Don't forget your name is on that box. While this step is long and difficult, it is what makes a game shine.
Bottom Line?
Get your game out there. Don't be shy because it isn't done. Show it off to others so they can help you with things you are too close to see yourself. Go to the local game store, go to a convention, go to your family and friends. Other eyes on your game will always benefit it.
Can you wrap it up now, you have been out of town all weekend and I need some sleep?
That's it for this week, next week I am going to talk about time off (We just got back from a break, did it work? What are the benefits?). Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
I am talking about the last 10% of your game design. What takes an average game and makes it good. What takes a good design and makes it great. What takes a broken design and makes it playable. This is the part of design that takes the longest if done correctly. This is where all the playtesting and breaking your game occurs. This is where you tell your friends and family, "it is almost done." And then it takes 6+ more months.
What? How is that possible?
It can and does take this long or longer all the time. This can be the longest part of design. It is so hard because you are so close. It almost feels right. Or worse yet, it does feel right but really isn't ready and you release it. Lots of games get released without this final, crucial step. Not just Kickstarter game or small independent games, but games from big companies. I would argue that most of Fantasy Flight Games were this way for a while. That is why they kept releasing expansions that fixed their games. Or have 10 page FAQs. Or change the rules with the re-release (see RuneWars). They have gotten much better at this lately and their expansions can focus on what they are meant to, adding great content for people who love the game.
I don't want to pick on Fantasy Flight, it happens all the time to many different companies. At least they took the time to fix their designs. There are so many "Meh" games that come out, and a lot of that is just not taking the time to polish the design. After designing games for a while you will see this lack of polish when playing others games. The game has a good idea in there, but it just isn't complete.
How do you know if you are at this point?
The last 10% is after you have your main mechanics in place, but you still need some tweaking. The game is solid, you may even have some people who really love it. But as you play it more yourself, or watch others play it you realize there is something missing. Maybe it is balance. Maybe it is fun. Maybe the game takes too long. Maybe the game ends too quickly. Maybe there is a balance issue you haven't seen yet because you haven't playtested enough. Maybe the game isn't as replayable as it originally appears. Maybe it just needs......something.
Have you had this experience?
We are at this point with Bastion right now. The game even has a following of people who really love it. But we know it isn't done. We have been searching for something. The mechanics are solid. The gameplay works well, is smooth and fun. But something has been missing. We have recently started working with a publisher who found the thing we have been looking for the last few months. The game needed other ways to score. We were so close to the problem that we couldn't see it. We tried a lot of things to add more dynamic gameplay, but all made the game too complicated. After a fresh set of eyes took a look at it we were able to identify the problem and work toward a solution.
The same thing happened with Salvation Road. The game was good, probably good enough to publish, but after working with AJ and making a few tweaks it really started to shine. We even thought we were done with this one and there was room for polishing. I am not saying to never release your game to the public, but I am saying to get more eyes on it. The benefit of a publisher is that they have financial investment in the project too, so they will be more critical.
A lot of times that is what it takes. A fresh set of eyes to help push past this barrier. And it is little tweaks we are talking about here, not sweeping changes to the rules.
What can you do about this?
This is a big topic with lots of things to cover, so I will just get into the basics this week. The main thing you can do is playtest, tweak, playtest and show it to others. If you have access to other game designers or publishers they are the best for this kind of feedback. If not, take it to conventions and show it to strangers. Join a designer group. The worst thing you can do is just release the game before it is done. Don't forget your name is on that box. While this step is long and difficult, it is what makes a game shine.
Bottom Line?
Get your game out there. Don't be shy because it isn't done. Show it off to others so they can help you with things you are too close to see yourself. Go to the local game store, go to a convention, go to your family and friends. Other eyes on your game will always benefit it.
Can you wrap it up now, you have been out of town all weekend and I need some sleep?
That's it for this week, next week I am going to talk about time off (We just got back from a break, did it work? What are the benefits?). Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
DToW #11 (Prototyping Game Boards)
Where do you want to start?
First off I made this topic way too broad, so I am just going to touch on a few things today, and come back in the future and hit some very specific things.
Tell me about board layout.
Layout is very important. Here are some bullet points on things you should be thinking about when designing your game board.
I don't, my partner Mike does. I think he uses the program InDesign. I will have him guest blog one week and tell you all about it. Or he can be reached at MVPBoardgames@gmail.com.
So what do you do?
I make the prototypes. I don't do anything that fancy, but the boards are playable and fold up nicely to fit in the box.
I use 110lb white paper. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Neenah-Cardstock-Inches-Sheets-Brightness/dp/B006P1EQXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405300706&sr=8-1&keywords=110+lb+paper
When I get the file it is in Adobe and already cut up. We try to keep it to 4 pieces, but sometimes it has to go to 6. When Mike makes the board I have him add a dot in the middle, and lines on the sides at the half way point. This way when I am going to cut the board I can see where to cut. It will give me nice straight lines to work with that disappear when the board it put together. Here is an example:
After cutting the board using the techniques discussed here http://mvpboardgames.blogspot.com/2014/05/dtow-2.html, I just use scotch tape to put it together.
For a 4 piece board, I will tape the back of the top piece so when they fold together I will see the board facing outward. I use 3-4 strips of tape making sure that the top and bottom are covered within 1cm of the edge of the board.
I then tape the bottom pieces to the top pieces on the front side. The bottom pieces do not get taped to each other. This way they will fold up and cover the top pieces.
When the board is fully folded you should only see the backs of the bottom pieces.
What do you have for us next week?
Next week I am going to talk about the last 10% of game design. Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
First off I made this topic way too broad, so I am just going to touch on a few things today, and come back in the future and hit some very specific things.
Tell me about board layout.
Layout is very important. Here are some bullet points on things you should be thinking about when designing your game board.
- Game Flow - Keep things that go together near each other on the board.
- Clean - If it doesn't need to be on the board, don't put it on the board. This will spark some debate I am sure, but as a general rule we try to keep the board clean unless it helps gameplay.
- Accessable - Where will people be sitting? Try to put the elements of the game that are used most often closest to the players. Also, if you have cards with words, make sure that they are within reach of most players.
- Spark - Doesn't mean you have to have a beautiful prototype. What it means is, if there is something cool going on in the game try to make it cool on the board. For Salvation Road, we will probably be having the Marauders surrounding your compound. For Bastion the wave of Barbarians coming toward the town is a very real feeling. If I am shipping something I should easily be able to see where to get it, where to drop it off, and how I got it there if possible.
I don't, my partner Mike does. I think he uses the program InDesign. I will have him guest blog one week and tell you all about it. Or he can be reached at MVPBoardgames@gmail.com.
So what do you do?
I make the prototypes. I don't do anything that fancy, but the boards are playable and fold up nicely to fit in the box.
I use 110lb white paper. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Neenah-Cardstock-Inches-Sheets-Brightness/dp/B006P1EQXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405300706&sr=8-1&keywords=110+lb+paper
When I get the file it is in Adobe and already cut up. We try to keep it to 4 pieces, but sometimes it has to go to 6. When Mike makes the board I have him add a dot in the middle, and lines on the sides at the half way point. This way when I am going to cut the board I can see where to cut. It will give me nice straight lines to work with that disappear when the board it put together. Here is an example:
After cutting the board using the techniques discussed here http://mvpboardgames.blogspot.com/2014/05/dtow-2.html, I just use scotch tape to put it together.
For a 4 piece board, I will tape the back of the top piece so when they fold together I will see the board facing outward. I use 3-4 strips of tape making sure that the top and bottom are covered within 1cm of the edge of the board.
I then tape the bottom pieces to the top pieces on the front side. The bottom pieces do not get taped to each other. This way they will fold up and cover the top pieces.
When the board is fully folded you should only see the backs of the bottom pieces.
What do you have for us next week?
Next week I am going to talk about the last 10% of game design. Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
DToW #10 (Play Testing)
How many times do you need to playtest a design?
Well, that is a broad question, and really depends on the circumstance. I would say way more than you think. I know we have tested all of our designs well over 100 times each.
100 times, where do you find all that time?
Making a good game is about finding the time. Not all those playtests are full run-throughs of the game, if something is obviously broken we stop the test and talk about what we experienced. And ways to improve on the design. Even with "bad" versions of the game, there is always some good, so I ask people their favorite part. That is one of my favorite questions because it is usually easier for someone to give you positive feedback than negative feedback. This starts the feedback discussion. Then I can go into, "what was your least favorite part?" and "if you could make one change, what would it be?" These are early playtests questions typically, but I use them all throughout the process as it still breaks the ice, even with a late stage prototype. During a late stage play test you may get the same feedback over and over and realize something needs to be addressed.
You didn't answer the question. 100 times? Really?
Yes. It is crucial to get a lot of playtests on a design. There are different stages of play testing though, and not all the playtests are with other people. It also depends on the level of complexity of your game. Smaller simpler games will need less play testing to be sure you have it right. Although those are the fastest to playtest normally, so you could easily still get a lot of playtests in.
Also, if you have been designing for a long time you may be able to get away with fewer playtests. Although I think this is a bit of a copout too, as we have all seen bad designs from well known designers.
You can probably tell from this discussion that I am a big fan of getting your design right the first time. Some people take the "throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks" approach, but we like to invest a lot of time in each design. We want to work the kinks out before the general public gets to see it. Even when we get it where we want it, we work with our publishers to streamline and balance it more. For each change we try to get at least one play test in for each of us (Mike and myself) so we can discuss our thoughts.
You mentioned different stages of play testing. What do you mean?
We start by keeping the game in house for a while. Doing a lot of solo play testing, controlling 2 or 3 characters each if need be. When we feel we actually have a game, we will get together and play it ourselves a few times and tweak it. More solo play tests if necessary until we feel it is ready for your close knit gaming groups. This is key, you don't want to put a lot of crap in front of them or they won't want to play any more of your designs. Some groups that are extra sensitive to aesthetics. We won't even put it in front of them until it is almost done. That is ok, you just have to feel out your groups and see how they respond. If you feedback is all about the graphic design and art, this isn't a good group for early play tests.
After we have played it ourselves and feel it is good, we will bring it to our closest friends and family. That way if things go horribly wrong we can just stop and play something else. Usually I will just play a few turns with my wife to start. This will give me a chance to teach the rules (usually you will find some flaws right here) and see how easy the game is to understand for someone who hasn't been working on it.
If it passes the family test I will usually try to get it to a convention next. Unpub conventions are the best (the Kickstarter for Unpub 5 is starting today July 7th at noon, make sure you sign up), but any convention you can convince strangers to play a prototype will work. Sometimes just setting it up on a table next to you while you play something else will draw people over (please don't do this if there is limited gaming space at your convention and people are looking for tables).
Meanwhile, during all these other steps we are continuing to playtest solo and tweak. We talk at least 3-4 times a week, usually much more, when we are at this stage of development. It is also key to start working on the rules if you haven't done so already. You will need them for the next step of play testing which is the blind playtest. This is where you give the game to people who haven't played it before with only the rules to learn it from. It is great if you can be there to observe and see what they are getting wrong. Try not to intervene unless you know the answer to their question isn't in the rules. If that is the case, take notes and fix the rules. Make them look up rules they can't remember so you see how long it takes them to find it. Make sure to emphasize rules that are forgotten, or missed during these sessions.
After all this is done we start looking for publishers who may be interested in our type of games. The play testing doesn't stop here though, we are constantly tweaking the games to try and make them better. If we have sent a prototype to a publisher, we try not to make any tweaks to that game until we get feedback from them. You don't want to be playing a different game than they are. Once we get their feedback we go into development mode again and work to correct things. Then more play tests. At this point we are doing all types: solo, together (just the two of us), family, game groups, conventions, etc.
Can you summarize those stages again?
These stages build on each other. We start with solo and keep adding as we go down. None ever go away though and we will be solo testing all throughout the design.
Anything else?
There is a lot more to cover, but that will be it for this week. We will hit the subject again in the future. Don't forget to sign up for Unpub 5 on Kickstarter. This is an unsolicited endorsement. As always your feedback is appreciated.
That is it for this week. Next week we are going to cover board layout and prototyping. Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
Well, that is a broad question, and really depends on the circumstance. I would say way more than you think. I know we have tested all of our designs well over 100 times each.
100 times, where do you find all that time?
Making a good game is about finding the time. Not all those playtests are full run-throughs of the game, if something is obviously broken we stop the test and talk about what we experienced. And ways to improve on the design. Even with "bad" versions of the game, there is always some good, so I ask people their favorite part. That is one of my favorite questions because it is usually easier for someone to give you positive feedback than negative feedback. This starts the feedback discussion. Then I can go into, "what was your least favorite part?" and "if you could make one change, what would it be?" These are early playtests questions typically, but I use them all throughout the process as it still breaks the ice, even with a late stage prototype. During a late stage play test you may get the same feedback over and over and realize something needs to be addressed.
You didn't answer the question. 100 times? Really?
Yes. It is crucial to get a lot of playtests on a design. There are different stages of play testing though, and not all the playtests are with other people. It also depends on the level of complexity of your game. Smaller simpler games will need less play testing to be sure you have it right. Although those are the fastest to playtest normally, so you could easily still get a lot of playtests in.
Also, if you have been designing for a long time you may be able to get away with fewer playtests. Although I think this is a bit of a copout too, as we have all seen bad designs from well known designers.
You can probably tell from this discussion that I am a big fan of getting your design right the first time. Some people take the "throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks" approach, but we like to invest a lot of time in each design. We want to work the kinks out before the general public gets to see it. Even when we get it where we want it, we work with our publishers to streamline and balance it more. For each change we try to get at least one play test in for each of us (Mike and myself) so we can discuss our thoughts.
You mentioned different stages of play testing. What do you mean?
We start by keeping the game in house for a while. Doing a lot of solo play testing, controlling 2 or 3 characters each if need be. When we feel we actually have a game, we will get together and play it ourselves a few times and tweak it. More solo play tests if necessary until we feel it is ready for your close knit gaming groups. This is key, you don't want to put a lot of crap in front of them or they won't want to play any more of your designs. Some groups that are extra sensitive to aesthetics. We won't even put it in front of them until it is almost done. That is ok, you just have to feel out your groups and see how they respond. If you feedback is all about the graphic design and art, this isn't a good group for early play tests.
After we have played it ourselves and feel it is good, we will bring it to our closest friends and family. That way if things go horribly wrong we can just stop and play something else. Usually I will just play a few turns with my wife to start. This will give me a chance to teach the rules (usually you will find some flaws right here) and see how easy the game is to understand for someone who hasn't been working on it.
If it passes the family test I will usually try to get it to a convention next. Unpub conventions are the best (the Kickstarter for Unpub 5 is starting today July 7th at noon, make sure you sign up), but any convention you can convince strangers to play a prototype will work. Sometimes just setting it up on a table next to you while you play something else will draw people over (please don't do this if there is limited gaming space at your convention and people are looking for tables).
Meanwhile, during all these other steps we are continuing to playtest solo and tweak. We talk at least 3-4 times a week, usually much more, when we are at this stage of development. It is also key to start working on the rules if you haven't done so already. You will need them for the next step of play testing which is the blind playtest. This is where you give the game to people who haven't played it before with only the rules to learn it from. It is great if you can be there to observe and see what they are getting wrong. Try not to intervene unless you know the answer to their question isn't in the rules. If that is the case, take notes and fix the rules. Make them look up rules they can't remember so you see how long it takes them to find it. Make sure to emphasize rules that are forgotten, or missed during these sessions.
After all this is done we start looking for publishers who may be interested in our type of games. The play testing doesn't stop here though, we are constantly tweaking the games to try and make them better. If we have sent a prototype to a publisher, we try not to make any tweaks to that game until we get feedback from them. You don't want to be playing a different game than they are. Once we get their feedback we go into development mode again and work to correct things. Then more play tests. At this point we are doing all types: solo, together (just the two of us), family, game groups, conventions, etc.
Can you summarize those stages again?
These stages build on each other. We start with solo and keep adding as we go down. None ever go away though and we will be solo testing all throughout the design.
- Solo
- With a close friend (lead play tester, co-designer)
- Family and YOUR Game Group
- Conventions
- Blind Play Tests
- Publisher
Anything else?
There is a lot more to cover, but that will be it for this week. We will hit the subject again in the future. Don't forget to sign up for Unpub 5 on Kickstarter. This is an unsolicited endorsement. As always your feedback is appreciated.
That is it for this week. Next week we are going to cover board layout and prototyping. Until then, I am Peter, keep designing great games.
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