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.

• 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.

How do you make the boards?

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.