Creating a board game prototype. It was past time I shared a new project on my blog, and in this post, I wanted to share my efforts in making a board game prototype.
These are some of the processes used for creating a board game prototype for a past client – ( Conway Council ).
I would like to say that the initial brief was simple, and in truth, it was simple, on paper at least. But it was also simple to point out vague.
Nuances came up that I had never experienced in my career so far. I could tell that the people commissioning the project, were not familiar with working with board game designers, and that was fine.
I was also there to help and guide them.
From the outset, I knew I would need to roll my sleeves up to make a playable game. Like the image shows.
What I gleaned from the initial brief:
- The board game needed to be educational
- Palatable for teenagers
- And teaches teens about the hard knocks of life ( and youth homelessness )
Conwy Council was going to use this game with charity organisations such as Shelter and other companies based in Wales.
“teach children about youth homelessness”
Core steps and processes used in making this prototype
- Discussed the initial brief. After a basic telephone call.
- Create the first brief ( the entirety of the project was actually several smaller projects ).
- Created very rough rules
- Creating the initial game mechanics based on the rules
- Visual design, characters, rules, packaging, and general graphic design art direction
- Created a mockup – in full colour
- Ran first playtest
- Refined game
- Create a design-ready prototype for photography and further development
- Worked as the middleman, project manager, and between client and ad prototype manufacturer
Creating a board game prototype ( overview )
The aim of the game was to create something that teaches children and teenagers the dangers of youth homelessness. It is the ‘gamification’ of how to better manage personal finances, and work with general property pitfalls and debt. All these situations can lead to you losing your house and home.
The message of the game was stark, but we needed to establish a way to make the game both enjoyable, educational, and palatable.
For the brief, I was initially given a spreadsheet of depressing phrases that were more akin to a sad flashcard game than a board game. I used these phrases and situations as inspiration for the game mechanics. These phrases acted as a springboard.
After all, the main purpose was to create an educational game with a root meaning: try to look after yourself and not end up homeless. That, would be my hook for how you lose the game.
“I didn’t want to make the game so hard and depressing that it completely crushed the players’ souls. The game ‘could’ be beaten.”
But even with the best-laid plans, and being careful with money, things can occur. That is another core mechanic built into the rules. It was another lesson subliminally buried in the core game play.
1 ) Crafting the basic rules
When creating a board game prototype, a viable game mechanic and rules are essential to a game that is both playable and fun.
I hate it when you buy a board game and realise that gameplay is not only flawed but utterly broken. I feel cheated.
When making the rules, I didn’t want to make the game so hard and depressing that it completely crushed the players’ souls. The game ‘could’ be beaten.
Nor did I want to make a game that could be cheated. This is why playtesting your game is important. and with strangers better still.
These rules were alpha-tested by me.
Notes were taken, the game was enhanced, and artwork was then ( Note then, after making a playable mock-up) created.
Here is more on creating a mock-up for creating a board game prototype.
2 )The first iteration of the game
In the very early form of the game, I constructed it from bits and pieces from my studio and my partner’s office. Nothing fancy.
Photo taken from the earliest iteration of the game.
When creating the early form of the board game prototype, here is an example of those bits and pieces.
Creating a board game prototype – Alpha Scrap Components
- Post-it notes
- Bits of bric-a-brac as game pieces
- A sheet of white A3 paper
- Note paper
- Scraps of paper as currency
As I said, nothing fancy at all when developing the game mechanics.
It was whatever I could fashion together to make a playable game. For this project, this was all that was required, but you can buy prototype kits also.
Once I had established some very basic rules and core game mechanics. I then set about testing what some of the different cards might work and play like.
When creating a board game prototype, this is a crucial stage! Before graphic design was even considered. They game needed to be half-decent to play.
Seeing what components you need earlier in the development process rather than later, will save time, money, and headaches. You can then move on to the graphic design stages and artwork. Which brings me to the next part.
3 ) Characters & the visual design for creating a board game prototype
Once the first iteration of a playable game was created, I stress-tested the rules. I then set about creating some initial visual design for the game – the graphic design.
I sketched out some characters, titles, the general look and feel of the game, and the cover of the box of which there were several iterations. And a segment for the game board for the client to see. I will often refer to this stage as ‘Early design, design roughs, early development or first phase of development’.
There is no use in creating an entire project only to show the client at the end something they don’t like. Make life easier on yourself, and create a sample. Speaking of which, here is a sample from this projects of some of my process and journey.
Initial artwork for a board game ( design ideas )
in this part, you can see me experimenting with different card designs to present to the client. The preferred cards would be funneled and developed further in later stages.
Creating a general look and feel for the cover and some of the typographic experimentation. This is in essence part of the cover and box packaging ( including the cover art )
An early sample of the game board! More game board design can be seen either in this post – snakes and ladders game or The London Pub Crawl.
4 ) Graphic Design & Core Components ( Development )
Below are some of the components I designed and illustrated for the prototype. After the first stages of the visual design which was a large part of the project, the ideas that were short-listed were developed further.
These designs were readied in Adobe Illustrator before being imported into a cutter guide. These cutter guide templates and PDF’s were then sent off to a factory for a batch print. ( although I made a more basic version for further playtesting )
The same premise was similar to the cards, rules and the first designs, only polished and developed further.
Here is another post on how to import text into card artwork using Indesign.
The developed graphic components
“Then playtest it again. And then… when you have had enough. Playtest it once or twice more. “
5 ) Playtesting
When creating a whole game, I always advise my clients to play test their games, and this project was no different.
Being the one at the helm of making a fully working game, I wanted to practice what I preach. And if money would have allowed, I would have carried out more player testing on a wider audience.
For those of you wondering how to make a board game prototype ( 3rd party link ) Never ‘ever’ skip this step, playtest your game.
Then playtest it again. And then… when you have had enough. Playtest it once or twice more.
I have a post here ( the play test of a client project ) that goes into greater detail. This is another important stage when creating a board game prototype.
6 ) Take notes from the playtest, and adjust accordingly
After watching real players play the game on 3 separate occasions, I took notes on people’s play styles.
People playing board games try to break the rules. Many players I have witnessed when creating a game will try and break or circumnavigate ( cheat ) the core rules or ‘interpret’ the rules differently. There is no right or wrong here, you need to observe and shut up as a board gamer developer and see how people may realistically play your game.
Remember this when making a board game.
For this project, I had to tweak some of the rules, re-jig the board, and amend the artwork after running the latter playtests.
Although I was by and large relieved, not much needed to be amended. Mostly re-working and some graphical aspects of the board, and rewording. This comes under “development”.
7 ) Final Stage – helping the client get a prototype made
In addition to coming up with the core design, the rules, making a playable prototype, play testing, and everything else in-between, that is involved with making this game.
I was commissioned to liaise and organise a prototype production of the game.
Basically, I helped to guide the client through the first iterations of making a viable, polished prototype. ( and the batch production ) I amended or prepared the artwork as was necessary for prototype makers.
Here are some photos of the board which I took on my bridge camera, and isolated on white in Photoshop.
Creating a board game prototype | The Unique Challenges
This project came with a range of different and unique challenges that I’ve never encountered before.
Initially, I wasn’t given an exact brief outside of “make a game”. The initial brief that was given to me amounted to little more than a set of unfortunate key phrases listed inside an Excel spreadsheet.
This did not amount to a full brief. I had to convert these statements listed in Excel, from a long list of misery into a playable game to educate children and teenagers about youth homelessness.
Here are some details about the projects, and lessons I may have learned!
Wordy
Fundamentally this is an educational game and not a game for fun sake.
With each card, there would be a short paragraph describing an ‘event’ and whether a point is lost or gained. In addition to this, there would also be the Welsh translation.
The cards were very busy as each card needed two statements placed in them. Saying that the space became tight was an understatement. Some cards needed to have the amount of text reduced to fit.
Instead of creating 2 different languages for the game, 2 languages were usually next to or near to each other which did offer some unique challenges for the graphic design. This was carried through not only on the cards but all visual and written components of the game. I feel I managed to make it work though – just. Please observe this card again with the double language on a single face.
Unable to read Welsh
I have nothing against the Welsh language, I just don’t know how to read or write it.
With this in mind, this is potentially one of the most unusual challenges I’ve had to work with on a project. Not being able to read or write the copy whatsoever, even at a superficial level posed a significant challenge for this project.
By and large, I technically didn’t need to know how to speak, read or write in Welsh. But, when copying and pasting the Welsh language onto the cards, even by happenstance, I couldn’t flag any issues.
You may be correct in assuming as I am not the copywriter, that I don’t need to worry about it. But in the same breath, I needed my client to complete and finish this project. I needed to be paid. And generally the more eyes on a project, the more likely you are to pick things up and share your concerns. I was unable to do this here.
Waiting and relying on their team to spot or change their mind with the wording on an already very wordy game, made this very challenging to work on in the latter stages.
Not being able to read it, even at a basic level, slowed the project down at the last hurdles as I could not make edits to the text properly from my side, it was then that I thought about this type of article, how to edit card text for your game would be very helpful for my clients.
A member of their team could amend the text on their side, For me to spot these edits was near impossible and impractical in both capability, time, and budget.
I spy with my retail eye
With my past experience in both designing and creating mostly flat 2D products and games. These past products and projects have always been with retail intention at the fore.
As a designer, I was sympathetic to the product and helping a business make a sale, not all designers think like this, especially junior designers or design generalists. Not all graphic designers, think and operate in the same way. I was taught how to design for retail, build a brand, etc.
I understood that the packaging needed areas for barcodes, addresses, strap lines, age badges, warnings etc. In addition to all of this, making games appealing to the masses and shelf-ready.
This post here shows some of my past retail packaging.
For this project, the above didn’t necessarily apply, as it was for demonstration purposes mostly in an educational setting such as a school or town hall.
I hope that Conwy Council took care of this game and that children are enjoying it, and playing today… and perhaps better off than some of the characters I created for the project as part of the vector art.
Project Post | Creating a board game prototype, Testimonial
Faye Willet – Conwy Youth Service
“Jimmdesigns is the perfect partner for anyone interested in creating a board game. Jimm supports with all aspects of creation from the initial concept, design process, development, play test sessions, through to the production of the prototype and manufacture.
Jimm is able to break down the complex processes into easy to follow step-by-step actions for individuals who are new to the game making process.
Jimm has essential contacts in the industry and is able to manage all stages of the process. We highly recommend Jimm’s services, he is extremely patient and flexible with timescales and concepts” 5****
And that concludes making ‘streetwise’
- Playtesting streetwise
- Editing text in Indesign for card games
- Making a snakes and ladders type game
- The London pub crawl design diary
- Making Stem products
- Charity website project
Or if you need a board game designer, please get in touch
