Okay here's how games start out at ICGD.
Concept: Prison Escape game, players play the prisoners... first one out wins.
Marketing buttons: Escape from Alcatraz, the Great Escape, and like movies. Possible tie-ins to Oz and other pop-culture TV.
Chosen medium: RPG is too narrow, miniatures would be difficult to find... so, boardgame.
Strategies to center around for rules (with tie-ins to marketing)
1) Player interaction and prison pecking order (as per Oz and other pop-culture)... deals between players will require regulation due to the genre.
2) Fabrication of some fairly wild stuff like the classic 'gun made from soap', 'guards uniform made with shoe polish', etc (as per classic prison escape movies).
3) complex planning like tunnels, escape via laundry truck, etc, that will tie in with #1 & #2.... this will involve collection of materials, fabrication possibilities and skills, and a need for "favors" from other players ( again, drawing from classic prison movies).
Medium for game play of above strategies: movement on a gameboard, scorepad to record 'favors' and items collected or made. preliminary design could use either pawns to represent players or foldovers. Guards to be represented by foldovers, incidental play items that will not logically track on a score sheet to be foldovers.
So... I have the idea.. and the mechanics 'goals' thus far... and a preliminary parts list including:
Gameboard (probably 10 X 15)
dice (at least one)
scorepad
foldovers or pawns PLUS
At least one sheet of foldovers for incidentals.
Next step: intial rough draft outlining turn sequence and actions, victory conditions, and player interaction.
XXOOCC
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I have just about completed the rough draft - the rule book will span 20-24 pages. Guards have been relegated to icons on the gameboard (easier than moving them around, although I may go back to having them mobile and allowing players to move one gaurd per turn so as to better 'mess with each other'. )
Special markers for designating movement through Tunnels, Sewer Lines, and Air Ducts are also necessary, probably requiring at least one additional page of foldovers.
Items found and manufactured will be tracked on a score sheet. Items that can be found will be shown as icons on the gameboard, and then notated on the score sheet as acquired by the players.
Scoresheet will need to be large... looks like 5X8... will see if that can be cut down.
"Turn Track" added to gameboard so that "work" and "exercise" periods/turns can be added to the mix.
Still haven't decided on pawns or foldovers for the playing pieces.. but am leaning towards foldovers as they can be made more humorous.
Pawn for turn track.
Standard random generator is a single d6 with multiples used on occasion. Should be able to get away with a single d6 without sacrificing ergonomics.
Scorepad and foldover development for prototype is next.
I'll send the rough of the rules and gameboard to darke for download posting. :-).
Hoping for game test a week from today (April 5th).
... and part of the reason for the contest is that I am a STRONG proponent of "build your marketing into your game from the start". Prison movies are a strong draw, add some humor with the presentation, but less with the rules (game should be addictive strategically first, then funny)... and I think we'll have a winner here.
Game test will tell me whether I'm off base that way or not :-).
XXOOCC