Prototype

anyone able to point me in a direction of where I could easily get this created? I will provide the specific text for the cards and the count when required and will determine exact board design pattern and chip count soon as well.

But i'm not sure how to get a prototype made.. I live in las vegas and would love to have it done locally, but will do internet or mail order if needed.

Hi Sam... welcome to the posting world! :)

I'd suggest creating the first prototype yourself. Don't worry about making it look pretty; concentrate on function alone. Make sure every component is clear. Don't spend lots of time or money on it. 110 lb Cardstock (easily available at Staples) run through a laser or inkjet printer, and sliced with a guillotine or rotary trimmer, should do the trick for the cards.

As for the chips, you can buy three packs of 100 poker chips. While you're at Staples, pick up 1.5" circular labels. These will fit the poker chips exactly.

Then: playtest, playtest, playtest. Question every rule at least twice.

Your first focal points should be:

- Is this game fun? If so, where's the fun and how can you amplify it?

- Can you reduce the number of components in any way? The fewer components there are, the more appealing the game will be to publishers (should you choose to go in that direction), and the more money and time you'll save publishing it yourself (should you choose to go in that direction instead).

- What do people hate about the game? Complete honesty counts here; the sooner you can find the worst parts of your game, the sooner you can fix them. That's one of my biggest problems: defending, or turning a blind eye to my game's faults.

Best of luck!

My first prototypes I used beads, poker chips, or whatever I could find in the local department stores for markers, but now do almost everything on cardstock. I find the poker chips too large and the sound they make very annoying when not secured in a box, beads are small and tend to get lost and worst of all are commonly found in my daughters mouth. Cardstock allows you to design markers, boards, and cards that fit the feel of your game and really enhance it. Don't set out to create a Hasbro game right away... just make a game that you, friends, and family will enjoy. Out of six completed games I only have two that use manufactured markers. The rest, while starting with markers initially, are much more enjoyable to play with the custom made cardstock markers. There is nothing you cannot do with your deskjet/laserjet printer when creating prototypes. If you are stuck on a certain "piece" for the game, post it on BGDF and I'm sure someone will have a great idea for how to produce it using cardstock. Foldovers are my preferred marker style as an image can be seen on both sides and are very easy to pickup/move and also stack for storage.