Handling numerous designs

My quick answer: I deal with it poorly.

There are a lot of factors... Fear of putting it out there and having it fall flat, The outcome vs effort ratio is immense early on, getting bored with a design once I can see the end product, decision/effort around converting to a sold product, etc.

I have better wisdom from work and that I give out to my wife who writes: do something every week on a schedule to keep it moving forward, give yourself clear milestones, and DO work on your other projects to keep the engine working.

I like everything that has been mentioned so far! I for one have trouble working on only one design at a time (I don't even read 1 book at a time, it's just how I operate). I have come to terms with the fact that this is just how my brain operates. There are some things I do to help me not get lost in a sea of thoughts, where I could easily waste time and emotional energy. Here's what I do:

Rank my design I have an A, B and C list. I like what was said about the "Big 3" above. This would essentially be my "A" list. These are the most workable and best designs I currently have. My "B" list has up to 10 games on it. These are games I definitely intend to pick up at some point. I always write up a quick description of the idea so I don't lose it. My "C" list is often made up of previous "B" list games that fell by the wayside (remember, only 10 in the "B" list)

Stick with what I feel passionate about I spend the majority of my time on one of the three "A" list games, depending on the one I'm feeling most inspired by. Sometimes I need a calculated break from one of them so I move to another "A" list game. This process makes game design fun and energizing. I'm not afraid of never getting to my "A" designs because they all take their turn in the rotation.

Review the "B" list This is critical for me. Every couple weeks or so I review my "B" list. I purge "B" games that currently feel like "C" games and place them in the "C" games file (google drive). More importantly though, I get a chance to re-remember what inspired me about the current "B" list games that remain on the list. Sometimes I dissect a "B" design and implement parts of it in one of my "A" designs that was somehow stuck. Recently I took two of my "B" designs and combined them into what is now my top "A" list design.

Review the "C" list I only do this every few months or so. There's usually mixed bag of good ideas/bad games and just plain bad ideas. I take a stroll through here and pick up pieces now and again that have a lot of redeeming value.

Hope that helps!

Hey Steve

Listen to these other designers, they provide great feedback. Here are my thoughts on the subject (which I too have been guilty off losing focus):

It seems, to me, that your lack of focus derives from a lack of direction.

Having multiple games in various stages of development allows to step away from one game to work on another, giving your brain a break from one game while still exercising your creativity. However... I am still not sure where you are on your design/development status for your main game. You say deep in the design life, but you haven't done external testing. Does that mean you've only playtested with friends and family?

If so, that game is still in early development, and I wouldn't spend much time and energy fleshing out your other back-up game ideas.
Focus on this one.

Your very first public playtest (playing with people who aren't your friends/family) will give you way more information than all your previous playtests. (Seriously, I cannot understand that enough.)

So if I were you, these would be my steps:

1. Get your game and prototype ready for a public playtest.
2. Create a Feedback Form (Google Drive is perfect for these; it's what I use)
3. Find a local group or place you can playtest.
4. Have them playtest the game, without you explaining the game or correcting issues. (Have the rules on hand.)
5. Take lots of notes. Notes on their reactions. What they got wrong. What they got right. And you will also see lots of issues with specific rules, mechanics, content (cards, tiles, dice, etc).
6. Ask them to fill out the Feedback Form.
7. Thank them very much for their time and help.

I have found that most designers lose focus when they lose their direction. (I have been super guilty of this myself... multiple times.)

So gather your bearings... come up with a game plan (and a To-Do List)... and just start knocking away at it.

Best of luck!
David

My concern is that you say there is still much writing to do...

What are you writing? Rules? Content (ie cards, tiles, components, etc)?

It's too easy to get lost in perfecting rules and content, when the most important step is playtesting.

You will learn more from your first playtest than all your previous "in-house" development. So don't spend too much time on the in-house development, trying to perfect it for playtesting.

Gotcha.

Have you considered using NanDeck? It's free software that takes a spreadsheet (including Google Spreadsheets) and imports data and text in cells to create cards.

It has saved me lots of time. There is a bit of a learning curve, but once you get used to it. You can make sweeping changes in minutes. Then all you have to do is print and cut the new cards.

You might want to check it out. Writing individual cards by hand takes a long time. I even use NanDeck when working with a few cards at a time.

What part(s) of the process do you enjoy the most?
Try to allocate a certain amount of time to what you don't care much for doing (to make you do it), and spend the rest of the time doing what you like.

I come up with ideas faster than anything else, in everything I do. No matter what I am working on (game, story, invention, etc), I made a simple rule for myself to follow and I eventually really started to follow it- When I am working on one thing, I cannot stop to make notes for something else. If I happen to remember when I am done, I write it down, if not, oh well.

Simple, do it like a job.

Here's the thing, people tend to take one of two approaches.. neither works.

Group 1 treat it like a hobby where they try to enjoy themselves and fit it into their lives. They rarely accomplish much, often get sidetracked by other projects that are new and fun.

Group 2 treat it like an obsession. They force themselves to work on one project. The push themselves hard and shun any other activities. They tend to burn out and in the end accomplish nothing.

The only way that I've been able to accomplish anything is to set a schedule. 4 days a week are dedicated to "Major Project A". On these days, I will work on my core project in whatever capacity is needed.

On my off, 3 days I'm fully able to explore, relax and try potentially crazy new ideas. Generally, these days are what dictate my next Major Project A.

Motivation means nothing compared to a good habit. My habit is that I can focus on completing a project but doesn't try to stamp out my creativity and fun.