I am persuing a simple party/family style game as my first design attempt. I don't want to divulge too much information about the game, but I worry that I may be reinventing the wheel. Does anyone know of any boardgames that rely heavily on a mechanic of modifying/changing rules?
novelty or not?
Sat, 01/11/2014 - 00:33
Sat, 01/11/2014 - 01:35
#1
Changing Rules
Flux is a good example of a game with constantly changing rules as a normal part of the game flow.
There are some games in which the rules shift each time you play it, usually by having each player avatar able to ignore or alter some part of the rules. Cosmic Encounter is a good example of that type.
Sat, 01/11/2014 - 07:46
#3
Don't worry about "secrets"
It's often said that you can tell someone is new to game design if they are concerned with other designers stealing their money-making idea. I refer you to designer Daniel Solis' blog where he addresses this in much more eloquent a way than I.
The too long, didn't read version:
Ideas are a dime a dozen and have probably already been done sometime in the past. Share development process instead of hiding it and you'll not only make more allies but inspire other designers as well.
Sat, 01/11/2014 - 13:48
#4
i know :)
I read some other write-ups that said basically the same thing. Coming from video gaming I do know that ideas wash up on the beach and fall out of trees. I think the game I am working on right now is almost too simple, its kind of a silly party game and is almost designing itself, so I figured i would wait until I had it a bit further along before opening the box.
Sun, 01/12/2014 - 19:25
#5
richdurham wrote:The too
The too long, didn't read version:
And don't forget that sharing your process tends to make other people aware that you created the game. It leaves a paper trail (or a trail of bits if you will) that can easily be traced back to you if need be. Also, if others know this is your game, the chance of someone reporting a theft will be greater -- in unlikely event a theft actually happens.
Ideas are a dime a dozen and have probably already been done sometime in the past. Share development process instead of hiding it and you'll not only make more allies but inspire other designers as well.
Sun, 01/12/2014 - 21:26
#6
Starting simple
Starting simple is great and a party game is a good place to start but be wary that party games are very difficult to make unique. Go with something you like and focus on what you like most about it and then go play the game with people you do not know. People you do not know will not like your game ha ha. These people are not bad people and will not tell you exactly what they do not like about your game. Your job will be then to take what they say and figure out why they said what they said about it and where to make changes. Focus on how these people play the game, are there any times during game play when you had to give tips on playing it or does it all come naturally, do they even look like they want to play it and how quickly does one of the test players have a question about the game. A good party game should make you smile immediately at the premise of it.
Test playing with people you do not know will make you a better game designer.
Mon, 01/13/2014 - 01:12
#7
TOBNG - What it achieves
I am persuing a simple party/family style game as my first design attempt.
Although this is probably not true of every party game, some games are simply designed for the *FUN* element. Take for example "The Offensive Band Name Generator" (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/478379924/the-offensive-band-name-ge...). It's a *PARTY* game that is played simply for the sake of playing a game with people (the social aspect of it).
There are various scoring options (in the variant section of the rulebook)... But most of all the game is about *entertaining* the people you are playing the game with.
I think this game *philosophy* is different than traditional games where the game is strictly about winning the game. Most other games are *focused* on having a winner and losers. TOBNG is a party game where you can loosely keep track of scores - but it's probably simply the player who conceives of the BEST Band Name who wins a round... Whatever that means: it could mean, go serve yourself another drink from the bar, etc.
So this is something you may want to consider when designing a *party* game. This game achieves a unique form of entertainment for the players of the game (and those watching a game play out)!
Note: TOBNG is available for purchase at TGC = https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/the-offensive-band-name-generator
You can check there for more information about the game... I suggest watching the "Beer And Board Games" video to see the obnoxious (or crass) names they think up... My FAVORITE: "Spock's Mouthful" (at 7:30 in the video)!!! Haha, totally crass!
Note 2: I tried to search for references of this game on BGDF, I couldn't find any. Lucky that I found the link on Kickstarter and then found it on TGC... I just wanted to prove a point: Party games are not always about *winning*... They are a social diversion that allows structured play in a casual environment. In English: they are mostly about *FUN*, not winning.
Thanks, that looks similar to what I had in mind, perhaps more complex. But tbere is nothing new under the sun eh? I slapped together a prototype tonight and played a rough game with a couple of my kids and a friend. and we had a pretty. good time. Hope I can get something solid put together . I don't know where all these periods came from, i hate this phone.