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Almost there, aaaalmost there!

3 replies [Last post]
Mon, 03/19/2012 - 12:41
t0tem
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Joined: 04/21/2011

I'm just waiting for the custom dice. Game board is a color print glue-sticked to foam-core and doesn't look bad at all. I have hero "powers" or actions and terrain counters on thick paperboard (also glued) and a deck of cards on thin paper board (i forget the exact weights). Aha, you probably say he's done play testing... no but i have a good feeling about this one :P.
Jokes aside I have play tested quite a bit but there is still room for improvement. I just can't stand play testing (and asking people to play test) something that looks like it was done by a kindergarten class anymore. I know it's backwards (my wife keeps telling me so) but hey it's a hobby and it's not like it's ever likely to be the christmas present of the year anyway, so why not indulge in making it look good before realizing it sucks, right?
This is the farthest I've gotten during roughly 2 years of designing (not the same game), conclusion: designing a game that isn't seriously derivative or boring is HARD.
If it turns out playable I'll be sure to post rules here and get your feedback.
Oh by the way, artwork - stolen shamelessly from the Internet and then photoshoped. How else do you do it?

/t0tem

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Mon, 03/19/2012 - 13:22
#1
Orangebeard
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Joined: 10/13/2011
Backwards?

Hi t0tem,

I am right there with you on the "let's make a nice prototype" idea. I am a big believer that the components in the box are a key element of the first impression that the game provides to the player so I try to produce prototypes that are very close to how I believe the finished product may end up. This has the added benefit of helping to reveal issues with the art layout or functionality and seeing how players react to the components.

I agree - game design is hard. Even when liberating all of your art from public domain sources, the layout, text, rules, mechanics and theme can be overwhelming. Glad to hear you are makin it happen!

Good luck with your project!

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Mon, 03/19/2012 - 17:05
#2
t0tem
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Joined: 04/21/2011
Thanks I'll need it.

Thanks I'll need it.

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Tue, 03/20/2012 - 16:42
#3
SlyBlu7
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Joined: 03/15/2012
I know exactly how you feel -

I know exactly how you feel - so congratulations for getting even *this* far with a design. I have the problem of coming up with ideas that I think are just awesome, and then realizing that implementing them in a meaningful way is time consuming hum-dudgery.
My current project was mapped out by a friend and I over a stack of D&D books and some harmless substance abuse, in about 10 minutes. It was some of the fastest brainstorming ever. And then the next morning we realized that we have 4 unique classes, each with their own deck of 60 cards, and then decks of Loot, Treasure, Event, Monster, and Encounter cards as well to design... we weren't just puking from the hangovers.

My art is going to come from Free Domain and luckily a few artistically inclined friends, and GIMP/Photoshop. So that's covered. Actual production falls on TheGameCrafters. Playtesting is going to be the fun part though - why else design a game if you're not going play it with all of your friends.

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