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Almost complete and I have no idea what I am doing

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Thu, 09/06/2012 - 13:51
bendar
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Hello, everyone!

I have been playing games of all shapes and sizes for years, and finally decided to try my hand at putting together a game. After some development I have my game in a place I am happy with, but I realized that, with all of my work, I didn't actually know anything about board game development and design. My game has become a regularly requested one in the groups I play with, but that doesn't mean it's ready for production, distribution, and all of the other work that comes with putting a game out there. I wanted to do some research and collaboration to ensure that the game we have been enjoying would actually be enjoyed by others. I look forward to participating in the discussions here, and hope that I can make a valuable contribution as well.

Thanks,
Ben

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Thu, 09/06/2012 - 14:01
#1
Chegra
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recommendation

I recommend that you try play testing with strangers that don't know you are the designer. Get honest feedback from them.

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Thu, 09/06/2012 - 14:07
#2
bendar
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Agreed

I agree, and we have done that a few times. I had my friend pass the rules, cards and bits on to a separate game group made up of people I didn't know, and their feedback allowed me to make some refinements. I do need to get it played more (You probably can't have too much playtesting at this stage), but want to make sure everything is on a good foundation (hence my joining here) before I do so.

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Thu, 09/06/2012 - 14:31
#3
Dralius
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Your playtesters may have

Your playtesters may have been average players just interested in playing with the goal of winning. You need a BREAKER to play it.

1break•er noun \ˈbrā-kər\
1 a: A players whose goal is to find flaws in a game for the purpose of showing the system is broken.

Common breaker tactics include:

A. Hording money or resources to take it out of circulation limiting or eliminating opponents options.
B. Stalling game play indefinitely.
C. Expoiting feedback loops.
D. Kingmaking.

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Thu, 09/06/2012 - 21:43
#4
Traz
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go, Dral, go!

Good call, Dralius. But you don't always need to find a stranger to play this role. You can do it yourself.

You know the game better than anybody - take advantage of that. You know the BEST strategies, now be on the lookout for the WORST. In addition to playing the game as Dral suggests, play the game with the express purpose of FOLLOWING one of the specific strategies. Play the game all the way through playing the odd strategy to the hilt - and to the end.

If you end up losing horribly, then you can confirm that's one bad strategy that doesn't work. But if it turns out you win, you've learned something about the game you never suspected before. It will open up flawed game mechanics to your creativity so you can tweak them for the better.

The best example I know of this is the story of DRIVE ON STALINGRAD by SPI [a wargame from back in the day]. It was always ASSUMED the Russians would play a certain way. The entire game design was built around this assumption.

But something weird happened on the way to the dance. After it was released, a few Russian players decided to do something different... and lo and behold! The game just stopped working and through the years it has gone through major rule overhauls as well as being reprinted by two different companies to make it work.

The point is - what Dralius is talking about is a precious truism in the art of game design. When you make a game, you need to push its borders to see if anything breaks. If it does, then fix it before you release it.

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Fri, 09/07/2012 - 11:52
#5
bendar
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Once more into the breach

A breaker is exactly what I need. I have people that do try to play differently, but I don't think we've sat down and tried to purposefully break things. I am going to have to do that this week!

Also, thank you guys for commenting. I knew there was a lot I was missing, and little things like this just reinforce that I have a lot more to learn!

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Fri, 09/07/2012 - 13:05
#6
Dralius
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Traz wrote:Good call,

Traz wrote:
Good call, Dralius. But you don't always need to find a stranger to play this role. You can do it yourself.

I don't use strangers for this. I know a couple of people that are experts at destroying my games.

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Fri, 09/07/2012 - 13:16
#7
MondaysHero
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When I use playtesters, I

When I use playtesters, I break down the "Breakers" into two categories (both of which are important.) The Analysts can look at a game, and analyze the game to creat the best possible win condition. They are the people that will always win at a tournament, because I meta-game like nothing else. So, when I design a game, I will have the ANalysts find all the best possible solutions, and then give me solutions for other factions, so that theyare balanced. The True Breakers will not just find the best possible solution, but essentially make the game almost unbearably un-fun for all other players. While I don't enjoy showing my game to the Breakers (It shows me were I went wrong, and also shows my game int he light of just not being fun) it is important to have them. Why? Because if I can then balance out my game from those findings so the Breaker is not guaranteed to win, then I've got a winner.

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