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Guess I'm A Game Maker :P

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Wed, 10/02/2013 - 16:11
dr.robbie
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Hi everybody.

My name's Robbie and I guess I'm a game maker. I've always loved board/card games and have made some very small scale ones for fun in the past. About 6 months ago, I decided to go ahead and make a board game from some ideas I had floating around. However, I made the game on paper and cards... and it's HUGE! It took me about 2 months to complete and it involves a board which is paper right now (about 4' x 6'), two card decks, some dices, and player pieces. The game is about players training in various elemental abilities, battling other players, earning levels, obtaining items, and eventually winning the game by winning enough battles against other players. I've played the game with many people and every group so far has told me that I need to publish it :P. Yeah, I know there's more to it than that, but I've been lurking around the web to find out ways to get my game closer to that point and came across this forum. Hopefully, this is the right place to be.

Guess, I can start with a question. I have zero artistic ability, especially on computers. I tried making my game on mspaint, and fell completely flat. Are there people that help with this? How much do they cost? Thanks.

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Wed, 10/02/2013 - 18:22
#1
McTeddy
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Professional artists are

Professional artists are rather expensive. Well worth the money, but far more expensive than most people are expecting. But, I can't give you exact numbers because everything depends on the circumstance and that artist.

You can find a number of freelance artists on Board Game Geek:
http://boardgamegeek.com/forum/974655/boardgamegeek/board-game-art-and-g...

I know that a number of people also hire from DeviantArt.

You'll need to chat with each artist for specifics.

- - -

Your other option is to actually get it published which meas you won't need to worry about artwork or manufacturing. Publishers I've worked have been happy with functional art and prototype pieces. They will turn hire the artists and deal with the business side.

Keep in mind, if you get it published you will likely be selling the rights to the game and collecting a SMALL portion of the money. You will also be losing the creative control and some people have trouble with that.

If you're not willing to let them have the game and make any changes they want... self publish.

If you are interested in getting something published, just check publisher websites for submission information.

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Wed, 10/02/2013 - 19:14
#2
questccg
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Artwork should be left to an expert

Usually artwork should be left to a *professional*. What that means is somebody who is good at doing artwork.

I'll tell you what I tell most designers when they are looking for an artist:

-Go to a local University or College and speak to the people in charge of their Arts program. They can help connect you with a Teacher who might be interested or he may know of students who may be interested.

I am currently working with a Teacher who enjoys Sci-Fi digital illustration (good for my Sci-Fi game)!

Obviously if you don't *PAY* for your artwork, you will have a harder time finding an artist. They do great artwork - but usually it comes at a price. A gifted student may be cheaper than a talented Teacher. Price is something you negotiate based on the style of artwork you are looking for. If you don't know how much to ask, ask them how much is the rate PER PIECE (Each piece of artwork). From there, depending how many pieces, you can negotiate a rate that both of you will be comfortable with.

You could state that you are looking for a *Digital Artist* that does most work on a computer (digitally).

This should be a good starting point - to help point you in the right direction...

Good luck with your search!

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Wed, 10/02/2013 - 19:05
#3
RogueLieutenant
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Board Game University

Start listening to these to get some ideas. That's what I've been doing and it's a lot of good content if you're serious about getting published.

http://boardgameuniversity.libsyn.com/

If I remember in one of the podcasts they mention that when making a prototype to show to a publisher, it should be well made, but they'll be able to look past bad art if the rest of the game is good enough.

Publishers would be able to hook you up with an artist if they want to take on your game.

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Thu, 10/03/2013 - 11:41
#4
dr.robbie
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Thanks everyone for the

Thanks everyone for the replies. Lot of good info to know :).

I guess I should clarify a little bit though. While I do need artwork for my game, my problem is trying to make a digital copy of my game (specifically a PDF file). Publishers I've looked up ask for a PDF file to review the game. Are there people out there that can take my physical board game, which is rather large, and use their computer-artistic abilities to convert it to a workable PDF file? Thanks.

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Thu, 10/03/2013 - 16:24
#5
questccg
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You need a Graphics Designer

dr.robbie wrote:
I guess I should clarify a little bit though. While I do need artwork for my game, my problem is trying to make a digital copy of my game (specifically a PDF file). Publishers I've looked up ask for a PDF file to review the game. Are there people out there that can take my physical board game, which is rather large, and use their computer-artistic abilities to convert it to a workable PDF file? Thanks.

Strange, I did not think that publishers would IMPOSE a format... Is this for a Print-And-Play version? With a publisher you could send them a copy of the rules (or game manual) which could be a PDF. But the game - you should be able to *snail*-mail a copy of your game...

Does your *physical* game board fold into a smaller size?

As for your idea about taking a *physical board* and converting this, I would suggest you get a *Graphics Designer*. Maybe they could scan a portion-at-a-time of board into several PDFs (if that is what you want).

Again you could go with a LOCAL source (such as a Graphic Design student) and get the work done that way. You should find a price you are comfortable with and see if the Graphic Designer agrees... I don't see the complication or any trouble with this... It's not a complicated project.

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Thu, 10/03/2013 - 19:54
#6
McTeddy
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Sadly, I don't know of any

Sadly, I don't know of any easy way to convert it... but there are some shortcuts to making a PDF version.

For card's, chits or tokens, I highly recommend using some software such as Nandeck. By using this, you enter your card data into a spread sheet... and Nandeck will arrange all of the cards in the correct format.
You will need to learn some syntax and scripting commands, but I save tons of time by creating an entire deck with one click.

As for boards or player aids... they are not so smooth to create. I usually just use some graphics editing software and get to work. But, on the bright side, you can use clip art or fancy drawing effects to make the board look pretty good here.
Theoretically... you can try using a scanner or a camera to try and transfer the board to a computer. It might not work... but it could be worth a shot.

Again, the rules are straight up work with no shortcuts. I usually switch between graphics and rule-writing because it allows me to rest from each task while still accomplishing things.
Definitely, look over your rules every once in a while. Our brains tend to overlook errors when we are too close to the project... so if you wait a week and look at it agaom you'll be more likely to find them.

One last thing to double check on the publisher site... is that they do want the full game as a PDF. The one's I've worked with just wanted the rules as a PDF to determine whether it was their type of game.

- - -

My own process is usually to start with a small scale prototype by hand. 50-100 cards max. Once I get the core game working I get started on the computer versions of artwork.

By starting early, I save time during the end-stage when I'm preparing for publishers. Even better, because I use Nandeck, I can continually edit the card data and it will update all the graphics.

While this advice won't help you now, it may be useful on your next game.

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