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New Community Board Game Design Contest - VHS Case Challenge

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Tue, 09/10/2024 - 12:11
The Game Crafter
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The Game Crafter has a new community board game design contest and it's called the VHS Case Challenge! This contest is very simple: Make a great game that fits inside the new VHS case that's available at The Game Crafter.

Do your best to fill the case with as much game as possible. We’re not looking for micro games or 18-card wallet games! Get creative with how components are used. People should get done playing and wonder how in the world you fit that much game into a case literally the size of a VHS tape.

The judge for this board game design contest is Gabe Barrett, the founder of Best With 1 Games and Board Game Design Lab.

Learn more at: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/vhs-case-challenge

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Thu, 09/12/2024 - 14:14
#1
larienna
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Cool, I love the VHS case.

Cool, I love the VHS case. Very convenient to store games. The only thing I did not like is the studs in the case to hold the tape. But I guess they could be removed if custom made. It also reminds me of Sega Genesis cases.

Not sure I'll have the time to participate. Many of my design was aiming to fit the 8"x16" accordion board, but I think it's too big for an VHS case.

I'll see if I have something in my backlog that could fit in.

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Fri, 09/13/2024 - 19:50
#2
questccg
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Very original, I agree too!

I unfortunately don't have a Design for the Contest... but at the same time I would like to extend my "kudos" for coming up with such NOVEL packaging. And it reminds me of the old Sega Master System Video Game Cartridges which use to come in a similar box (like the VHS case). That was real neat too... Because you could stack your games on a shelf and you can pick and choose which games you wanted to play based on the Cartridge case.

I already shared my sentiments when the VHS Case was launched ... Now I am just repeating myself a bit.

But yeah, me too it reminds me of Sega Games...

@larienna: Let me know if you participate in the Contest. I may give you a vote if you actually make a submission. No worries... I'll probably check out the other entries too. But I find it personally HARD to judge. Why? Because I run into the "Pretty Effect"... Which means that the "prettier" a game looks, the more I seem to believe it's a better game.

And I know that is completely FALSE. Some prototype looking game could have more clever mechanics and gameplay than something made by a Graphic Designer who dabbles in Game Design. Something I feel a LOT of people are prone to do.

The other issue is that I don't have the will to look through all the entries to understand HOW(?) to play and the mechanics of each game. So I'm also a bit "lazy" when it comes to contests.

Lastly I tend to not concern myself with entries that have CRUDER imagery when it comes to the Contest Entry Image. Things that look UGLY or POOR ... I just don't get excited about them. And that's a REAL SHAME ... Because there could be one game that's like a Raw Diamond just needing some extra Graphics and the game is the next Ticket-To-Ride... Anyhow I'm sure you all get my point.

Cheers all!

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Sat, 09/14/2024 - 11:06
#3
larienna
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I would have liked to see

I would have liked to see inside the box, but there is no pictures.

Thanks for the support, but I don't think I have the time. I have made a list of potential game ideas, but I think it will remain there. I do not have anything solid right now. The size of the box is interesting in how it limit game design:

  • You can make a card only game, but can do more if you want. In fact, there are better box for card only games, so better have a mix of cards and components.
  • The limited size of the box prevent having maps, unless it is very small, so it has to be a game without geography.
  • You can have enough space for pawns and meeple. So making a worker placement game is possible.
  • Would work well for 2 player games, not sure for solitaire games.

I could have game ideas that fit's the box. I noted down a dozen of idea or game types that could fit in, but I have nothing solid in design, and I have problems making board game works.

Here are ideas of game types that could work:

  • Card game accompanied with a small board for resource tracking or other form of marking. Scarab lords is an example of such game, the board is used to mark card slots.Tableau builder civilization games, is another idea.
  • Tile games, Tile chess is one that comes to my mind. You cannot put a huge amount of tiles, but you cannot have a map.
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Sat, 09/14/2024 - 20:43
#4
questccg
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I don't have any ideas that would FULLY work...

I do have some ideas but ... Unfortunately none that COMPLETELY fit within the VHS case. Like I said some ideas could partially work but ... Some components would need to be preserved or stored "outside" the VHS case. Which is in essence not compatible with the restrictions of this contest.

Like I said, I never enter contests because my OWN ideas never fit the restrictions imposed by most of the contest. Or I'm not interested in the subject matter of the contest.

Take for example the last contest: coloring book.

The concept doesn't interest me in the least. Sure designers like Marcus Geiger made the RPG Adventure book called "Space Kraken" which allows single players to have an epic adventure in space within the confines of a book. While I LIKE the concept... (as an end-product) it is NOT something that I would CREATE or think-up when it comes to a game...

It's just not for me... That's all.

Having said this... I come back full-circle saying that I don't have a COMPLETE concept for this Design Contest (VHS case) even if I have ideas in which I COULD use the VHS case ... They are not complete with some components requiring being stored in other ways. Mmphh...

Like I said, none of my ideas seem to ever work with the TGC Contests. I cannot design by "restriction" ... I need "no rules" and then I'll see what I can make.

Previously I too had mentioned that the VHS case as packaging was NEAT. And I still feel like it is too! But nothing that I currently have merits being in that size of a box without the requirement of some components to stay outside the box.

For now this is all that I have. And we'll have to get some SAMPLES of the VHS case and so forth to see if my IDEAS align well with the packaging. TBD.

Cheers @larienna.

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Sun, 09/15/2024 - 16:46
#5
questccg
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Here's is something to CONSIDER in your DESIGNS...

@larienna... I'll pitch this to you because it makes a lot of SENSE and could tip the balance in your favor. Granted I don't know if it could qualify for the contest (probably not... but let me explain).

So your TILE concept has some merit. But you need to DIVIDE the game into TWO (2) sides: Black and White (for example). One VHS case for the White Player and one VHS case for the Black Player.

This is kinda what I had in mind with one of my own designs.

The idea being that your TILES for the White and the TILES for the Black player are kept separate and therefore use some space within EACH VHS case...

My ideas are along the fact that each VHS case is dedicated per "Volume": ex. Volume I for 2-Players. Volume I + II for 4-Players and lastly Volume I + II + III for 6-Players. Of course nothing prevents you from using Volume I & III and selecting the "Characters" the players prefer in a 2-Player game...

Sorta something like that.

Again this doesn't work for the CONTEST... But still it merits some research and feasibility analysis in terms of various games that could come of it.

If your "Tile Chess" concept, you can have Black & White... But also Red, Green and Blue... for example given that each Player has his OWN Tiles and each VHS case contains the content for 1-Player.

This could add HUGE variability and also replayability too!

And as far a SIZING is concerned, you'd probably have room for some HEX tiles or SQUARE tiles (whichever works better) and you could have the remainder the components for the Player.

This is generally the direction that I was headed in and am currently working on...

Furthermore, if you IGNORE the contest and focus on a GAME instead, I'm sure you can come up with more designs that could work with either "Volume concept" or the "Case per Player concept"...

Best!

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