10 Steps to Design Your First Tabletop Game

In today's video I talk about 10 steps/elements to consider when designing your first tabletop game. 1. Motivation: The goal isn’t to design the greatest game ever--it’s to go through the process of designing a game. 2. Ideation: If you have an idea for the game that you're really excited about (theme, mechanism, etc), go for it; otherwise design an expansion (or realm) for a game you love. Constraints are helpful. 3. Research: Play and learn about related games. This is a great gateway into the game community (BGG, Facebook, local, etc). 4. Prototype: Your idea is worthless unless you build it. Create an MVP. Use reference cards (1 per player) instead of writing a rulebook. Nandeck and other tools (Cutterpillar). 5. Plunge Playtest: It's okay if this is a solo playtest. Your first playtest won’t go well, but that’s a success--stay flexible. The key is just to take the plunge to experience the gap between your vision and reality. Learn, then iterate. 6. Functionality Playtests: Try the game with family until it is functional. Do it on the tabletop! Iterate as you play for functionality, it’s okay not to know everything about the game (e.g., how it should end). Always take notes. Pay attention to "remember" and "except". 7. Fun Playtests: Play the game with friends until it is fun. Don’t focus on the prototype looking pretty--it just needs to function. Frame what you're hoping to get out of the playtest before you begin; afterwards, listen to criticism and ask questions (don't deflect or defend). 8. Write the Rulebook: Look at rulebooks for games you love and use similar formats, but in a text editor. 9. Balance and Clarity Playtests: Blind playtest (hire people, local groups, online exchanges). Create a survey. Probe for examples and reasons, not solutions. Adjust for challenge/complexity. Every question matters for improving the rules. 10. Final Destination: Determine if this was just about the process or if it might be something bigger. Pitch, self-publish, share fan expansion, etc. Resources https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/how-to-design-a-tabletop-game/ 10 Steps to Design a Game: https://youtu.be/VgEt7PysQgc Tabletop Game Prototyping, Playtesting, and Development: https://youtu.be/OwzbYmNRVqM Pitching to Publishers: https://youtu.be/kAR14UNIMHs 00:00 - Introduction 01:45 - Preparation (steps 1-3) 06:10 - Creation (steps 4-7) 15:00 - Finalization (steps 8-10) Become a champion of this channel: https://stonemaier-games.myshopify.com/pages/stonemaier-champion podcast link: https://stonemaiergames.com/about/podcast Intro animation by Jeff Payne https://vimeo.com/jaaronpayne