0. Introduction
Hello everyone! My name is Cliff Kamarga and I'm a video game designer. Many years ago, I came back to the tabletop scene after a long hiatus and decided to create my first tabletop game. In 2013, I created my first card game, Sellswords, which was picked up by Level99Games and released in 2014.
Several people have then asked me questions regarding my development process and how I got it published. So I thought it would be a good idea to write about it and share both my knowledge and experience with everyone. I hope that some people will find this useful.
Below are the topics I'll be covering. Feel free to simply skip to the one most relevant to you.
1. Conceiving an Idea
2. Designing the Game
3. Prototyping
4. Playtesting
5. Creating the Rulebook
6. Approaching Publishers
7. Conclusion
Before you continue reading, please note that I won’t be going into great detail for each topic as that would make this post far too long. So I will be keeping things relatively short.
1. Conceiving an Idea
So, what kind of game should you make? Well, there are a few ways for you to approach this part of the development process and it starts by asking yourself "what is the purpose of my game?"
a. Do you want to give players an experience?
b. Are you filling a hole in the market?
c. Are you modifying an existing game?
d. Are you showcasing a new or interesting mechanic?
a. Do you want to give players an experience? This approach is about using theme as the core idea for your game. Will your game be about an epic fantasy adventure? Or how about exploring and colonizing the galaxy?
Whatever theme you decide to use as the core idea for your game, just be aware of one thing. If you decide to use a theme that is currently or becoming popular, your game may run the risk of being drowned out by other games using the same theme. In this case, you would need to ensure that your game will stand out from the rest by introducing a twist to it or implementing an interesting mechanic.
However, this approach does make it easier for you to design your game, which I'll explain further in the next topic.
b. Are you filling a hole in the market? Before I begin, note that it doesn't necessarily have to be a complete void in the market, it could simply be a niche. Keep in mind, however, that this approach may require you to do a fair amount of research, especially if you don't closely follow the tabletop scene.
One advantage of choosing this approach though, is that your game has a higher chance of standing out from the crowd, especially if you use an interesting theme.
c. Are you modifying an existing game? Now, this can branch off into two paths – fixing a game or improving a game. What I'm referring to are those times when players say things like:
"This game is too complicated/convoluted."
"This game is too long/short."
"This game is boring."
"I wish there was more to this game."
"I wish this game can be played by more players."
"Wouldn't it be awesome if..."
When you hear things like this, take note of why people are saying this. What part of the game's rules or mechanics is triggering these reactions. Pinpoint the source and then find a solution for it. With that being said, however, be careful not to overlook the game's reasons for certain rules and mechanics. They could be in place because of the game's theme, to evoke an emotion from the players, or to give the players a specific experience. For example, it's arguable that the very long game length for Twilight Imperium helps to evoke the feeling of a grand space opera.
d. Are you showcasing a new or interesting mechanic or feature? This is an approach that I often like to go for when conceiving a new idea for a game, since it usually piques a person's interest enough that they want to try it.
Some examples are:
A card game played entirely from your hand, no table required.
A game that involves a single large stack of cards in the middle of the table.
A deck-building game combined with worker placement where you place your workers on the cards you drew from your deck.
This approach is similar to inventing something in the real world. Either invent something no one has ever thought of, or combine two or more things to create something new.
However, a word of warning. If you end up thinking of an idea that you've never seen before, it may be that someone already has but the idea didn't work. So make sure that that is not the case for your idea.
2. Designing the Game
Once you have decided on a game idea, it's time to design it. Please note that I'm only going to talk about the parts that are most relevant to this particular article since game design is a very large topic.
When developing a game, it is often best to set some design pillars. These act like strong guidelines for your design and they form the foundation for your game. They also help with decision making throughout the design process and ensures that you remain focused.
For example, you may come across a problem that needs solving or a mechanic that you're wondering on whether you should implement or not. Well, this is where the design pillars come in handy. If the solution or mechanic does not conform to your pillars, then you may want to consider something else.
Generally, the bigger the scope of the game, the more pillars it may have. However, I recommend reducing the number of them as much as possible.
For example, the core pillars I set out for Sellswords were:
Easy to pick up, difficult to master
High replayability
Remember, restrictions breed creativity.
If you are developing a game for players to experience a theme, then use the theme to help with setting the game’s design pillars as well as the game’s rules and mechanics.
For example, let’s say you are designing a horror game where players take on the role of scientists or soldiers exploring a derelict ship. In the ship are monsters that are sensitive to noise and you want to create some tension for the players while they explore the ship. Then perhaps your game can have movement on a square grid. When moving, a player may move any number of spaces. But at the end of a player’s turn, they have to reveal a number of cards, one by one, from the top of a deck equal to the number of spaces that they moved. If a card shows a monster, then they get attacked and combat triggers.
The tension in the above example comes from the mechanic of revealing cards one by one from the top of a deck and fits perfectly with the theme of the game.
When designing your game, there are also some general things that you should keep in mind. Note that these are not rules or compulsory in any way:
a. What are the players doing when it's not their turn?
b. How much book-keeping do players need to do?
c. Does a particular action or effect cause too much ripples?
d. Does the game have too much randomness?
e. When a player loses, do they blame the game or themselves?
a. What are the players doing when it's not their turn? This may seem very minor but sometimes, I feel that designers should try to make their game engaging for a player even when it's not their turn. Of course, some games can naturally accomplish this such as co-operative and competitive one-on-one games.
The main reason why I want designers to keep this in mind, is because sometimes you end up creating a game where it feels like a single-player game but just with more people. I've played a handful of games like these, including one I made several years ago. The result is that inactive players became bored waiting for their turn and for the active player, other players simply acted like the game's artificial intelligence or random factor (such as the Epidemic cards in
