How to Design a Tabletop Game – Stonemaier Games

How to Design a Tabletop Game

131 Comments on “How to Design a Tabletop Game

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  1. Hello.
    I commented a few months ago to see if anyone new any good illustrators. We now have some illustrators in mind and are planning to reach out to one of them soon, but we are wondering how to make a nice looking prototype to put on Kickstarter. we’ve heard that you can either contact a factory or a game publisher and they will make a prototype, or you can make one yourself. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? We don’t know what to do next, and any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks,
    Augie

    1. Augie: You’re in the right place! Please read the articles under the “Create a Prototype” section on this page, and if you have any questions, post them in the comments of the respective article.

  2. Hi, Ive been in the process of creating a table top game for the last year and a bit and im ready to start selling copies on my own but i was also wondering about getting it published or backed . Also i live in canada if that helps or hinders.

  3. Thank you for taking the time to put all this together! Helpful and enlightening

  4. […] Maybe they want to share the wealth and pay back from their years in the industry but whatever the reason, the nice people over at Stonemaier Games have compiled a sizeable data base for the aspiring game designer. There’s information on everything from how to get started, playtesting tips, communities to join and even how to effectively launch your own crowd funder. Check out the link here and get motivated! […]

  5. Hello. First this is an amazing article and has helped me a lot.
    I was just wondering if anybody new some good illustrators. Me and my friend are making a game about mars and we need a somebody who can draw for us. We need some realistic landscapes and a box design for our game.

  6. […] How to Design a Tabletop Game […]

  7. Hi Jamey,

    I’m going to write my question first, then give you a little information on why I’m asking it:

    Based on the experiences you’ve had since writing these blog posts, is there any updated piece of advice you would give to beginning game designers?

    Here’s the context for the question:

    I’m a fan of your work and am inspired by your gracious philosophy of sharing information. I’ve read your book and many of your blog posts. I’ve also bought a number of your games and have been following you for a couple of years. I am a tabletop game designer and also teach in the game design program of a community college. I’m currently writing a textbook for beginning game designers. The information on this page will be very helpful to them and I’m wondering if you would like to add anything.

    Thanks,

    Greg

  8. Do you think publishing it yourself will make the game successful? I have the idea, the rules and now I am piecing together the game itself and will practice it with the group and if it goes well I plan on then executing the game but I have no clue what to do, where to start,where to go but I want to do it myself.

    1. Kierra: I hope you’re having fun with the design process! The first playtest is just the beginning of a long process of iteration and playtesting (see more info in the articles/videos on the above page). But in 6-12 months when you have a finely tuned game, check out this article to see which path is right for you: https://stonemaiergames.com/self-publishing-vs-working-with-a-publisher-ks-lesson-275/

      You mentioned that you have no clue what to do or where to start, and I can help there! Start by reading through all of the articles on this page (the page where you’re reading this comment), then proceed to read through all articles on this page to see what it takes to self-publish a game: https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/full-list-chronological/

  9. Hello Mr. Stegmaier
    My game is 1-4 player and we designed expansion with 5th player. Is that acceptable under your rules?
    In fact if you prefer the base game is 1-5 player, we don’t have any problem.

    1. Thanks for asking here! The core game needs to be playable and fun at 5 players for us to consider it.

  10. Hello
    My name is Hamed Pejman, I am a board game designer.
    I live in Iran but my family live in United Arab Emirates. We designed a board game with a work placement mechanism, that has a creativity in Mechanism Worker Placement.
    I would like to communication with you in the field of game production.
    Is it possible to produce my game with Stonemaier Games compony ?
    Wish you all the best and thank you for your kidness.

  11. Jamey I have just started listening to the Audible version of your book and I would like to thank you for the time you have inevitably saved me! I am in the process of building my first game with a business partner and I have already found such a treasure chest of knowledge! Thank you for you experience, failures and triumphs and the ability to express them!

    1. Thanks for checking out my book, Joel! I hope it proves to be useful for you.

  12. When you had a slid design for your game – Scythe, what exact prototyping companies did you use to get your first prototype?

    1. I talk about that in the articles under “Create a Prototype”–feel free to read them, and if you have questions about prototypes, please ask in the comments of the related article.

  13. So if I plan to send my game to a publisher, what stage does the prototype need to be in i.e. printed boards, real cards, wooden miniatures or wooden board with paper written in pencil, lego pieces as miniatures etc

    1. The state of the game doesn’t matter all that much as long as (a) you’ve playtested and revised it many many times and (b) it’s playable by a stranger.

  14. […] is an essential part of the board game design process. It will help you refine your game and get it ready for your crowdfunding campaign. When you […]

  15. […] you want to try birdwatching or designing a board game and launching a campaign on Kickstarter, hobbies can be an endless source of pleasure and […]

  16. Hi Jamey! Thanks for all the great information. In one of your videos, you reference hiring a developer to help improve the game. How would you recommend going about finding the right developer? Do you use a platform like Upwork.com or Fiverr.com – or do you use some other resource?

    Thank you!

    1. Woody: Offhand, I can only think of one developer (though I’m sure there are more who offer such services), and that is Seth Jaffee.

  17. Hi Jamey,
    I was wondering if you can help me get some clarity in regards to a safety test since you have a lot of experience importing games to US.

    Is a game automatically considered a children’s product if we have 10+ or 12+ listed on the box?
    And therefore to import we need a certificate and a safety test done.
    Do we need a safety test done if we don’t put an age on the box?
    I understand that for the retail we have to have the age on the box.
    The board game is for the US market, so it needs to clear customs as well. 

    The whole thing is not really clear to us. On Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website says that for 12 and younger, including 12 you need a certificate.
    Also says that for 9 to 12 you might needed it because children between 9 and 12 years of age have advanced cognitive and motor skills and a greater ability to care for their belongings.

    Thanks for any feedback you may be able to provide.

    1. Emil: I’m not an expert on safety testing, as that process is handled by our manufacturer. We generally label our games 14+ to make it clear that they’re not toys for young children to whom the tokens could be choking hazards.

  18. Hi Jamey, I love your games and your activity in social media, you are a great educator on the subject of board game design and board game publishing. Thats why I come to you whith the question: Do you know about a book, or a thoery about board game publishing? I dont mean finding a publisher, neather self publishing or crowd funding. Iam talking about a book about the editorial process, the editorial production and the editorial design of a board game. I am Mexican and iam currently coursing a masters about editorial production and my subject are board games. If you can tell me one bibliography I would be greatful as I already am from all your work.

    1. Thanks Abraham! I’m aware of some game design books, but not specifically about the publication process

  19. Hi Jamey! I’m a big fan of your work in game design and entrepreneurship. I love playing and designing board games; sadly I haven’t had the pleasure to physically play games by StoneMaier Games since I live in Panama and what I find in stores here is very limited. I have watched tutorials and gameplay of all of them though, along with most of your videos. After thoroughly reading the Submission Guidelines and the 12 Tenets in Game Design, I’ve been working hard on a board game that, I think, is ideal for StoneMaier Games (I’ll formally submit it within the next 6 weeks; after proper playtesting and blind playtesting). I will submit it to StoneMaier Games because I think your company is sincerely the one with the best approach and mentality for board games, I love the fact that you have high standards, passion, and love for board games. Publishing few games but with lots of effort is something I wish more publishers did. Regarding the purpose of this long message haha (sorry for that btw), I have a few questions. 1. Given that I’m a very perfectionistic designer (I’m still trying to improve mechanics, make the artwork probably too excessive for a prototype, I’m constantly focusing on the little details, trying to make the game a smooth machine before I show it to others), when should I start playtesting? because the more I brainstorm the more I want to edit/improve. How do I know when enough is enough? and the second question: 2. I really strive to implement original things into this game I’m making, but after researching so many other games, my stuff (that I came up with) is already reminiscent of other things out there and I don’t like it. Where is the line? How different from other things out there do my mechanics, board layout, theme, etc, need to be to be considered original and unique? Maybe it’s all in my head and I’m just connecting too many tangents. Again, sorry for the long paragraph, and forgive my English (it’s not my first language). Thanks for your time! Keep doing great work!

    1. Hi Diego: Thanks for your question. You posted a few days ago (and I replied to your comment then), so just scroll down a little bit and you’ll see those comments. :)

  20. Congratulations on the announcement of Red Rising! Very fun news. Unrelated, I had a dream last night that I attended a talk you were a panel member of, and asked the question: “Would you ever want to design a fully cooperative game?”

    When I woke up, I realized I could ask you here instead!

    Would you ever want to design a fully cooperative game? (From the ground up build that way, I mean—not automata style.)

    1. Thanks Lukas! Indeed, I’ve been working on a fully cooperative game for a while, and it probably won’t be the only one. :)

      1. Hi Jamey! I’m a big fan of your work in game design and entrepreneurship. I love playing and designing board games; sadly I haven’t had the pleasure to physically play games by StoneMaier Games since I live in Panama and what I find in stores here is very limited. I have watched tutorials and gameplay of all of them though, along with most of your videos. After thoroughly reading the Submission Guidelines and the 12 Tenets in Game Design, I’ve been working hard on a board game that, I think, is ideal for StoneMaier Games (I’ll formally submit it within the next 6 weeks; after proper playtesting and blind playtesting). I will submit it to StoneMaier Games because I think your company is sincerely the one with the best approach and mentality for board games, I love the fact that you have high standards, passion, and love for board games. Publishing few games but with lots of effort is something I wish more publishers did. Regarding the purpose of this long message haha (sorry for that btw), I have a few questions. 1. Given that I’m a very perfectionistic designer (I’m still trying to improve mechanics, make the artwork probably too excessive for a prototype, I’m constantly focusing on the little details, trying to make the game a smooth machine before I show it to others), when should I start playtesting? because the more I brainstorm the more I want to edit/improve. How do I know when enough is enough? and the second question: 2. I really strive to implement original things into this game I’m making, but after researching so many other games, my stuff (that I came up with) is already reminiscent of other things out there and I don’t like it. Where is the line? How different from other things out there do my mechanics, board layout, theme, etc, need to be to be considered original and unique? Maybe it’s all in my head and I’m just connecting too many tangents. Again, sorry for the long paragraph, and forgive my English (it’s not my first language). Thanks for your time! Keep doing great work!

        1. Thanks for your question, Diego! Please take your time with your game–6 weeks is very fast, and our publishing schedule is booked for the next few years. You have time. :)

          1. I would recommend that you get the prototype to the table this weekend. You’ll learn so much more from playing the game than by thinking about how it might play.

          2. It’s definitely fine to learn from other games and be inspired by other designs. There should be some unique, innovative elements in your game, but not everything needs to be completely new. Familiarity is sometimes a good thing.

          Good luck and have fun!

  21. Hi Jamey,

    Been following this blog for a few months now ever since someone on Reddit kindly pointed me to your golden list of KS guides / advice. Really thankful for all the good information you put out there.

    I’ve tried searching for this, but couldn’t find it anywhere, but how would a person go about contacting you for a guest post? I am an amateur gamedev compared to you but I had an interesting experience recently using Tinder to find playtesters and would love to share it with your audience.

    Thank you so much as always! Looking forward to your response.

    Wonmin

  22. Hello Jamey

    My name is Kim English, i have invented a board game that my friends and family ( kids included) just love to play

    It is about a well known sport and there is no board game about it

    We have been playing for about a year now

    I would love to get it on the market but I just do not know where to start

    Judging by the number of time my kids have ask me to play it and by there is and laughter and smiles when we play I believe it is a good one

    Could you please contact me 514 912-1019 or by email kim.english1019@gmail.com

    Thanks I would really appreciate

    1. That’s great, Kim! As for where to start, I would recommend reading through all of the articles on this page (the same page where you commented), as they’ll explain exactly where to start and how to follow through to publication for your game.

  23. Hi Jamey,

    I am designing my own board game. The brief idea is that both players are cult leaders and are vying for control over a small village, with the winner being the player who first ousts the mayor. The character you play is drafted, as are the villagers, ensuring that each playthrough is different.

    I am in the very early stages of designing at the moment and am still fleshing out each mechanism.

    Scythe is one of my favourite games, and I am looking to iterate upon your 4 action system. My idea is that I want to make the “top row” action occur on your turn and the “bottom row” action occur on the opponent’s turn.

    My question is: What was your design philosophy behind each different “action sheet” in Scythe? Did you intend to make each player good at one specific thing and bad at another? Or did you simply want each player to have totally different strengths and weaknesses in order to increase replayability and variability between players?

    I’m very new to the design process so I’m very sorry if this was a stupid question. Thanks for taking your time to read my email, and I hope to hear back from you.

    1. Thanks Pierre! I hope you’re having fun with the early stages of your design.

      For the player mats in Scythe, I wanted to give players a sense of progress, the potential for short-term goals, and little nudges in different directions (without limiting them to any specific strategy). Replayability and variability were the primary goals.

      I should say, though, that creating different types of mats wasn’t something I added until the foundation of the game was solid.

  24. Hey Jamey! I’m curious about your experience with Tenet #4: Tension, not hostility,

    Having played a number of your games (Scythe being my favorite, gotten many of my friends hooked on it as well!), I am pleasantly surprised by it’s ability to create an air of highly strategic, competitive competition (often between players of varying skill) that doesn’t usually lead to hostility or spite.

    Do you have any examples of when you have had an issue with hostility and spite and techniques for lowering spite while maintaining tension?

    Love your blog as well!

    1. Thanks Jackson! I would say that any “take that” game has the potential for hostility and spite. Adrenaline is an example of a game that’s all about direct player interaction but with low potential for hostility and spite because of how the game gives you points for targeting a variety of players, not just one (and I think it has a mechanism where you get stronger as you get closer to dying, so if other players are picking on you, you’re actively becoming more of a threat to them).

  25. Jamey,

    I recently asked a moviemaking friend of mine about templates for script writing and he directed me to the software program called ‘Final Draft’. He explained that is does a great job formatting everything to industry standards and 90% + writers use it. Do you know if there is anything similar in the game design field? I often get bogged down with some of the technical aspects that get in the way of getting a playable prototype and wondered if you had any suggestions for card/board/rulebook templates that help you get from idea and design to prototype?

    Sincerely,

    John Rose

    1. Thanks for posting your question here, John. I think this may depend on the company, but our graphic designer uses Indesign to prepare printer-ready files. I also use Indesign for prototypes. I’ve heard of other designers using free software like GIMP or Scribus, and some even just use Excel (prototypes for playtesting are meant to be functional, but not necessarily pretty).

  26. Hey Jamie,
    Great list of resources. Thanks! I noticed that “One Stop Co-op Shop” returns a we-cant-find-that-user marker, and “Ludology Podcast” and “James Mathe’s excellent advice to designers” are no longer secure connections.

  27. Hi
    Our 7 year old son has created a disney themed board game. What is the next thing he should do to get it out to the market?

  28. Hello Jamey! I must say that it is very difficult to get started in such a competitive niche as game design. So many ideas and inspiration break down on quite trivial problems. By creating such information resources, people like you help novice designers to show themselves and give light to new ideas. Among the plethora of information, your guide is distinguished by quality, content and relevance. Thanks and keep it up!

  29. Hej Jamey, thanks a lot for this helpful collection. I’ve been toying around with some board game ideas for a couple of days now and started watching videos from your channel in which you talk about mechanisms etc.

    Last year in February you posted a video about games with time tracks and what you like about this mechanic. I’ve got a question about that: In the video you said you’re yourself thinking about how to implement a time track in a future co-operative game of yours, but you weren’t really convinced about having each player moving seperatly along the track as it might add to downtime in between players’ turns.

    As I’m thinking about a time track with individual player tokens for my game idea, I was wondering how you decided for your game in the end? What were the factors that convinced you what would be the right way to implement the time track (if it’s still in your co-op game, that is)? And what would be a neat way to reduce downtime if you found that to be an issue during playtesting?

    Thanks and all the best
    Dag

      1. Thanks for the quick reply and for pointing me the right way. I’ve just commented over at YouTube.

  30. Hey Jamey, thank you for all the great content. Thanks to your channel I’ve learned dozens of game mechanisms that I have never considered prior. I read your request about posing questions in a public forum so that others have the benefit of the answer to the question, but I’m not on Facebook and didn’t see another way to pick your brain publicly, so I hope this area is OK.

    My question is about game theory. I’m designing a war/world domination game and in playtesting I’m finding that sometimes, at some point in the middle of the game, it is obvious who will win. The issue is it then takes the second half of the game (time-wise) for that person to actually win. My question is this: how can I make sure that I keep all players interested and invested without simultaneously penalizing the leading player just for having a great strategy?

    I’ve incorporated alternate ways to win and an end-of-game scenario that allows the trailing players to join forces to prolong the game before the runaway winner effect takes place. Is there a broader idea here that you can speak to?

    Thanks again for the great content.

    Best,

    Jeff D.

    1. Thanks Jeff! The best place to discuss game design is on my YouTube channel, but I can answer this here.

      I think it’s great that you’re paying attention to this during playtesting. One school of thought in games with high levels of direct player interaction (particularly combat) is that it’s fine for there to be an obvious leader, because it gives other players a clear target to focus on to even the playing field. In those types of games, it’s probably not good for the interactions during the game if it’s a surprise at the end of the game. See Cosmic Encounter and Chaos in the Old World.

      That said, if the game works such that even with an obvious winner midway through the game, the other players can’t do anything about it, I’d recommend either (a) changing the way the game ends so it ends when the winner becomes obvious (I think this is better than giving players ample opportunities to prolong the game) and/or (b) increasing the level of interaction.

      Also check out Adrenaline–I think it does a great job at many of the things you’re looking for here.

      1. Thanks so much for the feedback. That’s a nice way of putting it. Instead of dragging things out and giving possibly false hope to the trailing players, maybe it’s best to let a short game be short if well played and to leave players wanting more.

        Thanks again man!

        Jeff

  31. Hey Jamey,

    thanks for all the great content!

    I just wanted to tell you that it seems like the link “Game Design for Dummies” is not working anymore.

    Best regards,
    Jan

  32. Forgive me if I may have missed this point in one of the links, but as I am making a board game right now I seemed to have hit a bit of a wall that I’d like to see if I could get some advice on. I have a very rough prototype built and I focused more on how the game plays and just put generic art and logos in it. After playing it with some friends someone brought up an issue that I didn’t think about before, and that is the entire aesthetic of the game. As I used generic art and nothing solidified I think that it helped open the game to pretty much any aesthetic, but my question is how do you, personally, decide on an aesthetic for a game? Is it something that you have in mind while designing a game from the start or do you discover it while you are designing the game?

    1. Aaron: Thanks for your question. I have some articles about art and graphic design among my Kickstarter Lessons, as they’re something the publisher handles. Because I’m both a designer and a publisher for Stonemaier Games, I often think about the aesthetic from the early stages of design–I like to work with artists to worldbuild. For you, I’d recommend looking on BoardGameGeek for games that have art you like, and think about that art in terms of your game. If you decide to self-publish, you could reach out to those artists to see if they’re interested/available.

      1. Thank you for your advice and also for being so quick to respond. I really appreciate it.

  33. I will release my game soon
    What advice can you give me
    I will be my first kickstar
    Is there any advice you give me because I am the only person in my company?
    Where should I put my game before KickStar?
    What can you say to someone who designed the game alone
    Is there a possibility of success

  34. First I would like to thank you for the plethora of information and sharing your experience. I am reading through this and amazed at how insightful and how the collective community is here and on Facebook.

    Now to the dreaded question; licensed IP’S

    Jamie,
    My question is about existing licensed IP’S and if creating something in a set universe is it okay to prototype to submit to the ownership or/and seek out a publisher to work with to bring the concept to the owner?

    I have seen a little of this discussed online. Specifically on reddit table top design, several people just say if it’s a property like Batman, Harry Potter, starwars, Lord of the rings,etc. The basic advise is walk away and Just get a new theme for your game. To me this seems daunting talking to a large company WB that owns an IP like Harry Potter.

    But we have companies like monolith and knight models and fantasy flight creating games for these IP’S. There are many concepts and stories/games that can still be told within these universes and part of the draw appeal is interacting with established characters that people have an emotional connection to already. I myself bought the Harry Potter miniature game because my wife will be more interested actually learning a miniature game be use she knows the characters and the world they live in.

    Does the larger publisher world just have the muscle to handle these IP licenses and therefore the reason people say to just walk away from big licenses? In my opinion some of..the execution of these licenses has fallen short of good gameplay from how these properties have been handled or even completely misses the spirit of the source material.

    While kickstarter is appealing with seeing the success of gotham city chronicles; to me pitching to a publisher and partnering or directly with the ownership such as DC/WB seems stronger to develop and secure rights to get the game to peoples tables. While I can see the other side that some license owners would require working with specific publishers or developers due to contract agreements.

    Have you encountered these barriers before or can you provide some insight to the relationship with designer/publisher/IP owned company?

    Thank you so much for your insight

    Michael

    1. Michael: It’s a great question, though my ability to answer it is somewhat limited by my lack of experience with IPs. Scythe came from the 1920+ IP, but all I did was reach out to Jakub and share my enthusiasm for it. That’s very different than approaching a big company about their very famous IP. It can be done, and it doesn’t hurt to try.

      I do have a few stories about IPs I tried to get but couldn’t–they’re in this video: https://youtu.be/1Bv4BidZ-6U

      I think this podcast episode might help you: https://player.fm/series/board-game-design-lab/designing-games-based-on-a-licensed-ip-with-daryl-andrews

  35. Finding Board Game Design and Publishing Resources – Leadenhawk Games: A Board Game Creation Journey says:

    […] Lastly, but certainly not least, is Jamey Stegmaier’s enormous resource on everything game design, and particularly Kickstarter advice. Especially apt for today’s post (on where to start on board game creation) is Jamey’s page “How to design a tabletop game“. […]

  36. […] How to Design a Tabletop Game […]

  37. […] made an effort to read few blogs, know your bearings sort of speak. You’ve read a part of  Jamey Stegmaier’s blog,  some other part of James Mathe’s blog and suddenly you understand the whole process!! Well good […]

  38. […] *NOTE! This is an entry from my EXCLUSIVE JOURNAL as I follow Jamey Stonemaier’s (of Stonemaier Games) advice on how to make a board game. Will it work? Will it be a success? Follow along and find out! — Posts available on BGG and […]

  39. Hi Jamey,

    I have been dabbling with both board/card game design and software development, since the latter is my main area of experience. Have you ever used software to prototype game ideas? Tabletop Simulator is an obvious tool, but I wondered whether something I create for myself might also be of use to other designers.

    Similarly, do you feel any aspect of playtesting, collecting statistics and feedback from players, etc. would be better with some piece of software that doesn’t yet exist? Or you might feel, for example, that it would be too much hassle compared to the tried and proven method of spreadsheet forms etc.

    1. Josh: Thanks for posting here! I always use Indesign to create prototypes, but I think you’re asking about playtesting. Tabletopia and Tabletop Simulator are the two major programs used for that purpose…and honestly, I think it’s going to be tough to compete with them unless you’re able to maintain the flexibility they offer and solve the various problems they pose.

      I’m not a great person to answer your second question, as I haven’t run any playtests on those platforms (maybe reach out to Brad Talton ad Level 99 Games, as I think he uses one of them a bunch). However, I would say that the biggest reason I haven’t used them is that I want to be able to easily integrate various types of components into the system and have them linked back to Indesign so I don’t have to manually update each component in the playtesting software every time I make a change. It would also be fine if they could link to PDFs of the components.

  40. There’s one thing about board game cards that’s always bugged me and I can’t find any information on, and I wondered if you had any insight — Why are there so many different board game card size standards, and why would a publisher choose one size over another?

    In my head, surely it makes sense to go for what’s most efficient — theoretically there would be an optimum amount of cards to squeeze into one printed sheet by the manufacturer. And, as most manufacturing is coming out of China, you would think this would’ve been standardized by now, but it hasn’t. All sorts of games can have weird sizes and shapes (trust me, I own a board gaming venue and we sleeve all our games and they’re all over the place; some games have sizes that just cannot even be sleeved!)

    So I wondered if you conducted any research on this regarding the publishing of your games. Is there an ‘optimum size’?

    1. Thanks for asking your question here! I think the key to keep in mind is that cardboard and cardstock can be cut into ANY shape or size. It may seem like those are standards, but that’s just because people tend to use sizes that were previously used in other games. That’s become fairly important in an age where a number of people sleeve their cards.

      There are many reasons a publisher might choose one size over another, but I would say the universal idea is that you can fit more cards on a card sheet if those cards are small. So in many cases we try to select the smallest card size that gets the job done. That’s the “optimum” size, and it varies vastly based on how the cards are used in the game.

  41. Thanks Jamey for answering my question so thoroughly and promptly! Here’s the question and answer publicly. I also have some follow up questions I put at the end.

    Me:
    Hi Jamey, I’m in the prototyping stage for a board game I’m developing, and I’m trying to figure out for a few components how to make them as easy to use as possible while keeping costs reasonable.

    I really like the indented board effect you have for the player boards in Scythe, and that’s the only place I’ve seen it before, so I was wondering how you achieved that and whether that was hard to find manufacturing for.

    Jamey:
    From what I’ve seen (working with Panda), dual-layered player mats cost about 3-4x more than regular player mats. Part of it is the additional materials cost–you’re printing 2 full player mats instead of just 1. The other part is labor, which is twofold: First, someone has to punch the top layer, removing all of the chits. Second, someone has to glue the top layer to the bottom layer. Those might seem like quick things to do, but compared to just running a sheet of paper through a printer and applying it to a piece of cardboard, it adds a significant labor cost.

    Also, from the graphic design perspective, it’s kind of a nightmare, as the graphic designer needs to create 3 different layers for each mat. I’ve attached an example here from the Scythe expansion

    One of the stipulations for making any insert with holes in it (whether it’s like Scythe or Evolution) is that the holes need to be far enough away from each other and from the edge of the cardboard that the cardboard in between is substantial and sturdy. Some games don’t have that much room between information on the punchboard.

    Also, you run the risk of components not fitting into the mats. They might fit now, but things can change (sometimes without you knowing it) on subsequent print runs: the diecuts may be adjusted, the printing/punching/gluing methods may change, and the tokens may get slightly bigger or smaller based on paint, type of wood, plastic moulds, etc.

    Last, there is a higher risk of the dual-layered mats warping due to the way the glue expands and contracts.

    An alternative to the precarious dual-layered mat is something like the mats in Evolution and Dice Forge—a single mat with holes punched in it. You can use that if no information necessary under each hole. Also see Summit, which uses dual-layered mats similar to Scythe, but slightly different.

    For all of these reasons, I’m extremely hesitant to use dual-layered mats in future games. I would only do so if absolutely necessary.

    Follow up:
    I had originally thought about whether a cutout without the second layer (like you mentioned for Evolution and Dice Forge) would be good for my purpose, and I worried about how that would restrict those boards to flat surfaces (ie, not carpet and stuff), but seeing that in some successful games makes me worry less. Playing anywhere other than a flat surface is probably too much of an edge case to worry about really. I don’t need any information on the bottom layer, I just thought it would be helpful for support, but I’ll definitely heed your warnings. It sounds like it’s more hassle than it’s worth for that benefit.

    I’m hoping to use it to create counters that can count very high while still being easy to read and maintain. The idea is to cut a large circle out of the board, with increasingly smaller circles cut out of it. Each hollow circle would then have digits (0-9) around it, so that I could spin each line of digits independently to create a large number (the plan is 3 circles of digits to get up to 999). Since I need to make multiple counters like this, I felt this could be a good way to keep costs down (just cardboard) and make updating and reading numbers quick and easy for players. Another upside for this, it sounds like, is that the component fitting into the hole would actually be the component that was cut out of the hole, so theoretically it should fit nicely, but it sounds like warping could become a worry for fit in that case. I’ll definitely have to keep distance between these on the board in mind too, probably have to make sure the cardboard is thicker to give it some strength.

    Thanks again

    1. That’s an interesting dilemma, Austin. I agree that the vast majority of people play games on flat surfaces, not carpet, grass, etc.

  42. Hi Jamey! Big fan of yourself and Stonemaier. I follow closely your blog and videos – and of course the many great games! My question is merely looking for advice from someone I have a lot of respect for but if you feel you would not like to comment – no problem! I will continue to be a huge fan of yourself, your company and community! But I would massively appreciate your two cents (well another two cents!) if you have the time:

    I asked you a question in the Wednesday Facebook live today about pursuing a game design degree. Your advice was sound – there is of course a wealth of resources available and the best way to make games is just doing it. I am consuming a lot of game design content and doing my best to prototype and develop my designs.

    The parameters of my scenario: I was accepted into the MSc Games programme in ITU Copenhagen for this coming September. It is free (other than the cost of living) because I am an EU citizen (Irish) and will take two years. I’m 27 and already have a Masters Degree in Computer Engineering. I currently work as a Creative Technologist at a small agency in Germany building rapid prototypes to test user interactions/experience. It is conveniently a 4 day week contract so I have good time to develop my games on Fridays and the weekends.

    I have been designing games as a hobbyist for the past 2-3 years, both board games and digital. I haven’t released anything other than to friends, playtests or game jams. My ultimate goal is to be designing games as a full time gig. Be that at a studio or as an indie outfit. Game design is my absolute passion – it keeps me up at night writing and coding and gets me up early in the morning to fit in another bit of sketching or balancing. I feel I must be missing the mark as my designs tend to fizzle out as I develop them. I think there are skills I need to learn and a degree in Game Design would really help.

    My question (if you have got this far!): do you think the degree in Copenhagen is a good move in achieving my goals? I of course think that it would be great if I was releasing games in my free time but I feel that a formal education, where I can focus 100% of my energy on designing games is my best bet. I have thought about this a lot myself and think I have reached my decision – I would just like to hear further what you think.

    Thanks for running those live sessions. Always learn a lot about the various topics you discuss and also about how to conduct oneself in front of fans. You’re a credit to the community Jamey.

    All the best!

    1. Thanks for sharing your story here, Seano, and I can see how this is a tough decision and you’re looking for more formal direction to become a better game designer. Given that it’s free, why not? It sounds like this is your passion, and it’s actually quite a luxury to be able to focus solely on game design for a few years. I look forward to hearing how it works out!

      1. Thanks Jamey! I realise it is somewhat self-indulgent of me to post a personal dilemma. Definitely a tough decision I’ve been mulling over a lot. It’s good to hear from an industry professional that a degree in game design can be a potentially good opportunity. The internet has extreme opinions in both directions!
        I’ll stay in touch!

  43. […] Another great resource is this guy. […]

  44. Hi this is Drew. I was wondering some things about board game design and how you decided to start designing them.
    When did you first start designing board games?
    What inspired you to design board games?
    What do you use to design board games?

    1. Thanks for your questions, Drew! I started designing board games when I was around 8 years old. My inspiration was that as much as I enjoyed playing games, I wanted to create something new.

      As for what I use to design board games, I brainstorm with pencil and paper, and I prototype with InDesign, paper, and tokens.

        1. As a kid, the first game was called Medieval Quest. My first published game is Viticulture.

  45. So if I plan to send my game to a publisher, what stage does the prototype need to be in i.e. printed boards, real cards, wooden miniatures or wooden board with paper written in pencil, lego pieces as miniatures etc… OR is this something I will find out when I contact the publisher?

    1. Jesse: The key, in my opinion, is that the prototype is functional. If you watch my video at the top of this page, you’ll see me talk about how you don’t want to put real art in your game, but having a clear user experience with a functional board, cards, etc is really important. You only get one chance to make a first impression with a publisher. If they can’t shuffle the cards because they’re written on toilet paper, they’re not going to get far into the game. :)

      1. That’s exactly what I needed to know. What I basically have is everything is clearly written with no attention to artwork in any area. It is very functional though. Thanks again for your time :-)

  46. For a second there, the thought entered my mind that they must be paying you to say all that. Haha. Good to know. I hadn’t heard about them yet and they may end up being a good fit.

  47. Hi Jamey,

    Is there a manufacturer you could recommend that can supply printed boards in A1 size (23.4 x 33.1 in) approx?

    Shane

      1. What about them have you liked? I checked their website just a little bit ago and it seems they are pretty well equipped. Most of the places I’ve talked to can’t do all of the components I’m looking for. So that is definitely nice. How have they turned out for you costwise and with customer service and timeframes?

        1. I’ve liked their prices, their quality, their speed, and most importantly, their communication and trustworthiness. And they can make anything. They don’t manufacture everything in house, but they’ve spent a ton of time vetting other factories to make great wooden pieces, miniatures, etc, and they’re always trying to find better factories and back-up factories so the customer doesn’t lose out when something goes wrong somewhere along the supply chain.

          It may sound like I work for them, but I don’t! :) I’m just an extremely happy customer.

  48. Great recommendations Jamie! I have found Board game design lab one of the most comprehensive and accessible resources online. Of the ten or so books I’ve read on game design, Kobold game design is one of the best overviews. The essay style captures what many other books covers in theory.

    1. Thank you for sharing, Tim! I’ll need to check out that book. I also have Board Games That Tell Stories in my queue–have you read it?

      Also, I agree that Board Game Design Lab is awesome. I’ve had the pleasure of being on Gabe’s podcast a few times.

      1. Thank you for the recommendation, I’ll definitely check it out. It looks like they have a blog with the same content, but is difficult to find a good starting location. Maybe the book is more focused / actionable.

        Currently the next book in my queue is “Characteristics of Games” MIT Press, which I have heard good things about.

        It does seem that a lot of game design resources are scattered around forums, blogs and a few podcast with a limited lifetime.

        Do you think there is any interest in a “getting started” blog about game design from the perspective of someone new to the industry?

    1. Here is the best thing on game design I have ever read:
      gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com

      It’s a course that is now free to pursue, and it brings up and organizes the information and background on what you should know and consider as a game designer better than anything i’ve read before or since

      1. Thank you, Patrick! That looks like an amazing path for people to follow. I’m going to add it to the list.

    2. Hello Jamey and everyone. I am still in the midst of reading this entire treasure trove of information, but one thing I am actively searching for are manufacturers for different components of the game I’m working on, particularly miniatures. Although I am still a ways away from launching my project, budgeting early on is very important to keep a realistic amount of components in the game and know where they might be coming from. The one that I’ve been most having trouble with are the detailed miniatures. The two main options are injection molding and plastic casting for large quantities. Injection molding has higher start up cost, but the price per unit tends to be lower than plastic casting. I am already working with a couple sculptors to create the models, but finding a cost effective manufacturer seems to be a challenge. Most of the American companies I’ve talked with have directed me for large orders to China. I don’t mind ordering from China, but a little more specific direction would be greatly appreciated.

      So on this note, since I noticed Scythe (very fun btw) had detailed miniatures along the same lines as what I’m making. Would you be willing to share who you had manufacture them, or possibly other companies you considered?

      My question to other creators out there is the same: who have you found?

      1. Andy: Sure, we made our miniatures through Panda Game Manufacturing. Panda also made the miniatures in Mechs vs. Minions.

    3. Howdy!

      I am a relatively new game store owner from southern Utah.  When my business partner and I attended GAMA this last year we heard many established game store owners metnioning the same problems and complaints that had been brought up on Funding the Dream episodes covering production and manufacturing. LGS owners wanted to get what they asked for from distributors. Distributors wanted more reliable numbers from producers. Producers wanted their games done quickly but had at least a 6 month backlog to slog through with Chinese manufacturers. My questions for the community is this: What do you think the bottleneck is in the board game publishing industry? The barrier to entry for board game creators is at an all-time low, and we continue to see new board games hit the market from indie creators or fledgling produces, but there is still the backlog of production.

      At GAMA it was mentioned that there are, if I recall correctly, 7 factories in China that produce board games. Fantasy Flight owns 3 of them and still sends projects to the other 4 because they are behind their project schedule. That leaves 4 factories for the rest of the publishers and independents to fight over. We were informed that the entire industry in China was at least 6 months behind schedule and falling further behind with every week. Now this doesn’t account for domestic manufacturing. Is it because everyone thinks of Chinese factories first and fail to consider domestic manufacturing?  Is it a problem with lack of facilities?  It just seems strange to me to have such a constant problem for so long in an industry that grows 10%-15% annually and is worth 1.2 billion dollars in the US and Canada alone. Perhaps the facilities are sufficient to meet the current demand and the problem is communication between the plethora of parties involved in producing a new game?

      So in essence, where is the log jam?

      1. Ben: Thanks for your questions! I would question the validity of this statement that you heard at GAMA: “We were informed that the entire industry in China was at least 6 months behind schedule and falling further behind with every week.” While that’s certainly possible in some cases, it has not been my experience at all, nor have I heard that from any other publisher. So before I respond to the rest, I would have to say that this problem may just be a misunderstanding by someone at GAMA instead of an actual problem.

        Let’s use Charterstone as an example. I’ve been working with my manufacturer, Panda, on Charterstone for about 18 months, yet we’re just now starting production. This is important because if I had absolutely no communication with them and out of the blue I sent them final files, there would be at least a few months of samples and tests.

        But as it is, we’ve already completed those samples and tests. So Panda started making the non-printed tokens on June 1. They take extra time. Panda will start processing the printed materials on July 1. Those materials go through a review process, then they’re printed and assembled. That’ll take 2 months. Then they need to be shipped from Panda to port, across the ocean, processed again at port, and trucked to warehouses where they’re processed, shipped to distributors, processed again, then shipped to retailers. That entire process will take a bare minimum of 2 months.

        So in total, we’re talking about 5 months minimum from the beginning of production until they arrive at stores like yours. You could potentially shave 1 month off of that schedule if they were produced in the US, and another month if they were only cardboard.

        I think perceived delays happen when a game sells well. Like, say Charterstone sells out quickly. People will ask why they have to wait another 5 months to get a copy. Well, we’ve been asking consumers, retailers, and distributors how many copies of Charterstone they want since January. We’ve used that data to determine the size of the print run. But it’s certainly not perfect–far from it. Really, the only sure-fire way to avoid these perceived delays is for customers to pre-order the game from their preferred retailer before the game begins production. That way the retailer can communicate what they want to distributors and the distributors can communicate what they need to the publisher.

        1. So you would say that the market has just the right amount of production for the demand right now? Newcomers to the scene aren’t overly delayed and factories don’t sit idle?

          1. That’s my experience, and I haven’t heard otherwise. That doesn’t make it true for everyone, though. :)

    4. Hi Jamey!
      When you had a slid design for your game – Scythe, what exact prototyping companies did you use to get your first prototype?

      1. Andrew: I use Print & Play Productions. You can find more details on the page above–see the articles in the “Create a Prototype” section.

    5. Hi Jamey,

      Vendors like Panda are one stop shops from my understanding for manufacturing the entire board game. However, in the case where one wants to source their own components but wants a vendor to just assemble the various components into the final product, where does one turn to for that? Is there an industry term for it (i.e. assembler, fulfillment, etc.)?

      Thanks!
      Ankur

      1. Ankur: There is a term for it, but I’m blanking on it. :) Consolidator? Panda actually falls at least partially into that category–they make some things in house, but they also outsource a lot of specific bits to factories that specialize in those bits.

        1. Hmm, I thought a consolidator was a place like Impressions that gathers games from various smaller publishers and then distributes it. Are you saying that Panda could potentially provide consolidation of parts sourced by myself into a single product?

          1. That’s a distribution broker.

            As for Panda, they’ll do the sourcing. You’ll tell them what you want, and they’ll find it.

    6. Fairly certain that I saw an example on your site about taking an idea and turning it into an actual came. The example used was making a game on movie production with cards of scripts, directors, actors, profit and rewards. There was even a screenshot to show what an actor card would look like. Could you please post a link to that article? (I have been searching and cannot find it, so upset that I never bookmarked it.) Thank you. Your whole site is awesome and very helpful as I am designing my first game and getting ready for my second play test. I have recommended it to some people in the board design workshops that I attend.

      1. Thanks April! I can’t recall an article on such a game–I’m wondering maybe if it’s a comment on the submissions page? Good luck with your second playtest! :)

    7. Hi All,

      I am currently working on a board game that would work best with a double layered player board.

      I am having trouble finding out who makes them or how much they cost. Especially if I am only trying to get some made in a small quantity? I was hoping to find somewhere to make some prototypes, but it is starting to feel like a pipe dream ha

      Should I just leave this type of detail for when the game gets to a publisher and explain the fact that the idea for the player boards would be a double layered construction? (meaning I would stick with paper or card board substitutes in my prototype with pieces able to just slide around freely…)

      Thanks for any feedback you may be able to provide.

      1. Aaron: Thanks for sharing your question. I think most manufacturers can make double-layered mats (and I know for sure that Panda can). It’s basically the idea of them making 1 punchboard, punching it, and gluing it to a solid mat.

        But that’s for manufacturing at scale, not small numbers of prototypes. If you’re submitting to a publisher, they would not expect for you to have dual-layered mats in the prototype.

    8. Hello Jamey. Huge fan of yours here from Greece. I already own your book about Kickstarter, I never miss a video you post on YouTube and I have played most of your games. I truly admire all your accomplishments and how you managed to turn your dream into a full-time job making more than just a living out of it.

      l’ll cut to the chase with a confession.
      My wildest dream is to design someday (hopefully) an exploration / adventure board game, similar to my favorite “Legend of Zelda”. Now you know more than my parents do about my deepest desire. Having said that, I was wondering.

      Is this even possible for someone who you don’t have any art (or graphic) design knowledge and given the fact that the world-building aspect of the game in this particular case (designing an exploration game) which is obviously mostly art related plays a HUGE factor here? I kid you not Jamey. I can’t draw at all. Wasn’t lucky enough to born with this valuable talent. Unfortunately.
      So. What what should I do? Should I struggle to learn the basics of drawing myself in order to complete the first few working prototypes or should I try to find a professional artist fitting my vision for the game right from the start?

      Would really love to hear your point of view here (seriously) knowing that you too are also designing an open world board game for more than a year now (and for which I’m really really really excited).

      1. Thanks, Franky! I can’t draw well either, so I hire artists for that. For my open-world game, it’s been more of a partnership (I’m paying the artists, but they’re also applying a lot of their creativity to the worldbuilding). So I’d recommend finding an artist with whom you can partner in that way, which might help save you some up-front costs.

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