10 lessons i learned designing board games

10 lessons i learned designing board games
If you could sign up for the kickstarter page for Shadow Moon Syndicates that would be greatly appreciated. A ton more news coming over the next few months as we build up to the games launch. www.kickstarte...
Preorder Red Dust Rebellion here: www.gmtgames.c...
To support us on Patreon please head over here www.patreon.co...
Our website is here: 3minuteboardga...
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Designer,Jarrod Carmichael,
Artist,Marcos Villarroel Lara,
Publisher,GMT Games,
boardgamegeek....
3 minute board games theme Music by Vic Granell
10 lessons i learned designing board games - Shadow Moon Syndicates: • 10 lessons i learned d...
Announcing my 2nd game - Shadow Moon Syndicates: • Announcing my 2nd game...
"Shiny tech" Kevin Macleod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act
1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
Sound effects from www.zapsplat.com
3 minute board games are J Carmichael and S Rodgers

[@WolfpackWargaming]

I'm a designer over with historical board gaming and a couple of points I'd add is definitely make the games you want to play, have 2-3 ideas so you don't get burnt out but not more than that to avoid spreading too thin, and take and use criticism but sometimes you have to trust the vision to reach the end goal

[@3MBG]

Excellent suggestions.

[@carrickrichards2457]

You have a concise, efficient way of setting out your opinions. I find that helpful and reassuring about its value to the time invested in listening to you. I am curious about RDR and impressed GMT approved.

[@bivibuddydan]

Out of 100-200 of your informative, straight too the point, no messing about videos l have watched and liked over the past few years this is the 1st time you have ever said "um" and you say it alot!

[@3MBG]

I think everyone uses vocal disfluencies a whole bunch, I'm just more zealous in removing them normally in my videos. I'll keep an eye on it for next time.

[@francopdx]

The dry erase board is such a great idea!! I really like about the core design pillars. I've dabbled with designing a handful of board games for fun. Haven't completed one yet, but I'll keep these tips in mind if I try to do more with them someday. And congrats on getting your game published!!!!

[@3MBG]

Thank you. The best way to think of the pillars is to think "what, if removed, would actually make this a different game". I think a fair few designs lose track of this which is why the end up quite generic.

[@paulwilson269]

I like to use cereal boxes as a cheap source of cardboard. They make excellent tokens and chits. You can print out templates and tokens on paper, and glue it to the cereal box, then cut them out. Quick, simple, and can look quite good for a prototype.

[@3MBG]

Sounds ideal to me

[@joerihessels8230]

The white board is a great idea. In the same vein, we always use dry erase cards for initial prototyping. Saves a ton of time as well :)

[@Wonderflonium]

Great video! I really enjoy learning more about the behind the scenes of your board game designs!

[@nutherefurlong]

Don't know why I never thought of using a white board as a BOARD before... thank you for that!

[@3MBG]

Its funny how often i hear that

[@nutherefurlong]

@@3MBG Thanks for the video in general, I hope you hear that a lot too :) Good luck with the launch!

[@jaredbradley4153]

Thanks for an honest and helpful reflection.

[@3MBG]

Cheers!

[@kirstenlunde]

Outstanding list! I particularly admire the self reflection that acknowledges room for improvement. I feel like I'm always learning, and it's so rewarding to grow and improve along the way. That can come from playtesters, developers, and even within ourselves as we interact with others in the industry. Your passion and commitment to not only the work but the whole team behind each project are inspirational. Taking 7 years is also super relatable. Ovation took me that long, too, so here's to us for not giving up and spending all of that time to make the games the way we wanted them to be! 💜 Can't wait for Shadow Moon Syndicates. You and Sam are a powerhouse duo!!

[@3MBG]

Cheers Kirsten, hes been such a joy to work with, very very smart and creative

[@chadstilson8804]

Great video! Thanks for sharing. Really looking forward to Shadow Moon Syndicates

[@dinahfromkabalor]

Great advice. Thank you! Appropriately enough, I watched this as I dismantled a playtesting setup from when I (immunocompromised designer at the time) had to do my playtesting outdoors. I needed my printer paper "cards" (from when I thought my rpg's magic system might use cards) not to blow away. Solution was to cut up some old plastic kitchen cutting mats and use the pieces as weights inside card sleeves with the plain paper "cards" tucked in. Worked fine for the tests and let me move forward even when my playtesting was highly constrained. Enough work to set up that I tucked it away in a drawer in case it was handy again, but now I need the drawer space more, so it was time to salvage the card sleeves and junk the janky plastic bits. Job done. Used sleeves are now compactly stored next to my little bin of game components for prototyping. (So many great meeples and tokens in that bin from breaking down Charterstone once we finished it!)

[@3MBG]

Was being outside so their was a breeze and space betwen folks so you didn't stay in their air? If so, that sounds incredibly challenging to test in.

[@dinahfromkabalor]

@@3MBG Yup. Greatly increased risk of hospitalization or death from COVID at my level of being immunocompromised back then, so I had to be very careful. Needed to test only with trusted friends, which is fine but also a testing constraint.

[@naughtyzoot1]

Great video! I appreciated your incites and what you learned through the process. I hope your games do well!

[@3MBG]

Cheers, me too, and i hope people love the heck out of them

[@LuxisAlukard]

These are 10 great points about making any project. You could be business guru :)

[@3MBG]

Ha, cheers. That's probably 15 years of working in projects coming through. Been on some big ones including a defence force new helicopters project, rebuilding our countries computer system that does our tax calculations and the NZ census.

[@nathalievazquez4708]

Great idea with the whiteboard! Thank you so much for this content.

[@YegRon]

I just made the connection that you designed Red Dust Rebellion. I’m new to COIN, but this looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try the game. Congratulations!!

[@3MBG]

I hope you like it. It's been a long time in the making

[@sirguy6678]

Good advice and great video!

[@phillipjones1536]

As a young developer myself (still a minor) much of this video is not relevant to me, but this is some great advice for my future endeavors

[@peterholliday1545]

Great advice. I started making decks for Dungeon Mayhem with my kids. Even starting small like that took super long, and that was just home printed on normal paper, and we still only managed a few play tests. To be fair though, I do procrastinate and of course life gets in the way!

[@purple-blaze]

I love dungeon mayhem! We used to play that all the time

[@Coffeepanda294]

Thanks for the vid! The one thing I'd like to stress is what Extra Credits called "fail faster". Don't be afraid to tell people about your ideas or to ask for feedback early on. Remember, it's when things are early in development that it's easier to change stuff or throw out stuff that just doesn't work! Also like your point about holding on to "core" ideas, though. Either way, loved your vid

[@3MBG]

Yeah, fail faster fits into my test, change, test mentality for sure

[@purple-blaze]

For me the smaller scale design was custom cards for Mindbug. It indeed helps a ton digging deep into the design of other games

[@guilhermeulliana]

Hahaha, loved the developers' mantra! Also, I hope Shadow Moon Syndicates' kickstarters delivers to Brazil... super excited about that one, but at the same time, Brazil's postal laws seems tought to work with!

[@3MBG]

Not sure, the publisher does try to go as global as they can

[@3MBG]

Look, i have to shill my own games instead of doing paid content, so If you could sign up for the kickstarter page for Shadow Moon Syndicates that would be greatly appreciated. A ton more news coming over the next few months as we build up to the games launch. www.kickstarter.com/projects/arkusgames/shadow-moon-syndicates?ref=18kndw

[@klapaucius7339]

I don't know Jarrod personally, so this soley me saying this. I got to play a prototype of Shadow Moon Syndicates, and I absolutely loved it. It was a hoot and is very interactive.

[@phd_angel4192]

I'm developing a board game about board gaming. You draw cards, choose the game genre, and then develop and commercialize different game projects. Cumbersome geeky games get you more points. The designer with most games in the market wins.

[@3MBG]

That could be fun.

[@helodermagamedesign4570]

This is really great stuff. Your 6th piece of advice was "Get a Good Developer". I guess, do you have advice on how to find one? Or, maybe how did you find yours? I guess I'm also confused what a "developer" is. Are they just a mentor who you can talk things through with, or is there more to it than that? Thank you!

[@3MBG]

So, a developer is someone who works closely with the designer, but their main goal it to test and break the game. They play it over and over again with different groups and see how it works well, and where it falls down. They then work with the designer on how to fix that. Their basically the head tester and quality control person. My developers were assigned to me by the publisher, but if you are doing stuff independently, ask a friend you play games with who may been keen. Or check in with various local game design facebook groups and whatnot. Developing is a job though, so if its a friend, think of someway to pay them back for their efforts.

[@helodermagamedesign4570]

@@3MBG That's really helpful, thank you for writing back and explaining this!

[@dilatedbeholder3865]

How did you find the time to do this with a goblin on the scene? I'm finding this my biggest challenge in getting any game design done!

[@3MBG]

Nap times and evenings originally. Now when shes in bed or at kindy. Right now, Steph has her at playgroup so im catching up on channel stuff while writing a patreon post.

[@robertthurman9866]

Fantastic. I spent several years developing a game just for personal/ friends use. I constantly had to revise most of the game systems "based on the input of an exceptionally innovative and resourceful players". Developer talk for keeping the cheating bastards in check! I have lost track of all the changes but every now and then find scraps of paper with notes and formulas. Still it was a fun and interesting experience..

[@3MBG]

That sounds like a great group. If they stress and break the game, thats a great thing :)

[@robertthurman9866]

@@3MBG Yes it was!

[@7gromojar]

I admire game designer. Maybe because I have absolutely no idea how to make a boardgame. Even if somebody would point a gun to my head I wouldnt come up with absolutely anything.

[@3MBG]

Lol, fair enough. I guess its like any art form, there are people who can do music and there are not, and that's fine

[@Nenad-x1x]

My game will go in the trash after a few months of making it..but at least now I know it's not for me. Thanks for the tips.

[@philiphaugen]

When will RDR be available on Amazon?

[@3MBG]

I have no idea sorry. That stuff is all on the publisher, GMT games. We don't even have Amazon in New Zealand.

[@benklocke9300]

Sadly but true: Marketing >>intriguing artwork>> good game design. Most games only have one print run anyway. So why do a "good" and balanced game? Most play it only once or twice. Welcome in fast boardgaming. 😮😅

[@3MBG]

I'm pretty sure i said the opposite of this in the video. That might be the way it works for some, but not for me.

[@Desocupad0]

Some time stamps would be nice.