Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Want to Win a Contest?

Heya,

The best way to get better at game design is to practice game design. I firmly believe every nascent designer should give it a go in the public eye so they can get some feedback on their ideas and though processes. So here's your chance. Right now the Iron Game Chef is going on sponsored by Andy Kitkowski (of Story Games and 1KM1KT fame). This is a contest where random "game ingredients" (which are really just game terms used to inspire design) are passed out to the contest participants. Everyone has two weeks to create a design and post it for general feedback. It's a lot of fun and a great learning opportunity.

If you are reading this, then you need to do it. No, don't blow it off. Go to THIS THREAD right now and sign up! I've done it and as a result I've got The Holmes and Watson Committee RPG coming out this year. Other people have done it and produced games like Polaris, The Mountain Witch, and Crime and Punishment. So this is your opportunity to strike gold. Please, please join in and feel free to use the resources I've posted at Socratic Design to help you gain an edge. Trust me, you won't regret the decision to enter.

Peace,

-Troy

Monday, March 05, 2007

Are There Any Design Outlines?

Heya,

Why yes there are! So glad you asked. Actually you didn't, I just needed a way to set up this article. heh heh

Anyway, this blog is suposed to be about practical design theory and useful design tools. I've gotten away from that for a little bit, but I hope to get back to that in earnest. So, in that vein, I'm going to share something personal with you. Ever since I wrote Cutthroat, I've been thinking about what it takes to make a complete game. As in, what components have to be there in order for a game to be considered playtest-able. I noticed that when I wrote Cutthroat, I made sure certain things were present. When I wrote Hierarchy, I noticed a lot of those same things were again purposely added to the game. Mainly these are subsystems like, character creation, resolution, reward systems, the endgame, and so on. That's nothing new.

But what I decided to do was take careful note of the mechanics I unconsciously included and then from those notes, I developed an outline. Then I wrote Standoff! And the outline didn't fit, so I modified it. Then I wrote Holmes and Watson, and the outline needed further redrafting. Since Cutthroat I have written seven games. Each time I refined my outline more and more. This is what I give to you:

Outline for Design #1
Outline for Design #2
Outline for Design #3
Outline for Design #4
Outline for Design #5
Outline for Design #6
Outline for Design #7
Outline for Design #8
Outline for Design #9

As you can see, each one is a refined copy of the one that precedes it. Game design is a process that never ends. I imagine that I'll continure to refine this outline, and I will likely edit this article to include future editions.

Here's the thing you need to keep in mind, though. These aren't the only outlines you can use for designing a game. These are just the ones I've used. Plenty of designers use different ones, or don't use one at all. What they do is help me organize my thoughts and signal me when I've finished enough for a playtestable draft. They help me know when I've met the minimum requirements for a finished design.

Also, even if you do like them, not every outline will be right for you. You might find #3 suits you better than #5. Or you could find that none of them suit you. Or it could be that #7 is the very thing you've been looking for. Take these outlines for what they are: one potential tool out of many. If this kick-starts your design, then awesome! If not, that's cool too. These are just here to help those who need it :)

Peace,

-Troy

PS: Please feel free to report any non-functioning links. Appreciate it! :)

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Not Ready for GenCon? Yes you are!

Heya,

Let's say you've got a game you've been working on for a while now. You have playtested it many times with your buddies and maybe even had an outside playtest or two. The game is fun, but you know it's not ready for full scale publication and sale in stores or at IPR. You would like to have your game ready for GenCon, but you're wise enough to know that if you could just get some more playtesting and feedback, your game would be a thousand times better. Enter Paul Czege.

He has a proposal for you. Paul knows what he's doing with it comes to self-publication. My Life With Master has been a hit since the day he released it. But now he wants to turn his attention to regular Joe's that need just a little more help getting their game ready for the big time. His offer is extremely generous, and guys, if you have a game that can fit his criteria I HIGHLY recomend you take him up on his offer. There's a discussion going on about the details and sign ups at the Forge. Post there if you have questions or concerns. This is something that could benefit a whole lotta designers, and help you "get your foot in the door."

Peace,

-Troy