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Idea - Free board game

9 replies [Last post]
Sun, 09/11/2005 - 23:24
theraje
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Joined: 12/31/1969

Hey guys, I got the idea to make a free board game...

So, I've been talking to the art director at http://www.microtactix.com/ about doing art for them there, and while I was thinking about the stuff they do there, and looking at some of the freebies, it hit me - why not do a complete board game that people can download? An expandable, customizable board game that doesn't cost anything (well, except the costs for stuff like printing and whatever).

So, I started doing some art for characters and terrain. The idea is that anyone can go to my site, download the rulebook and any expansion(s) they desire, print the expansion pack out, then do a bit of cutting and gluing to get a complete board game. Most of the components would be 3D stand-ups.

Anyway, I was wondering what you guys thought about this. Do you think many people would bother with the hassle of assembling a board game, even if it's free, or do you think it might be better to release everything as a "preview" to buying the parts pre-assembled by myself?

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Sun, 09/11/2005 - 23:41
#1
FastLearner
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Idea - Free board game

I don't know how successful they've been, but there are many people who have done it listed at the 'Geek.

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Mon, 09/12/2005 - 04:11
#2
JackDarwid
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Idea - Free board game

Hi theraje

I'm one of them. I have fee-games to download (and making artwok is a pain for me, I can't draw :)

From my experience, when I see a free game, I will read the rules first, and other's comments (if any). If it is OK, then I will consider to print it. If the cards/boards are too many/big (too much work) I have to make sure that this game is really good, so that it's worth my time (and sweat) to make.
How many times I printed a lot of cards/boards just to find that the free game is not complete (a lot of missing something here and there, big holes in the rules, etc), and after one (or sometimes half) play, I lost interest. this really makes me more and more careful (even if they are FREE games). (but there are GOOD free games too)

An example : in BGG there's one game I want to try : ONTGT (about Godzilla), but there's a lot of work there (full color too) and after read the rather complex rules, I'm still not sure I will find friends to teach and play the game. That's why I'm still not print it, until today.

So, with many many free games out there, yes I think it is (still) hard to make people to even try and print the game. We still have to wok hard on that free games !

It sounds weird but sometimes I think people see it easier to buy than to make a game...

PS : after months of hard work, for the first time one of my game is a HOT game in BGG !!! Huuuraayyy (but that's when the Geocities goes down :( )

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Mon, 09/12/2005 - 08:45
#3
Johan
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Joined: 10/05/2008
Idea - Free board game

Free Board game? Why?

There are a lot of free games out there. The major parts are Table top games and RPG but also board games and card games exist. There is a time consuming job to search for good games and I have the same experience as Jack. There are games that are not completed or beta versions of games (designers that try to get the games tested).
If I pay some money for game I can assume some quality and that all components for the game are included. I believe a fee is better then a free game.
I have found several good Table top games and RPG:s, but for every good (high quality game) there are at least 50-100 games without the necessary quality.

You have to ask yourself:
- Why should I give away board games for free?
- How can I get players to download and play my game?

// Johan

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Mon, 09/12/2005 - 13:02
#4
theraje
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Idea - Free board game

Thanks guys. Looks like I have a few more things to think about with this...

I really didn't realize there were so many free board/card games out there until I read the list FastLearner posted...

Why free? Mainly because I wanted to draw people to my site (there are other reasons why I started the game, but this is the main reason for making it free). Might be hard with so many other games out there, since one has a lot more to sift through. I had no intention of releasing an incomplete/incoherent product, however (that's why I have people to help me proofread and test it all). I thought to myself, "hey, if this is a new thing, maybe it will get some attention." Looks like not doing research has once again bitten me in the rear. :P

How can I get players to play my game... that's another toughy due to massive number of games already out there. Jack reads comments and ratings, so I suppose something like that would have to be there. But then again, I have to wonder if people would pay for a game that was made entirely (except for the dice) out of card stock without comments and such anyway. Your thoughts?

Well, I guess I have plenty of time to work it all out, since I'm only about 5% finished with the game's first expansion pack (The rulebook and all the game media are separate).

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Mon, 09/12/2005 - 19:19
#5
jwalduck
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Joined: 09/06/2011
Idea - Free board game

Games made just from card stock do sell - look at Cheap Ass games. The philosophy there is "everybody owns dice and pawns in their other games, we just provide the unique bits of the game (board, cards and rules) cheaply".

The quality (gameplay-wise) of Cheap Ass games may be debated but the marketing model obviously works.

Another alternative is the Ransom Model. I have a blog entry where I discuss it and link to a number of resources. This might suit your "core rules plus expansions" approach.

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Wed, 10/19/2005 - 06:00
#6
gpetersz
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Joined: 02/18/2009
Idea - Free board game

Man.... this Ransom Model DOES ROCK.
When I am reading things like this I did not invent then I admit
that I am not that clever... :)

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Wed, 10/19/2005 - 06:23
#7
Johan
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Joined: 10/05/2008
Idea - Free board game

The ransom model looks interesting, but as it says:
- You have to be professional and have a high quality.

Does this model work on board games/card games or just Tabletop and RPG?

// Johan

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Wed, 10/19/2005 - 13:34
#8
larienna
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Joined: 07/28/2008
Idea - Free board game

About the ransom model.

It is a good idea, but I think it could be better used for printed games to make sure you can pay the startup fees.

For downloadable games, The advantage is that it can prevent your game from piracy, but I am not sure if downloadable board game piracy is really a problem right now.

The disadvantage is that you cannot make more than the ransom amount or you don't make money at all. So, for example, it is 0$ or 500$. While if you sell game individually, you can sell less games due to piracy but you can get a small income like 100$ or more than 500$ if it is a success.

The problem with piracy is that the piracy rate will only increase if your game is popular. So if you sell around 30-40 copies. I don't think you will suffer much from piracy. If you sell 200 Copies, you might suffer from piracy, but you already made more than your 500$ target amount, so it not really important anymore.

This is why I think that for downloadable games, it would be better to sell them individually.

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Wed, 10/19/2005 - 19:53
#9
Challengers
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Idea - Free board game

If the agenda, as you stated, is to attract attention to your website, I think you would be better off just marketing the site and be done with it.
I considered doing freebies to promote Morphoboard but, first of all, my freebies were wholly unrelated to the core product. That would serve only to confuse visitors. Worse yet, they might assume that Morphoboard was free!

There is a place for freebies: as part of a client-building campaign, where you offer a free download in exchange for the right to send them e-mails promoting your website and your product(s).

Mitch

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