I'm gearing up to design my first board game. Can anyone suggest literature on the topic of board game design?
-Alex
I'm gearing up to design my first board game. Can anyone suggest literature on the topic of board game design?
-Alex
"The Rules of Play" by Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman Amazon Link
"The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook" by Richard C. Levy and Ronald O. Weingartner . Amazon Link
"The Game Inventors Guidebook" by Brian Tinsman Amazon Link
I've not read any of these so I can't really vouch for their usefulness.
-Darke
The Game Inventors Guidebook is an excellent book to start with. Don't expect in depth material, though. The book is exactly what is says it is, a guidebook.
This book has some great articles, interviews with big name developers, information on how to get published and self publishing, plus a list of publishers and distributers with addresses and phone numbers.
The book is not expensive and I really enjoyed reading it. It's a good buy.
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I'm sure you already have, but read every thread that you can in this forum! I started out about a year ago and read evrything I could, it helped me to develop a good feel for what was being done and how it was being done.
Also don't be afraid to ask questions, but also remember to do a search first to see if that question has already been asked (some have been asked several times)!
There are also several good web sites linked from the Web Resources section of this site. My personal favorites are:
Board Game Geek (great place to see what's been done and what people are saying about it).
The Games Journal. Great site with a ton of useful articles in their archives section.
Discover Games. Great inventor stories and industry information.
Also, think about participating in the Game Design Workshop here on this site. Look over other users' submissions and make comments, then submit your own game (rough prototype or otherwise, doesn't have to be a finished game) for comments from other users. It's a great way to get feedback on your game!
Best of luck to you!