Not sure if this is funny, but I seem to have crossed a road that is unfamiliar to me. And wanted a little input...
There have been many posts that asked about "how do you design a game", is it theme first or mechanics first, etc. We have also just had a TiGD topic about setting player goals.
Well I am stuck. My usual design process is theme then mechanics and goals.
But recently I have focused on two "new" mechanics (one I slighty mentioned in another thread Community Resources), and I am stuck trying to figure out a theme and goals that fit my two mechanics.
Does this happen to anyone else? What do you do to move past this type of design block?
Something that I find happens to me is that I get an idea for a mechanic based on a specific theme, and then later realize that the mechanic isn't that great a fit for that theme. I then have a decent mechanic in search of a theme.
Usually I try to remember (which I never do) or write down (which I never seem to get to) my ideas and set them to one side. The idea is that, when the right theme comes along, I can pull that mechanic off a shelf and fit them together somehow.