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Theme - a free IP

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Fri, 08/28/2020 - 14:43
Juzek
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I was thinking about the importance of a good theme, and i think essentially it is like a free IP. The theme is what draws people to your game, and allows you to get a cross over to people who would otherwise not be interested.

Many people would play a Starwars themed game just because it is Starwars. Wingspan struck a chord with the birding community who are weirdly in love with birds, and became super fans.

I like to stay in the introductory/gateway game area for my designs. Smaller, cheaper, and easier to test etc. it seems to be important to get something that appeals to a wider audience. people who would be otherwise turned off by "nerdy stuff" may enjoy a game about growing plants. Some people at the dice tower will only truly enjoy a game if it is pirate themed :)

What are your favorite themes? What seem to be the trends? What are unusual themes you have heard of?

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Mon, 08/31/2020 - 06:46
#1
evansmind244
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Themes

My list of themes is of things that I feel would make good themes now but is not based on themes that are currently popular in the board game community.

Politics/Power
Corruption
Revolt/revolution/protest
Stock Markets/Investing/Crypto
Wealth/Health
History Facts vs Fictions
Conspiracy Theory

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Mon, 08/31/2020 - 13:38
#2
questccg
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Funny you should ask...

My Video Game Concept is rather unique (Syndicate.North): it's about crime lords and gangs (known as Associates -- Because of the Syndicate). I wanted something reminiscent of "Street Fighter" or "Mortal Combat" (in a way) with memorable characters.

I haven't seen too many of such games (more in Video but not many in TableTop). In this case, it would be a Video Game so more familiarity with the theme in that sector of the industry.

Actually I was TIRED of the "Fantasy"-theme since I have a few TableTop Design in that realm... I said I needed something LESS used. And then the crime lords (Aka Mafias, Triads, etc.) seemed to spark something in that they COULD "replace" the Fantasy-theme with something "darker"...

Of course Video Games are mostly filled with Violence (think PG-16 or PG-13) and they involve FPS (First-Person-Shooter) viewpoints... So, it's not very novel in the Video Game industry. Still I like the "concept" and my associates and their organizations. I have the "overall" theme fleshed out.

So, yeah: CRIME LORDS and ASSOCIATES.

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Tue, 09/01/2020 - 08:31
#3
pelle
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I think IP is a special kind

I think IP is a special kind of theme that is not free, and thus off-limits to most of us. Themes in general are free, but without being tied to an IP players can not relate to them as much.

There are sneaky almost-IP themes that tend to be popular, like generic fantasy that is kind of building on the Tolkien or/and D&D IPs, but (trying to) not infringe on the actual IPs, while being similar enough that players will still be able to relate. And zombie-games typically are very much built around the classic Dawn of The Dead movie (and everything that has copied the setting from that movie), but with the serial number filed off. Kind of generic space themes are often not all that far from Star Trek, or in some cases Star Wars, but again trying to be just similar enough that players can relate, but different enough to not get sued.

I think there is a limited number of popular themes like that, worth using because players can instantly understand what the game is about, but at the same time free to use. Gangsters was a great example I had not thought of. History in general, or popular perception of history, is a good theme in general, because no one owns it. You do not have to pay royalties to make a game about ww1 or ww2 (but might have to be a bit careful with the use of real people or trademarked weapons), but you also do not have to explain what it is about as players will have seen some war movies etc.

Then there are themes that do not instantly mean anything to most people. I think those are not usually good ideas. Trying to make your own highly unique setting with everything unique... Good luck with that. You will probably need piles of background material, that many (like me) are not going to bother to read anyway. That is why I think something like zombies is not a bad idea at all. If that fits your game, it is way better than to make up your own unique brand of zombie-like monsters that fill the same role, but are just different for the sake of being different. Until I have seen a few movies and read a few books about your monsters they are not going to mean as much to me as zombies do, so no matter how saturated the zombie game market is, there is a good reason for that. The same can be said about many other overused themes as well.

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