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Game-A-Week: Blacksmiths

Today on my blog I started a new series of posts, called 'Game a Week'. As you can probably guess the idea is to come up with one game idea a week, and plan it out as best I can in that time frame. This includes any and all themes, mechanics, playtesting, etc..

I know this isn't ideal for coming up with anything MAGICAL WONDERFUL GREAT PUBLISH IT NOW, but it is nice to stretch the design muscles.
I'm using Boardgamizer.com to help when I'm stuck.

You can view this week's game here: Life is a Four Letter Word - Game a Week: Blacksmiths

In other blog news there are also older and upcoming posts featuring game design resources and game reviews. I would love it if you checked it out and gave me some feedback on this game, future games, as well as my reviews.

Comments

Coming up with ideas isn't

Coming up with ideas isn't that hard. Its completing them that is tricky.

It can be...

Being newish to the whole game design thing I have a hard time coming up with new ideas that I like.
I also have a hard time picking mechanics that work well together.

So I'm trying to flex these parts of my brain before settling on one thing to work on all the way.
Sure, that means I'm making small unfinished games, but if I can use it to get a better understanding of certain mechanics, that has to be a good thing, right?
Because then I can use that better understanding to build a better game in the long run.

I figure it is like most other types of art, at least the ones I'm familiar with (writing and drawing) that you have to have a lot of crap come out before you hit on something good.

If that isn't you're opinion, that's okay, but I think this is a fun way to get all the crap ideas out :)

I started designing seriously

I started designing seriously in 2003 and made a file to keep track of my ideas. That file now has over 60 unfinished games in it and about 16 or so completed ones. Many have never made it past the initial write up. Some were never finished because the idea is too hard to implement. Some were not marketable. Others got left behind for better ideas.

So it sounds like you do a

So it sounds like you do a similar thing to what I am doing, just at a different pace. You pick up an idea when it strikes you, and work on it for a period of time. You then shelve the project when it is "done" or you are willing to let it stay "not done". Then continue on to a new idea. :)

I am doing the same thing, just condensed to a week long cycle, as I am not feeling especially struck with ideas in recent times (in anything). Therefore I am forcing myself to move out of my wait and see mentality. I work well with deadlines, so this seemed logical to me.

The idea is to have the game be as near complete as possible in one week. This means I am not just doing the "easy" part of coming up with an idea, but also the "hard" part of completing it. I just consider it completed (to whatever degree) after one week :)

A challenge...

What does it mean for a game to be "complete"?
(What are sufficient and necessary conditions for a game to be called "complete"?)

A more moderate goal might be to *have one playtest completed each week*. This requires a prototype, not just rules on a page!

That said, kudos on your resolution. My current process is to visit each of five (that's just how many there are) google docs as often as possible to keep the games fresh in my mind. I try to add a tweak, a comment, or an idea to each one each day.

Key word: "try"!

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blog | by Dr. Radut