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Roll and write print and play question

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Nooteboom
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I am putting together a roll and write game that will primarily be distributed in print and play form. After some testing, I have decided that the gameplay would potentially be better if I were to implement a rule that requires different color dice. Given that this will be a print and play game, how much of a burden do you feel that requiring different color dice vs regular dice would be? How much will this deter people from playing the game?

Clarification: I'm not looking for suggestions on how to print my game for cheap. This WILL be a print and play game. Given that, how big a barrier do you feel regular colored dice are for the average person?

questccg
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If most people don't have it handy...

I have some experience with PNP games... And that many people are not interested in cutting cards to play a game. It's a lot of work and most people are not willing to do it.

Secondly if your game requires "special" parts, that's an even bigger obstacle to bringing your game to the table.

This is just some friendly advice... If you want to make a PNP, why not use a service like "The Game Crafter" (TGC) and include the parts that are "special" and this way players will not feel any additional burden "making" the game.

Using TGC you can have the game printed and shipped without any effort. I know all you need to do is send the PNP to players or have a download link on a website. But the real truth of the matter is ... most players would play a TGC game (if it looks nice and is reasonably priced) than go through all the effort of printing and cutting cards.

That's my advice: use a POD give a very competitive price point and make it look nice...

Best of luck(?!) with your game...

Jay103
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Something like normal dice in

Something like normal dice in different colors is probably a good fit for TGC (not too expsive, no custom tokens or anything else expensive)

Nooteboom
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questccg wrote:I have some

questccg wrote:
I have some experience with PNP games... And that many people are not interested in cutting cards to play a game. It's a lot of work and most people are not willing to do it.

Secondly if your game requires "special" parts, that's an even bigger obstacle to bringing your game to the table.

This is just some friendly advice... If you want to make a PNP, why not use a service like "The Game Crafter" (TGC) and include the parts that are "special" and this way players will not feel any additional burden "making" the game.

Using TGC you can have the game printed and shipped without any effort. I know all you need to do is send the PNP to players or have a download link on a website. But the real truth of the matter is ... most players would play a TGC game (if it looks nice and is reasonably priced) than go through all the effort of printing and cutting cards.

That's my advice: use a POD give a very competitive price point and make it look nice...

Best of luck(?!) with your game...

First, I'm not trying to publish/profit off of selling my game. TGC costs money upfront and requires distribution.

Second, I didn't say anything about cutting cards.

I can glean from your post though that you feel having different colored dice is too big a barrier.

let-off studios
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Different Regions = Different Dice

I don't see this as a problem. A PnP player is likely accustomed to making accommodations where necessary. It's not impossible.

If a player doesn't have two different-coloured dice, then suggest they throw the discrete dice in two different regions.

For a two-colour example:

"Throw [die 1] to your left, and throw [die 2] to your right. The left die is the blue one, and the right one is the red one. Left is BLUE, and Right is RED."

That takes up just a little bit of space in your rules, but clarifies the need of two (or more) different dice results. If you like, print out a separate sheet of paper with regions delineated as "Left" or "Right" to achieve the same end-goal.

Jay103
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let-off studios wrote:I don't

let-off studios wrote:
I don't see this as a problem. A PnP player is likely accustomed to making accommodations where necessary. It's not impossible.

If a player doesn't have two different-coloured dice, then suggest they throw the discrete dice in two different regions.


Yeah, really depends on what you're doing with the dice, how many you need, how many colors, etc.

If your game involves rolling 6 dice together on a turn, and they're 3+ different colors, then no, people might not have the right stuff at home, and the workaround might be too annoying.

So.. it depends. What are the actual requirements you're thinking about?

pelle
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I would expect anyone

I would expect anyone interested in a pnp to already have dice in different colors, or at the very least not be afraid to buy a few. If you are into pnp you will need dice and other tokens in different colors and shapes all the time, so your game is not likely to be a problem.

Nooteboom
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Jay103 wrote:let-off studios

Jay103 wrote:
let-off studios wrote:
I don't see this as a problem. A PnP player is likely accustomed to making accommodations where necessary. It's not impossible.

If a player doesn't have two different-coloured dice, then suggest they throw the discrete dice in two different regions.


Yeah, really depends on what you're doing with the dice, how many you need, how many colors, etc.

If your game involves rolling 6 dice together on a turn, and they're 3+ different colors, then no, people might not have the right stuff at home, and the workaround might be too annoying.

So.. it depends. What are the actual requirements you're thinking about?

Which option do you think is best based on player availability:
3 dice - 1 regular, 1 other color, 1 other color
3 dice - 1 regular, 2 matching other color

let-off studios
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Two Types

Generally speaking, having only two colours seems the most accessible. The solution I proposed works out okay for that scenario.

However, rolling "up (or forward), left, and right" can allow someone who has three matching dice still make it work when three different colours are needed.

Jay103
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pelle wrote:I would expect

pelle wrote:
I would expect anyone interested in a pnp to already have dice in different colors, or at the very least not be afraid to buy a few. If you are into pnp you will need dice and other tokens in different colors and shapes all the time, so your game is not likely to be a problem.

Seems like the best answer (though you still don't want to put too much of a burden on the player)

questccg
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Tell us more about your game!

I understand you want to release your game using a "Print aNd Play" (PNP) format... Which is fine.

But might I suggest to share with the community MORE about your game???

I mean you tell us the game WILL be a PNP (which I still think is a bad idea – but we can give you the benefit of the doubt) and that it requires several colors of dice.

It would go a long way if you told us more DETAILS. Like what kind of dice? Are they normal d6s or are they polyhedral?? Things like that.

If you're not paranoid about your game idea... please share more about it so we can better address your question(s). I've tried to market a "nice" PNP game call "MM3K" (Mech Missions 3000)... We had nice cards and various custom dice (d6s) to drive the game. Nobody cared...

I'm not saying the fate of your game will be the same... It's because people have a preferred way of BUYING games. It's got to be on BoardGameGeek (BGG), you need to Kickstart it (KS) and you need a customer base, etc. And then maybe people will get interested in your game. That's the current "path to success".

I'm not saying that there are no other "paths"... Just not so obvious.

Best!

Update: And if you do real well with several games or expansions, you might be able to do deals directly with distributors to stores if you already have a large fan base (think 10,000+ backers).

Corsaire
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Jay103 wrote:pelle wrote:I

Jay103 wrote:
pelle wrote:
I would expect anyone interested in a pnp to already have dice in different colors, or at the very least not be afraid to buy a few. If you are into pnp you will need dice and other tokens in different colors and shapes all the time, so your game is not likely to be a problem.

Seems like the best answer (though you still don't want to put too much of a burden on the player)

Though many gamers are looking for an excuse for more dice. I used to pull all the dice from all my games and keep them together.

questccg
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Can use ANY dice with this method

let-off studios wrote:
Generally speaking, having only two colors seems the most accessible. The solution I proposed works out okay for that scenario.

I have another idea... which is sort of what @let-off proposed...

Here's the idea: use ANY die you like + 1 card/dice pad.

Once you roll the die, have a dice pad with several regions. Let's say three (3) regions because you want three (3) dice. When the roll is done, place the die in whichever of the three (3) regions you prefer(!) The player chooses where to place that die.

Let's for the moment assume that the dice are 3d6s. And that they are of ANY color (white, black, blue, red, etc.) It doesn't MATTER. What DOES matter is the position on the dice pad a player chooses for his roll.

It's got nothing to do with rolling "left/right/etc." it's got to do with 100% rolling any colored d6 and CHOOSING where to place it (which is best for the player on his turn). If you have 3 dice, you need 3 regions on the dice pad.

If you think this is TOO POWERFUL, well then you can simplify it such that Roll die #1 goes in section #1, Roll die #2 goes in section #2, etc.

So using this method you can roll ANY color of dice, it's just a matter of figuring out do you want it to be "sequential" or "selectable" by the player.

Let me know what you think! Cheers.

Update: Here's an example of a card with 3 "sections"... You would place the rolled dice into the section which identifies each one of your categories for dice in your game.

Obviously you could add text to this "card pad"... I'm just giving you a better feel for the idea.

Update #2: If you have MORE dice well then you can make SQUARES (#1, #2, #3... and so on) and then you place the dice on the correct "square"... This would accommodate more dice than 3 (for example).

Update #3: I didn't mention ... but for this to WORK. you have to roll ONE (1) die at a time... And then place it on the card. Then repeat with the next die, etc.

pelle
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Quest wins. Brilliant! So

Quest wins. Brilliant! So obvious now that I read it.

Jay103
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Oh I have an example where

Oh I have an example where you need the right colors... Fuse.

Good thought, quest.

let-off studios
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Choice vs. Random

If you allow the player to choose which result goes where, that's very different from rolls being randomly determined. But otherwise it seems to me that everything holds.

If you want the dice to be randomly-placed, then determine the color of the first roll, second roll, third, etc. prior to throwing the dice, and place them in that sequence once you're done.

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