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Theory Behind the Game Part 4

Fri, 07/29/2011 - 09:39 — foxgames

Part 2 and Part 3 of this series addressed some limitations and mechanics problems with other customizable card games in the market, and how Dog Fight: Starship Edition addresses those issues. In this installment we will look at realism and some of its implications.

Math in games--bad idea

Thu, 07/28/2011 - 13:29 — lewpuls

At one of my game design talks at Origins I said that designers should avoid requiring players to do math, because so many younger people are very poor at doing math in their heads. One member of the audience let out odd shrieks of laughter: he just couldn't believe me.

A collection of my tweets, statuses, updates...

Tue, 07/26/2011 - 20:58 — fanaka66

I've been in the process of backing up all my social media updates relating to boardgames on BGG. I thought it would make more sense to keep the ones related to my prototypes here instead...

Theory Behind the Game Part 3

Mon, 07/25/2011 - 10:49 — foxgames

Part 2 of this series addressed several limitations of other games and how Dog Fight: Starship Edition mitigates or eliminates such issues. In this post we'll look at mechanics problems other games suffer from and how they are addressed in this game.

Ruminations about why empires last

Fri, 07/22/2011 - 20:11 — lewpuls

Sweep of history games, such as Britannia and its spinoffs, History of the World, and others (Eurasia and Rise and Fall of Assyria are two of my prototypes), are never far from my mind. I have two all-of-Europe games as well, and have dabbled with several all-of-China games. (China's current boundaries, and Europe, are close to the same size.)

A problem in an all-of-Europe sweep of history game is keeping the small nations extant. Historically, small nations tend to hang around in Europe, complete with separate languages and sometimes separate cultures. The problem in a Chinese sweep of history game is that the dynasties dominated (at times), so getting rid of the chafe is necessary. The small nations can't be allowed to stick around TOO long.

What makes a game “Epic”?

Sun, 07/17/2011 - 10:40 — lewpuls

(This originally appeared in "Against the Odds" Magazine.)

While I don't believe a game designer can deliberately set out to design a "great" game, I DO believe a designer can set out to create an “epic” game, though this effort is just as subject to failure as any other game design.

ULTIMATE FOOTBALL CHANGES AND YOUR FEEDBACK

Sat, 07/16/2011 - 19:41 — rob50ert

HELLO FOLKS,

The first time you design/make a game that you realistically want to commercially publish

Sat, 07/16/2011 - 08:17 — lewpuls

A while ago I wrote some tips for those making a game for the very first time. (http://pulsiphergamedesign.blogspot.com/2011/05/so-youre-going-to-make-g... and elsewhere.) I assumed that you were not, at that point, making a game with realistic expectation of commercial publication-because it’s most unlikely that the first game you ever make will be published.

Now I want to discuss what you might do when you design a game with reasonable intention that it be commercially published. While my personal experience of commercial publication is related only to tabletop games, and I write this for tabletop designers first, I’ll cover video games as well. There’s a lot more to consider now, so this will be much longer than the first piece.

Theory Behind the Game Part 2

Fri, 07/15/2011 - 14:05 — foxgames

In part 1 we mentioned the ambitious intent of Dog Fight: Starship Edition the Tactical Card Game. Now we'll get into some of the details. Part 2 in this series focuses on some annoying limitations found in other games.

BATTLE PIT: CCG style card combat in a limited, deck building game

Fri, 07/15/2011 - 11:30 — williamj35

Hey there, BGDFers.
Here are our rules for Battle Pit. It's an effort to get the feel of a CCG into a deck builder. I'd love to hear feedback of any kind, and if any one is interested in helping playtest, please let me know. :)

BATTLE PIT
Copyright James Ryan 2011

CCG style card combat in a limited, deck building game
2 players
30-45 min

WELCOME TO THE PIT

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by Dr. Radut