New Game Category

I think it's a great idea that hasn't really been done (that i'm aware of) exactly as you mention. Others have mentioned expandable games, but nothing where the players can really customize their playing set. The only games that immediately come to my mind are Zombies!!! and When Darkness Comes.

These (the latter mainly) are expandable with interchangeable tile pieces that may be used to create a custom and ever expanding scenario for players to play through. They talk up the expandable issue, but not really the customizable issue (though it is mentioned as a possibility for players wishing to come up with their own adventures).

I think you have a really good idea!

I think this is particularly apt. How many games have had a novel concept that has felt entirely tacked on to the detriment of the game? Proceed with caution and you may have a real winner!

Take a look at Stratego Legends by Avalon Hill (Hasbro). It didn't do so well, that I know of, but it has a collectible element to it as well.

With all due respect, I don't want to see the idea of collectible board games take off. I purchased a copy of Maelstrom, and it looks great, but to me it's basically M: TG with thicker cards. You probably know people with boxes full of hundreds or thousands of Magic cards. I think people realized with Vortex how bulky and heavy such a collection would be and gave up on it. Now the game's no longer supported, it makes a great started set of cardboard hex tiles for prototyping. Buy a new set, then spraypaint the backs before you punch it with black chalkboard spray paint you can get at Home Depot, a couple coats, let it dry, then you've got 150 little reusable hex-shaped chalkboards for developing new game prototypes. The game itself may be great, but it lacks a feeling of finality or completeness due to the unfulfilled promise of an infinite future series of expansions.

An alternative phenomenon is that of the board game that comes out as a core set, then you get expansions. Munchkin, Talisman, etc. I like this better, because you don't HAVE to buy the expansions to have fun with the original, they just spice it up after you've played it a lot.

My main objection to collectible board games is that regardless how much fun they are, boardgames are a cheaper alternative to the collectible card craze. I personally like being able to know that I'm buying a closed system, with no further purchase required to have as much fun as I want to have with the original game. If it's a good game, and it's finished, it should be complete and satisfying with no further expansions or collectible goo-gaws. Not that I wouldn't buy an expansion; I'd just be happy knowing that I wouldn't have to try to build an extensive collection to master the game against opponents who might have different game materials than I do.

Collectible games lose their appeal when you're paying the bills, if you want to also have a family and a balanced life. Family Strategy Boardgames, by their very nature, should not be 'collectible' since the goal is to *save* money buy buying a complete, replayable entertainment package in a box, and save future entertainment money for other things like food, medicine, diapers, etc.

Like I said at the beginning, I'm not knocking you or your idea, I'm just protesting the trend toward collectible games and pay-by-month games. The original purpose of card and boardgames was to provide reusable fun that has unbelievable cost effectiveness over many years.

But keep on thinking creatively about things like this...there's plenty of room for innovation in the board game arena: I'm counting on it!

I like your idea for Steel Suits. Don't knock yourself...if you have a good enough game, sure you could get it published. Two things you need to always keep in mind though, whenever you're making a game, a novel, a poem, or a house, are A) your audience and B) your competition.

If you create a game that's similar to another popular game, you're not only competing with another product, you're competing for the emotions of the people who have already invested money in that product. The best type of game to compete against is one that is A) hugely popular and B) has little replay value. In other words, take a concept that has proven to work, but after people play it a few times they're ready for either something completely different, or something with similar gameplay but different or improved themes or situations.

Since there are already games with miniatures, and games with cards, you might consider designing a game system that uses miniatures and cards that are already produced. Since you're only 13 and can't yet enter into a legally binding contract without parental consent, you'd get more practice just collecting Mechwarrior figures and using them as prototype pieces, and then see how many different games you can create just using them.

There's a very common exercise in game design classes where you're given a very common game, like Monopoly or Clue, or even a set of playing cards, and asked to come up with a new game using the old board, and components. This kind of exercise will give you practice in seeing old games in new ways. One of the pitfalls if you're heavily inspired by another game is to create an almost identical game without realizing it. However, the act of designing is productive in itself. Just remember to take your design all the way:

If you forget the process, just look at the list of categories on the Forum index: 1. Design 2. Prototype Production 3. Playtesting

Once you come up with an idea, roughly sketch out your base game mechanics and rules, then as soon as possible come up with a rough working prototype, with the rules, pieces and board on poster paper, then get friends to playtest it. Not just play, but playtest: write notes and provide suggestions as you test the play of the game. This is where a lot of games that could have been great fail, they never got enough time in the playtest rooms. People buy em for the great parts, then pack em away or resell them when they realize the game is basically unfinished.

If you take the time to do that, and be prepared to playtest over and over, refining and simplifying everything, you'll have a playable game in a few months. It doesn't matter how old you are, the process is the same. Design, Prototype, Playtest...and if you do those enough, Publish!

By the way, if you ever get serious about publishing a game, you've got to network, and that means taking your finished prototype to game conventions and getting people to play it. Word gets around. If it grabs a publisher's interest, all the time playtesting was worth it.

Good Luck!