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Solo Game Design Challenge: The Game Crafter

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Fairway3Games
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Joined: 10/08/2015

Hey, just wanted to make sure this group saw this new contest on The Game Crafter: Solo Game Design Challenge

I'm the judge of the contest and have a few solo designs under my belt. I'm hoping other designers out there take up the challenge.

Rules:

In this contest, you must design a new game in which the primary player count is 1. A solo game is one like Friday or Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island or Onirim in which an entire game is expected to be played without another player. You can find additional examples on BoardGameGeek.

The contest will be judged by Mike Wokasch of Fairway 3 Games, LLC. His game Starving Artists contains a solo variant and he was the designer of the solo variant for Underlings of Underwing.

To qualify, your game must comply with all of the following rules:

  • Your game must be playable with only a single player. Games with additional player counts will be judged based on the solo game, except that the inclusion of player counts may garner points in the "other" category of the rubric.
  • You may use any printables or game pieces.
  • The total cost of your game must be less than $34.99
  • Play time should be no more than 60 minutes, once you've learned the game.
  • Any theme or narrative is allowed and unique themes are encouraged.
  • A rules document must be downloadable from your game's shop page.
  • The game must be publish ready (as it relates to our shop, not as it relates to being finished). This means it has a logo, backdrop, shop ad, action shots, description, and cool factors. It must also have all images proofed, and have packaging.
  • This must be a new game created for this contest. It cannot have existed on TGC prior to the start of the contest.
  • All artwork must be your own, commissioned by you, licensed to you, or in the public domain.
  • All entries must be submitted through TGC's game editor (by clicking on the "Contests" button) no later than Noon UTC (6am US Central) on July 23, 2018. Contestants may submit multiple entries to this contest. Each entry will be judged separately.

Notes

You retain all rights to your game and are welcome to sell it in our shop during and after the contest, regardless of the outcome of the contest.

The first round of judging is handled by a community voting process. The final two rounds are handled by the judge. See complete details.

Prizes

All of the finalists shall receive a review by The Indie Game Report.

The winner shall receive all of the following prizes:

  • Automatic Showcase status for their game on thegamecrafter.com.
  • 100,000 crafter points.
  • $100 of shop credit on thegamecrafter.com.
  • The possibility of judging a future contest.
  • Induction into The Game Crafter Hall of Fame.
Jay103
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Joined: 01/23/2018
So.. A brand new game created

So..

A brand new game created for the contest, with final art assets, including logo and packaging, within three months?

I see that you guys get a lot of interest in each contest, so you're obviously doing something right, but I'm kinda shocked.

Fairway3Games
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Joined: 10/08/2015
Jay103 wrote:So.. A brand new

Jay103 wrote:
So..

A brand new game created for the contest, with final art assets, including logo and packaging, within three months?

I see that you guys get a lot of interest in each contest, so you're obviously doing something right, but I'm kinda shocked.

I'm not entirely sure why there's skepticism. There's dozens of contests before this one, most having the 90 day timeline. There's definitely a continuum of "final" and the things that might be "final" for the sake of a contest are definitely different than say, "final" for commercial sale and a kickstarter.

That said, if you look at the past finalists, the contests tend to favor those that showcase a lot of different skills (e.g., rules writing, graphic design, art, and videos) but have creative, new and thoughtful designs. I'd say its rare for an entry to make the semifinals that's essentially just a clever idea or a set of rules or just a plain prototype.

Jay103
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Joined: 01/23/2018
Fairway3Games wrote:I'm not

Fairway3Games wrote:
I'm not entirely sure why there's skepticism. There's dozens of contests before this one, most having the 90 day timeline. There's definitely a continuum of "final" and the things that might be "final" for the sake of a contest are definitely different than say, "final" for commercial sale and a kickstarter.

That said, if you look at the past finalists, the contests tend to favor those that showcase a lot of different skills (e.g., rules writing, graphic design, art, and videos) but have creative, new and thoughtful designs. I'd say its rare for an entry to make the semifinals that's essentially just a clever idea or a set of rules or just a plain prototype.

Well, that's what I meant.. The contests run regularly and get lots of entries. Personally, I know the stress and expense of getting "real" art assets for my game, and I'm surprised so many people manage that on a tight timeline.

However, my game is also somewhat art-heavy, and not all games would need that anyway.

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