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Gee Williker's Whiskers! (or some such corny exclamation)

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Sat, 02/09/2013 - 13:46
lightbulb101069
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Joined: 01/30/2013

I have to officially introduce myself? (nervously looks down at notes and scratches back of neck...)
Well I am Lightbulb, and have been inventing games since childhood, though few have ever achieved physical construction, and none ever patented, published or sold.

My more viable and enjoyable projects include a few card games, a board game similar to chess, a puzzle I call a Word Maze, and tons of stuff for Dungeons & Dragons. I have dreams of my own role-playing system and universe, but such would be a monumentous undertaking.

I am currently in college, working toward my bachelor's degree in computer programming, though I haven't learned more than a smidgeon of C++ so far. I used to make my own video games in high school, but that was in the late eighties, using BASIC on Apple II Plus. Things have changed a lot since then, and I have been out of the loop.

My dream is to live wealthy and have lots of fun creating games of all types as my livelihood. Williker and his Whiskers knows I've got lots of ideas, creativity, and talent for doing so!

Now all I need is the know-how, as in how to make the actual cards, how to market, sell, and/or mass-produce my games. That's why I'm here. Any feedback or advice is welcome.

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Sat, 02/09/2013 - 18:56
#1
UnnumberedT
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Joined: 01/17/2013
That's a great dream. And I

That's a great dream. And I wish you well. However, if history is any measure, relatively few people actually achieve that dream. Which is not to dissuade you from trying. I think everyone on BGDF shares that dream, and we're here to help each other out. But if you go in wide eyed and bushy-tailed, then you're likely to get tripped up, burned out, or otherwise lost and discouraged. On the other hand, if you complement those dreams with serious intent, practical business knowledge, and a realistic picture of the gaming world, then you can greatly increase your chances of success.

Several experienced folks have shared very detailed and useful stories on this front. I know I've read several, the only two that I can quickly find are here:
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/322382/game-design-self-publishing-a-res...
and here:
http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/how-a-board-game-is-bor...
You may wish to look around for other such stories.

As to making cards, that's a bit easier. I started out printing my own, but that was extremely time consuming, and not much cheaper than working with a real printer. It turns out that having industrial-type equipment (not just a home-type printer) makes a huge difference. For most of the past year, I've used TheGameCrafter. Ordering prototype decks from them costs me about the same amount of money as if I'd done it myself on my little home HP, but it takes much less of my time, and the result is much nicer. Though it does take 1-2 weeks for them to do order fulfillment. So it's a bit hard to do rapid prototyping.

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Sat, 02/09/2013 - 20:22
#2
Stormyknight1976
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Joined: 04/08/2012
Welcome Lightbulb.

Nice to have ya. Can't wait to hear your game ideas.

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Sun, 02/10/2013 - 07:34
#3
lightbulb101069
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Joined: 01/30/2013
Thank You

Thank you for the helpful words. Yes, I am a bit of an idealist, but not so naieve as to think it will be easy or expect miracles. My number one goal is just to have fun and make my games real, even if for very little profit or none.
Thanks again,
Lightbulb

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Sun, 02/10/2013 - 11:03
#4
JustActCasual
JustActCasual's picture
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Joined: 11/20/2012
.

This is a good one for more in depth process:

http://inspirationtopublication.wordpress.com/the-steps-for-board-games/

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