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Hi -- I'm new here

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Sun, 12/13/2015 - 12:23
polyobsessive
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Hi all.

I've been playing tabletop games of various types for most of my life and occasionally making my own. During the 80's I messed about with modifying and rolling my own RPGs. In the 90's I created some play-by-mail games and run them commercially (on a very small scale) and toyed with some board and card games as well as working in a hobby games shop. During the 00's I wasn't as active in gaming, but then when my daughter got old enough I started playing games with her and then started getting back into game design again.

Over the last couple of years I have been getting more obsessed with board and card game design and have been reading books and articles, listening to podcasts and talks, and, most importantly, designing and testing more and more games.

This year (2015) has been a lot more productive for me. I have taken part in a few of the 24 hour design contests on BGG (and won one - but there were very few votes cast that month, so I don't think it really counts!), went to a public playtest event (as part of UK Games Expo) for the first time, and started to convene a semi-regular playtesting group at my house to try to progress some of my designs.

I'm a long way from actually having something that is really publishable right now, but I'm really enjoying the journey. It is occasionally terrifying, particularly as I am not someone who finds it easy to grab a bunch of people and ask them to play some unfinished design, but it is really rewarding when I can get a group to find a load of problems with a game that I hadn't identified myself. It's even better when they say they want to try a future version that has addressed these issues. :)

So, signing up on BGDF is another step on the journey but I still have a long way to go...

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Mon, 12/14/2015 - 20:38
#1
Stormyknight1976
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Welcome Poly,

Welcome to the group here at bgdf. You and many new members have really found a great group on the net to seek, develop, produce many great designs in the board and card game hobby and industry.

Glad to have you and all of the new game designers from long time designers and the experts in their field.

Dymino Monsters creator,
Stormy.

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Tue, 12/15/2015 - 03:40
#2
polyobsessive
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Thanks Stormy!

Thanks Stormy!

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Tue, 12/15/2015 - 22:25
#3
questccg
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Yes, welcome

Stormyknight1976 wrote:
You and many new members have really found a great group on the net to seek, develop, produce many great designs in the board and card game hobby and industry.

It's true, but too bad people "come and go" often. So someone might be around for 3 months and then they "disappear"?! We get a lot of designers that pop-up looking for PNP playtesters or designers that have just launched their Kickstarter expecting designers to *miraculously* back their games.

But some are true to the hobby like Stormy, Dralius, JewellGames, kos, Zag24, and myself; we have been around for years. Not to mention admins like richdurham (Rich), mindspike (Winston) and sedjtroll (Seth) who do a pro job running the website - it's almost always running in tip-top shape! Plus they find the time to even run a monthly design contest.

Anyways if you have questions, need ideas, or just want to share your game or game idea with us - I'm sure you'll get feedback from one or several of the designers!

Cheers!

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Wed, 12/16/2015 - 10:43
#4
polyobsessive
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Thanks.

questccg wrote:
It's true, but too bad people "come and go" often. So someone might be around for 3 months and then they "disappear"?! We get a lot of designers that pop-up looking for PNP playtesters or designers that have just launched their Kickstarter expecting designers to *miraculously* back their games.

Yeah, but that's true of any community. Some people come and go, and some people stay for varying amounts of time. But yeah, I've seen it elsewhere where someone figures that they should really "engage with the community" when they launch their commercial enterprise without realising that just asking for help or spamming about their Kickstarter (or whatever) does not count as community engagement. It's just lazy marketing.

Quote:
But some are true to the hobby like Stormy, Dralius, JewellGames, kos, Zag24, and myself; we have been around for years. Not to mention admins like richdurham (Rich), mindspike (Winston) and sedjtroll (Seth) who do a pro job running the website - it's almost always running in tip-top shape! Plus they find the time to even run a monthly design contest.

I must admit the design showdowns look like fun, though it's very much outside of the way I work. Maybe that's why they look like fun. :)

Quote:
Anyways if you have questions, need ideas, or just want to share your game or game idea with us - I'm sure you'll get feedback from one or several of the designers!

Thanks. I suspect I may be mostly observing for a little while to get a feel for the community before making an idiot of myself by asking questions that have been asked every week for the last 10 years!

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Wed, 12/16/2015 - 13:35
#5
let-off studios
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Welcome, polyobsessive...! I

Welcome, polyobsessive...!

I suggest you should feel free to ask any questions, regardless if you think they've been covered elsewhere. In the worst case, you would be directed back to that thread, and in the best case scenario you can provide a fresh perspective. Then, everybody wins. :D

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Wed, 12/16/2015 - 13:55
#6
polyobsessive
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Site questions

Thanks, Let-Off.

OK, in that spirit, is there somewhere that gives a general guide to using the site? I'm kinda figuring out the way that people use some of the various features like blogs and journals, but there is a lot around here that is less familiar. Like, for instance all the stuff about books and outlines.

I'm sure this must have been covered somewhere...

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Thu, 12/17/2015 - 02:47
#7
dakukuc
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Greetings from fellow newbie

Greetings from fellow newbie :).

I believe you can start by clicking 'Getting Started...'-tab right below 'Forum' Menu at the top left screen. Some information are still not there yet, but I guess it's a good place to start.

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Thu, 12/17/2015 - 03:44
#8
I Will Never Gr...
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polyobsessive wrote: So,

polyobsessive wrote:

So, signing up on BGDF is another step on the journey but I still have a long way to go...

I'd say that's probably safe to say of even experienced designers. Everyone can continue to learn.

Welcome to the site and never feel stupid about asking a question. We've all been there and sometimes that stupid question just might spark a great conversation and help someone else who was wondering the exact same thing!

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Thu, 12/17/2015 - 05:44
#9
polyobsessive
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Lots to learn. :)

Thanks for the encouragement, IWNGUG! :)

dakukuc wrote:
I believe you can start by clicking 'Getting Started...'-tab right below 'Forum' Menu at the top left screen. Some information are still not there yet, but I guess it's a good place to start.

Definitely, thanks. Unfortunately the 'site features' and 'site FAQ' links don't seem to go anywhere at the moment, which is a shame, but I'm sure I'll be able to piece together most of it.

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Wed, 01/06/2016 - 22:29
#10
Stormyknight1976
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Your welcome

Your welcome.

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Wed, 01/06/2016 - 22:46
#11
HPS74
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Are you feeling welcomed yet?

If not.....then Welcome :)

I'm around from time to time here and have lent a hand or two to some other peeps! We're all in this thing together....just what it is exactly I haven't figured out! Someone let me know...

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Thu, 01/07/2016 - 11:58
#12
polyobsessive
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Yup :)

Definitely feeling welcomed now, thanks. I've even started to make a fool of myself on a couple of threads, so we're off...!

I was a bit slow off the mark this month, but I like the look of the game design showdowns, so I'll probably have a go at one of them soon. Maybe even next month. Oh, and join in on reading and commenting on this month's entries...

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Fri, 01/08/2016 - 10:32
#13
The Professor
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Welcome Poly!

This is a very good community, especially when you receive constructive feedback. Often, silence should be a clear sign that something's wrong...gamers tend to possess a curious politeness, in that it's better to say nothing than prove abrasive. Of course, that's not always the case, but a general observation after a decade in the community.

One thing I might suggest is for you to assist others with their creations, especially if you find a similar passion. While, I make no claims for my skills as a designer, I've served as a developer to numerous designers, several magazines, and two wargame publishers. "Development" includes myriad functions, from organizing play-tests, play-testing, editing, formal feedback, and at times, co-design work. In this way, you contribute to others' games, they get to know you, and in time, you'll have a wonderful network of gamers.

Cheers,
Joe

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Fri, 01/08/2016 - 10:54
#14
evansmind244
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Welcome

I'm new to BGDF as well but wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I'm currently developing a family game, working hard at my job that pays, and enjoying being a dad. I have taught my self the most basis level of Illustrator CC which I used to print my prototype. I have learned a TON in the last 2 years. I work on Ships so I have a LOT of time to think through problems while staring at the sea. I Enjoy reading rules, solving problems, graphic design and creative thinking. I would love to read the rules, and check out the design on anything your working on.

Very Respectfully
Evan

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Fri, 01/08/2016 - 12:16
#15
polyobsessive
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Thanks Professor Joe!

Yeah, this sort of site tends to work best if people start giving before they take, right? Plus, apart from good network building as you suggest, helping to solve problems for other people is a great way to build skills.

Thanks for commenting and for the welcome! This site has certainly come across as mostly friendly, and I think this tradition of welcome threads has a lot to do with it. :)

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Fri, 01/08/2016 - 12:24
#16
polyobsessive
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Hi Evan!

And it's good to chat with a fellow newbie! I already commented on your post about your holiday game -- I hope I didn't come across as dismissive, as I think the theme for your game has great potential, so I hope you can figure out how to get the most out of it.

I have a few game designs on the go at the moment, so I'm planning to share one or two of them here to see if I can get some input. I just need to figure out the most appropriate way to go about it, whether via forums, blog posts or journals. I assume the idea of journals is to create a series of connected posts about the development of a game, so maybe that is the best approach...?

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Sat, 01/09/2016 - 18:17
#17
evansmind244
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polyobsessive

I appreciate your comments. Nothing is much worse than an honest opinion. I've emailed you a bunch of stuff, and I'm looking forward to reading through your rules, or helping you think through things you may be struggling with.

Very Respectfully
Evan

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Sun, 01/10/2016 - 19:09
#18
polyobsessive
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Received

Thanks for emailing your files, Evan. I've started reading through the rulebook and making some notes. Unfortunately time is a little short, so it may take me a day or two, but I'll email you my notes when I'm done.

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