The Nine Phases of Game Design

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

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As of this writing, I am still an aspiring game designer with my first major project approaching completion (I'm currently on phase 6 of this continuum). In a few days, a group of people like myself will be meeting at Game Night Games in Salt Lake City, Utah to begin the innaugural meeting of the "Board Game Designers Club of Utah" ( http://www.gamenightgames.com ).

In anticipation of this meeting, and as a fun project, I've been doing some thinking about the general process board game designers go through to arrive at a finished product. So, I humbly submit this geeklist as my perception (at present) regarding the actual process a designer goes through with a game project. Please feel free to comment - especially those who are already recognized game designers.

Note: I also believe that there is an obvious "pre-phase" an aspiring designer should go through in that one should play a lot of games that are already out there on the market to get a feel for which mechanics have already been presented, how well they have been developed, and which themes are already out there (ex. if I'm working on a train game design or a game with an Egyptian theme it had better be one awesome game cause there's already a bazillion of those kinds of games out there).

Update: Well, in this introduction I stated how I was on stage 6 with my game. That was incorrect. I only thought I was on stage 6. I have since had to go back several stages and completely redo the theme and overhaul a lot of the economic mechanics. I'm learning more and more how, just when a person thinks a game is about to be "done", they hit a snag that sends them all the way back down the ladder. What's more, often minor problems are merely the tips of icebergs and it's only through major overhauling that minor problems can be eliminated. Sigh...oh well...that's just the way it goes.

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Edited Wed Aug 6, 2008 5:38 pm
Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

1. Board Game: Brainstorm [Average Rating:5.73 Overall Rank:5330]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Brainstorming

-Beginnings of either theme, basic mechanics, or both

0 comments

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

2. Board Game: What Happens Next [Average Rating:8.00 Unranked] [Average Rating:8.00 Unranked]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Beginning designs: many ideas considered and written down for further testing

-Small prototyping (very simple pieces, perhaps a basic printed board)

-Beginnings of some minor play-testing for various ideas

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

Eli Smith

(thesama)

United States
Hillsboro
Oregon

For me this usually means scrounging int he bits bin or other games for anything that might be used, prototypes at this stage are cobbled together from whatever's at hand. I've got a game in this stage right now made up of bits from Federation Commander, Age of Mythology, Axis and Allies and Twilight Imperium...

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:26 pm
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3. Board Game: Extreme Action Subtraction [Average Rating:0.00 Unranked]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Medium prototyping (some generic pieces, more refined board layout)

-Play-testing begins to reveal loopholes and potential breaking points of the game system

-Lots of experimentation - typically major adjustments to the game take place in this phase (such as a change in theme or a major change in mechanics)

-Many ideas will be tested and many will be discarded

-If the basic game idea is not working, it will generally be in this phase that the project is abandoned.

0 comments

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

4. Board Game: Loopin' Louie [Average Rating:7.04 Overall Rank:295]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Game beginning to take shape: Theme and Basic Mechanics are somewhat in place

-Many loopholes and breaking points have been discovered and compensated for but many more have yet to be discovered

-Beginnings of a working, organized rulebook (instead of just personal notes)

0 comments

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

5. Board Game: Shape of things [Average Rating:0.00 Unranked]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Game mechanics and theme are nearing completion

-Major loopholes and breaking points have been discovered and compensated for but minor ones may still exist

-Play-testing begins to take on specific purposes (such as trying out extreme strategies simply for the sake of testing potential loopholes or breaking points)

-More formalized prototyping (beginning to acquire more theme appropriate game components)

-Continued work on rulebook

2 comments [Hide]

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

Bryan Johnson

(SwedeLad)

United States
North Andover
Massachusetts

Quote:

-Major loopholes and breaking points have been discovered and compensated for but minor ones may still exist

Yeah, and usually it's those minor ones that are the most troublesome and pesky!

Posted Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:59 pm
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Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

SwedeLad wrote:

Quote:

-Major loopholes and breaking points have been discovered and compensated for but minor ones may still exist

Yeah, and usually it's those minor ones that are the most troublesome and pesky!

I'm finding more and more that minor breaking points can often be the tip of the iceberg. They may seem small but the case may be that fundamental aspects of the game need to be changed in order for those small points to be resolved. So, in a way, they are not small at all.

Posted Wed Aug 6, 2008 5:16 pm
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6. Board Game: Star Fleet Battles - Commanders Rulebook [Average Rating:7.30 Unranked] [Average Rating:7.30 Unranked]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Game mechanics and theme are now complete

-Play-testing of the rulebook - how its worded, terminology used - now becomes a focus (i.e. can someone take your rulebook and your prototype and understand how to play the game without you being there to teach or answer questions)

-Perhaps employment of an artist for a final prototype

2 comments [Hide]

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

David Whitcher

(dralius)

United States
Manchester
Michigan

Unless you are going to publish it yourself Clipart should be good enough.

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:50 pm
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Bryan Johnson

(SwedeLad)

United States
North Andover
Massachusetts

Quote:

Unless you are going to publish it yourself Clipart should be good enough.

I agree. Clipart can be a God-send.

Posted Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:58 pm
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7. Board Game: First Contact [Average Rating:5.85 Unranked] [Average Rating:5.85 Unranked]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Final prototype with play-tested rulebook completed

-Contacting of publishers begins

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

Mark Mistretta

(markmist)

United States
Lutz
Florida

This is where I am at with one of my designs. Or almost. I want to get one more good playtest in, or maybe 2 or 3.....

Posted Wed Jan 24, 2007 1:31 am
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8. Board Game: Wings: The Air Mail Game [Average Rating:4.50 Unranked]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Prototype(s) sent to publisher(s) for consideration

0 comments

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

9. Board Game: And Now For Something Completely Different... The Board Game [Average Rating:5.00 Unranked]

Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

-Final adjustments from publisher

-Game formally published

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:11 pm

Frank Strauss

(f-p-p-m)

Germany
Berlin
Unspecified

-Final adjustments from publisher

Like I experienced ( At least with "Hans im Glück" ) the publishers wouldn´t make final adjustments, they would rather send you back to point 4 of this list.

So unless your game isn´t perfect, the chances of beeing published seem to be very small.

Posted Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:15 am
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4 comments [Hide]

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Justin Green

(shumyum)

United States
Des Moines
Iowa

Nice list!

But you forgot about Agora.

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:44 pm
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Justin Green

(shumyum)

United States
Des Moines
Iowa

Gah! That would be File 13.

Posted Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:44 pm
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Bryan Johnson

(SwedeLad)

United States
North Andover
Massachusetts

Good luck with your game Mike. It is indeed a long and at times, bumpy road.

Posted Wed Jan 24, 2007 1:02 pm
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Mike Compton

(compman)

United States
Salt Lake City
Utah

Quote:

Good luck with your game Mike. It is indeed a long and at times, bumpy road.

Thanks.

Posted Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:12 pm
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