I created this manual because I found that it wasn’t always easy to come up with creative solutions to game-play problems. Often, I would have to search for, read and play countless games to find the solution I was after. While this was certainly enjoyable, I could not always organize a group of people to play, or did not have enough time to make this happen. What would have been helpful is a game design guide that referred to a variety of strategy games; looking at their rules, game mechanics, problems and solutions. I couldn’t find one that covered all these things, and was not either insanely long, or covered a broad range of games! I needed something that gave me access to a variety of playing styles, game mechanics and game rules – specific to strategy games; something that was simple and easy to follow. I never found one … so I created one.

… Ruben

7 Reasons why ‘The Board Game Designer’s Kit’ is the Manual for You

1. It is specifically about board games and not games in general.
2. It is comprehensive – the kit covers every stage of board game design – from development, to creation, through to play testing.
3. It is not about the history of board games, it is about how to develop, create and improve your board game ideas.
4. It is practical – you’ll not only learn game design theory, you’ll be encouraged to put it into action with practical questions to consider, and projects to try.
5. It has variety – featuring different kinds of board games, and demonstrates how they are all linked.
6. It is inspiring – this kit is full of templates and ideas that will motivate you to explore all possibilities.
7. It is not about how to sell a board game, but it is about how to make a great game. Simple!

You will receive:

A 10-step quick-start guide to get your game idea ready for play testing as soon as possible. This is an easy to follow document that takes you step by step through the process of developing your game, from creating the initial idea, designing the game mechanics, and testing and measuring performance of play. Just follow the steps and you’re on your way!

A more comprehensive and ‘straight to the point’ guide that elaborates on the ten steps and gives you great tips and tricks for good game design. This 24 page document gives you a broad range of examples and is clear and concise, so it’s easy to understand. It also looks at how to make your game more fun, playable and balanced; how to use historical events in game ideas, and includes a great list of resources for the avid game designer.

100+ templates for use in your game and to inspire you and get you thinking about new possibilities. All templates are free to use, copy and reproduce for your game design. The templates have been designed in a way that will allow you to edit easily for your own game theme. They include a range of color and black & white templates, plus a number of clear transfers for overlaying maps and other designs – removing the need for a painstaking redraw.

• Templates include but are not limited to:
  1. A variety of resource cards
  2. Score tracks
  3. Hex and grid overlays
  4. A variety of generic units
  5. Combat charts
  6. Coins and money
  7. Characters for player pieces
  8. Playing pieces, tokens of various colours, shapes and sizes
  9. Generic playing board designs
  10. Map building tiles

A Sample Chapter:

Can’t see the manual, or would like to see the templates at full quality? Click here to download this sample..

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