Designing an entire board game was a challenging feat. Taking the bottom-up approach allowed me to vigorously test the mechanics, which in turn helped develop interesting gameplay.
Intransitive gameplay can be fun. The problem it faces is that it can also be short-lived. Strategy games by nature take time because of the thought that goes into each move. Having learnt where best to apply intransitive design, I would now create a strategy game that can be replayed in quick succession and with minimal mechanics.
Analysing both Chess and Risk ultimately helped influence a lot of the decisions I made. I was able to identify key mechanics that defined the game’s play style. This would later help me develop my own style of play.
I feel that I achieved my end goal of creating a board game that rewards skilled play but prevents optimal play. When the theme is stripped away from the game and the mechanics are left bare, You can see a solid foundation for a good strategy game.
Accessibility has always been a focal point.
Using Photoshop & Indesign, my goal was to graphically portray the purpose of each piece. I would love to see the board game published, and when that day comes, I will hire a freelance artist to design the backgrounds, tokens, and 3-Dimensional pieces.
It was difficult trying to playtest, but I was able to adapt to the situation and found intuitive ways of recording my work. There was a lot of trial and error, but it was all in the name of progress and learning. For me as a designer I want to make entire games, not be limited to working on games. I have a passion for innovation and I feel that indie development is the way forward. I have been inspired by the likes of David Wehle, creator of The First Tree and Eric Barone, creator of Stardew Valley. Both innovative designers who single-handedly developed their games.
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