Board Game Development Diary #1 (Patreon)

Alright, Art Enthusiasts! As I posted last month, I am working on putting together a tabletop game, and you get an exclusive look at the process as I work on trying to bring everything together over the next few whatevers.

The vote last month was close, but the Campaign-themed escape from the dragon's lair won, and so I've been working throughout January to flesh out and solidify the concept from my initial design.

At this point I've got the core rules and gameplay laid out, which I'm happy with and feel sound enough to build off of.  I've taken some pictures of my notebook, where I jot down all sorts of ideas to consider and refine.

So the next step was some prototype design; basically figuring out what information needs to go where, and how it will be communicated to the player. For the cards, this means figuring out a basic layout concept for each of the different types of cards in the game. Once I settle on at least an initial design concept for each card, I'll then be able to sit down and churn out the actual decks towards the goal of having something to playtest with. 

Above you can see some initial sketches, which is basically just me blocking out what will go where on each card; where do I put some artwork, while still leaving room for legible rules text and any other information that needs to be communicated to players at the table. For this game my goal is bright, clean minimalist cards that are easy to understand and don't overwhelm. For example, I've chosen to use color (green, blue, gold) on the Treasure cards to denote value, as well as the actual point (monetary) value. This way, players can tell at a quick glance around the table who is carrying the most valuable treasure.

You can see two treasure item prototypes that I brought to completion to test placement of design elements.

Finally  for this month, the game is played on randomly drawn corridor tiles as you rush through tunnels to escape the dragon. These tiles need to flow together from one to the next, but also be individual with their own challenges and obstacles. I sketched and painted to completion one of these tiles to create a proof-of-method, from which I can create more tiles to get us to playtesting.

Next month my goal will be pushing forward with fleshing out the decks, including some artwork, additional dungeon tiles, and a first stab at the Player sheets.