In his book The Game Inventor’s Handbook (published by Betterway Books, 1993), game designer and publisher Steve Peek, a folksy Southerner if there ever was one, tells it like it is on the board gaming side of the business. Steve’s thoughts and my comments about prototyping a board game for playtesting are presented here.
When it comes to games, everyone is from Missouri. They all say “show me.” Prototyping your game is critical to getting it accepted by the money-people, helping the marketing people and even artists to ‘envision it,’ and to getting playtesters something they can actually test-drive and find the flaws in.
The sections in non-italic type are the words of Steve Peek. My commentary follows in italic type. –Alan Emrich
If there are two hundred professional game inventors, there are probably that many opinions on prototyping. Some inventors have such strong reputations and relationships with game companies that their first prototype might be no more than a pencil sketch. Others lean toward the opposite end of the spectrum, using high-powered computers, graphics software, workshops, and models makers; every prototype they turn out is an expensive, near-perfect rendition of the final product. Most inventors have neither the established relationships to submit a drawing on a bar napkin, nor the reservoir of capital to support perfect prototypes at every level. The vast majority of inventors work somewhere between these two extremes.
The system that works for myself and others I know is a three-tiered system.
Original Prototype
This can be a very crude model. Its only purpose is to prove the concept to the inventor’s initial satisfaction. It can be no more than a large sheet of paper decorated and ruled with color markers.
Testing Prototype
Usually one of these is not enough, so be prepared to make as many as are necessary to finish the playtesting successfully. This stage prototype does not need to be perfect but it does need to be attractive, pleasing, and professional. It is going to be used to debug the concept, the game mechanics, and the written rules. People you find to test your game are only human, which is why you want them testing in the first place. They will form first impressions based on what they see when you put the game in front of them, so it is important not to have them entertaining negative thoughts about your game before they even play it.
In other words, if they’re going to help you by playtesting your game, you should help them by giving them a playtest kit that is as attractive and utilitarian as possible to use. Try to make this playtest prototype as attractive and compelling to play as possible without killing yourself with a lot of extra effort. -AE
Most games develop problems that can be solved only by changing the prototype. Do not be disappointed if halfway through the first playtest session someone says, “Hey, this is dumb. The marble hole needs to be on the corners where I can reach it and the discard pile should be in the middle where everyone can see it.” If that happens, it’s good news; the testers are doing their job. If the testers come up with valid complaints, make the changes before the next test session. It will take some time and effort, and may even cost a little money, but if you are not prepared to attend to valid complaints from your playtesters, then why bother testing your game?
A typical game goes through four to six prototypes at this level. I was involved with one game that went through two dozen changes and never was right.
Playtesting can be a very arduous and daunting stage of the project. In fact, you might well find out that your game - that looked great in theory - stinks when you try to put it all together and make it work in practice. That’s why you keep adjusting your prototype and re-testing. If the problems revealed are too endemic to fix, then it’s time to cut your losses on this game and go back to the old drawing board. -AE
Final Prototype
This is the one you will be using to present the idea to game companies or to investors if you are planning to self-publish. Don’t skimp, but don’t go overboard either. Currently, the best ways to make final prototypes involve complete, full color composite art or working with a computer graphics program. In any case, you want to make sure that after the first one is complete that you can make subsequent copies [quickly and cheaply] by using color photocopies or laser printer copies from your computer.
If you are self-publishing your game, you may wish to go an extra step. Have the graphics person take the project through final production art. When that is approved, conduct one more series of tests to be absolutely certain there are no more changes. Then go to film. This is expensive, but something you will have to do eventually before you can publish. Once the art is in film form you have color proofs (match prints) made that will look as good as the final production run. These match prints can then be turned into a prototype game impressive enough to show anyone.
[Steve Peek ran Yaquinto Publishing, a large printer, and knows a lot about proofs, presses, and prints.]
There is nothing more nerve-wracking than placing the final prototype into a game testing session. You have expended all that time, energy, and money to get this far. As a result of previous testing, you already have made more changes than you ever dreamed possible, and now you are terrified that these new testers - individuals who have never seen your game - are going to find something so fundamentally wrong you will have to redo the whole thing.
This is a nightmare we all have. But if you have done your job with the previous tests (and if they have been fair and objective), and if you have been open-minded and genuinely sought testers’ input, you should be okay. Many an inventor, however, has discovered why valid test sessions are so important when it came time to pull out their checkbook to start all over on prototyping.
How Do You Build the #&*^% Things?
Great. You know there are three levels of [boardgame] prototyping and you know the purpose of each, but… how do you actually make one?
Original prototypes for board games can be made by almost anyone. They can be crude as long as they are functional. If you don’t feel competent to make yours, hand a crayon to a young school-age friend.
Creating boardgame-testing prototypes requires some graphic skill. If you don’t have it, can’t develop it or borrow it from a friend or relative, you will have to buy it. That requires working with an artist. At this level you want an artist who works out of his or her home, has no overhead, and works for very little [like dinner or a six-pack - you need a stereotypical ‘starving artist’].
The final prototype requires professionalism. Once again, if you have some graphic skills, you may be able to pull off making a final prototype by yourself. But don’t be one of those myopic amateurs who doesn’t realize how homemade his art really looks. If you have good graphics computer and software, learn how to use it. Computers, scanners, and software will go a long way toward making your efforts look professional.
Prototype Devices
Everything you have read to this point is valid for a game’s paper components: board, boxes, money, cards, rules, score pad, etc. But what about a game with a three-dimensional plastic catapult that launches fly-apart Slobovian knights against a castle wall that oozes slime?
I was afraid someone would ask that.
Unless you are an engineer or have one for a partner, and your device is mechanical with moving parts, you probably will have to hire a model maker. Take a deep breath. If you thought graphic artists were expensive, get ready for a shock. Most of these guys are very good at what they do, but what they do is exacting, takes a long time, and is a little more complicated than graphics. After all, graphics only have to look good. Models have to look good, function well, and hold up to repeated use.
If, on the other hand, your project requires a three dimensional plastic, wood, or metal part that isn’t mechanical (i.e., does not have moving parts) you may be able, with a little extra effort, to make it yourself. If you are a model kit builder you already have most of the necessary skills to ‘scratch’ build your prototype. If you are not a kit builder, or never ‘scratch’ built something, do a little creative research instead.
Make a trip to a few hobby shops and find out where the local models club meets. Go to a meeting and make friends with one or two modelers. Most are more than happy to share their knowledge. It will take a little while to find out exactly what types of plastics and adhesives or chemical bonders to use. Once you do, you should be able to get up to speed fairly quickly with a simple worktable, some drafting equipment, and plastic materials.
Often, you need some generic game components like pawns, markers, blank dice, and so forth - maybe you need construction paper or colored markers. You can find all of these things at a local teachers supply store, some larger game stores, or through a quick computer search on Google. All of the ‘generic’ materials you need are out there; you just have to look for them. -AE
Prototypes-R-Us
Not too long ago, a single copy of professional-looking graphics for prototypes could cost an inventor several thousand dollars. If a second copy was required, then less attractive color copies were used.
Things have changed. A lot of old graphic dogs have learned new tricks by using computers and ever-evolving new generations of software, scanners, and laser output devices. These new capabilities may still cost about the same as an original old-style prototype, but three things are markedly different.
The inventor gets to see an excellent representation of the prototype’s graphics before it is printed in final form. Making changes is an inexpensive process when you are proofing designs on a monitor. If the inventor anticipates needing more than one copy, not only are the second and subsequent copies relatively inexpensive, but unlike color copies, they are the same quality as the original.
If you decide to take this approach [and use computer generated components in preference to hand created components], be careful. Just because you know how to run a computer doesn’t make you a good graphics designer. You still may want to hire out the logo design, color selection, and layout (and then scan it in yourself).
If you do hire an outside artist, be careful selecting your graphics person. There are still many computer savvy people out there who have less graphic design talent than you have. It is usually best to find a great designer who has added a computer to augment his or her non-computer capabilities. These people tend to be less satisfied with the first level of computer graphics and constantly push the hardware and software to higher standards.
Probably the best test is to look at an artist’s graphics portfolio. If its obvious it was all done on a computer, find someone else; one that can create art without a computer.
Recently, a product acquisition chief was examining an excellent computer-generated prototype. He asked how long the game had been on the market. That kind of finished quality is available. It clearly has a dramatic impact and requires only that the inventor invest enough time to locate the right designer.
