How I leveled up at Gen Con

My first Gen Con. So many things that I wanted to happen. And many of them did. I met a bunch of people, many of whom are game designers, both up and coming and established. And I talked to Publishers about my stuff and got great feedback and suggestions.

Being there was just awesome really. It was great and awesome and cool. I was a noob among countless veterans. And though I felt I was the only one in the entire crowd new to the scene, I certainly could not have been. The industry is growing daily. As reflected by the growing number of gamers and aficionados. Many many new-to-the-scene gamers were all around me I’m sure.

And I was on a mission. I was there to sell a game. I’m not a long time gamer. I love board games and always have. But I was a drinker in my 20’s and 30’s. THAT was my hobby. Sure I played D&D and the Marvel SH RPG in the 80’s, and even created game systems and card games (from a standard deck) way back when. But I’ve only just recently realized it as a passion and committed myself to playing and designing table top entertainment to such a level as to attend a major convention.

Over the past year I’ve designed a few games that went nowhere that ultimately didn’t feel great or fun. But there is one game design in particular that has always felt great and fun, where I did actually reach a point where I felt it could be published. And I thought it’d be great to shop SkyReign to publishers because it was ready… mostly. Until I realized it wasn’t.

I hadn’t thought about how much Gen Con might be able to teach me about game design. I knew I wanted to play games, meet other designers, play prototypes, get feedback, and play MY games but… I didn’t have any expectation that I would leave with a significant revelation about game design itself.

I’ve been listening to all the podcasts. Learning about what to do. What not to do. Looking over the checklists of game readiness. The hook. Lots of play testing. The sell sheet. The pitch. I thought I was ready. I thought I wanted veterans to play my game. And then…

I realized my game was still too unbalanced. That my hook wasn’t much of a hook at all. That my game is mediocre at best. That I was embarrassed to even play it with a good designer. So I didn’t. I went to a few publishers and got feedback. I listened. I got ideas. But mostly? I learned the most valuable lesson in game design.

No matter how good you think your game is, even if play testers and family tell you it’s fun and awesome, it probably isn’t what it needs to be yet. I love my idea. I love my setting and storyline. But the hook sucked (if you can even call it a hook.) And it wasn’t mechanically ready. And basically? A game should not be created that doesn’t innovate. And that is the lesson Gen Con taught me.

The best, most played, most talked about games there were ones that ‘change the game.’ Your game has to be a game changer. It MUST have at least one thing that will make someone go “Oh wow. That is really cool. That thing there. Nothing else like it that I know of.”

And so back to the drawing board I go. I’m now changing so much with this game. It really is like starting from scratch. I feel like I’ve graduated from game design grade school. And I’m honestly super excited about it. My vision is clear like never before. I don’t yet have a new hook. My game doesn’t have that one innovative thing yet. But I won’t be pitching it again until it does.

And so if I have any advice for a new board game designer. And I’m just going to pretend like someone is reading this. And that I’m somehow qualified at this point to give any advice whatsoever. My advice is this: make a note on your phone (or real life notepad if you’re a total luddite,) and brainstorm everyday on batshit crazy hooks. Devoid of any theme or storyline. Just hooks. Hooks hooks hooks. Have that list. Make it long. Add to it every single day. No matter how crazy or dumb. Then let a hook drive a game. Or take a game idea you already have, grab a hook from your list and see if it helps the thing innovate the game experience. Your game must at least do one thing no game that has ever done before.

And play games. So many games. To know what’s hasn’t been done, you have to play and see what has and what was once an insane innovation. And this advice is really just from me to me. As was my first big convention, my first big lesson has been achieved. It’s here and now that I mark this moment.

Thank you Gen Con. I have found the path… well the path that at least leads to the path of glory anyway. Hoorah!