Breaking Down Board Game Design
Growing up, “game night” was a common event in my household, and my mom, dad, brothers, and I would all gather around our dining table to spend the night laughing and strategizing (and often bickering too). Board games were a way for my family and friends to bond and spend time together in a way that stimulated our minds and challenged us. My family thus always had a variety of board games to choose from, each with their own quirks and challenges. As I got older, I began to appreciate the versatility of board games and the limitless potential for game design; there were games to fit all ages, from playing Hiss at four to playing Ticket to Ride at fourteen. I also appreciated the ability of these games to entertain my father, despite playing against a child (not that he ever held back due to this fact). It raised questions in my mind about how designers were able to make games so diverse and with such a capacity to entertain. I’ve considered designing a board game myself, starting with silly card game ideas as a child; I even made one for a project in middle school called Gilgamesh-y’s Wall and based on the epic of Gilgamesh. Needless to say, it wasn’t quite a smash hit, but it did pique my interest in board game design.
Aspects of Board Game Design:
Board games don’t only go way back in my family, they have played a large role throughout history; the earliest board game was called Senet and dates back to Predynastic Egypt, about 3500 B.C. Since then, board game design has expanded across the world, and it is one of the most common hobbies. Board game design grew to include dice games, card games, dexterity games, and more, moving from Senet to Monopoly to Risk to even Cards Against Humanity. Because there are so many possibilities, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like at least one board game. All of that diversity is credit to the designers, who play with varying themes, strategies, and aspects of board design. Although it may seem more straightforward than other forms of design, board game design is deceiving in the intricacy of its parts. Unlike more specialized disciplines, board games require multiple forms of design, from physical to strategic. While designers may differ on their definitions and specifics on what goes into board game design, the complexity of skills needed is not up for debate, including but not limited to physical, strategy, visual, and experience design.
- Physical Design:
First, board games require some form of physical design. The interactivity of board games is key, and the physical pieces and shapes of a board game are a large part of what determines that. This area includes dice, cards, game pieces, the board, the rulebook, and anything else the player will be physically interacting with during gameplay. Designers must carefully consider the weight of pieces in a player’s hand, the layout of the cards on the table, and how physical aspects of the game will add to the overall experience. In the Pirates of the Caribbean Game of Life, one of the unique aspects is the attachable board pieces that add dimension to the game board and make the play appear 3-D. Physical aspects also serve an immersive role, even if they do not contribute directly to gameplay. An expansion pack to Exploding Kittens, for example, comes with the “cone of shame,” a literal cone that players must wear as a consequence for certain action. Although the cone does not change gameplay, it adds yet another element for players to interact with and laugh at. If you’re not yet convinced that physical design is as important as the others, I ask you this: can you honestly say you never had a strong opinion on which Monopoly piece you played as?
- Strategy Design:
As board games include gameplay elements, strategy design is perhaps the most essential in creating a successful game. This is the aspect which focuses on the mechanics of gameplay itself: how players will interact with each other, the game, and the end goal. Although the strategy design is arguably the most broad aspect of board game design, there are a few areas that stay consistent across games. A clear objective, for instance, is essential to a solid strategy and successful game; players will have no direction if the end goal is not clearly laid out. Constraints are also necessary. If players are left without constraints, the game could continue on indefinitely and there would be no way to make gameplay manageable and concise. One common constraint needed in strategy design is some method of handling the “runaway leader,” or situations in which one player is much farther ahead of the others. You can think of this as the board game equivalent of the Mario Kart blue shell. Designers must prepare for players to get ahead and have strategies ready to either drop the leading player back or bring other players forward. Furthermore, the strategy design is what ensures the game is fun and entertaining, keeping the pace at a comfortable level while also including just enough ambiguity over who will win to keep the players engaged. Ticket to Ride is a good example of a longer board game that successfully keeps players engaged the entire time. Throughout the game, players can take on more trains to level the playing field, and there are consistent opportunities for sabotage. Narrative design can also come into play here, depending on the style of game you are designing. It’s important to note that the strategy design area is intended to make things easier and more fun for the players, not the designer; even if the strategy is complex, the rule comprehension should never be.
- Visual Design:
Visual aesthetics and graphics are, of course, another key aspect of board game design. The physical pieces of the board and cards cannot just be dark chunks and black and white print, MLA format. The art is what needs to be showcased through the visual design, and it is essentially that all of the styles, graphics, and colors fit with the theme of the aforementioned designs. Take 007 James Bond: Live and Let Die, a board game based, you guessed it, on James Bond. If I asked you to picture James Bond, you would probably conjure images of daring rescues, dramatic fights, romantic gestures, and not, in fact, the plain river the game board provides. There’s nothing exciting, alluring, or engaging about a plain board or plain cards, even if they functionally work well. Comparatively, Secret Hitler provides a stunning display of visual design, with each element perfectly crafted to match the theme and craft a cohesive piece (you can even download the pdf for free online at their website). Furthermore, visual design is a more personal way for the designer to showcase and connect with their work. A designer’s personal style shines through, and players will often choose games based on creators whose style they know and love. Let’s look at Elan Lee and Matthew Inman, the creators of the hit game Exploding Kittens we discussed above. The art on the cards is cartoonish and comical, with exaggerated expressions, bright colors, and overplayed features on the cats — and everybody loves it. The creators have gone on to design You’ve Got Crabs, Imploding Kittens, a Game of Cat and Mouth, and more; their visual game design is recognizable across all the games, and their audiences actively seek out games with similar design. In fact, Inman even had a long-running webcomic, The Oatmeal, in the same visual style that garnered a large fan following. The visual design can extend beyond simple aesthetics to include marketing techniques and player retention.
- Experience Design:
Experience design is a useful, often overlooked aspect to consider. This “experience design” could also be called empathy design, and it refers to how designers can place players for just a moment into a different life. You could compare this to User Experience design for websites and products. Through game pieces, cards, and strategy, players can become another person, playing the life of a situation completely different from their own. A game designer must have a solid understanding of people and their motivations to truly succeed in this lesser addressed aspect of game design. After all, games are designed for people to play, so understanding the players makes the difference between a fantastic game and one that is just okay. Tied with the strategy design in the interactions of characters, experience design is essential in bridging the connection from playing a game to becoming invested in it. The game Bang!, for instance, provides each player with a different role. If you’re the sheriff, you have specific tasks and goals, and you even get to wear a fancy badge (physical design coming in handy). The game is completely different if you’re assigned an outlaw, and you have separate strengths and abilities. Players are also assigned a character from the wild west, and they can relate even further through their character’s special attributes. Furthermore, if done correctly, a well-designed board game can even inspire social or political discussion and commentary. A game can position a player in a place of moral questioning and inspire reflection, challenge political or cultural opinions, and raise awareness for issues one may be less inclined to consider if not actively engaged in the situation. The most obvious example of this is Monopoly, a game originally intended to highlight the problems with land grabbing and extreme accumulation of wealth. Another, more modern example is the less successful California Water Crisis, a game designed to raise awareness about the drought and current water conditions Californian residents have faced and will face in the future. The elements of experience design are about designing the interactions between players and between the game itself and how these combine with other aspects to create the final product.
Genres of Board Games:
On top of the above, board game design can also build on numerous different genres to help with theme, visuals, and strategy. A genre can help guide designers through the design process and provide default strategies and plays. You’re probably familiar with the Classic Family games like Monopoly and Chutes and Ladders, which were made with high levels of luck to be fun for all ages. Many people are familiar with Abstract Games too, such as Chess, Checkers, and Go. These games are often designed for two players and involve complex strategies to outwit opponents. Eurogames are a more modern genre in board games, with popular hits like Settlers of Catan, Trajan, and Ticket to Ride. This broad genre is based on German styles, and it usually includes set numbers of turns, low levels of luck, and strong narrative themes that inform the design. Another more modern genre is the aptly named DeckBuilder where players build their hands throughout the game and can pick from a variety of card types; Dominion, Star Realms, and Friday all fall into this category. There are even board games that fall under the title of Dungeon-Crawlers, a name typically reserved for video games, that involve leveling up, random events, and equipment, such as Gloomhaven, Munchkin, and Nemesis. The last genre I’ll mention is Social Deduction, a common type of party game. These include games intended to trick your friends and entertain large groups: A Fake Artist Goes to New York, Cards Against Humanity, and Secret Hitler.
As I mentioned, board game design is extremely broad and two games can be different in hundreds of ways, so keep in mind that these are just a few board game genres of many. However, this can serve as a starting point in board game design, especially if you are unfamiliar with the concepts. You can find more genres and descriptions here, and if you’d like to search for games via genre, check out Board Game Geek’s search tool. With the mass digitization of board games, you can even try out some of the games above for research via your phone or computer. Especially if you are new to board games, check out genres that fit your interests: it’ll give you a background in board games and could possibly inspire you to pursue a new idea!
The Process:
As with most areas of design, board game design cannot be boiled down into set steps you must follow in order to create the perfect game; there is no “right” way to approach game development. That said, there are certain paths and tips that are used often for game design that can give you an overview of necessary elements.
- Ideation
Compared to other design processes like product design, the ideation stage for board game design often comes at the beginning of the design process; you are not designing a product with the intention of solving a problem (in general), so ideation can be entirely based on what you want. As with other realms of design, it can be useful to draw inspiration from experiences in your own lives; for instance, as a college student, I could draw on my personal experiences and make a strategy game focused on finishing a degree. Or, as an amateur baker, I could draw on my recipes to make a deck building game about combining ingredients and stealing dishes from opponents. If books and stories are more your forte, you can even base your game around a particular work of fiction; Marrying Mr. Darcy is designed entirely around the plot of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and involves all of the famous characters (and dating them!). If you find yourself stuck in the idea phase, try modifying a game you already play and enjoy and exploring the aspects you like and dislike about it. You can also use the themes discussed above to narrow down your choices and guide your brainstorming; if you already know you want a social dedication game, you can begin to think about areas in life in which deduction is commonly used, like secret agents, murder mysteries, social situations, and more. This is also the stage in which you’ll start considering different ideas for strategic design and narratives you may want to follow.
- Mechanisms/Logistics
Once you have your basic idea for the board game, you can move on to fleshing it out and organizing the specifics. You must now decide what the game is going to be about in particular and how exactly it will be played. Consider aspects like how many players can participate, what each round will look like, and how will the game progress. The choices a player can make are also essential to this step, as you need to work out how many choices should be available, how those choices would be made, and what impact those choices can have on players and their interactions with each other. Strategy design is the main focus of this area, with the goal being a rough outline of what the gameplay will look like. Considering the strategic aspects of the game and how it will eventually be won is important to build the framework that the rest of the mechanisms depend on. Physical design is also critical, as you should start thinking about what physical aspects will be needed to enact your strategy and assist gameplay. Try to stay within this stage until you can confidently answer logistical questions about your game and all of the general mechanics are considered. Even if you don’t know all of the specifics, planning the outline of game play to the best of your ability will save you time and understanding; you’ll probably find the answers to those specifics as you continue to work, so thinking about the questions you may have is essential. You’ll also want to examine alternative strategies and ideas in the situation that something needs to be adjusted. Your current design may be very rough, and that is completely fine: the goal at this stage is to get your idea as far as possible and consider all of the aspects that interest you. Expect to return to this stage again and again as you refine your design and work through playtesting.
- Content development
This step is where both narrative design and visual design come into play and depends heavily on the strategy you designed in the previous stage. If you decided to do more of an abstract game, this step may be less involved as there is less content needed. However, if your strategy from before was designed for a storytelling game, the narrative and visual design aspects will be more content heavy and detailed. For example, in the game Guillotine, based on the French Revolution, the content includes cards for French nobles in the Aristocracy, the Church, the government, and the general public, as well as action cards to impact the nobles. Here you move on to the underlying narrative design and what story you want to place your board game in, furthering the game interactions and your plans for gameplay. You should build on your strategy and begin to think about ways that the content of your game enhances the interactions between players and the in-game choices. Visual design assists with the immersive aspects of the game as this is also the step where art is developed for the cards, the board, and any extra pieces. You should also make an effort to simplify any rules you previously considered; remember, the game should not be complicated for the players, so establishing areas to simplify early one can help you from creating a difficult game.
- Test and Retest
Unsurprisingly, board game design also includes a large amount of product testing, adjusting, and testing again. As board games are player-based and intended to run smoothly, it makes sense that there would be a strong aspect of iterative design. To know if a board game actually succeeds, you should recruit friends, family, and professionals to try out the game and share any feedback needed. Ideally, you should seek out your target audience to make your game more effective; your design will change depending on if you’re designing a game for children, advanced players, students, and others. Playtesting repeatedly is the most effective way to ensure that your game not only works well but is enjoyable and memorable for players. As you test and retest your board game, you’ll have to go through the previous steps repeatedly and probably out of order; this is the time in which you’ll actually see your strategy and narrative designs in action, and it can be both tiring and exhilarating.
- Production
The final step in the board game design process is production. Although less important to the design process, production is an important step to keep in mind, especially if you are looking at costs and benefits. For those looking to actually produce the game they create, an idea of budgeting must be integrated into every aspect of the design phase. For instance, physical design may be limited if you have monetary constraints and cannot afford to produce too many external pieces. If you plan to print out cards themselves, the limitations on printer ink, color, and size must be taken into account before any physical or visual aspects are implemented. This area provides a new challenge for you to overcome and represents yet another way board game design forces the designer to think critically about a project from all angles. The game Codenames is a perfect example of using physical design while saving money; the game features pieces to place on top of cards that have one word on them; to save printing costs, each card is double-sided, and the library of words doubles without much more monetary strain.
Especially in the midst of a pandemic, we need any possible way to stay connected with each other and lighten the day. Board games have successfully served this purpose throughout time, and what better way to challenge yourself to create something joyful and entertaining! You can find even more games, rankings, and tips through Board Game Design Lab and Board Game Geek. Better yet, go out and get some firsthand board game experience too: grab a deck of cards, some dice, or a board game, enroll your household in a game night, and have fun! You know, for research purposes. Given the online world, you may also consider converting your game night into an online format. Figma has an interesting selection, Tabletop Simulator has tons of classic board games, and a simple search will find even more for inspiration and entertainment. Some of my favorite pandemic online board game sites are Broken Picturephone, the online version of Codenames, and PlayingCards. Play the games, learn the strategies, and get inspired!
