I do not really like abstractions and conventions in board gamesoh. I have repeatedly spoke about this, told about various manipulations with game maps and various fictional entities. And recently in the comments formulated my thought shortly and clearly: I do not like to play mechanics.

And it is impossible to say that before everything was different. At the dawn, I enjoyed the ones with the ones, I enjoyed various Euroigra, but then the first signs were made away. For example, I did not like Puerto-Rico.. Then I did not feel the pleasure of Ilyad.. Did not become a constant guest on the table Anima: Shadow of Omega. I did not joke to fans Citadel. And all because these games seem to me extremely mechanistic. The mechanics are not visible the topic.

Mechanical games make you remember the traditional card games in which one and the same deck can be played in a bunch of everything. Depending on the selected mechanics, it may be a "drunkard" that plays a player. It can be "worms", a game of bleak mixture and calculation. It can be "poker", "fool", "preference", "goat" and many other options. And each time the game remains mechanical. Before you, suit, numbers, and no background and plot.

Similarly, many card planes remain for me the game in the mechanics. Is the same Race for the Galaxy. I admit, the game is good, but still there is no intelligible goal. Production of victorious glasses is a solid abstraction. And it repels me from the game. Is the same Innovationwhich I still did not really progress. The game has the potential, a bunch of action options and interactions. But they are built in the form of naked mechanics. The discharge of cards on the table, applying them to the pile and shifting these most stacks to the parties - this is an exceptional abstraction, which is absolutely not overlapping the development of civilization.

Here, however, there is a nuance. Some games I love just for the mechanics. And yet I do not know where the face is. How to separate the uninteresting stands with the "game in the mechanics" from interesting. One of the hypotheses is well accepting abstract games. Or abstract, but with a small topic of the topic. how Quorridor or Hive..

But one can say definitely. Previously, two or three years ago I did not think about it at all, and now I understand that my tastes evolved. Now I like themed games. I want to play on the stands "about the race", "about firefighters", "about the conquest of space", and not about, for example, "exhibiting workers" or "decay on the table of cards in a certain order." And at the same time I want to play in thematic gameswhere the mechanics are licked and well stacked in the topic. Although I repeat, there are exceptions to this rule. The same Dominion.. Themes in it, but play it for me - pleasure.

Related records

Gaming designer Jan Schreiber, who worked on projects such as Marvel Trading Card Game and Playboy: The Mansion. In the second chapter of the book, designers get acquainted with the concepts of "mechanics", "dynamics", "gaming state" and so on.

Chemists and physics have been working on the fact that they are trying to identify the smallest of the determined particles of substances and how these particles interact with each other. Gamedizin is a much more young sphere, however, designers trying to determine the smallest determined components of the game in the same way.

The design of each component of the game can be engaged individually, and understanding what these components are and how they interact are necessary for the development or analysis of the completed game. Components of games, "Atoms" of the game-design - that's what the whole chapter is.

Working out the game, many newcomer designs have no idea what to start. Ready game like the World of Warcraft is so huge and extensive that start the development of a holistic thing with an outline is impossible to the task. Even in the case of a relatively simple game, it seems like the "monopoly" is not entirely clear, from what place the design begins: it begins with the players' figures, with the chance cards or from the "Joint Charitable Foundation" cards, from the playing field, from the rules or where What else? When considering the game as a totality of atoms, the process of its development becomes clearer.

As a warning - developers and scientists choose the masses of different definitions of the word "game", and even more - options for understanding what game is made up. The following is one of the ways to categorize games, but not the only one. Designers who consider these discussions as interesting are called to expand these definitions.

Gaming condition and Ferris field

To understand the games, it is useful to look at the whole picture entirely. For a moment, draw in my imagination the game in which you recently played. Consider everything that happens in the game or may change in it if someone makes an action or get out of the pause menu. We call this picture by the game condition - a set of all relevant virtual information that can change during the game.

In chess, gaming condition includes a set of figures, their position on the board and accurate information based on the already perfect moves (for example, which of the players has the right to make a castle, which pawns can be taken on the passage whose queue goes).

In poker, the gaming condition includes: the hand of each player and its chips; sweat size; whose queue to bet; Who threw the cards on the current hand; What cards remained in the deck and in what order and so on. In video games, the gaming condition may be incredibly complex in composition; in last game Madden, for example, the gaming state contains information about each player, about each possible action and about each of the action already performed throughout the game.

Thanks to the examples of the examples, it is clear: the players are not always aware of the whole game state as a whole. The segment of the gaming state that the player can see, we will define here as a Ferris field.

In chess, the Ferris field includes all the gaming state, because there is no hidden information in this game. In the Rial Time Strategy (RTS) there is a fog of war, and each player has its own Ferris field, which can expand at the expense of not yet explored possessions and territories. In MMO, the player in principle can not know what is happening in good half virtual Mira Outside its Furniture Field.

Thus, we came to the game space, the full game area. It can be a board on which they play a game, a huge MMO or a separate level in the campaign in the first person shooter (FPS). In the game with an alternative or extended reality (ARG) it may be a player city, the Internet, the usual player's residence or a whole world.

Players, avatars and gaming particles

The game space can be somehow small or large, but without players the game will not work. All games for definition should have players, because players are those who set the rules on the go.

In the digital worlds, the player is often personified in the avatar game. In non-quixiform games, players are also personified, but in this case there is no single term, it varies from the game to the game ("symbol" or "pawn" - such words are often featured in the description of the game rules).

In this book, we will consider something that personifies the player in the game world as an avatar. This is what the players indicate their location in the Ferris field. In the "Monopolies" Avatars - thimble, car, little dog. In Trivial Pursuit - Pie. In chess - king (the rest of the shapes here in order to protect the king). In typical FPS - soldiers or part of the weapon on the screen. In many 3D video games, you see the back of your avatar, while he explores the world.

In some games avatar in the game space is not. Instead, the player personifies himself. This is true for poker, Risk and Civilization Revolution video games. In the last small soldiers and artillery implements protect the player - the ruler. Also, many video games in the RTS genre do not have avatars.

Avatar is different from the fact that board games designers are unofficially called "game particles", which represent material items necessary to play the game. Particles include such things as property cards, a cube, plastic military figures in Risk, action cards and mana, jewelry in Pretty Pretty Princess. In video games, we often define these gaming particles as an "art assets" when discussing icons, sprites and models, as well as "objects" when we speak about their representative in the program code.

These particles themselves are things, the names of which for you are certainly familiar: NPCs, objects, monsters, enemies, and so on.

The current set of all avatars and particles (and players, if we are talking about Twister-related games, directly related to physical agility) is a component of the gaming state in a universal game space.

Mechanics

Game mechanics - that's what makes the game space really very interesting. "Game mechanics" is another definition for the fact that many are usually called the rules. Meanwhile, in the industry, the term "mechanics" is common place. Mechanics - this is how something works. If you make X, then y. If X is true, then you can do Y. in the "Monopolies" if you looked like you can buy it. If you are throwing out the greatest number, you go first. All these are simple mechanics.

For game devices, game mechanics are strikingly cool pieces. Imagine a cook who has spices, or a carpenter with a wooden bar. Mechanics makes every gameidizer to ask yourself a question: "What can I do with it?" Mechanics are associated with a set of features. Such a creative process for many designers is represented as a game to create this game itself.

In other words, mechanics are rules that affect players, avatars, gaming particles, game state, Ferris field and describe all ways to change the gaming state.

Mechanics - the ingredients of gamedizayne. Their understanding is extremely necessary for all geimidizers. In fact, you can even search for board games on their mechanics on BoardGameGeek.com.

• Installation. There should always be to induce at least one rule describing how the game begins.
• Victory conditions. Always be present at least one rule describing how to win in the game. Some games like unlimited role-playing games (RPG) do not contain the conditions of victory. Therefore, some designers do not consider such as games. Others believe that the performance of a special task is a victory, because after that the player switches to the following task.
• The course of the game. Who goes first and how? Step-by-step or Rial Time game? If a step-by-step, then it starts with a certain player, and then all walk clockwise or players set resources to the auction for the fight for the right to go first in each round, or according to some other method? If the game Rial Time and two players try to do something at the same time, how is it allowed?
• Player actions. Sometimes are defined as "teams", some of the most important mechanics characterizing the fact that players can do and what effect these actions are on the game state.
• Field definitions (s) Furnishing. Mechanics accurately determines which information player can possess at any particular point in time. Note that some mechanics can change the Ferris field as an example - partially dissipating under certain conditions of the fog of war in RTS.

Some combinations of the mechanic compared to other people to learn much easier. For example, in the desktop game Scotland Yard Mr. X woven around the surroundings of London, trying to avoid catching. It is manifested only for every third move, and everything else remains hidden. The game is based exclusively on the strategy. And in it, people play not as easy as, say, in Sorry.

Dynamics

"Game Dynamics" is a model of the game that arises from the mechanics after the players led it to move. For example, during this book, we refer to some of the most common speakers, such as the "race to the end" and "coverage of the territory". The establishment of the territory in itself is only one of the types of greater set of speaker (and, by default, continuous use).

The following games among other speakers include and exclude a territory:

• Civilization;
• STARCRAFT;
• Risk;
• Axis & Allies;
• Diplomacy;

And all these games are based on the race to the end:

• Mario Kart;
• Candyland;
• THE GAME OF LIFE;
• Chutes & Ladders.

At least these games and combines the overall dynamics, however, the mechanics used in them to achieve this dynamic - in each game different.

It is worth noting that the speakers are the components of the game experience, but not all of them are defined in detail or supported by mechanics - for example, the interaction between players arising outside the gaming state (it is customary to be called "methaim"). Some of the examples of methaim-speaken: negotiations between players, discussions, their associations, online chat, boastful or offensive statements.

Tasks

And on top of all already described pieces with a separate layer - game tasks. The final gaming task is, of course, the achievement of victory. Sometimes gaming tasks are called "missions" or "quests".

For the performance of tasks, as a rule, awards are issued that motivate players crush creatures, look for treasures, equipped with all the best and best armor and compete with their friends. In the FPS, the task often consists in killing the enemy, capture the flag or the fogging hostages. In The Age of Discovery, one of the tasks of players - to make new seaside lands.

Subject

Bohnanza is a game of growing beans. Super Mario Bros - a player playing a pylish kingdom in order to save the princess. Katamari Damacy is a game of a prince, which is obliged to recreate the stars in the sky, randomly destroyed by the king of all the universe. However, all the games at such an angle cannot be considered; Tetris is not a game of something.

Nothing described above is strictly necessary for the gameplay. Legend can perform at least search for lost mittens, even though related soulFrom the point of view of mechanics it will be the same. And at the same time, any motive for the persecution of the killer will make the game more attractive.

There is a lot of concept names, the meaning of which is that the game "About something." It is defined as a topic as coloring as history or narrative and many other terms. In this book, we use the term "theme" in order to describe the aspect of the games, which, although it is located outside the mechanics, but still somehow, if it is well selected, does that mechanics are perceived more naturally.

What first

Gaming condition, avatars, mechanics, dynamics, theme ... where does the designer begin?

From the point of view of the game developer, odds may be any. Let's say you want to create a game based on resource collection. With the dynamics were determined, now you need to select the appropriate mechanics. What exactly should she be to achieve the dynamics of resource collection? There is also a question of the topic. What exactly will we collect, what will make a player to pick up?

The designer can start with the theme. The theme of the board game Redneck Life is worked out at such an extent that the feeling makes a feeling that the designer first created the topic, and then he invented how to fill it with her.

A certain mechanic can also be used as the basis of the game. In the case of Katamari Damacy, the mechanic rolling over the object and the selection of it will thus forms the basis for everything else in this game, and it is probably the mechanic was developed first. The same with countless FPS: everything starts with shooting mechanics, and then something is at the top.

Comparison of results

As an example, imagine that you are engaged in a design of a physical card game, the topic for which is the production of cars. The desired dynamics - the race to the victorious end, which provides for the player to build a car faster than the opponent. Mechanics who will allow this to carry out:

• Pull the card.
• Play card (or place it or drop it).

Gaming particles would be:

• Maps (each card depicts a car component, and to build auto entirely, you need to collect 10 cards).

The player himself personifies himself, so the avatar is not needed here.

In these components themselves in this stage there are little from the game. All games at this stage have little from the game. The essence is to take something basic, basic game - and then make it more interesting for the player by adding elements of strategy, chance, adding or removing the mechanic, thereby contributing to the strengthening of "playability". In this case, as an illustration, we can add the following mechanics and gaming particles:

• Production system of supply.
• Production pricing that will force players to allocate workers, spare parts and the like in order to achieve an optimal production result
• Sabotage that allows one player to interfere with the operation of the other player's supply system.
• Random cards that make an element of good luck by causing failures in production, prices falling, favorable reviews in the press and so on.
• Prototype of games about cars. In the first iteration of the game, you need to collect 10 cards to build cars, however, the game is not yet particularly fascinating.

Depending on the maps and selected strategy, this game may well become fascinating. For many designers, the creation of games is not only an exhaust of skill, but also the opportunity to get great to work in the course of work.

Learn to experiment and enjoy your design and design process. Remember that you can create a game of anything. If the process initially discourages and scares, it is normal. The irony is that some gamers feel more comfortable by creating levels for shooters in a digital editor than creating board games. However, these two environmental development environments provide for the use of the same building blocks.

Get on the design of the game - and "come to the hook".

Chellandji

The challenges described in this chapter are becoming more complex; Their goal is to work out a sense of comfort in the process of game design in non-federated format. In the remaining chapters, the process will be built on the basis of the above. The proposed options will allow you to move one of the following ways:

Challenge First - "Path"

To develop this game, you will need to deepen in the gameplay type "Race to the end" and the dynamics we have discussed above.

The game should allow players (in quantity from 2 to 4) to advance along the path by which you need to go from point A to paragraph B. The first player in paragraph B wins.

You as a game designer will have to determine the topic, gaming particles and mechanics.

Required components:

Received Results:

• desktop prototype
• or a card prototype
• or tile prototype
• or written on one page text with the detail of potential gamedizayne.

The proposed process:

• Determine the topic and goal.

Where should players go and why should they go there? Select the topic that includes any interaction between the participants so that the game becomes more interesting.

• Determine the mechanics.

Start with a simple. Imagine a way from beginning to end, and this path is divided into several different sectors. It can be 100 intervals or tiles or cards that ultimately form the path for which players will have to "go charming". Now think about the mechanics that will promote your players on this path. The simplest way - It is throwing a playing cube (bone). Now think about how to make the game more interesting. For example, you can enter any action, thanks to which the player slows down or speeds up its opponent.

Does it imply any obvious mechanics? For example, if your game is dedicated to the running relay, you will need a way to transfer the relay stick (perhaps the high speed of running provides a greater chance to drop a wand during transmission). To add interactions between players in a walking race, you may have to adjust the topic, for example, making runners with robots with lasers that can shoot each other, which involves the introduction of shooting and evasion mechanics.

• Determine the conflict between players.

How can a player damage the progress of another player or contribute to his own progress? What compromises can be?

• Pletest.

Each time you add mechanics to the game, test it. Does this game more interesting or boring? Does she support the core of the game? Does she work exactly as you originally assumed?

• Create the results obtained.

Options:

Try to go through this process again and create a different game. This time start with the mechanic and only after that create a suitable topic. You will notice that both of these paths will allow you to create a perfectly good game, but your mental process will be very different at the same time.

Challenge second - "This is my!"

In this challenge you will delve into the dynamics of territorial seizure. If you have not yet noted, this speakers are present in the absolute majority of desktop games created today. As in the previous example, this game is designed for players in quantity from 2 to 4. The game obviously should have some kind of gaming territory that can be captured. You can choose from two conditions for winning:

• Wins the one who captures the whole territory.
• Or wins the one who after x moves will capture more territory.

You like gamedizainer to identify the topic, gaming particles and mechanics.

Required components:

• materials for creating a prototype.

Received Results:

• desktop prototype
• or a card prototype
• or tile prototype.

Estimated process:

More precisely - what do players try to conquer? Swamp? Peatman? Maybe this is a gang of wild monkeys who are going to capture the zoo at night? Remember that the topic is not obligatory, but if it is, it helps the game designers, especially new, identify the potential dynamics.

Continue using the same steps as in the first challenge.

Challenge Third - "When I find you ..."

We talked about two universal play speakers in this chapter - the race to the end and the seizure of the territory. However, these are only two of the whole set of possible speaker. Another general dynamics includes a study and study of the territory around, the entire reasoned review. For this exercise, focus on the study dynamics. At first, see how it is used in MMO, adventure games and RPG. In some adventure games, the very essence of the game is the dynamics "Explore each location". Also look like it is originally friendly in desktop games such as CLUE.

You have to create a game in which 2-4 people play. Since the game includes a study, some space is needed, accessible to research, even if this space is not physical. You can use this dynamics in connection with the other.

You will depend on the development of the topic, mechanics, components and additional materials.

Required components:

• materials for creating a prototype.

Received Results:

• desktop prototype
• or a card prototype
• or tile prototype.

Estimated process:

• Determine the topic if you wish.

What will play players? All anything from the garage parking to the village on the tops of the trees, the center of Chicago or the fantastic world in heaven. We also think about what a player may think about the research process. These speakers will give the ground to develop the mechanic you need.

Continue in accordance with the same steps that are set out in the first challenge.

Chellenge Fourth - "Gather it"

To go through some object to raise it (collect) is a phenomenally widely used mechanic in video games, it leads to the dynamics of collecting (collecting). There are, of course, and other ways to collect anything. Think about how the Mario, Poker and Bejeweled picking up in games is introduced. In this exercise, you will take some kind of mechanics and on its basis will make the game. This is a somewhat more complex Challenge than to build a game on the dynamics, which implies and the beginning and the end.

You must create a game for 2-4 players in which players pass on objects and "collect" them. What players need to collect (three identical objects, monochrome object and so on.) And how much you need to collect - this solution depends on you as from the designer.

Modifying mechanics are also allowed. For example, you can oblige players to collect something, only when they land on this something, or to use a wheelbarrow that first needs to be obtained before you begin to collect it with it. You can choose the topic, components and symbols, if applicable. Also, if you need, you can use additional mechanics.

It is important to pay attention to the narrative. Here you can help Breints. Think about this game first as a horticultural game, then about the gangster game, then about the racing game. Each of the topics will bring new opportunities to the game.

Required components:

• materials for creating a prototype.

Received Results:

• desktop prototype
• or a card prototype
• or tile prototype.

Estimated process:

• The object of the game (the main goal) is ...

If you can't come up with how to start, there is one way - start with the name of the goal or task, the execution of which will finish the game. This will help arrange additional mechanics and dynamics for you.

For example, if the game object is possessing the highest amount of points to the expiration of time, it already puts two important questions in front of you: how do players get glasses and how is playing game play in the game?

The object of the game may be associated with the topic, in this case it will be easier for you to develop the main goal (object object) and narrative at the same time or first create a topic, and then - the game object. For example, if you are Gangster, returning after the bank's robbery, then the main goal is to save as much money as possible for myself and you can easily hide before the cops arrive.

• Identify the mechanics and dynamics.

Having a theme and main goal, you will most likely have a multitude of ideas for mechanics and speakers to maintain the game based on the core. If nothing comes to mind, come up with new topic And the main goal - and try again.

• Pletest.

Options:

Think about another universal game mechanics - shooting on targets, avoiding clashes with enemies, raising the level of your character. Recycle this challenge using this mechanics instead of collecting mechanics.

Challenge for harsh designers - "War without Fronts"

In games with the dynamics of territorial seizure, especially in the game on the military theme, the territories are rarely captured using a comical walking race. Usually the capture goes through violence and death (the game part of another player), regardless of how abstractly it is served. As a result of this death, the top player takes the territory of another. Who captured the territory, wins the war. Another universal dynamics - "destroy the opponent opposing you" - used for games in which there are no territories.

In this exercise, however, you will leave for these traditional frames. Make a battle simulator in the Civil War without territorial seizure and without the destruction of the entire enemy force as the main game dynamics.

Divide the teams of 2-4 people. Each of the teams should come up with the best game stacked in the above criteria. For more steep Challenge, let each command choose an additional mechanic or a speaker that will not be allowed to use another command.

Required components:

• materials for creating a prototype.

Received Results:

• desktop prototype
• or a card prototype
• or tile prototype.

Estimated process:

• Determine the topic.

What battle will your game impersonate?

• Determine the mechanics.

Without capturing the territory, does it make any sense to provide the territory? Perhaps yes, and maybe not. Think how else the player can win besides the capture of the entire territory. What could be the goal except the territory? What mechanics can be involved by a player to achieve this goal?

• Enter the conflict between players.
• Pletest.

Each time you enter a new mechanics - test.

• Create the results provided.

Options:

Instead of civil war, choose any other conflict. The first and second world wars are the most obvious choice. You can also choose something else, for example, a war of corporations, hostility between neighbors, competing of retail chains.

Summing up 2015 according to Mirf (and network battles around them) revealed an explicit desktop favorite among readers. Pandemic: Legacy honestly earned the audience award - since the autumn release, its popularity and does not think to fall. The situation is amazing. The game is really good, but not new. The two components of the "engine" of the original "pandemic" and the Legacy mechanics were successfully used separately, but did not have such success.

If you look into the recent past, you can find a lot of mischievous games that, after a successful redesign, easily climbed to the top of the desktop Olympus. Vinci ever in the summer and the world famous SmallWorld. Two attempts to repeat the success of "Puerto Rico": Race for the Galaxy and San Juan. The first spawned a whole line of games, the second limited to a modest addition of 40 cards. Netrunner liked "Tekhnaram" in the 1996th, but only after sixteen years, the efforts of another publisher, received a strong gaming community. These games are different, but unites their winding path to success. Blackboard, error in marketing, not the target audience ... Not all errors of developers and publishers relate to the game mechanic. Everything is a comparison: putting a chait of sales and his ideological progenitor near the hit, we immediately see the difference between the excellent and just a good game.

We will try to trace the wonderful transformations and understand why the developers gave not the best-selling games of the second chance and how they managed to make a masterpiece, just blown dust from the box on the far shelf.

Pandemic: Legacy and Risk: Legacy

The original "pandemic" made a lot of noise in 2008 - it was sought by huge circulations and won a lot of awards, including the nomination at Spiel Des Jahres and Golden Geek Award in the family games category. It was an excellent cooperative of the European School, but the first line of the world ranking was not submitted to him. Experienced players rescue the world from diseases managed to get bored, because, in addition to the roles of characters, only the location of the epidemic cards in the deck influenced the game. The situation corrected additions, but the basic game seven years later was difficult to return the previous attention.

Legacy mechanics to Pandemic managed to show itself in one of the new versions of Risk. A set of updated game included stickers changing rules. Even before the first party, players solved what regions to celebrate coins, and in the future cities were founded, added to the game of mercenaries, introduced new properties of fractions. A complete plot cycle (with the opening of all or almost all envelopes with stickers) was completed for 15-17 games. The players positively met innovations and drew their rules to play it was interesting and further. The basic rules of "risk" were also subject to change that went to the game only to favor. Although the fulfillment of missions, instead of capturing the world, appeared in the previous version, with the new mechanics, this innovation was finally fulfilled to fully implement.

Why exactly "Pandemic" opened Legacy mechanics for tables? "Risk" for most Gicks is "as a monopoly, only about war", game, not standing attention. "Pandemic" stickers revived even stronger - the pursuit of the medicine began to resemble a plenty series. Envelopes in Pandemic: Legacy has become more. The game tracks the progress of the campaign: if players start playing too often - it becomes easier if they won it is more difficult. In the "risk" stickers also influence the balance, but it remained to be mistaken and helping to help themselves, and the enemy and then suffer from a dozen parties in a row.

SmallWorld and Vinci.

The textbook example: the game that thormed by the mechanic gathered the miser praises of critics and was quickly forgotten. Vinci is a typical Euro in the relevant historical setting. At the same time, the rules made by SmallWorld are incredibly popular, attended here almost in full. Europe map, albeit barely recognizable, sea-grass-forest sea. Accidentally generated properties like astronomers and slave traders. Slow promotion of empire works in the same way: two default chips and one for each obstacle. Even a brilliant idea with "extinction" appeared in Vinci.

The processing of abstract European wars in the Fantasy war was engaged in Philip Caeart, author of the original game. Changes he will bring mainly cosmetic. A cube appeared and the possibility of the last conquest of "low blood". From the properties stood in separate category Races, which, by the way, significantly improved the balance. There are several new properties, but most moved from Vinci. The aforementioned astronomers became Morelods, and the slave traders turned into an orcs. Cards appeared on a different number of players - earlier the game was scaled using additional creatures of creatures.

We will be honest: the reissue of Vinci remembered us not thanks to the new rules. Let's say Thanks to the publishing house Days of Wonder and his artists. Faceless chips turned into amazons and wizards, each trifle, from the hand dragon to the hobby hole, received a colorful embodiment in the cardboard. The game has become not only more beautiful, but it is much more convenient - thanks to the organizer in the box. Toppers are considered a good tone first of all appreciate the mechanics of the game, but there are few mechanics alone. SmallWorld showed how we really love good decoration and high-quality printing.

Race for the Galaxy and San Juan

Finding German games are not so often publishers prefer to produce new games from famous authors. Only the most reliable brands are exploited: "Carcasson", "Colonizers", "Alhambra". The success of "Puerto Rico" aggregated Ravensburger to publish another game about merchants and governors. Anti-Rico: The Card Game wrote against the box, and San Juan, in honor of the capital "almost 51st states." The game was met warm, but for two years later she disappeared into the shadow of Race for the Galaxy ("Fight for the Galaxy"). The economic strategy of Tom Lehmann could be another "San Juan", but preferred deep space. Even nine years later, add-ons continue to go to her, and Spin-off Roll For The Galaxy came close to his progenitor in the ranking of the BoardGamegeek.com website.

San Juan is much easier than Race for the Galaxy. The roles were moved from Puerto Rico unchanged, except that now all actions are paid not to money, and cards with hands. The mayor and the gold killer replenish the hand, the builder builds the building, the merchant and the manufacturer allow you to recruit all the same cards in large quantitiesthat is somewhat longer, but in general is more reliable. Good family game, confused hard. Whether the case is Race for the Galaxy! It is simply impossible to find a more complex for beginner. Incomprehensible icons, non-attormitive phases of the game, complex mechanics of production chains ... How did such a game fell in love with the guy?

An insight comes after the second-third party in the "struggle for the Galaxy". Card "Puerto Rico" and must be difficult! "San Juan", having lost his colonists, victorious glasses and ships, lost much. Came another game. Judge for yourself: the victorious glasses returned to the Race for the Galaxy, and they enable an opportunity for an alternative victory, when no one has put 12 cards. The maps were divided into two types: worlds and improvements, each put into their phase and support different game styles. It is possible to trade for cards, and for victory points, to the "peaceful" strategy added "military", allowing you to quickly capture dear Mira. The option of the game together, with the ability to duplicate phases, displays planning to a new level. Probably, that is why the website BoardGamearena.com, Race for The Galaxy remains the most popular game.

NetRunner CCG and Android: NetRunner LCG

Ninetie - the time of Kki, meaningless and merciless. Everything became the theme for new boosters: from World War II to "Xena - Queen Warriors." Most of The games of that time did not get to us, and they are not sorry. At first glance it is strange that such a fate fell and NetRunner. While all the rest of the game tried to copy Magic: The Gathering and sent the hordes of creatures to attack the cities and each other, Netrunner allowed the hacker to steal maps from the corporation deck, breaking through the protection of firewalls. By the way, all the cards of the corporation played closed! However, after the basic release, only two additions and several promotional cards came out to the game, and she went into the fly. To blame for this publisher. MTG support required resources, and spend them for another similar project seemed irrational. Netrunner fall into other hands, everything could be different. As a result, it turned out. Wizards of the Coast was purchased Hasbro, and the license for NetRunner was sold to Fantasy Flight Games publishing house. The game was resurrected in 2012, in the format of a lively card game, that is, with pre-famous sets of cards in boxes. Such a policy attracted the attention of those who did not want to get involved in waste collecting, and the new Netrunner on a par with Game of Thrones LCG became one of the flagships of the publisher.

As in the case of Vinci and SmallWorld, the rules of the new and old game practically coincided. The FFG team only slightly converted the tournament rules and introduced seven gaming factions, as well as the rules for "Multitiluvet". In this case, the ideas of the original NetRunner were borrowed gradually: "double" events (two activation actions) appeared in Android: NetRunner only to the second cycle of additions. Big sales promoted equipment starting set - Among all the card games from FFG, he turned out to be the most reigger.

* * *

The success of the game on sale and its fame depend on many things. To the storming of the Top BoardGameGeek and all sorts of awards, the geimidizer, the artist and the marketer should be prepared together. Of the three criteria - mechanics, registration, getting into the target audience - a great game is obliged to two of the closest competitors and be at least an average level of the third. Exploding kittens can gain a breathtaking amount on the "kickstarter", but they will not have to count on the second same circulation.

Let's give the second chance of "bad" to mechanics. If you do not like "Dominion", try "Star Empire" or Rune Age. You can't tolerate "mafia"? "Find for Spy" and Avalon will change the idea of \u200b\u200bgames with secret roles. Tried Dungeons & Dragons and do not want to hear more about rolls? Get acquainted with Dungeon WORLD. Games are not always good from the first time. In the end, the first cars were slower than horses.

Development and publication on the example of the Elf Rage.

To bookmarks

Mechanics of Boy

So, we figured out the main characteristics of the board games (nor) and started developing the game. From the very beginning, I created the mechanic of the battle, tested it and realized that it works great, and then began to "hang out" the project to everyone else.

Battle layout

The fight is built on the lays down of cards in an unusual way - a cross. At each of them, except the characteristics of the character, there are directions for its attacks and initiative. As a result, the cards go in turn, and you choose which way they will attack. There was nothing of the kind, so we turned out to be pioneers.

At first glance, the system has an element of chance. We decided to add a mechanical action, and then increased the influence of the player on the outcome of the battle (as practice has shown, some were not enough and this).

The picture shows the transformation of the card from the prototype to the release. The leftmost card demonstrates that at first the battle was somewhat different, there are large indicators of values \u200b\u200bon it. It was assumed the use of root tokens, but they refused.

Actions

Actions - nothing unusual. Each card has its own action that you can play "out of the hand." Therefore, you have to choose which cards will fight, and which will remain in the hand "on support". This is a difficult choice: the stronger the map, the steeper it has an action. You will have to constantly balance and remember: if at the end of your course you have ended the cards in your hand, then other players will be easier to capture your lands.

Map

Map of territories - symmetrical for all players field. Opponents begin in equal terms. On the map there are castles, land and towers. Losing castle, you leave the game. The number of land is the size of your mana, within which you can apply your actions that have a certain price. The number of captured towers affects how many cards you take every move.

Field for four players

Hand

"Handbook" mechanics: the player has a restriction of five cards. Even if he takes ten cards every move, you have to leave only five. As a result, each move player complements the "hand", changing and dropping unnecessary cards.

Mechanics are very cunning. At first glance, it seems very simple, but in the game behaves differently: the restriction is forced to quickly adjust the "hand" for different tasks. It is also necessary to memorize which cards from the deck have already come out, and which remained.

Combinations and goals

Combinations. In each of the four game decks, we laid several combinations of actions that players will have to find (or think of their own). Sometimes they, to the surprise of the player, work completely accidentally. Combinations are both inside each deck and between decks. It turned out to be a completely non-obvious chip for beginners.

Capture goals.There are several of them, and all of them are secret. At the beginning you get one goal and follow it. You can follow it very clearly, but then the other players will understand what you are striving for, and will begin to interfere with you ahead of time. Therefore, it makes sense to deceive other players and make false moves in order not to attract unnecessary attention.

Recharactery

Recharge to achieve a separate task. As practice shows and many guy are considered, any desktop game with more or less complex rules is used four to five times, after which it exchanged or put on the shelf. So think: the total time of the game may not exceed 12 hours, and the money must be given, as for the disk with the "Witcher 3" for PS4, into which you can plunge 120 hours. The ratio of the time of the game to the cost in desktop games in a completely different level. As a result, four sides of the conflict appeared in our game, four different goals and two scenarios, which leads to a good number of attempts. With the new rules, we expanded the number of scenarios, and also entered the mode of the players' alliances - "two to two".

The game time is about 40 minutes for two experienced players, so if you sit at our game for the first time, then get ready to spend a couple of hours. At the same time, we recommend starting from two players why I explain below. Three or four people can sit at the table to two hours, but experienced players lay out this "solitaire" in 40 minutes.

We wanted to make a game with very simple and understandable rules, fast and dynamic. However, stating this, created in people incorrect expectations. Almost all players expected to see a beautifully decorated filler.

Now we sit down, let's leave the cards and disperse. Rules in four pages - well, what can be difficult here?

However, everything turned out to be at all. The game is strategic, and it does not forget this attitude towards yourself. People who approached our game and playing for the first time, sit in a lot of bewilderment - they do not know their cards, do not see combinations, they have a feeling that the game plays itself, and it all depends on the chance. Fortunately, it is completely wrong. Therefore, I recommend to start the game with the study of the deck and their actions. So you will understand (at least intuitively) which cards you need in the first session, and which of them are suitable for your type of game.

The game turned out more difficult than we presented it. Play together, threesome - not in a hurry and thoughtfully. "Tall" in four times for the first time, even if you are spotted testers, I do not recommend anyone. This Pro-mode for players who have already understood the rules perfectly.

For prototyping, I used the Visio package and a black and white printer. You still need scissors and a lot of free time.

Pro Testing

Coming time tests! Testing does not depend on many factors and can be strongly delayed. The better the rules will be worked out, the smaller you have problems after the start. This is not ki, in which you can fix the balance of the patch: having turned with the rules or components, you risks immediately blame your own and so an unknown name. Just imagine that you got a game from print, and on one card there is a wrong text that grips mechanics for the root, or allows you to dominate one fraction over another.

What to do? Send to people by mail this card? Ship notification on your site? Yes, of course, those who are interesting to buy and download such updates, but random buyers will simply remove the game to the shelf. Therefore, everything is like with games for old consoles: bugs should not be, and if they are, then non-critical.

Beginning of the game

Bugs board games

Mechanical bug. How much do not test, but someone will tested the game better than you, or just accidentally detect a hole in the rules using which will bring the suffering to other players, but most often - herself. This bug can only be cured by publishing updated rules on the site, as well as sending news on numerous publics. It is clear that the row is so-so, but otherwise, alas, in any way.

If your game lives to the second edition, you will simply print new rules where you will correct all these holes. You will not believe, but in the world there are neither in which it is impossible to play on the rules that are included in the kit (usually fault of both developers and non-developing localizers), so the players often come up with and lay out alternative "homerows" - own versions of rules .

Visual Bag - Also not uncommon. Somewhere when shest, inserted not the picture or chose not the color? All this leads to the fact that one card of 150 may be with an error. If it is a small bug, then nothing is terrible, but if it is very noticeable - it is better to get rid of it. Visual bugs include curve printing. Sometimes printing machines lose their settings, and then the color of some cards will differ on the column from others. Again, it is not critical, but the aesthetes may (and be!) Pretty.

Also, the difference between the color can badly affect the game in which there is focus on deduction and secret actions. The "corpural" initially cards on the root can ruin the whole game, at the same time giving up hints and knocking down people.

Bugs cutting - True trouble. All cardboard components will be cut down with curly knives. Knives are stupid over time, which leads to the fact that they are literally not chopped by cardboard, but tear. Such cards then look not very presentable. Therefore, it is not bad to ask the printing house to send knives for sharpening if they were already in work.

Cutting can also be a curve, then the image will "walk" on the surface of the map. If we are talking about one or two millimeters, it is not scary, but if the knife passed through the image itself is a clear marriage. You can not put such a card in the box.

There is a little minor curtain of the kitchen. All knives in Russia, if you figure it out, makes one company, and it is located in Novosibirsk. The more complex components you have, the more you need cutting stamps. The cost of one can range from seven to 15 thousand rubles. In our game we used 3 stamps - for the box, for tokens and for cards. Then the printing house can give you these stamps, and can leave at home, in the hope that you will come back to them.

On public tests

Who and how to test the game? It is clear that first you will check it with your friends and buddies. Very good, if among them will be both experienced players, and not. In this case, you will get a good feedback from different people.

There is also a good option - To wear in the clubs or on the "player" to present it there. So you are slow, but correctly show all your game. Separate mention deserves "Granikon" - an event in St. Petersburg. This is a conference on which you can put your game and show it both to other developers and publishers. If they like the game, consider that the contract for the publication is in your pocket.

"Rim" is the guild of desktop developers. This is quite good in Vkontakte, where you can post your game and get feedback from quite friendly professionals. I personally speak well to these guys, but it has not happened to me with them. But after the release of the game, I quickly found many of them and got acquainted.

About publishers

So, there are developers whose games produce publishers, and there are indie, such as me who do everything alone. I call such "samurai" - from the word "myself." An important question: "Carry the game to the publisher or release yourself?"

There are already many publishers in Russia. Pieces 10 will definitely type. They differ mainly, only the presence of extensive networks for sales. Well, those who are "older", the machines in the printing house better (although not necessarily). I will not point out any names in this article so that no one is offended.

So, what do you "sell" the publisher, and under what conditions? In the environment ki there is a "design document" - big filewhich describes the rules of the game and all materials. In neither this is called the "PNP" version - Print & Play, print and play. You refer to the publisher of the draft game, which he prints on the printer and play, and then decides whether to take it or not.

If the game is like, you will be offered standard conditions - from 3 to 10% of the wholesale price for one box. 10% give only a fully prepared game! And they will pay you immediately for the whole circulation.

Let's consider already more objectively. Suppose your game will cost 500 rubles in the wholesale. The first circulation is usually a trial, and never happens more - a thousand boxes. Multiply 50 rubles per thousand boxes - excellent, you got our 50 thousand rubles, and your game will be released in half a year old.

Accordingly, if the cost of development with all art was higher - you are deeply minus. As you already understand, at a time ratio, it is not a business at all. For several months, your game will be considered in the publisher, can pull with the contract and do not give good - such cases have already been.

Another important question: Do the publishers steal beautiful games? Yes, friends, steal, but very rarely and very neat. You can't do anything anyway, since the mechanics of the game cannot be protected by copyright law. Therefore, if you sent your game and refused you, and in a year you meet it, but with the changed rules - do not be surprised. Can the publisher change the rules of the game to which you have already concluded a contract with him? Maybe such examples also have. One publisher released the game that was, to put it mildly, non-chalk. The author of the game later wrote:

Sorry, but I have nothing to do with everything - it's all the publisher, he decided to join the game. Here is my homemall - everything is there on hardcore, as you wanted.

Hurray, thanks for honesty. The farther, those such examples will be more. So why go to the publisher at all, you ask? If only because it has a sales market and advertising budgets. He takes your dice and makes the game from him - hires artists, conducts additional tests, prepares for printing. Releases it, organizes storage of thousands of boxes, leads logistics. In general, engaged in all dirty workwhich follows the creative impulse of the developer.

Therefore, if you have no money and time to do samizdat, and lies a couple of prepared Print & Play, in which you play with your friends, and they like it - you can try to contact publishers. But to earn a lot of money on creating any - you need to work or work in the publishing house with a regular gameridizer, or to produce a few per month, which is completely unrealistic. Earn on nor with the publisher constantly - the task is practically unresolved.

Yes, if your game is super-successful, you will release 50 projects, they will all receive additional circulation, and you will sit on royalties from each box - in this case, you may also be accumulated on the "odnushku" in Butovo. But, you see, in this sentence, too many times encountered "if". Tips on how to properly prepare P & P for the publisher, you will find here in this excellent.

Samizdat - for harsh men!

Samizdat - the path for real samurai, for which you will want to make Harakiri many times. We decided to go on this path, because we had a bunch of cut paper for P & P, but fully ready for printing game. The whole art was drawn by us. Although for us he did not cost a penny, its price was very high on the market. It is unlikely that some publisher would agree to redeem it entirely. We ourselves braked the rules, collected the amount needed to print. Many told us: "Guys, let's at boomstarter! Come money! For sale immediately all circulation! "

However, samurai (and such among our friends also turned out to be dissuaded from crowdfunding. The money was not needed, but to lose another three months for the dubious company was unprofitable. You can also not forget about the percentage that BoomStarter takes itself. A month you will prepare a campaign, the month will collect funds, the same amount will need to transfer money to your account, and only after that you will stick to the seal, which can also be delayed.

Platforms for collecting money money are good because they give good advertising And allow you to explore the demand for your game. Large publishers are often resorted to them in order to quickly sink expensive games to a specific audience and determine the size of the final circulation. How much will you get money if you go along the path samizdat? In detail about it - in the third article, but below there is a little about pricing and our experience.

How much did we do the game? Month of the development of the prototype. Year of drawing art. Preparing for the press took another half months. Printing in the printing house took another month and a half. As a result, two people made a game for 1 year with a penny. Two years of downtime were associated with personal employment, and do not have a relationship to the game. Almost three years went unnecessary testing.

"Fichekat" or as we expelled demons

One of the most complex tasks of the designer to stop in time. When it seems that the game works perfectly, it always wants to "break down" with additional mechanics. "So it will be more realistic! So it will be more logical! So it will be more difficult! Gicks will be happy! ". Here and you need to stop.

Like with Ki, you can make many other mechanic in your game, add cubes, diplomacy, cooperative mode, and so on. All this is very good, of course, but the "game in the creation of the game" should be stopped on time, otherwise you will have a terrible multi-chand one, in which even the most hardcore players will not be able to play. Any additional mechanics will increase the game time and require more effort from players. So if you do simple game - Make sure to stay on time. We, for example, immediately there was an additional scenario in which people played against the game.

Such violets had to be laid out for every land to understand how many cards one or another player sends into battle. A terribly stupid mechanism with small components, which quickly showed his insignificance and was removed.

After six moves, after the start, the Demon-Dragon's invasion was happening, and the players had to defeat him. This required one paragraph in the rules - the text did not climb there, and we could no longer reduce the font. We needed one new Demon card (not a problem) and six tokens of demonic damage. The latter just did not climb on one printed list. Two against one - the demonic dragon was expelled and, most likely, returned in the addition.

Hellic thoring tokens that did not fit into the printed list

We also got rid of actions and cards that were too strong. Experienced people, playing our game, gave a number of recommendations - add, they say, plastic turrets, miniatures of heroes and artifacts. They considered the wrong thing that the player does not receive anything for the seizure of the ordinary earth.

Clear thing that plastic models We recurred immediately as expensive and complex in implementation, and the artifacts drew in a couple of weeks - all 20 pieces. They spent a dozen tests and left them - they justify their existence. Therefore, we recommend that you show your game to other developers to either listen to their criticism, but not to follow her blindly.

The very first prototype of the box. Pay attention to a beautiful lodgment that did not live to the release. A narrow and skinny box did not stand vertically and constantly fell. The field in it should have been done from cardboard and be able to fold in half, but in Russia they can't really do. Horror. On the shelf, such a box would not have surrendered, in the literal sense of the word.

It was and became

Initially, we wanted to do the English version of the game. There were thoughts about Kickstarter. As a result, the logo and some words in English, and some in Russian. Many players thought that it was a localization of an unknown European game. The picture was vertical, I had to trust the "ears". The box learned to stand normally and not fall. The field has become completely placed in the box.

The evolution of the treasure. You can not look at the color - my phone is "lying."

About iterations

Four serious iterations have passed the game:

1. Basic version;

2. Added a rule about breaking neutrals into small stacks of three cards, which made it possible to reduce rand in battle, and also made it possible to interfere with other players. The balance towards simplifying neutrals and removed the films indicating how much cards should fight on each side in a specific location.

5. Already after the release, improved the rules and made an alternative version of the bore for advanced players who love tactics, and not a random opening of the cards.

As a result, we got a game that we actively began to prepare for printing. The preparation included writing the rules, their deduction and editing.

Separately stood a layer. Do not forget that the errors should not have been. The layout of the components on the printed sheets is already the typography itself. All pictures save VVIFF format and pay on the flash drive, since the use of Google Drive may be uncomfortable for conservative printing houses. By printing and preparing for printing there is an excellent

#1: Help. The simplest form of multiplayer is the usual advice and help. How good are your communication channels? Help is the construction material of the entire social gameplay.

#2: Status. Quantification of achievements. Saving them in the database.

#3: Race. The first user who reaches the goal, wins. Surprisingly it is rare. Why no one uses a race to complete the level? You can use it in the network settings. Social games are not for racing.

#4: Table leaders. All compete asynchronously, in parallel with the preservation of history. We see it in bars.

#5: Tournaments. Bracketing users for groups. Social games are inclined to use bracketing for a simple PVP, whereas it is worth more.

#6: Collecting flowers. You compete for resources, new ones are constantly appearing.

#7: Eat point. I ate, you are not. Consumption of resources with zero amount.

#8: Treating rope (Tug-of-War). I can take your things, and you can mine. Winner and loser.

#9: Handicapping. Artificial status equalization to ensure an even equal competition.

#10: Secrets. In the theory of games - insufficient information. Knowledge is value. Tightening the rope. Distribution of cards.

#11: Last Hero. Multiplayer to death until the winner remains.

#12: Betting. Intermediate status. Your bet, you pick up the things of the opponent (money) and who in the end the thing remains, wins. Where are the quiet auctions in social games?

#13: False. Cheating and bluff. Cheating works only against another player, not a computer. Disinformation becomes game Receptionwhich gives an advantage.

#14: Third party rates. Here competitors participate in the auction for third-party resources.

#15: Dilemma prisoner. There are no partners full informationBut they are in the same team. If one surrender, both in the loss. If they hold together, then succeeds. You do not know whether the partner will hold.

#16: Krigshpil. Military strategy in the form of a board game was first used in 1812 in the Prussian army: DungeonMaster, GameMaster. The judge monitors the rules, Gamesmaster sends an action, game. Now we do not make too much such management in social games, but could. Mostly the action of the game is managed by judges, although this role can be shifted on the gamemaster.

#17: Role. Specialization leads to the emergence of various games within one group. Extremely rarely used in modern games, a rare exception - Treasure Isle.

#18: Combining into groups and changing roles inside groups. As in Mafia, one partner may unexpectedly become a predator.

#19: Rituals. The ceremonies play an important role in human culture: the birth, wedding, death, increasing the level inside the game (release from school, getting a diploma, obtaining work), calendar holidays, religious holidays.

#20: Presents. Tightly related to the previous paragraph are found almost during each ritual. Represent the transfer of things from one player to another to increase its status.

#21: Reciprocity. Players send a gift that they like, because they expect it to return (where is the button "Return a gift"?).

#22: Mentors. Human training or the transfer of important knowledge to him. He gets knowledge, you get social status as a mentor. Social ties in the group are strengthened.

#23: Selfism. Demonstration of your status through rare accessories.

#24: Exile From the group through failure in shared resources.

#25: Confidence. The degree of trust depending on the position of the node in the social graph or cluster. Direct link gives maximum trust. If one person trusts with two people in a cluster, but they are not directly related to each other, then there is confidence between them, but much weaker.

#26: Guilds, clans. Extremely efficient structure that combines several social clusters. IN this moment In social games, structures from hundreds and thousands of participants are weakly used.

#27: Exclusivity. Based on segregation and genocide, it is known that people should be elected within the community of elite groups with exclusive access to selected things. VIP clubs.

#28: Guild against the guild. We know how big relationship groups love to destroy each other. Competition. Battle. Competition.

#29: Trade. Formalization of profitable relationships between too remote nodes on the network.

#30: Elections. Politics - the greatest multiplayer game invented by mankind.

#31: Reputation, influence and honor. It is necessary to develop microplates for social currency so that the sender can put +1, and the recipient accumulate these statuses.

#32: Public things. It looks like a lifting dilemma, but only in relation to many users. Most public resources Not unique and can be consumed by all (for example, clean air).

#33: Tragedy communitiesIf resources are unique and can be assigned to someone, then everyone else remains in losing.

#34: Community. The situation when users themselves become chips in the game.

#35: Strategic Guilds. Union B. large groups To solve very complex mysteries.

#36: Teamwork. The joint efforts of people are always more than the work of the same people one way.

#37: Arbitration. Turning to K. economic models Games, you need to allow the existence of arbitration when uneven quantities of goods in the game arise and there is a way of assessing and sharing with such a product.

#38: Delivery channels. Channels for the exchange of goods and trade routes.

#39: User Content. Good tools for this: Forums, image editors, game maps, weddings and so on.

#40: Griging. Virtual sociopathy. Changing the rules of the game by the players themselves and the emergence of new game universes.