I Turned a Roguelite into a Board Game
TLDRIn this inspiring narrative, the creator shares their journey of designing and publishing their first board game, 'The Keep,' without any programming background. The story unfolds from the initial idea in 2016 to the successful launch in 2018, highlighting the iterative design process, collaboration with friends and family, and the challenges of balancing the game's mechanics. Despite the high production costs and limited profit, the game has made a significant impact, bringing joy to players across 15 states and even Canada. The creator encourages others to pursue their creative dreams, emphasizing the value of the experience, regardless of financial success.
Takeaways
- 🕹️ The creator's journey began in 2016 with a desire to make a board game that was fun and affordable, inspired by the lack of board games with certain video game genres.
- 💡 The initial idea was for a dungeon crawler, roguelike game with RPG elements, which evolved into a party game after playtesting with friends.
- 📚 The first mock-up of the game was made using index cards and was confusing at first, leading to a redesign with clearer mechanics.
- 👥 Collaboration with friends and family was crucial in the development process, from playtesting to creating artwork and assets.
- 🏰 The core mechanic of the game 'The Keep' involved building a dungeon and finding a key, with friendly competition turning into a race to escape after the key was found.
- 🎨 The game's artwork was created with a consistent style using thick vector outlines, enhancing the game's visual appeal.
- 📅 A strict deadline was set for the game's release, which helped in focusing the development efforts and ensuring completion.
- 📦 The game was marketed through a combination of a gallery show, live streams, and a pre-order system, avoiding the need for a Kickstarter campaign.
- 🚚 Creative distribution methods included hand-delivering copies to save on shipping costs and generating hype through community engagement.
- 📈 The game was successful, selling in over 15 states and even in Canada, with expansion packs adding to its replayability.
- 💰 Despite the success, the high production costs of board games meant that the project did not yield significant profits.
- 🌟 The creator encourages others to pursue their dreams of creating games or other forms of media, emphasizing the value of the experience even if it's not financially rewarding.
Q & A
What was the main motivation behind creating a board game instead of finding one to buy?
-The main motivation was the high cost of existing board games and the desire to create a game that combined elements from video games, specifically dungeon crawlers and roguelikes, into a board game format.
What was the initial game concept like before it evolved into its final form?
-The initial game concept was a dungeon crawler similar to a roguelike, where players would explore floors, fight enemies, pick up cards, and level up like in an RPG.
How did the first playtest of the game go with family members?
-The first playtest was confusing and frustrating for the family member involved, as the creator was making up the rules as they went along and the game mechanics were not yet defined.
What was the core gameplay mechanic that remained unchanged throughout the development of the game?
-The core gameplay mechanic that remained unchanged was the building of the dungeon by players as they explored it, with the key objective being to find the key card and reach the gate first.
How did the game transition from a dungeon crawler to a party game?
-The transition occurred during a playtest with friends at a local coffee shop, where they discovered interesting mechanics and decided to focus on making it a party game rather than a grindy RPG.
What role did friends and family play in the development of the game?
-Friends and family provided feedback, played test games, helped with artwork and assets, and offered moral support throughout the development process.
What was the name of the game and what was its final theme?
-The game was named 'The Keep,' and its final theme was a multiplayer dungeon exploration with a focus on finding a key and reaching a gate while playing as unique characters.
How did the creators approach the marketing and sale of 'The Keep'?
-They set a self-imposed deadline, created a pre-order system, organized a gallery show at their art school, held a game night, and did weekly live streams on Facebook to generate hype.
What was the strategy for delivering the game to customers to save on shipping costs?
-Instead of mailing out copies, they drove to as many places as possible to hand-deliver the games.
What has been the impact of 'The Keep' on the creators and others?
-The game has been sold in over 15 states and Canada, created expansion packs, and has had a positive impact on people's lives, such as families playing it together and being used for teaching strategy to special needs kids.
Why might there not be a reprint of 'The Keep' in the near future?
-The creators did not make a profit during the game's lifetime due to the high production costs, and they only have a limited number of copies left. A reprint is unlikely unless there's significant interest or a publisher contacts them.
Outlines
🎲 The Journey of Creating a Board Game
The speaker embarks on a quest to create a board game due to the high cost and limited selection of existing games. The idea is inspired by dungeon crawler and roguelike video games, aiming to translate their engaging elements into a board game format. The initial attempt involves a makeshift version using index cards, which, despite being confusing, leads to valuable insights. The game evolves into a more structured party game with a dungeon-building mechanic, key and gate cards, and player-versus-player competition post-key discovery. Each player assumes a unique character role with distinct attributes and abilities, contributing to the game's replayability. The development process is collaborative, involving friends and family, and emphasizes the importance of playtesting and iteration.
🚀 From Concept to Market: The Launch of 'The Keep'
The narrative continues with the development and eventual launch of 'The Keep,' a board game that the speaker and team refined over time with the help of friends, including Bonzo and Brad, who contributed artwork and assets. The game's name, mechanics, and artwork were finalized, and a marketing plan was devised to avoid the uncertainty of platforms like Kickstarter. Instead, they opted for a direct pre-order model, culminating in a gallery show to generate hype. The speaker recounts the successful funding and distribution process, which included personal delivery to save costs. 'The Keep' gained popularity, with sales spanning over 15 states and into Canada, and even inspired expansion packs. The impact of the game on players' lives, from family bonding to educational tools for children with special needs, is highlighted. However, the speaker acknowledges the financial challenges of producing board games and the team's decision to cease production after selling the remaining copies. The story concludes with encouragement for aspiring creators and a call to action for those interested in obtaining a copy of 'The Keep' before they're gone.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Board Game
💡Game Design
💡Dungeon Crawler
💡Roguelike
💡Mock-up
💡Core Mechanics
💡Party Game
💡Artwork and Assets
💡Kickstarter
💡Expansion Packs
💡Community
Highlights
The creator's journey begins in 2016 with a desire to make an affordable and fun board game.
Inspiration for a dungeon crawler, roguelike board game emerged from a gap in the market.
Initial mock-up of the game was made using index cards, leading to confusion and frustration due to unclear rules.
The first playtest with friends at a local coffee shop revealed the game's potential and areas for improvement.
Core gameplay mechanics were established, focusing on building a dungeon and finding a key.
The game evolved into a party game with unique characters and random dungeon generation.
The game was named 'The Keep', and a team was formed to help with artwork and assets.
A self-imposed deadline of January 1st, 2018 was set to complete the game.
A marketing plan was devised, including a pre-order system and a gallery show to generate hype.
The game was successfully funded through pre-orders, allowing for extra copies and the next batch production.
The Keep has been sold in over 15 states and has made its way to Canada.
Expansion packs were created to enhance the gameplay experience.
The game had a significant impact on players, being used for family bonding and educational purposes.
Despite the game's success, production costs were high, and profitability was limited.
The last copies of The Keep are available for sale, with no immediate plans for reprinting.
The creator encourages others to pursue their dreams of creating games or other media.
The Keep's development took two years, with an additional year and a half of refinement and promotion.
The creator reflects on the personal growth and cherished memories from the game development process.
Transcripts
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