Let's Get Ready to Jam & Toast!
Heya folks, I wanted to put together a resource page to get you started on your game design journey. I know it can be intimidating to make a game from scratch. However, I believe in each and every one of you and want to give you all the tools you might need to succeed. In this post I'll be sharing FREE resources along with a few tips and tricks to get you started. This post won't be locked, so if you have anything you'd like to add to help out your fellow designers, please include them in the comments.
Resources
Solo gaming is bigger than you might think, but at the same time, you may not have had the chance to play one yourself. For our first resource, I'm including an almost hour long video that goes into depth about what solo board gaming is, what kinds exist, and how you might go about designing your own.
YouTuber Adam in Wales - Board Game Design is an excellent source of board game design discussion. Keep in mind that not everything covered in this video will necessarily help you with the specific challenge presented for this jam, but it's a great way to get educated on solo design and seek inspiration.However, I don't want to leave you without a playable example. While it doesn't meet the criteria of this jam, here's what I was able to accomplish with just a deck of playing cards with Blackjack Bounty. I hope that by poking around in my game (or even giving it a try for yourself), you'll be able to gain insight and inspiration for your design. Remember, you're game doesn't have to resemble solitaire--it can be any genre as long as it follows the rules.
Now that you have an idea of what you might be doing, it's time to talk presentation. Tabletop Creator has plenty to offer built-in, but it's not an art tool--its job is to help you compile layouts and make swift edits to content with its more advanced variable features. As a result, you might find yourself in need of art or illustration tools. I've recommended Canva already as a great place to create assets, backgrounds and other elements you might need for your game's design. Here are a few other useful tools:
- Pixabay - This is a stock image website that has everything from photos to illustrations to vector-based art. Do be aware that this is community curated and some stuff sneaks on to the site that shouldn't be there, but as long as you exercise common sense (if you see Sonic, for example, obviously that's not your IP) you'll be safe to use nearly anything you can find there.
- Kenny's Board Game Icons - While Tabletop Creator has an icon library, you may want access to more. Kenny has so many amazing free resources for all type of game designers and he didn't leave board gamers out.
- Notion - For teams, Notion is a great way to keep everyone and everything organized. You can also create your rulebook and export it as a PDF here as well. It's free but there are premium options so do be aware. That said, Google Docs is a good alternative if you don't want to mess with something fancier.
- DaFont - Looking for fonts? Look no further. The link sends you to a pre-setup search for 100% free or public domain fonts that you can use commercially. You might have to do a bit of looking to find the perfect font for your game, but font is an easy way to make your game look and feel even better.
- Pixlr - Don't have Photoshop? Don't want to mess around trying to learn GIMP? Here's a free, browser-based photo editor in case you need to remove backgrounds or make simple edits. This is another one with premium options, but you shouldn't need them.
I could list more, but this should be plenty to get you started. As I mentioned earlier, if you know of some great free resources that you use and would like to share to help everyone out, please include them in the comments below.
Tips & Tricks
Those of you already in the Tabletop Creator Discord may be familiar with my alternate identity: The Design Doctor. While not all of the lessons I've provided there may be applicable to this jam, the basic design principles found in this playlist are bound to help. I strongly encourage anyone who hasn't done much graphic design to give this playlist a look as it covers the basics in about 20 minutes. This goes double for anyone who's thinking of a text-based design.
In either case, these principals will come in handy when you're ready to assemble your rulebook. Remember, you have access to modern tools in a digital era so take advantage! Your rulebook should be a PDF, Google Doc or Word file. All of those can have internally hyperlinked text and bookmarks. Utilizing these convenience features will help your players navigate the material and make the presentation even better.
Finally, don't neglect playtesting. Tabletop Creator allows you to export for printing but it also allows you to create files for Tabletop Simulator. If you have access to that, you should use it to test. It's easy to set things up or share the files with friends and family, or even the people participating in the jam. Do not be afraid to reach out and ask for help from your fellow designers, whether it be for testing or just general knowledge questions. We're here to learn, grow and challenge ourselves together. While there are prizes on the line, that doesn't mean we shouldn't all strive to lift each other up.
For now, this is Jon Spencer wishing you the best of luck in the jam and happy designing!