Play like a designer
Stop asking 'was it fun?' and start asking 'what caused that?'
- What happened?
- Decisions
- Who is still playing?
- Where is the learning?
- Reading a rulebook
Programmes · Book
A Beginner's Guide to Board Games
Design, build, test and share a game of your own.
In writing
About the book
A full-colour course book that takes secondary school students from playing games to designing one: they learn why games work, build a playable prototype, test it with other players and present the finished game.
| For | Secondary school students, ages 12 to 17 |
|---|---|
| Format | A5, full colour |
| Length | 28 chapters in five parts |
| Also inside | Print-and-play game, worksheets and a glossary |
What students do
- Play like a designerNotice what a game makes players do, and why.
- BuildTurn an idea into the smallest version people can play.
- TestRun playtests and let the results decide what changes.
- ShareTake the game to a table, a tournament or a shelf.
What's inside
The mechanism toolkit
A toolbox of mechanisms: how each one works, what it does to players, and when to use it.
- Randomness
- Snowballs
- Everyone at once
- The shared pool
- Push your luck
- Hidden information
- Scoring and endings
- The economy in one page
Build
Go from an idea to a game that people can play, learn and pick up.
- The smallest playable
- Components
- Writing rules
- Teaching in three minutes
- Making it look like something
Test and balance
Evidence over opinion: test your game and let the results guide your changes.
- Running a playtest
- What the numbers tell you
- One thing at a time
- The second playtest
- When to cut
Modes, formats and tournaments
Take your finished game out into the world.
- Variants and modes
- Formats
- Running a tournament
- Tiebreakers and the judge
- Publishing to the shelf
Availability
The book is being written. There is no publication date, price or ordering process yet.