I often think of what I want to do in a game that hasn't been done, or at least not in that way before. I design the mechanics and find a clever way to assign lore to them. I find that mechanics that don't require teaching, but simply fit the theme work best. As long as the bones are strong, you can heap whatever weight on them and it won't collapse the game, within reason of course. I've tried theme first and ended up with just a good story. Then, I may as well just write a book, instead of design a game.
Great list of pros and cons. For me as a self-publishing designer, I feel theme is much more important (how often does someone pick a game off the shelf and say "Oo... this has a really cool mechanic!!"), so I always try to start there... but do to how my brain is wired, that never seems to work out. Despite my efforts, all the games that I have taken through the entire process with have started as a mechanic.
I am by no means an experienced game designer, but for me it's almost always theme. Typically I get an idea for a game when I am watching some movie or tv show, reading some book, or out in the world. For example, I am on a bus and I think that it may be interesting to craft a game around managing a bus line or being a bus driver. I start thinking about fares and mechanics derived from the bus breaking down or unruly passengers. It's about coming up with goals and obstacles that are naturally part of that theme and turning them into mechanics that model them. I end up with lots of ideas that tie into the theme. Obviously, some translate to an interesting mechanic that works and some don't.
Designing games is different when going from person to person. Personally I start with basic mechinisms and rules. This gives me the clay I can use to create my final product. Then I create a theme by picking a genre (usually my favorite ones). After the genre is set, I do a bit of world building and delve into the story my game takes place in. This will be my setting, and from there I use this theme to sculpt the hard numbers and mechanisms into a final product. I usually find this to be best suited to me because I tend to invent new ways to incorporate the story into the mechanics by adding and omitting certain game elements. This allows me to create a game that synergizes it's mechanics with the setting, and in turn keeps my players engaged and coming back for more.
I always start with mechanics. But I feel like I do it differently from other boardgame designers. I always hear mechanic-first design as a soul-less thing where you design a game in a completely abstract manner, but I think the best way to design mechanic first is starting from a mechanic strictly related to a theme. I am working on a strategy game where "the players are gods and can move all the civilisations on the map but secretly support one civilisation" which is a way less soul-less design than a game where "the players can move tokens of all colours on a board and they secretly try to make one of the colours expand more on that board". Yet it's the same game. In a sense I think starting design from mechanic*(theme) is way better than just mechanic or just theme. Mechanics need to evoke a very clear theme and be new and interesting.
One Thousand XP well... it was while coming up with the mechanic :'D In my opinion the best games always have a main mechanic that strongly hints to a theme and would feel awkward as rethemed, yet it's new and original to the game. All you have to do is think about mechanics but in a "colourful" manner. Or think about what kind of simple theme would bring to a new mechanic. A soul less mechanic has only to do with turns, tokens, boards and cards. Thinking of a mechanic "with soul" is about thinking of a very peculiar narrative/situation/world with very peculiar rules and making those rules up, which is a game. Think about the rules but in terms of characters, places, relationships and conflicts but still in a way that clearly connects to game components. Example 2, in this case more theme-y Another game I'm working on is all about emulating the feeling of exploring that sailors felt in the middle ages, when maps were handmade and unclear and knowledge of the Atlantic was a mix of legends and vague truth. This theme is all about mechanics centered around exploration of a space, vagueness and imperfect anticipation of what will happen in the future.
The three most important things I ever heard anyone say: 1) The theme should help you teach the game mechanics - if it doesn't, something is broken. 2) Build your first prototype of the game before you get too attached/invested in the details. 3) Wow them in the end. If you don't have good end game scoring, you don't have anything.
in my opinion the desgning process is a tango between both. You start with a theme, like "i want to make a game about a taxi driver", then you develop a mechanic that put the player in the shoes of a taxy driver, then you discover a cool mechanic, and you try to rapresent that thematically. Back and forth until, with some elegance, you and your friends feel proud of your game.
Great video as always! Personally mechanics first is more complex for me because it's really difficult to come up with new mechanics to try, but I think it is better overall because you can modify the game to make it fit a lot of different themes. P.S: I don't know if it is just me, but I think the volume on the video is a little bit too low, i had trouble hearing it.
I'm beggining my first personal board game design and i started with a theme (i took part in some jams here in Brazil and they usually give a theme for us to start with so, that where i began anyways), i thought it really helped come up with some good ideas for mechanics, but sometimes, i tend to keep so atached to the theme that i get my self wondering if that mechanic makes sense inside the theme and think that may actually be bad for the development of the game in general =P
Those are a couple of the issues for sure! It's useful to remember that all games, at some level, are abstractions. You'll have to decide for yourself whether or not to include a mechanic that doesn't fit the exact theme or not! Good luck!
A question for you or anyone else. How do you even start with mechanics first? is there any methods you use to do so? I feel as if I am incapable of coming up with mechanics before a theme has been thought of first.
Hi I am usually able to mix both of them, but the mechanics fall flat, I playtest with my girlfriend and she is great at finding the best path to winning the game easily. So i change the game mechanics and the game falls flat and becomes doll and I scrap everything. So i dont know where i am failling?
Perhaps the issue comes in the way you are balancing the game once you've discovered a problem. One way is to make that tactic weaker...but another is to make the other tactics stronger. Which one you choose depends on the game that you're making.
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I often think of what I want to do in a game that hasn't been done, or at least not in that way before. I design the mechanics and find a clever way to assign lore to them. I find that mechanics that don't require teaching, but simply fit the theme work best. As long as the bones are strong, you can heap whatever weight on them and it won't collapse the game, within reason of course. I've tried theme first and ended up with just a good story. Then, I may as well just write a book, instead of design a game.
Great list of pros and cons. For me as a self-publishing designer, I feel theme is much more important (how often does someone pick a game off the shelf and say "Oo... this has a really cool mechanic!!"), so I always try to start there... but do to how my brain is wired, that never seems to work out. Despite my efforts, all the games that I have taken through the entire process with have started as a mechanic.
I think the best thing is to just allow yourself to be inspired by something, and let the rest work itself out from there. - Chris
I am by no means an experienced game designer, but for me it's almost always theme. Typically I get an idea for a game when I am watching some movie or tv show, reading some book, or out in the world. For example, I am on a bus and I think that it may be interesting to craft a game around managing a bus line or being a bus driver. I start thinking about fares and mechanics derived from the bus breaking down or unruly passengers. It's about coming up with goals and obstacles that are naturally part of that theme and turning them into mechanics that model them. I end up with lots of ideas that tie into the theme. Obviously, some translate to an interesting mechanic that works and some don't.
Designing games is different when going from person to person. Personally I start with basic mechinisms and rules. This gives me the clay I can use to create my final product. Then I create a theme by picking a genre (usually my favorite ones). After the genre is set, I do a bit of world building and delve into the story my game takes place in. This will be my setting, and from there I use this theme to sculpt the hard numbers and mechanisms into a final product. I usually find this to be best suited to me because I tend to invent new ways to incorporate the story into the mechanics by adding and omitting certain game elements. This allows me to create a game that synergizes it's mechanics with the setting, and in turn keeps my players engaged and coming back for more.
I always start with mechanics. But I feel like I do it differently from other boardgame designers. I always hear mechanic-first design as a soul-less thing where you design a game in a completely abstract manner, but I think the best way to design mechanic first is starting from a mechanic strictly related to a theme.
I am working on a strategy game where "the players are gods and can move all the civilisations on the map but secretly support one civilisation" which is a way less soul-less design than a game where "the players can move tokens of all colours on a board and they secretly try to make one of the colours expand more on that board". Yet it's the same game.
In a sense I think starting design from mechanic*(theme) is way better than just mechanic or just theme. Mechanics need to evoke a very clear theme and be new and interesting.
Alessio Susi Mechanic first is always soulless! At what point did you come up with the theme for the game?
One Thousand XP
well... it was while coming up with the mechanic :'D
In my opinion the best games always have a main mechanic that strongly hints to a theme and would feel awkward as rethemed, yet it's new and original to the game. All you have to do is think about mechanics but in a "colourful" manner. Or think about what kind of simple theme would bring to a new mechanic.
A soul less mechanic has only to do with turns, tokens, boards and cards. Thinking of a mechanic "with soul" is about thinking of a very peculiar narrative/situation/world with very peculiar rules and making those rules up, which is a game. Think about the rules but in terms of characters, places, relationships and conflicts but still in a way that clearly connects to game components.
Example 2, in this case more theme-y
Another game I'm working on is all about emulating the feeling of exploring that sailors felt in the middle ages, when maps were handmade and unclear and knowledge of the Atlantic was a mix of legends and vague truth. This theme is all about mechanics centered around exploration of a space, vagueness and imperfect anticipation of what will happen in the future.
Whoah! My above comment was supposed to be "ISN'T always soulless!"
One Thousand XP Oh well, that changes things up! :'D
I start with an interaction that i want to occur between players.
Glad to see a fellow dynamics-first designer
I go with dynamics, the forgotten member of the mechanics, dynamics aesthetics (theme) trio
The three most important things I ever heard anyone say:
1) The theme should help you teach the game mechanics - if it doesn't, something is broken.
2) Build your first prototype of the game before you get too attached/invested in the details.
3) Wow them in the end. If you don't have good end game scoring, you don't have anything.
in my opinion the desgning process is a tango between both. You start with a theme, like "i want to make a game about a taxi driver", then you develop a mechanic that put the player in the shoes of a taxy driver, then you discover a cool mechanic, and you try to rapresent that thematically. Back and forth until, with some elegance, you and your friends feel proud of your game.
jettolo That's a good point! You can definitely start in one direction and end somewhere else!
Great video as always! Personally mechanics first is more complex for me because it's really difficult to come up with new mechanics to try, but I think it is better overall because you can modify the game to make it fit a lot of different themes.
P.S: I don't know if it is just me, but I think the volume on the video is a little bit too low, i had trouble hearing it.
Pedro Boitier Thanks! Yeah, the volume is a bit low. Going to fix it for the next time.
Start with thinking about the experience you want the player(s) to have
I'm beggining my first personal board game design and i started with a theme (i took part in some jams here in Brazil and they usually give a theme for us to start with so, that where i began anyways), i thought it really helped come up with some good ideas for mechanics, but sometimes, i tend to keep so atached to the theme that i get my self wondering if that mechanic makes sense inside the theme and think that may actually be bad for the development of the game in general =P
Those are a couple of the issues for sure! It's useful to remember that all games, at some level, are abstractions. You'll have to decide for yourself whether or not to include a mechanic that doesn't fit the exact theme or not! Good luck!
A question for you or anyone else. How do you even start with mechanics first? is there any methods you use to do so?
I feel as if I am incapable of coming up with mechanics before a theme has been thought of first.
neverstopmotion For me, it's often because I find a mechanism I like from another game and want to expand on it, or it inspires a twist of some sort.
My first game I just worked on mechanics but my second game is theme heavy
And yeah I struggled with designing both especially the theme heavy one. That took me a year to get the game to a workable state.
Hi I am usually able to mix both of them, but the mechanics fall flat, I playtest with my girlfriend and she is great at finding the best path to winning the game easily. So i change the game mechanics and the game falls flat and becomes doll and I scrap everything. So i dont know where i am failling?
Perhaps the issue comes in the way you are balancing the game once you've discovered a problem. One way is to make that tactic weaker...but another is to make the other tactics stronger. Which one you choose depends on the game that you're making.
Start with mech