HOW TO BUILD A BASIC PROTOTYPE

 

The first step, right after putting down your idea is, quite obviously, building a playable prototype.

Now, if you are anything like me, you'll be tempted to create a beautiful prototype, with wonderful graphics and as professional a layout as you're capable to produce.

Well.. Don't. Seriously, don't do it. I've been there: that way madness lies.

Unless you consider a hobby making a prototype again, and again, and again. Because your first prototype will need changes, and they'll often be pretty major, at least in the early phases of development.

So, the advice here is "make a prototype that you could throw in the bin without blinking".

Here's some advice on what to do in the first phases of a prototype. Also, this is about physical prototypes - digital prototypes (as in Tabletop Simulator, Vassal, etc.) are for another day.

KEEP YOUR FILES EDITABLE

More than once, I made the mistake of writing things down, or preparing a bunch of cards, then saving the file in a "flat" form - that is in a form that couldn't be modified.

In graphic programs, use layers. Keep text in a separate layers, and icons in another. And if you are putting in an image, that goes on another one.

Save the documents frequently while you write.

And while we're at it, backup everything.

WRITE THE DAMN RULES

This may seem obvious, but well... it isn't.

You know the rules. You have a bunch of notes on how they work. Then someone asks a critical question: "Can I do this?" and you go "Uh... Oh... Uhm!". Because you knew, but you forgot to write down the exact application of that rule 

Or maybe you didn't consider this possible application at all - but now you have a bunch of sheet to write a note about that. So, open that document in your favorite word processor, write a tidy version of the rules and be ready to modify them when needed.

REUSE, RECYCLE, REPLAY

While building your "beta" prototype, you don't want to spend a lot of money on something that will almost certainly change a lot. Here's some ways to economize.

Dice: Come on. You have plenty of dice at home. We know it. And if you don't, you can steal them from old boardgames you don't play anymore, or buy them online in bulk, or from discount stores (or thrift shops/dollar stores/charities/whatever you have where you live).

Cards: You'll have to buy card sleeves, alright. Put cards from an old poker deck in the sleeves, then add slips of paper with the text and/or details of the cards. If you don't have a card deck, or cards from an old CCG you don't play anymore (but sell the rare ones first!), see the note on dice: discount stores, or buy in bulk online.

Pieces: Again, loot old boardgames you don't play anymore. Doesn't matter if the pieces are not the right shape, if you say that a RISK! cannon is a farmer, it is! Finding cheap pieces online is not easy, and it is almost impossible to find them in discount stores; but stores (and websites) often have an "art and crafts" sector, where you can buy colored wooden or plastic cubes, small discs, beads, etc. And if they're all the same color, you can glue colored paper or tint them with indelible markers.

Board: This is relatively difficult, but the possible solutions are many. You can draw the board on a sheet of paper, then glue it on the board of an old boardgame, or cut the large side of a cereal box (any box actually), or posterboard.

Storage: anything that fits you: old shoeboxes, plastic containers, really anything - even plastic bags. Just put a label on the container, so you don't forget what's inside.

image by Delesign Graphics on Iconscout

THE ART

You probably don't need art at this point. And even if you need it, you don't need to commission it.

There's plenty of clip art available for free, or for a pittance. Go to Wikimedia commons, or to one of the many free clipart websites. Remember: Richard Garfield, creator of Magic the Gathering™, once told to an interviewer that the first prototype of the game had horrible clip art for illustrations - farm animals, bad photos, etc. If Garfield can do it, so can you!

What you will need, though, are ICONS. Iconization is a serious necessity, and I'll talk about it in the future, but if you don't know what I am talking about, just trust me on that: icons are necessities!

You can obtain icons in many places, and I am preparing a resource page with links to websites that offer them - and many other assets - for free. You'll see it in the next few days.

The conclusion is, unless you love crafting things, keep your first prototype as simple as possible. There'll be lots of time to complicate it later!