The Fundamental Building Blocks of Games

Every game is built on the foundation of resources, victory conditions, and player interaction.  I discussed the principles behind these here, but today I want to go into some more specific examples and categories of each.   Mix and match these systems (or add your...

The 3 Key Questions of Core Engine Design

We are back with a deep dive into Collectible Game Core Engine Design. For an overview of collectible game design, click here. Core Engine Design is the starting point for building collectible games, and it can be intimidating to try and build a system with so many...

The 5 Phases of Collectible Game Design

  For anyone who wants to design a collectible game, this is the series for you. Whether you want to make a collectible card game, miniatures game, or if you just want to add collectible components into your designs, these principles are here to guide you. What...

Getting Started and Overcoming Obstacles

“Have you ever thought of something that seemed so great in your head, but you had no idea where to begin? How do you overcome obstacles when your idea doesn’t seem to work as well in reality as it did in your head?“ These are two great questions, posed by my good...

The Path to Mastery

Going through the core game design loop is an effective but challenging process. Each time through, you will expose your brilliant creation to the criticisms of others and find flaw after flaw that forces you to go back once again to refine your idea and sometimes to...