The Rules

The rules can be the hardest part, at least for me. Sometimes the rules can fill volumes or they can be stated in a single sentence. You will spend a lot your time working on them. It can be frustrating, especially when your friends accuse you of making up the rules as you go to insure you win the game. Remember, you can always change the rules as you play test your game and you'll probably have to more than once!

The rules are easiest to develop as the game is being "played". As ideas come to you, test them by actually trying them out right then and there! I usually have a rough drawing of the gameboard or crude versions of any "cards" I may use in front of me and I test any ideas for rules on the spot. It is even better if you have a friend to bounce your brainstorms off of. Don't write the rules down until you've play tested your game and ironed out the details or you'll waste lots of paper. I usually keep notes as I test the games, but I don't write the rules until I'm confident with the game play and I've play tested them with other players.

The goal is important simply because it is why people are playing the game in the first place. If an idea for the goal of your game comes first, the rest of the game may be easy to coax from your brain. Goals can be anything: to get to the finish line, spell "thwam" before the other players, make the other players go bankrupt, put out the fire, get ten in a row, conquer the most worlds, build a skyscraper first, find the treasure, collect the power gems,
kill the monster, land the aircraft, bake the most pies, catch the most fireflies, be the first to evolve into intelligent life, get to the other side, plant a virus in your opponent's computer, avoid nuclear war, cross the Atlantic, take all the opponent's pieces, cover the spaces first, raise the most children, eat the most beans, reach the summit first, invent a hit game, digest the candy bar before your opponent, stop the spread of the Ebola virus, clean the house, sell the most real estate, get the rabbit, become president, corner your opponent's piece,

...Are you getting the idea?

You'll have to find a way to get the game moving. This is where the dice, spinner or cards may come in. You might not need any of those things. The more a game relies on dice and spinners, the less skill will be needed to play the game and luck will decide the winner. Dice and spinner games are great because they give anyone a chance to win, no matter what their skill level may be. The timer can also be used to move the game along.

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