r/BoardgameDesign 8h ago

Playtesting & Demos Made a Custom One Piece Smash Up Faction as a gift for a friend!

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4 Upvotes

Have a friend whose brother is into One Piece. I like One Piece. I like Smash Up. So it this was a fun project to put together. The faction is a bit on the strong side because it's pretty self sufficient (no real weaknesses, got some card draw and extra minions/actions), but it was pretty flavorful and not meant to be competitively balanced. You could say it's OP 😂

We've played with most of the Smash Up factions and it feels like it might be in like A or S tier, like around how powerful the Frozen faction feels.

Anyways this was a short and small project for a friend. Hopefully I have a few more cool projects to share by the end of the year!

You can check out my other re-themes here:

[One Piece Legendary](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/10p0q0j/i\\_made\\_a\\_one\\_piece\\_version\\_of\\_marvel\\_legendary/)

[Pax Westeros \(Game of Thrones Pax Pamir 2nd Edition\)](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1fmseex/i\\_made\\_pax\\_westeros\\_game\\_of\\_thrones\\_retheme\\_of/)

[Runeterra Reforged \(League of Legends Tyrants of the Underdark\)](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1eew974/i\\_made\\_a\\_league\\_of\\_legends\\_themed\\_tyrants\\_of\\_the/)

[Pokemon Ark Nova](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1hdby4p/i\\_made\\_a\\_pokemon\\_retheme\\_of\\_ark\\_nova/)

[Pokemon Splendor & Pokemon Splendor Duel](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1mn9h3i/i\\_made\\_pokemon\\_splendor\\_again\\_updated\\_the\\_cards/)

[NBA Innovation](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1nua3z1/with\\_the\\_nba\\_preseason\\_coming\\_in\\_a\\_few\\_days\\_i/)

[Zelda Forbidden Island/Forbidden Desert/Forbidden Jungle](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1nnjeaa/i\\_made\\_a\\_legend\\_of\\_zelda\\_retheme\\_of\\_forbidden/)

[Spy x Family Agent Avenue](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1qh1sfq/i\\_made\\_a\\_spy\\_x\\_family\\_retheme\\_of\\_agent\\_avenue/)

[Lord of the Rings Clank Catacombs](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1qndolc/i\\_rethemed\\_clank\\_catacombs\\_into\\_lord\\_of\\_the\\_rings/)

[Disney Legends of the Void](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1r02rba/i_rethemed_legends_of_void_into_a_disney_themed/)

[Genshin Impact Knarr]
https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1s7n8ey/i_made_a_genshin_impact_retheme_of_knarr/

[Pokemon Harmonies]https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1s8kib9/i_made_a_pokemon_retheme_of_harmonies/

[Avatar the Last Airbender Duel for Cardia]https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/1sdvycf/i_made_an_avatar_the_last_airbender_retheme_of/


r/BoardgameDesign 5h ago

General Question Help with card layout and iconography - Geopolitics game

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3 Upvotes

Hi, I’m a science teacher and game designer, and I’m creating an experimental game to play with my students, in which each group represents a nation that must manage its economy and foreign affairs, taking climate change into account, in a somewhat simplified (?) version of Daybreak+World Order.

The main component consists of cards representing projects that consume certain resources to produce others, and that can also generate/sequester greenhouse gases and have positive or negative environmental and social effects.

Right now I’m working on the layout and iconography of the cards to convey this information in a clear and neat way, hoping to leave some space for flavor text. So I’d like to hear your thoughts on the ideas shown in the image, where I try and mix different things.

Feel free to suggest any ideas that come to mind, and if you like, I can provide more information about the game.

Thank you!


r/BoardgameDesign 11h ago

Playtesting & Demos [Alpha Playtest] MageStone – 2–4 Player Fantasy Strategy Game

1 Upvotes

I’m looking for playtesters for MageStone, a 2–4 player online fantasy strategy game.

The best way to describe it is a combination of Risk and Chess.

Chess Elements: Positioning and Blocking are vital.

Risk Elements: Diced Based Combat; but with inbuilt strategy to put the odds in your favour.

Players battle it out to collect magical stones in the centre of the board (MageStones), with every stone strengthening your mage further and unlocking different powers.

Warriors can also coordinate for powerful double or triple attacks, combining their dice against stronger enemies. - Making positioning so important!

The game is still in alpha, so I’m mainly looking for feedback on balance, clarity and whether it stays interesting throughout.

Play here: MageStone - Strategy Board Game

Desktop recommended. Honest criticism is very welcome.


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

News Finally got my game into a playable state after 6 months of reworking

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15 Upvotes

Hello there good people

I'm really excited to finally put together all i wanted for at least one session worth of gameplay of this game. I had to completely rework the game into a campaign-driven coop adventure with branching stories which honestly is something I'm more excited about than the previous version. I really wanted to turn this more into a DM-less DnD style of a game where players will have a bit more freedom to explore and see how the world shapes. I put a big emphasis on freedom of choice, consequences and from mechanics point of view on crafting for example. There is incentive to collect special resources, learn new blueprints, upgrade the camp and the characters at any given opportunity. Currently only the prologue would be playable and I'm already working hard on more.

It's finally ready for a batch of playtests where most of the mechanics can be tried out to see if they're fun, if the progression is engaging etc.

The whole game is currently set up in TTS with all necessary assets, the art is just a placeholder, but I wanted it to be somewhat visually appealing as there's a lot packed in.

After the initial playtest where i want to address any glaring issues, I'd love to open up possibilities for anyone interested to playtest the game as well.

If you guys have any questions, please feel free to ask.


r/BoardgameDesign 18h ago

Design Critique Took some advice, think we landed on a good layout - The Zookeeping Game

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3 Upvotes

Showing off a Chance Event card this time, which is just any event card that requires rolling dice.

Chance tokens are one of the avenues to progress towards victory, rewarding players for using riskier cards (although this particular card carries no actual risk).


r/BoardgameDesign 10h ago

Ideas & Inspiration Gioco strategico

0 Upvotes

Ciao a tutti.

Vi propongo un gioco strategico-gestionale per 2 giocatori con risorse come Cibo, Legna e Ferro , villaggi di confine, guerrieri e torri.l. I giocatori si affrontano in una guerra di logoramento: si raccoglie, si costruisce e ci si scontra lungo una frontiera contesa tra montagne, foreste e specchi d'acqua.

Gli ordini vengono attivati con un gioco di lancio, reroll e posizionamento di dadi-azione, quindi ad ogni turno bisogna scegliere quali azioni tenere e quali sacrificare.

Il combattimento Ăš diceless, il posizionamento tattico dei pezzi Ăš cruciale, e la scelta strategica degli "avanzamenti" (bonus) Ăš fondamentale per guadagnare il vantaggio e girare le occasioni a proprio favore.

La strategia e la tattica sono il cuore del conflitto proprio come in una vera marca medievale sotto assedio perenne.


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

Design Critique Coming up with a colour schematic that matches suit logic

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11 Upvotes

I began with the idea of going strictly black and orange but I realized these cards would be a lot easier to play with if the suits were separated by colour as well as shape.

Each suit is organized according to the game's own internal logic, which is about the creative building capacities of thought, feeling, belief, and action.

Squares are Thought - Orange
Circles are Feelings - Blue
Triangles are Beliefs - Green
Plus signs are Action - Purple

I threw in a queen to show how I add a coloured shadow shape to royals

Sharing as I develop incase anyone has thoughts of feedback on the design choices.


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

Design Critique Feedback on design for my PnP 54-card game

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3 Upvotes

It is my first time designing a game, my fisrt time doing graphyc stuff, how does this look to you?


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

Design Critique I feel my card design is way off. But I'm hitting a roadblock.

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3 Upvotes

Two ideas for card design. What do you like about them? But more importantly, what do you hate. I know it needs a lot of work. But I'm just really stuck. All feedback is good feedback please. Thank you!


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

Game Mechanics Need some help “balancing” the economy

4 Upvotes

Ok, no real balancing, thats why I wrote it like that. I dont expect you to help me with numbers, more with the hierarchy of production chain.

Ill try explaining the current state of the economy in my board game as simply as I can, then Ill explain issues that exists with it, and then Ill write what I think could work. Id like you to help me with finding the right solution, so feel free to pitch any ideas.

Right now base loop of the game is somewhat simple. You construct buildings in regions you own, you gain resources from them, you use those resources to develop regions more. Some buildings produce influence which is used to gain control of more regions allowing you to construct more buildings. After x rounds, player with most regions under their control wins. Nothing too complex, nothing too original.

There is also a dynamic market where players can buy missing or sell sufficient resources, with price adjusting according to supply and demand.

Right now production chain looks something like this:
1. You construct lumber camps to produce wood.
2. You use wood to construct quarries that produce stone
3. You use wood and stone to improve those buildings.
4. Higher level quarries also produce marble
5. Stone and marble are used to construct buildings that produce influence and are used to convert them into influence.

The main problem I have with this proved to be linearity of system. Each players first third of the game looks exactly the same, since every player has to go through same buildings in order to unlock buildings that output influence.

Here are some ideas I have on how it could be solved,and I would like to hear your opinion on them:

  1. Resource based tiered buildings:
    Instead of needing one particular type of resource to construct and upgrade buildings, I can make influence production buildings require different type of resource per tier. For example, currently one of those buildings requires 2,4,6,8 stone per level in order to upgrade. Instead of that, I can make it so that it requires 4 wood for lvl1, 4 stone for lvl2, 4 marble for lvl3. That way, more powerfull upgrades are locked behind harder to obtain resources, but their simpler versions are available at the start.

  2. Parallel upgrade paths:
    Lets take our 2/4/6/8 stone per level building from example above. What if I make some resources parallel to others in hierarchy. Like for example: stone≈brick. So upgrade would cost either 2/4/6/8 stone or 2/4/6/8 brick. This is where my dynamic market could come in handy. If players lacked sufficient resources to build something, they could opt for cheaper option on the market. They could also choose to specialize in one of the parallel resources in order to be able to dictate the price on the market. That way players wouldnt always build lumber camps->quarries, but they could also go lumber camps->clay pit route. And I could do the same for marble as well.

  3. Combination of ideas above:
    Basically upgrade path could be 4 wood/ 4 stone or bricks/ 4 marble or whatever other prestigeuos building material there is. It could provide benefit of both, but could also raise complexity.

  4. Whatever idea comes to your mind.


r/BoardgameDesign 2d ago

Design Critique Would you play a game where the monster is different every session?

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23 Upvotes

Hello everyone! First time posting here, but I wanted to share a small side project I’ve been working on lately. I’m hoping this will be my first serious step into board game design, and I’d love to start sharing the process with people who have much more experience than I do.

The game is still very much a rough proof of concept, but I already have it playable in Tabletop Simulator and have run a few playtests with my brother and my girlfriend.

The core idea is a competitive hexcrawl about rival cryptid hunters. Every game generates a unique cryptid by combining several hidden trait cards, and players gradually uncover clues while exploring a procedurally generated hex map. Along the way, they can choose to cooperate by sharing information or betray each other in a race to become the sole discoverer of the creature and claim the glory of documenting it.

I’m still in the early stages, so I’m not necessarily looking for a full playtest just yet (however if it interests you let me know). At this point, I’d mainly love to hear whether the core gameplay loop sounds compelling, what questions immediately come to mind, or if there are any obvious red flags before I spend more time polishing the rules.

More than anything, I’m hoping to use this community as a place to share my progress, stay accountable, and hopefully learn from people who’ve been through this process before. Thanks for reading, and I’d really appreciate any feedback!


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

Ideas & Inspiration CALYDON ⚔ RPG Combat Board Game + Deck Builder

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0 Upvotes

Do you love ttrpg, but also love the joy and ease of board games?

CALYDON is the game for you.

*Use diverse hexes to create your battle grounds, from forest to plains to ruins to camps.
*Then create your character. Pick a race and class, and use your characters cards and stats to deal with monsters, beasts, and encounters. Your character levels up and grows as you play. Eventually you can choose a subclass or continue mastering the base class. Like Aeon’s End. You don’t shuffle your discard pile. You actually get to plan ahead and develop combos and strategy. But watch out. Some situations can cause you to shuffle your planning!
*Explore around to find treasures and better loot.
*Fight your friends to make sure you stay on top. Fight for power, fight for GLORY!
*In the end, you can fight the Big Bad Boss, if you want to, and gain even more Glory!
*Once crowned Champion, you can choose to be the Kings Royal Vassal. And in the next game, wear the Mark of the King. Get helpful buffs, and unique quests. But watch out! You will have less freedoms, and have to stay obedient to the kingdom. Not just that but you’ll have to deal with a bounty and target on your head!

Link to the Google Doc of Concept and Ideas for Rules

Note: I only made an AI image for the attention.
People don’t seem to look into your post unless something catches their eye, no matter if u have a cool idea or not.
I’m not an artist, nor know of a quick method of making an image to use for a simple post.
I DO NOT plan on using AI in any development of my game nor any future Artwork or Style choices.
I did spend quite some time working through some styles for the image, and did have ChatGPT fix numerous mistakes it kept making until finally I got something somewhat decent. Still really bad in a few ways, with simple things I asked a bagilion times.
It’s a concept of what I want, but not really want I want still.


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

News Free coloring game "Graffiti Game v 1.3"

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0 Upvotes

The fourth version of the board game, where players compete to color the entire board the fastest. The number of players is not limited. All playing fields are compatible with each other.

- To play, you need a board: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wIVyqQ2-AHVzMe9r9GujU9-rSfuypJtZ?usp=sharing

- Dice

- Markers

The rules are simple. Roll the dice and color in the sectors with the numbers that appear on the dice.

Game rules: https://youtu.be/IxR4JpINzfI


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

Ideas & Inspiration I've got an idea... let's unite! 🚀

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0 Upvotes

For the last 3 years, I've been designing my own board game. After finishing it, I played over 800 playtests, polishing every little detail until it became exactly the game I wanted it to be.

Then I ran into a completely different challenge: publishing.

I spoke with a lot of publishers mostly in person. I was lucky enough to already know many of them because I run a 250k-subscriber YouTube channel dedicated to board games, and over the years I've worked with many major publishers promoting their games.

When I finally showed them my game, most of them were willing to publish it... but only if I accepted a deal where I'd basically get peanuts while they kept the lion's share.

The funny thing is, I never got into game design to get rich. I did it because I wanted to create something people would love. Besides this channel, I also run several others with over a million subscribers each, so thankfully I already make a living from content creation. 😄

Eventually, I met a local indie publisher with a completely different mindset. He offered to publish and distribute any game that proved itself through play, with a fair revenue-sharing agreement.

That gave me an idea.

What if we built a platform where people could play indie board games online?

I've played over 1,000 board games at this point. I've tried just about everything, and now I'm looking for something new and different.

I don't want to keep seeing and buying the same kinds of games over and over again. I want fresh ideas, unique mechanics, and experiences that actually surprise me.

I'm talking about games that never got a chance because publishers didn't believe in them, or games that are finished but have never been published.

I honestly think this could be a great opportunity for indie designers to support each other instead of waiting for someone else to give us permission.

Here's what I bring to the table:

  • đŸ’» Programming experience
  • 📱 Marketing experience
  • đŸŽČ A fully functional platform that's already built and working

I'm not here to advertise it . First, I want to know if there's genuine interest.

How many of you have a finished (or nearly finished) board game and would be interested in being part of a project like this?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. 👇


r/BoardgameDesign 2d ago

Design Critique Maxi Yatzy

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2 Upvotes

For all my Scandinavian fellows who have been playing Maxi Yatzy all summers, all holidays and every vacation.

I wanted to make a really easy game for everyone to enjoy. I've created the game in website format that I want as easy as possible. But still for people to enjoy.

For you who've played this Scandinavian classic before. What do you like, and what do you dislike?

For you who've never heard of it. Is it easy? What would make you play it?

[www.liveyatzy.com\](http://www.liveyatzy.com)


r/BoardgameDesign 1d ago

Ideas & Inspiration Mandate - Conceptual phase

0 Upvotes

Came up with a game title (Mandate) and concept but am unsure of direction. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Negotiation is one of my favorite mechanics.

Egalitarianism - Envy

Communism - Defund the rich to create classless utopia.

Socialism - Nationalize industry to aid the poor.

Progressivism - Subvert the straight white man to uplift everyone else.

Liberalism - Fairness

Libertarianism - Maximize individual liberty by minimizing the state.

Conservatism - Liberalism from the past.

Social Democracy - Establish a democratic welfare state.

Nationalism - Disgust

Ethno Supremacism - Subjugate and exploit foreigners.

Ethno Nationalism - Establish a mono ethnic or racial state.

Civic Nationalism - Establish a state with unified political principles.

Reaction - Fear

Neo-Reaction - Create a modern regime with pre modern traditions.

Primitivism - Take society to a pre modern existence.

Theocracy - Subordinate the regime to religious law.

The 12 distinct ideologies and their 4 umbrellas. All other ideologies are below or the same as one of the 12. Modernity is the societal evolution begun by the old world establishing sustained contact with the new.

The game takes place in an anglosohere polity. Each player wants to dominate that polity. There are 4 players, each choosing an umbrella belief system. The player tries to maximize their motivating emotion to give energy to their side. The game has a beginning, middle and end. Players choose one of their three ideologies to represent each phase. Players need the help of others to succeed. Alliances are informal but must change throughout the game.

Again, thanks for your help with such a rough concept.


r/BoardgameDesign 2d ago

Publishing & Publishers Showcase of my 1v1 monster battling game 'Monster Madness'

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9 Upvotes

Showcasing all the final designs for my card game Monster Madness a 1v1 monster battling game. I have detailed blog posts showing of all the components and individual card illustrations. You can find that here: https://substack.com/@olivercussons . I have made all the artwork by myself with a focus on fun colourful and comical monsters and items, designed to be fitting for families to play.

I am currently sending off my game to publishers in hopes for some interest, I have play tested it thoroughly and if anybody wants to check it out it is fully playable on table top simulator which you can find here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3761709650

Sell Sheet description of the game:

Monster Madness is a card game where you pit ragtag monsters to fight against each other, each having unique characteristics and stats, with the end goal of being the last team standing by defeating enough monsters to earn six victory points. Use weapons, shields and magic to strategise a way to triumph and overcome the odds to become the leader of this wacky, whimsical kingdom.

This game is a family friendly card game featuring comical characters, drawing in a younger audience with full-art cards that showcase bright, colourful, and goofy characters. This game is easy to learn, but each unique monster or item can bring in its own tactics of how you might play the game differently.


r/BoardgameDesign 2d ago

General Question What games have as compelling a 'Draft' experience as MtG?

7 Upvotes

The MtG draft experience is considered one the best parts of the game, and is responsible for huge parts of it's revenue.

What other games, either Card, Board, or Video, have a Draft experience as good as magic, or a gameplay system that is similar to draft even if it is not totally the same?

For example Flesh and Blood is another TCG, but even it's fan say that although they like Draft, it is not in the same league as MtG.

Or Slay the Spire has it's deckbuilding singleplayer gameplay loop that is very compelling, but it not multiplayer.

I'm really looking for good alternatives and how they can compete with MtG.

Many thanks!


r/BoardgameDesign 3d ago

Design Critique Is my dark fantasy inspired Artwork evocative enough?

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46 Upvotes

I'm creating a dark fantasy card game called SPELLCHAMBER about Evil Wizards playing a game of magical russian roulette. While not a horror game, the game uses dark fantasy elements as well as grappling with the grim satire surrounding russian roulette as a concept.

The goal of my illustrations is to showcase artwork inspired by a mix of tarot and the canterbury tales illustrations (and classic medieval artwork) with a whimsical but sinister vibe. Do these illustrations evoke that feeling, without seeing the text on the cards themselves?


r/BoardgameDesign 2d ago

Playtesting & Demos Publier mes 2 premiers jeux pour Tester

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0 Upvotes

Salut groupe,

je viens de publier en version prototype / testeur mes 2 premiers jeux sur lesquels je travailles depuis quelques mois, deux jeux d'inspiration Malazan, militaire.

AprÚs des mois de playtests solo (les 2) et avec des amis (le jeu de duel), j'ai décidé de les amener sur itch en version PnP et les faire découvrir aux gens à qui cela pourrait interressé, avoir du feedback et si jamais nul interet, ces jeux seront finalement que pour moi et mon entourage, et ce sera tout aussi bien.

Voici le lien itch vers ma page qui a les 2 liens des 2 jeux!
https://icelonewolf.itch.io/

-Escouades BrĂ»lĂ©es : Jeu de duel tactique en 2 escouades de soldats d'Ă©lite! À travers plusieurs engagements, vainquez les troupes adverses, utilisez vos dĂ©s tactiques pour activez les actions tactiques! Parties entre 20 Ă  30 minutes en moyenne! Jeu lĂ©ger en rĂšgle (4 pages)

-Les ChaĂźnes de l'Exode : À travers le Vent Hurlant : Jeu solo hardcore oĂč vous ĂȘtes le gĂ©nĂ©ral d'une lĂ©gion qui doit protĂ©ger des rĂ©fugiĂ©s et traverser le vaste dĂ©sert de Tol, pourchassĂ©s par les rebelles du Vent Hurlant. Jeu de gestion de troupe et de ressources, utilisant des Mot-ClĂ©/Icones pour passer Ă  travers les 10 Ă©vĂ©nements alĂ©atoires sur votre chemin! DurĂ©e autour de 20 Ă  40 minutes, lourd en rĂšgle, mais une fois connue (environ 2 ou 3 parties) on n'utilise que les aides de jeu (2 feuilles recto-verso).

Au plaisir d'avoir des retours, sinon, c'est la vie!

Cela amÚne un certain stress sur les retours, mais cela demeure un soulagement de les poster en ligne afin de les faire découvrir aux gens! Les jeux étant encore en version playtest/proto, ils seront potentiellement sujet à bien des changements! Donc si jamais des gens veulent en lire les rÚgles, les tester, je suis ouvert à tout commentaire!

En image :

  • 1 Ă  3 : Image titre des Chaines de l'Exode, une carte ÉvĂ©nement et une carte Troupe.
  • 4 Ă  6 : Vieux proto d'Escouades BrĂ»lĂ©es, Image theme Itch et

r/BoardgameDesign 2d ago

Playtesting & Demos I created a Carcassonne game engine with an LLM

0 Upvotes

There are 10 personas you can select to play, each with different difficulties. The engine will play the game while logging turns to the game-log file. Then there outputs a post-game analysis

I thought this technique would be good for quickly simulating boardgame play. With LLMs it's now quick to build the engines. It took be a few evenings.

The engine is all in Python, although I didn't view or write a single line of it. It can be run with command line or with an AI skill.

Here's an example of a post game summary

Pos Player Score Roads Cities Monasteries Fields Incomplete
1 Nora Field (black) 23 3 6 0 0 14
2 Theo Ashford (red) 18 3 4 0 0 11
3 Alice Stone (yellow) 17 2 0 0 0 15

https://github.com/fraserscottmorrison/GameEngines


r/BoardgameDesign 2d ago

Ideas & Inspiration In Depth RPG Combat Board Game

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1 Upvotes

Imagine a game where you piece together your own map, build your own character, race and class, where you explore a small map, find treasure and rare loot, battle your friends, slay monsters, succeed at encounters, and ultimately aim for the most glory in the entire realm.

I’ve been imagine pieces of a game like this for some time. I enjoy DnD so much, but also enjoy card games and board games so so much as well. My mind has longed to create something that merges them. Originally I wanted a game full of adventure, with the same customization for characters and world, but realized combat fits a board game better and is possibly more exciting for most people.

So I created this game. Or at least this rough draft of it.

Name is pending. I’ve had some cool ideas, but only a few stuck, after research and testing and using different methods. I’ve come up with 4 I like. But am very open to suggestions.

*Calydon: Based on the Calydonian Boar Hunt. Where a group of heroes come together and end up fighting each other for the glory of slaying the great monstrous boar.
*Virtus: The Latin word that embodied the ideal of martial bravery, moral integrity, strength of character, and overall excellence.
*Munera: Official name for the Gladiator Tournaments where people fought for their own personal glory against the area, creatures, and other people.
*For Glory: Fits the game. Means what it says.


r/BoardgameDesign 2d ago

Design Critique Nightmare I A cooperative psychological survival board game

2 Upvotes

Long post here, but this isn’t a small game, so there’s a lot to it. All you lovely gamers have unique perspectives, am I genuinely would love to hear them.
Sorry, and thank you.

How long can you survive a dream that wants to remember you?

I’ve been designing a cooperative horror board game called Nightmare, and I’d love to hear thoughts from fellow board game enthusiasts and designers.

Nightmare is a cooperative survival game where fear is a resource, corruption is contagious, and escape requires remembering who you are before the dream remembers you.

Rather than escaping by simply surviving, players are searching for six fragments of their own shattered portrait. Recovering them restores enough of their identity to attempt waking from the dream.

Every turn forces players to choose between progressing toward escape, preserving their own sanity, or rescuing another Walker
 because eventually someone will fail, and when they do, the Dream Strider grows stronger.

The dream itself is built from modular location tiles that gradually reveal an abandoned world of schools, hospitals, forests, streets, forgotten homes, and impossible places. Players move between these locations searching for supplies, completing objectives, uncovering fragments of the dream’s story, and trying to stay one step ahead of whatever is hunting them.

That hunter is the Dream Strider.

The Dream Strider is not simply another enemy. It is a constant, evolving threat whose presence changes the atmosphere of the game. It stalks the dream, forcing players to make difficult decisions about where to travel, when to hide, and whether helping another player is worth the risk of attracting its attention.

As the game progresses, players accumulate Pressure, representing mounting fear, exhaustion, and the dream tightening its grip. Pressure is more than a health track. It affects decisions, increases tension, and pushes players toward increasingly desperate choices. Managing Pressure becomes just as important as completing objectives, because even successful players can lose themselves to the nightmare if they allow it to overwhelm them.

Rather than focusing on combat, Nightmare emphasizes:
* Exploration of an ever-changing dream world
* Cooperative decision making under constant pressure
* Resource management and difficult risk-versus-reward choices
* Asymmetrical Walker and Apparition abilities
* Growing psychological tension instead of endless fighting
* A persistent feeling that the dream is always one step ahead

One of my design goals has been to create a horror game where the emotional experience matters as much as the mechanics. I want players to feel relief when they reach a sanctuary, hesitate before opening another door, and genuinely debate whether splitting up is worth the danger.

I’m currently deep into playtesting and refining mechanics, pacing, and player tension, so I’d genuinely appreciate feedback from the community.

Some questions I’d love opinions on:
* Does this premise sound interesting?
* Does the focus on psychological pressure over combat appeal to you?
* What cooperative horror games have best captured a feeling of tension or dread at your table?
* Based on this description alone, what questions would you immediately have before wanting to play?

Thanks for taking the time to read. Every playtest and conversation has made Nightmare stronger, and I’d love to hear what stands out to you.


r/BoardgameDesign 3d ago

Design Critique Consistent text size, or adjusted to fill the space? -The Zookeeping Game!

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3 Upvotes

Working on updating the Event cards for The Zookeeping Game, and I'm not sure whether to keep the body text size consistent across every card, or adjust it on a per card basis. Crowd Pleaser! Is one of the less wordy cards, so the first image has the text size adjusted to fill the space a little more. The second image has the text at a size that it will have to be to accommodate our wordiest Event card. Also, just for clarity, these images include the bleed space. The actual card will have those edges trimmed.


r/BoardgameDesign 3d ago

Ideas & Inspiration Asymmetrical/Tug-of-War style Deck-Builders?

2 Upvotes

I'm current in the brainstorming phase for a 2 player back and forth deckbuilder, and was wondering if anyone knew any games with a similar playstyle to study for ideas? The only one I can think of is the Star Wars Deckbuilding Game, where one side plays the Empire and the other the Rebels, with unique faction cards that can only be used by their respective faction.