Resources & Freebies
These are the products, services, and resources that we use and love!Hope you enjoy these Freebies.
These are files we use during our Board Game Workshops.
Here you’ll find Mind Maps outlining the use of Narrative Structure in game design, a Rule Sheet template to help you get organized, Dice Probability Tables, Game Layout ideas, and 2 incomplete Sample games for you to work on.
If you find these things useful, why not send us an email telling us what you think.
Have fun! I’m sure you’ll make a great game!
Suppliers
Here are a couple of suppliers you may have overlooked:
- Tree Top Publishing: Blank books, blank puzzles, and blank board game kits – all at a reasonable price.
- Hobby Monsters: Quality game pawns at a reasonable price. They also sell dice, toy figures, and other supplies that are useful in prototyping.
When I set up my creative offices, I wanted a number of references that would help me in NOT reinventing the wheel, as they say. So, I shopped for books on Amazon. Of the 12 or 15 books I purchased, these 4 are the ones that helped me most:
Game Project Completed! How Successful Indie Developers Finish Their Projects
ISBN 978-1490555454
A frank discussion of what to shoot for, what to expect, what might happen along the way, and how to remain focused.
Game Design Workshop, A Playcentric Approach To Creating Innovative Games
ISBN 978-0-240-80974-8
This is a book that could be used as the basic of a college level course in computer game design. And yet, I am recommending it to board game developers. Why? Because the notion that all computer games are simulations of the real world – physical games, board games, etc.– is the driving force behind the text.
Board Games That Tell Stories
ISBN 9788360525463
Detailed personal experiences of a board game designer, including a travel log and journal entries.
The Game Inventor’s Guidebook
ISBN 978-1-60037-447-0
Interviews with Alan Moon and other game world professionals.
Board Game Geek: This site is absolutely bulging with information. Forums, Articles, Geek Lists, and a Bazaar where you can buy and sell your gaming treasures.
Board Game Designers Forum: Just what the name says, a forum for board game designers. When it comes to information, this is where to go when you absolutely can’t find it elsewhere and can no longer live without it. You can get the low down, the skinny, the nitty gritty – anything you need – right here.
The Game Crafter: Detail your game, choose components or customize, buy a copy yourself to verify quality and completeness, then sell multiple copies – all through the same site. Turnkey POD.
Print Play Games: This site is similar in many ways to The Game Crafter but not quite the same. Read their online materials. Looks like they’re growing into a Turnkey POD as well.