MeStarter #4 update 2: Theme

 MeStarter #4 update 2: Theme

Many game designers are asked “what do you start designing with: theme or mechanism?”*

For me, it’s 49/51 with theme taking the lead. Which begs the question; “which theme am I passionate enough about to spend the next 6-12 months making a game about?”

 

My usual answer is: there are three themes that I want to design games about: Star Wars, Batman and Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. I’ve come close to having games based on all three published… but not yet.

 

And then I am reminded of the sage words of my pal Hardy LeBel who said “make your own damn Star Wars.” **

 

There are currently three themes that intrigue me when considering designing a game with immersive table presence. They are: 

 

 

 1) An Indiana Jones-esque set in a trap-filled temple

 

 

2) A James Bond-esque spy thriller set in a multi-level casino

 

 

 3) An 80’s action game based in a “not” Die Hard’s Nakatomi Plaza Tower

 

I find all three themes exciting and I can already envision game play based on them. However, the real question is, which theme is most exciting to YOU since (hopefully) you will be backing this. (More on how you will be doing this in a future update)

 

Let me know which theme is the most exciting to you in the comments below!!

 

* My answer is usually “Why not both?”

** I did this when I created Rayguns and Rocketships.

I DO MY OWN STUNTS update 31

 I DO MY OWN STUNTS update 31

 I’m happy to report that I DO MY OWN STUNTS production run has SOLD OUT! You can still buy copies at Geeky Teas & Games in Burbank. 

 

 
Thank you for everyone who backed and supported the game! This project has been a HUGE success!

I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 30

 I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 30

 Now that you have your game, you might notice a component isn't included. The rule book mentions player aid cards. However, these cards were removed to reduce costs (if you exceed the number of cards on a "sheet", you end up paying for the entire next sheet.) 

      

These things happen. Fortunately, all of the relevant information (genre and skill icons) are included in the rule book on the top of page 4.

I'm so grateful for all of my backers! Look at all of these happy faces! This is why I make games.

 

A reminder that you can still purchase I DO MY OWN STUNTS exclusively at Geeky Teas & Games, my favorite board game store in the universe.

I DO MY OWN STUNTS update 29

 I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 29

Aside from a few in-person deliveries, all of the copies of I DO MY OWN STUNTS are on their way to backers!!

 

 

Overall, 86 copies of the games were pre-ordered by backers out of the production run of 100 games. I kept some copies for my own library and for promotional purposes but I still have a case remaining. Eight copies of the game remain unclaimed… This is your only chance to own this version of the game, so don’t delay!

 

If you are interested in owning your own copy of I DO MY OWN STUNTS, please DM me for details. Please consider purchasing a copy, it will help me create more projects in the future!

I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 25

I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 25

The wheels of production are turning!     

    

According to the good people at GAMELAND, all components for I DO MY OWN STUNTS will be completed, packaged and shipped on January 23rd 2026! Thanks for your patience!

  

And if you are attending First Play Los Angeles at Geeky Teas & Games in Burbank this Saturday 27th, I will bringing a copy of the game with me to show off! I hope to see you there!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 22

 I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 22

 

 

There are two types of graphics used to draw on computers: Vector - which creates points in space and has the computer draws lines to them - as seen in the game "Battlezone" and Raster - which requires the user to draw using pixels to create images - as seen in the classic arcade game "Donkey Kong". 

When I started my career in video games I learned how to use raster-based drawing tools like Adobe Photoshop, which you use to create and alter pictures using pixels. The alternative tool was Adobe Illustrator - a vector based tool that I found to be very un-intuitive and fiddly to use. I've been a "photoshop guy" for forty years and I was pretty happy with that choice... until this week. 

 

 

You see, in order to create custom meeples, you need to create SVG files. SVG stands for "Scaleable Vector Graphics" and to create vector graphics you need to use Illustrator. 

 

These meeple images might appear very simple to you, but they took me hours of trial and error to create. I'm still not sure that I like them, but I've got to get moving on this game and I can't let a little thing like my own ignorance stop me. 

 

The other big task this week was getting all the assets ready for the printer. This means taking all of the images and putting them in a LONG PDF file. I don't know what the printer will do with them. Perhaps they can send me photos. 

 

I'm really out of my comfort zone with both of these processes, but that's why I'm doing this, to learn how everything it takes to make board games.

I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 21

 I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 21

Whew! I've finished all of the production files. It took twice as long because I didn't prepare the files properly for the printer when I created them (CMYK, 300 dpi, TIFF - for future reference) so I had to rebuild most of my cards.

 

The other big task, writing the rule book, is also complete. Here's where you can help. Please read over these pages for typos, bad grammar, unclear illustrations or directions.

I appreciate your help in advance!

 

UPDATED with revisions! Thanks so far!

ANOTHER UPDATE: Thanks for all of the help so far! Lots of good changes made.

I also got rid of that "steeple" terminology. As my pal Andy Ashcraft says "Why make up a word when there's a perfectly good one for it already?"

I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 19

 I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 19

Warning, this game has bedbugs!

No, not real vermin!  Because I DO MY OWN STUNTS features superhero movies as one of the Scene card genres, I figured who better to star in his own "movie" but my OC superhero Bedbug!

Bedbug the single father superhero, has been around since 2001 where he first appeared in Shooting Star Comics Anthology #1 and since then Bedbug has appeared in comic books...

video games...

 textbooks...

 ...and other board games!

If you want to learn more about Bedbug, check out his webpage here!

In I DO MY OWN STUNTS, Bedbug stars in his very own "movie", complete with action-packed stunts. It's been a lot of fun trying to figure out what the "memorable stunts" from this fictitious movie might be.

In the "movie" Bedbug squares off against his "classic" villains including the Grave Robber (a fan favorite) - will Bedbug overcome his vile adversaries and survive the spectacular stunts?  You'll have to play I DO MY OWN STUNTS to find out!

Want to see more games that feature Bedbug? Let me know in the comments!

I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 18

I DO MY OWN STUNTS Update 18

Let's make some Scene cards!

Stunt cards are a very important component in I DO MY OWN STUNTS. Filling the Scene cards with meeple stunt performers is how you earn points. The first step is to create the "frame" for each card. I wanted the scene cards to look like individual frames from a fictional movie.

These physical prototype cards need to be scanned and recreated in digital form. The final cards will ultimately need to be digital files so they can be manufactured by the printer. The film frames are purple because I found it make for a better looking border than traditional black frames.

Once the frames are digitally created, I need to determine what information is on a Scene card. These include the Scene's genre, its Star value and if any Skills are applicable to it. Also, the stunt meeple color and pose requirements are designed. This requires the most balancing as certain poses are rarer (harder to achieve) than others. Knowing this is an important part of the design.

Once the frames have been laid out, they need to have scenes created for them. Each genre of film has its own movie (s) that inspires the images. For the Sci-Fi scenes, I turned to the character designs from one of my other creations: Rayguns and Rocketships.

I have to take these drawings and recreate them in digital form. I didn't like how messy looking the scans turned out, so I'm going to have to redraw them.

I redraw all of the cards digitally using a Wacom tablet. I prefer drawing directly on the pad so I have more control over what I'm drawing.

I will eventually be drawing 36 original drawings for each of the cards and it will take me about two to three weeks to format, draw and color all of them. I hope you find the final result worth the effort!

Once these have all been completed, I will convert them into a digital format (usually .PNG) that the printer will use to create the final cards. Oh, I mustn't forget to create the card backs as well!