Project #4 (name TBD) update 1

MeStarter #4 update 1: Inspiration

It's time to start a new MeStarter. Follow along to join me on this creative journey!

"Where do your ideas come from?" is a question that famous writers report being asked often. For me, ideas for games can come in a variety of ways.

 An idea from a game can come from playing another game and being so impressed by it, that I am inspired to make my own version of it. Or conversely, playing an unsatisfying game and wanting to make (IMHO) an improved version of the design.

It can come from synthesizing two or more ideas together to create a new one. This concept is beautifully illustrated in Kirby Ferguson's multi-part video essay "Everything is a Remix"

Sometimes I will just look at pictures of games online at BGG.com or Kickstarter or Gamefound to see if I can understand what the game play is just by looking at it. Often I am wrong, but that misunderstanding can lead to a new idea for a game.

I have to admit, going into MeStarter #4 (name TBD), I didn't have a specific "mission statement". For Oh No! There Goes Tokyo! I wrote "I don't know what this game is going to be, but it's going to have a windup monster in it." Escape from Rotter Mansion started it's creation as a game "with dice and a ghost in it."

This time? I'm starting from scratch.

There are a few concepts that I'm interested in exploring: the first is a game with "Table Presence" - the type of game that makes you go "Wow!" when you see it. Usually this "Wow factor" comes from a paper craft element on the board like the tree in Everdell, the delightful train in Colt Express or the impressive multi-level mansion in Ouija Manor. I'd like to create something memorable, that will draw the players in to want to play it.

But creating a game with table presence is just the start. I will also need intriguing game play and a theme. 

But let's save that for the next post.