What tools do I need to design my own games? Deliberately vague -- I just want to see what suggestions I get. I have my own brain to start with, thats it.
What do you suggest?
>>43892498
Well I would suggest you start by acquiring a body and its attendant appendages, those really do help when designing most anything.
Joking aside, you should begin with a few questions; what kind of game am I making, and what genre/setting am I making it for?
Once you answer that you can get a little more detailed, concise list of materials and tools. I mean, making a card game or an RPG may be similar and have similar tools available, but a card game and a tabletop wargame will use different tools all together.
A concrete idea of what you want your game to be.
>>43892498
Friends.
Seriously - to get a decent game you'll need to playtest it a lot and get the kinks out. Best way to do that is to play the game. A lot. And with people who aren't afraid to say what they think about the results.
>>43898879
Well anon it'd probably be better if his friends weren't tools.
>>43895128
Holy fuck, 10/10 dad joke, thanks for that.
OP, this is super dependant on the dev. I consider myself half decent, not decent but getting there, and my supplies are a notebook small enough to pocket and always have on hand, physical versions of any die I'd use, a playtesting space, you'll really /have/ to have access to either a printer, laptop, or tablet, and you want one of each really. You'll need internet enough to take inspiration from tons of games you couldn't otherwise access. You'll need openoffice, or an alternative, and you'll want GIMP, or photoshop. Personally, I'm getting a scanner and some form of laminating device, but those are so far from need I shouldn't mention them. Same with cardstock.
>>43892498
Paper.
Check Mark Rosewater's (Mtg's head designer) podcast, he has a set named 10 things every game needs, those have some pretty good advise on them, just be warned he has the most fucking obnoxious voice you'll ever hear. I think there may be transcripts in some blog. I would provide links but I'm on mobile, sorry senpai.
>>43902143
yeah MaRo sounds like Daffy Duck
>>43892498
Designing games takes ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will, five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain, and a hundred percent reason to remember the name.
>>43892498
Playtesters.
Experience, a comprehensive knowledge of mechanisms, an understanding of the market, some kind of word processor.
You need good ideas, and the only way to test ideas for quality is to test them for quality. You need people. It helps if they like games, and if they're honest, patient, and curious.
