Make games that make people fun.
Length vs Complexity
Short party games have very low barrier to entry, setup and time investment. But get mundane and harder to express value. Complex games are engaging experience, worth the investment, with the right people. But they have a more complex production and sales.
Don’t make games that are short and complex, or games that are long and simple.
You can start with a theme; but don’t get married to a story. You can start with a core game loop; but the further you go, the more difficult to theme and run the risk of thematic dead-ends.
Build from a Core Game Loop
Examples:
- Drafting – Take a card
- Resource Management – Keep & Juggle stuff
- Take-That – Attack somebody
- Bluffing – Tell a story
- Trick-Taking – Bid on something
- Tile Laying – Add something
Onboard or progress players quickly.
Get players to start playing and learning the nuances as they go along. If decisions are too complex, and consequences are too far, we end up with decision paralysis.
Interactivity = Decisions are reactions to other players
Otherwise people are not really interacting; instead just doing things on their own.
Randomization + Diversity = Replay-ability
Varying scenarios and chance determines the number of times a game can be played before getting stale. Try to get as many scenarios without creating too many complexities. ( There are 2,598,960 different poker hands in a deck of 52 cards – 13 numbers & 4 suits. )
A theme exists to entice and onboard a player
Perfectly done, a theme feels natural in learning and engagement. A theme for the sake of having a theme runs the risk of confusion and childishness.