BECOMING A GAME DESIGNER

Writing a set of wargames rules is relatively easy. The hard part is writing a set that anyone would want to play. More than any other question I get asked as a game designer and publisher is: “How do I become a rule writer?”, to which I normally respond with “Don’t bother, unless you have a very thick skin”. At the simplest level, one could create a very basic game as a starting point: Infantry move 6”, cavalry 12” and every figure shooting rolls a dice and hits on a 6. I would wager that that has been the starting point for the majority of wargames rules ever written and, if time is indeed a test, then it has withstood its ravages with admirable longevity, if not style. Sadly, here, style is the issue.

by Richard Clarke

Our basic rule set is perfectly good for a game at home or with our chums at the club, but as a commercial venture, it is lacking in the style or sparkle that will make it attractive enough for people to put their hands in their pocket and hand over hard-earned cash. It is a matter of fact that, if we are to create a set of rules that is to gain traction, we need to add something to the mix that will be different from what has come before. Something that will entertain and inspire the gamer and make for a pleasurable experience. Having said that, new ideas are good, it is worth very quickly adding that this is not carte blanche to create something where every game mechanism is…

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Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy (Digital) - 1 Issue, WSS 128

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