The Four Stages of Prototyping
I’m working on a new game (I’m writing a series following the process), and so am revisiting all of the stages that it takes to bring a game from an idea to publication (and beyond). The early stages of design involves a lot of playtesting and prototyping – and that prototyping evolves over time as you get closer and closer to publishing your game.
So, let’s talk about it...
Stage 1: Pen & Paper
The first stages of playtesting are to figure out two things.
Is the core mechanism fun?
Does it work?
You don’t need a lot to answer these questions – some paper, a pen, and spare bits. The key in this stage is fast iteration until the core of the game is done.
Stage 2: Arts & Crafts & Digital
The next stages involve iterating on graphic design work for your game. This will involve your favorite graphic design program (InkScape is my preferred free software, although I mostly work in Photoshop and InDesign now.
Early prototype of Froggy Bazaar
Initially, you’ll mostly use free or stock art in this stage, and although different implementations both prettier physical prototypes along with digital prototypes (I prefer Tabletop Simulator) will allow you to playtest more broadly with other gamers and designers.
This stage of prototype can cover a long period and involves most of the playtesting polishing your game system and mechanisms. This is when you’ll balance your game, make sure the complexity is right, trim the fat, and learn how to onboard players to a smooth experience.
Stage 3: Custom Components
The third stage of prototyping involves sourcing custom components for your game. For many designers this is the final stage before a crowdfunding event and includes assembling review copies. That said, we skipped this stage of prototyping on our most recent project (Sigil), and I expect us to skip this stage altogether going forward.
Since we know we are making manufacture prototypes for reviewers (see Stage 4), it’s more economical for us to source our custom components directly from our manufacturer.
There are a lot of great options for sourcing custom components including print on demand solutions if your goal is to have a modest print run and are willing to accept the high per unit cost.
Some that I’ve used in the past and have had a good experience with are:
Keep in mind that there are some limitations to sourcing custom components – for instance, I found it extremely difficult to source custom wooden meeples in the US.
Stage 4: Manufacturer Prototype
More indie designers should be taking advantage of this option for prototyping. Once your print files are done, you can send them to your manufacturer (see How to Find a Manufacturer) and commission them to print some copies offline (they won’t shut down a full inline printing press).
You can have copies of your game made to your actual specifications – with all of your custom components, and all of the finishes you can expect in your final production run.
Sigil manufacturer prototype - sourcing the circular board, custom die cut disks, custom metal dice, and embroidered bags would have been a nightmare domestically.
This has a couple of big advantages:
Your games will look and feel professional (they are essentially the same as your eventual production run copies).
You can have all of your custom components (even box inserts, metal bits, and miniatures – if you pay for the molds)
You can catch any potential print file or component issues early.
Even more compelling is that aside from the upfront sunk cost of custom molds for things like a box insert or miniatures, manufacturer prototypes aren’t prohibitively expensive compared to sourcing custom bits from multiple sources.
We paid $1,860 for 10 manufacturer prototypes of Sigil. This includes a $300 mold fee (for our game’s metal dice), and $320 for FedEx shipping. Since we would eventually have paid the mold in our final print run, the true cost was $1,560 or $156 per game.
What’s a component you’ve had a hard time sourcing for prototypes?
