I love games! Not the mind games that people sometimes play, mind you. I’m talking about games of the board, card, role-playing and video variety.
I have a hefty game collection. Until about a year ago, I had dozens of games that I had never even played before. Now with two gaming groups, I’ve managed to play a good number of them. I’d even go as far to say that I have more games that I have played than I haven’t. Some are winners (Mansions of Madness, Heroscape, Battlestar Galactica) while others, not so much (Android, Order of the Stick (sadly, though the expansion might help)). Regardless of how fun the game is, it’s always interesting to see the different game designs. After a while, you get an idea of what works and what doesn’t.
It’s been a longtime dream to design and publish my own game. Back in high school I came up with Snoopopoly (Peanuts Monopoly), Peanuts the Roleplaying Game. I obtained a copy of Starfleet Battles that had no rules included. so I developed my own. It was a simple pass/fail system. It wasn’t the most elaborate of systems, but we played for quite a while just because of how weird I made the setting.
A couple of years later, during my college days, when collectible card games were the hot thing, I created a Ronin Warriors CCG. I remember scouring the internet for screen captures of the show to put on my cards and then printing, cutting out and gluing my cards to doubles of my Star Wars CCG cards. I got to test it out a couple of times and I thought it was alright.
Since then, I’ve had dozens of game ideas, inspired by various shows, movies and genres. I’d work out some of the basic ideas, but inevitably I’d set the idea aside. It’s not like I was ever get those games published, right?
Well, over the last while there’s been a print-on-demand movement that’s picked up steam that’s a real game-changer (pun intended). I’ve already put it to use in my Cafepress store. But just last week, Danny V. shared a link with me: The Game Crafter. It’s a business built on letting people design and upload their games which are then available for order. When an order comes through, The Game Crafter prints up the required number of copies and blammo! You’ve sold a game! Awesome!
Now, there’s a reason to actually push through the game design process! My dream will become a reality. There will be Age of Animus games available for sale within the next year. Woot! Woot!