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The playing components and risk of imitation. When you work with the most common basic components for a board game, the Board, Dice, Cards, and Tokens you will probably find as I have that you think of a unique idea that nobody else would have thought of. Then you find another game that features your unique idea. While creating my "Taxi!" game I thought of a great way to combine different meaning dice throws from card instructions. Then I came across a game called the "The Golden Mile" that inventor had obviously thought of the same idea or discovered it somewhere else. It's because there are only so many ways you can use these basic components that the game starts to come in on itself. Then you start to think your game looks too much like others already out there. I thought this was happening with "Taxi!" I thought it was getting too much like Monopoly. I still would refer to it as a taxi driver monopoly because that’s really what it is. But as to similarities it only has the same objective. The gaining of extra taxi plates (taxis) can be compared to accumulating houses and hotels but beyond that there is little similarity. The board design and travel are totally unique and other game play features make it stand apart from other money games. Imitations of Monopoly aren't uncommon and one that springs to mind was a game that the inventor said took ten years to develop. I acquired a copy of this game. It was called Zzinity with silver and gold bullion taking the place of houses and hotels the game play was hardly any different. One curious addition in the rulebook was the inventors note and a long rambling about the name Zzinity and what it meant. I don't know if he thought this strange name would carry the game but originality wasn't going to. Many life and money games have small similarities to Monopoly but they aren’t just imitations. Letting go and making your game playable. Another important thing is not to become obsessed with keeping a certain feature in a game simply because you want it there. Sure keep it if it doesn’t hurt the game but don't try to hold it if it is hurting the game. For example; I spent a lot of time designing one hundred question cards with a question/answer book for my Taxi game. I wanted the players to earn "green light" tablets and at the same time be educated in the three question categories on each to do with the automobile and things related, such as safety. Also part of my reasoning was possible sponsorship for the game. The problem was that the question cards bogged the game down so I dropped them. Also when designing a game try and keep to a minimum any frustrations or annoyances in its mechanics. Try to make your game flow. This can be difficult to achieve and little annoyances are sometimes necessary. Setting up a great game like Monopoly and counting out the money, some people might find an annoyance as with any money game. Nothing major I know, and necessary too. The Australian sheep farming game “SQUATTER”. This game was a great game for family entertainment. The one annoying thing (and most games seem to suffer one thing) was the movement of a whole lot of tiny sheep heads that represented the farmers stock. It might not always be easy to achieve but if a game has certain annoyances that bog it down and it can't flow then you should do what you can to delete them. I dropped the question card element from "TAXI!" for that very reason. Being my first game I had so many ideas and tried incorporating them all. As time went on I found I simplified and re-simplified continually to my games improvement. The board became smaller and smaller and thus easier to use. All of the games I have developed use game boards the same size as the original monopoly 500mm X 500mm so it’s practical use is another thing to consider. Each of my games use dice and to be able to throw the dice onto a game board itself can be convenient but only two of mine could probably allow it without disturbing other playing pieces too much. Necessary annoyances or irritations people mightn't mind as long as they're small things so its best make every effort to eliminate as many as you can. My Gossip Street game requires some setting up with each player receiving calling cards for any possible situation before returning the ones that don't apply to him/her. It's a necessary requirement to keep their identity secret but to some degree annoying. As a board game I also have other concerns about it relying on the participants placing their clue cards correctly and not providing misinformation. Clue cards mistakenly or deliberately placed spoil the game and I can only see that issue being overcome by a non player referee to confirm correct placement or if it was made as a computer game that could eliminate those concerns. I am not computer literate enough to do this myself. Gossip Street is far more involved than say “Cluedo” and requires concentration and memory. Keeping a dirt file pad on five other players would also be much easier in computer form. Refinement. Don't just think, "That'll do" If there is still ways to improve on it make the effort. I must have redesigned and altered the board for "TAXI!" some fifteen or seventeen times before the final result. The reward in knowing that you produced your finished product convinced you couldn't have refined it any further will be so much more satisfying if some day in the future it succeeds with some nagging problem you could have fixed prior to publication. Play test and listen to constructive advice from people who will appraise your game honestly. You may not always take their advice but you should consider other perspectives as to assure your games mass appeal. NOTE: If anyone wanted to produce any of my own games I would be insistent on more play testing before publication just to make sure if any changes or tweaking might improve them.
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