Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 08

Homebrew Game Design

Turning wacky ideas into fun board games.

By James Ernest

SO, YOU’D LIKE TO INVENT YOUR OWN board game? Great idea! Here’s how to do it — or how I do it, anyway.

1. Determine Who Your Audience Is

Know your audience. If you’re making a game to play with your family and friends, that’s great! That’s the best way to start. But if you aim to sell to a game publisher, it’s never too early to think about how to position your game in the marketplace.

For example, when I started Cheapass Games in 1996, I knew I wanted to target “core hobby gamers” like my friends and me — college-age males who frequent game stores. Because gamers already have their own dice and game pieces, I knew we could have fun just with new sets of rules and ...