Creating a board game for family and friends... with Launch Tabletop
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- This is the most self-indulgent project I’ve ever made. Dinosaurs vs Cowboys in a traditional Stratego-style showdown. It’s really cool. And it’s just for me.
This project was a real geek-out. The great thing about a print on demand service like Launch Lab is that it lets you really indulge your creative impulses and make something which looks and feels like a professional game - even if it’s just for you, and you alone.
Sponsored by Launch Tabletop.
www.launchtabletop.com
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ADAM IN WALES BOARD GAME DESIGNER JOURNAL
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One way to get around not having a referee, without showing the winning piece, is to do a countdown. If the numbers are one through nine, with the lower number winning, you each grab your piece, start from ten, and simultaneously count down. "Ten. Nine. Eight." As soon as you say your piece's number, you slap it down, and if your opponent is still holding theirs (because their number is lower), then you know they beat you, but not by how much. I think this would actually be a really fun and tense way for battles to resolve.
Amazing looking project, and super cool to learn the origins of Stratego too. Launch Lab looks like a great service, I'm curious how The Game Crafter compares? Maybe an idea for a future video to show the pros and cons of each?
Thanks! Because I’m sponsored by Launch Lab, I am not likely to cover pros and cons of them vs any other service. I’ve never used The Game Crafter, but I know a lot of people do use them and have had a good experience :) Launch Lab is a much newer service, and I’ve used them multiple times now & it’s always surpassed expectations.
...You should probably try to publish that dino game. It match be just silly enough to work.
*might.
Wouldn't Launchlab allow others to purchase your prototype if you can make your project publicly available on the site? Just an idea...
Sure, it would be an expensive game to purchase this way, but for some that's not an issue.
That isn’t a service that Launch Lab offers (currently at least). Launch Tabletop is a full-scale manufacturer, and Launch Lab is their affordable print on demand service for prototyping. I don’t know if they intend to get into that space (allowing others to purchase games hosted on their website) in the future or not. But they haven’t mentioned it to me.
In their Discord server, they stated such feature is coming.
The theme reminds me of the comic Xenzoic Tales, which was later renamed Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.
I’ve never heard of that - looks like it was quite successful with video games, a cartoon series etc. Is the comic worth looking out for?
@@AdaminWales never actually read it, but it I remember it receiving good reviews at the time. Speaking of Cowboys and dinosaurs, I think one of the first stories was Flesh which ran in the first 19 issues of 2000AD in 1977. The premise: in the future, humankind is shirt of food (particularly meat), but time travel technology means that we can go back to prehistoric times, farm dinosaurs for meat, and send it back to the present. The hero was a Texan with a big hat. Classic 2000AD
Short of food, even
@@AdaminWales i think the comic is great, but most people recognize the franchise from the arcade game. The plot is kind of like mad max plus dinosaurs, it's a post apocalyptic future where humanity is in the brink of extintion living in small comunities, and dinosaurs and another prehistoric creatures are running around.
I get that old comics aesthetic plus dinosaur screams Xenozoic Tales, but i think Valley of Gwangi might probably be the source of inspiration, it's a movie from 1969 about cowboys finding a valley with dinosaurs, it has stop motion animation made by Ray Harryhausen
Hi Adam, another fab video. With launch lab, for a one off of this nature can I ask what it cost?
This game would cost $46 for one copy + shipping, dropping to $38/unit for 2-5 copies, and steadily decreasing from there with quantities. I have no idea re: shipping - depends where in the world you are I guess! And don’t forget to factor in customs taxes etc.
@@AdaminWales thank you - in reality for a one off quality game thats pretty good - especially for the number of components it seems to have. cheers
If I were to open a launch tabletop account, I assume the required art dimensions would be bigger than the final component the art would be printed on.
Is that the case, and if so, how would I know how big to draw all the sections on a board designed to fit cards onto, or how big should be the fields for pawns?
That’s a really good question! And it’s something I’ve struggled with myself. I’ve ended up working it out by measuring the dimensions of the board and cross-referencing that with the number of pixels. This gives you a XX pixels = XX cm formula. From there you can calculate the size you need for each individual section.
It worked for me, but there may be an easier way! :)
Also note, since this video was made Launch Tabletop gave introduced custom game board sizes - so you can pick your dimensions!
@@AdaminWales I had asked LT themselves, but they seem to have misunderstood the question, so thanks for this reply a lot. Really helped.
I've tried to work this out a few times, but something as simple as unit conversion never crossed my mind. XD
A cool solution to this problem would be the ability in launch lab to have 2D top-down images of your components that you can layer on top of each other and move around to see how the tokens or cards fit onto the image of your board. If it's off, you rework the art until you get it right.
Again, you really helped. Now I feel like I can proceed with opening my LT account.
Thanks.
It’s also worth remembering that the image dimensions will include the “bleed area” which is not actually part of your board image. So a conversion formula like the one I described above is not entirely accurate (though it works as a rough guide).
@@AdaminWales I think counting the bleed pixels from the edge of the image to where the bleed area stops, and subtracting them from the pixel dimensions before converting to cm should work. Boards are perfectly rectangular, so it should do the trick with a lot of accuracy.
Looks fun! I’m really enjoying all this info regarding Launch Tabletop. I suspect I’ll be using their services this year.
loved the game and art style. immediately thought of Andy Warhol, indeed.
I really enjoyed the launch tabletop service, but was annoyed when FedEx send me two invoices regarding taxes and fees.
Keep in mind that this happens for EU customers.
Yes, it’s definitely worth bearing in mind when ordering from the EU or UK. There are likely to be some customs taxes. I asked Launch Tabletop and they said they’re trying to smooth out the process - perhaps by collecting taxes at their end before the game is shipped, so the overall cost will be clearer.
Love this! I find AI art is great for prototyping. For a game like yours what is a ballpark price for making a single version including shipping? I’m in the US.
Hi Jason, in the US this game would cost $46 for one copy + shipping, dropping to $38/unit for 2-5 copies, and steadily decreasing from there with quantities. I have no idea re: shipping sorry! I’m in the UK.
@@AdaminWales Wow, that’s a great price!
Absolutely beautiful,… wow, so good
This is how AI can be used constantly in a very good way. But the board game community hates AI images, right? #themeparkmania
I don’t think it’s as clear cut as the board game community hating AI. The majority of players are probably pretty apathetic about it. Many in the creator community (designers, artists) have strong ethical objections to its use in commercial products. Since this game isn’t to be sold, that shouldn’t be an issue here. Personally, I use AI for prototyping (and home-brew projects for fun) but would draw a line at selling products with AI images. Everybody will put their line somewhere different, I suspect.
@@AdaminWales It should be about gameplay. Art comes second.
AI can be helpfull for the art but not consistent. As a game designer you need a solid aproach (promt) to get steady results.
And you need to optimize your images and update your game assets. It's not just a prompt.
I consider much to be changed in the nearby future, but I love any custom work, custom design, custom art
AI is a tool. And it should stay a tool to serve. Designing a game takes more than just an AI promt. Much more. I invite everyone to try it. It's also fun.
Wow, it looks great! How much would it have ordinarily cost you (i.e., had you not been sponsored by them) to create this game using this service?
This game would cost $46 for one copy + shipping, dropping to $38/unit for 2-5 copies, and steadily decreasing from there with quantities. I have no idea re: shipping.