RUIN: A Board Game
- Event
- Global Game Jam
- Attribution
-
- Kaylee Menard Graphic & Game Designer
- Jared Thomson Game Designer & Engineer
- Chris Ziraldo Game Designer & Production
- Date
- 2016
- Type
-
Game Design
Game Piece/Board Design
Playing Card Design & Production
With a 48 hour time limit, we set out to create a board game that would be playable by a maximum of 8 people at the end of Global Game Jam 2016.
We fleshed out a general game concept then created a rough production schedule with overlaping game mechanics development and fabrication of the game board and pieces on a CNC router. In other words, we would use paper and post-its to refine gameplay and finalize visual designs. The final hours of the game jam were spent sanding plywood, waxing game pieces, and production of the action cards.
FIg. 1
We started developing the game using paper game board prototypes and post-it notes as cards.
Fig. 2
Once satisfied with the game mechanics, we defined all card abilities. I began creating iconography for each ability and developing the style of the playing cards.
Fig. 3
While we refined the gameplay and visual designs, the CNC Router was hard at work cutting the physical game board and game pieces out of plywood.
Fig. 4
I developed the designs of the ‘God Piece’ and backs of playing cards from sketches, then traced them in Adobe Illustrator. The vector drawing of the ‘God Piece’ was then fed to the CNC Router Program to create the final wooden version.
Fig. 5
I finalized the card iconography and produced the required number of cards according to the meta game strategy.
If we revisit developing RUIN, I would include text prompts on the cards for new players to ease the initial gameplay learning curve.
Bonus image
Printing and accidentally slicing through playing cards in final 15 minutes of the Global Game Jam.
