So now that we had an idea for a game -- an historical newspaper game, tentatively called Penny Press -- it was time to make a prototype.
I’d been thinking about Penny Press for a while, slowing building the mechanics in my head, but there’s only so much you can do before committing your game to the real world. Without a prototype, it’s really hard to see what parts work -- and more importantly, which ones don’t.
In building the first prototype, I kept things simple, using materials I had on hand, such as index cards, printer paper and parts I salvaged from thrift-store games. I drew some things by hand and used clip-art for the rest.
This accomplished two things: it kept costs down, and it made the emotional barrier to making changes quite low. Because we didn’t have that much time or effort invested in the first prototype, it was easy to adjust cards and parts after playing it a couple of times (and there was plenty to adjust!).
Later, we’d spend more time and money updating Penny Press, but in those early days when so much of the game remained in flux, the fast and cheap prototype was our friend.
I’d been thinking about Penny Press for a while, slowing building the mechanics in my head, but there’s only so much you can do before committing your game to the real world. Without a prototype, it’s really hard to see what parts work -- and more importantly, which ones don’t.
In building the first prototype, I kept things simple, using materials I had on hand, such as index cards, printer paper and parts I salvaged from thrift-store games. I drew some things by hand and used clip-art for the rest.
This accomplished two things: it kept costs down, and it made the emotional barrier to making changes quite low. Because we didn’t have that much time or effort invested in the first prototype, it was easy to adjust cards and parts after playing it a couple of times (and there was plenty to adjust!).
Later, we’d spend more time and money updating Penny Press, but in those early days when so much of the game remained in flux, the fast and cheap prototype was our friend.
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