You’ve put in the time and effort, and now you’ve come up with a really original card game that you know will sell like hotcakes. But the question is, how can you take an idea and put it in someone’s (physical or digital) shopping cart? Don’t worry, because we’ve got you covered with five surefire ways to make a hit custom card game. This will also help you to get print from any good card game manufacturer.
FOCUS ON A SMALL THING
Your theme has to be broken down to the exact essentials, whether your custom card game is a humorous game of analogies or a unique take on learning about ancient conflicts. This will help you pare down your game concept and turn it into something playable without losing any of its charm in the process. You may help your consumers understand your card game concept better by doing research on rules or other components you can include into your design. The rules or aspects of existing games, whether tabletop games, video games, or other kinds of interactive entertainment, might be a source of inspiration; if this is the case, consider what it is about such games that appeals to you and how you might be able to apply it to your own creation (without flat-out stealing the idea). Always check that your theme’s design and rule concepts are consistent with one another; this is one of the most crucial details to keep in mind. If, like the card game Coup, your game relies heavily on the concept that one card trumps all others.
DON’T FORGET TO RECORD THIS
Now that you’ve completed the first stage, thoughts of your game are racing through your brain. It’s helpful to write things down, even if you plan to discard the paper later. Everything should be documented, from the rules and the details of the environment to the card design and other aesthetics. Once you have these materials, you may start making changes, removing features, adding new ones, simplifying, or enhancing your game. By refining the game’s mechanics, you may refine the idea until it’s playable.
PROTOTYPE AND TESTING THE IDEA
After you’ve committed your game’s concept to paper, the next (and possibly most crucial) stage is to create a prototype and put it through its paces through playtests. Nobody wants to put in the money and time to mass produce a bespoke game just to have it fail due to rules issues, poor plot development, or other bugs. Even while it’s simple to have loved ones try it out, it’s crucial to have objective observers, ideally of varying ages and levels of expertise, provide feedback as well. You may increase your chances of winning by doing this. To review, this phase necessitates making a playable, designed prototype of the whole game. After that, you’ll need to put it to the test on actual humans. Have no idea how to track them down! You might promote your game by placing it on a playtester forum.
REFINE YOUR LAYOUT
Get as much useful input as you can, and then make Prototype 2.0 out of your prototype (or 3.0 or 4.0, depending on how many rounds of changes are needed). Make the cards by hand or use a computer programme. The rules and packaging for your game will benefit from a logo you design. Maintaining cohesion between the game’s packaging and its components is facilitated by consistent branding. Make a package of branding standards that includes decisions like typefaces, a colour palette, design style, characters, etc. to refer to later (for possible expansion packs or other related elements). No guilt in hiring help if you’d rather not deal with game creation yourself. You should only make sure they don’t lose sight of your ultimate objectives.
GET IT IN PRINT AND OUT THE DOOR
You may now realise your ambitions of creating your own unique card game. Your game is ready for print and release after you’ve finished designing it. If you work with a seasoned and competent company like Shuffled Ink, which makes bespoke playing cards and board games, this phase will be a breeze. You can quickly submit your designs online, pick the materials you want your game created from, choose your preferred bespoke packaging, and take advantage of our lightning-fast turnaround time, all at an affordable price.