I have always loved playing strategy board games. There are so many cool new games that keep getting made. So when I saw this was an ARC I could request, I did exactly that.

This books gives an overview of all sorts of game mechanics that are often used and sometimes altered to make things a little more spicy. The game mechanics are organized into little boxes, which makes it easy to differentiate between different mechanics.

I have noticed similar things from game to game, but I never knew what they were called. Now I have names for all those cool mechanics. And now I know how they function, and how they are often varied to create unique games.

There are really pretty illustrations all over the book. Everything from classic games to little game pieces were hand drawn, which was really nice. It gave life to all the mechanics.

The back of the book has 4 game examples which you can play as is or customize. They’re not all perfect, which is fine because they’re meant to be frameworks anyways.

I did have two minor issues with this book.

Sometimes, after one game mechanic is explained, it links you to another page with a similar mechanic, or a mechanic often used in conjunction with the one just described. Unfortunately, this ARC had all the page numbers missing. It just had “Flip to page # for more info.” There was a pound/hashtag/sharp instead of page numbers. Also, the index in the back was blank. I really wanted to be able to use these features, but they were not yet completed in the ARC. I know ARCs are often not completely polished, but still.

The second issue I have is that this book barely ever mentions modern games. Games like Rock Paper Scissors, Go, and Checkers are explained in great detail, while other popular games like Catan and 7 Wonders are mentioned in passing. The book references the games in the back of the book more than it references modern strategy board games. I kid you not, the brief mentions of Catan and 7 Wonders (which only happen once each) are the only modern game references.

I wish at the end of each game mechanic there was a small list of games featuring that mechanic. For example, at the end of the section about variating the turn order, it could say:

Games that feature this mechanic: Parks, Uno, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Uker

This would allow me to know what popular games feature this mechanic, so I could go play them and get a feel for how they work. It’s like when writing a book, you need to read other books of the same genre. When designing a game, you should play lots of games with the mechanics you want to use.

I wonder if copyright had anything to do with this? But wouldn’t that only cover including pictures of the games or explaining the game in detail? The author was clearly able to include the names Catan and 7 Wonders, so why couldn’t they also include other game names in passing?

If these two things had been included, I’d definitely have given this book 5 stars. This is the only book I can find which explains how to make a board game. I hope other game designers see this and make their own books like this. I’ve often seen books in libraries about how to do magic tricks, or how to draw, but this is new. It makes sense, because strategy board games are relatively new.

Overall, this was really helpful. I’ll definitely be using this to help me design a couple games to play with my family. I’ve always wanted to design a game, and now I feel a lot more confident I can do that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of Make Your Own Board Game by Jesse Terrence Daniels.

I think while a bit overwhelming to just read that this is a great book that delivers lots of information to those who might be looking to make their own games. Going through the pieces, development and more of how to create a game there are lots of examples and other useful information in this book.
I think this book would be a great addition to any classroom or library or enthusiastic board game players shelves.

Make your own board game is the perfect book if, like our family, you've been bored on a rainy day and after playing a stack of board games, you have been inspired to make your own. I liked that it started off by outlining the benefits of playing games and the essential omponants needed for any game. It's a really comprehensive book which outlines each type of game design and the pros and cons of each.as well as examples of each in the form of the classic games you have played before. Though it's full of bright, engaging graphics that will appeal to kids, the text isn't really suitable for you to hand the book over to your child and let them get on with it. I'd say it's better suited to a whole family effort. There's a lot to learn within the pages of the book, particularly about the history of the games played in ancient societies throughout the world. It was great to have resources at the end of the book you could cut out and use to play with, making the book an interactive experience.

It's definitely a book I rould recommend to families I know, particularly those with elder children. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always thought Board Game making was simple but boy is it not. I was trying to think of a storyline that could become a game and I did not succeed. This books helps you understand what makes a board game the successful visions they are today but phew! I don't see board game development in my future lo.

There is a real gap in the market for board game enthusiasts wanting to do more with their game experiences and I think this book fits it perfectly. With a few books about board game theory now starting to become popular, 'Make Your Own Board Game' really goes back to the very basic components on what makes a successful board game.
With a detailed glossary of complex and often misunderstood terms, you're in very safe hands to guide you on your creation journey. Explore the different components and familiar comforts that can make the base of gameplay, there are no limits on what you can combine to create something new. The mechanics of game can be make or break, but there's a whole chapter to sort through what does and doesn't work together with really handy (and cute) illustrations to help understand each point.

What I loved most about the guide is that it uses real and commonly played games to help you understand what each set of terms mean and how they differ in actual game play.

I honestly think it's a 'must have' book for any store who stocks board games or any RPG enthusiast.

This was such an unexpected gem!

I didn’t realize just how in-depth it would go involving making your own board game, but it goes extremely in-depth! Some of the opening information I was familiar with, but almost everything else was new to me! It “debunked” how to make a board game (which was something I didn’t feel I would ever learn how to do) because once I saw this book, I thought it would be fun to try making one with my family! I can definitely say (and confidently at that!) I feel we officially can now!

I really enjoyed the illustrations and how it enhanced what the author was saying. I also liked the layout of the pages and how it flowed.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the “mechanics” of board games or how to make your own! It’s was insightful and very helpful!

*(I received an e-copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*

This is a very thorough exploration of how to craft your own games. It really does start from the ground up with components and the very basics of rule and gameplay styles, providing brief pros and cons for these basic styles. It then goes very in depth into various game mechanics, providing clear explanations and examples of how each might work in a game. In addition, the charts and illustrations were fun and engaging and the layout of the overall book helped keep the book fun and engaging.
Overall, I would highly recommend this for someone looking to make their own game or even just curious about the basic components of tabletop gaming in general.

Really love this easy guide, and I use "love" as a present-tense because I often refer back to it as I'm creating my own board game. It's thoughtfully composed and its definitions & examples have helped me better understand the board games I already play. I think this is a great read for any board game fanatic, from newbie to aficionado.

MAKE YOUR OWN BOARD GAME by Jesse Terrance Daniels is subtitled "A Complete Guide to Designing, Building, and Playing Your Own Tabletop Game." I foolishly thought that this book would be geared to children and teens, but it seems to be intended for those older teens and adults who truly love intricate, lengthy games. Daniels lays out details about various game components like rules, movement, maps, role-playing and so on. However, I personally found the content to be much more complex than I had anticipated. He suggests using this book as a foundation for lesson plans and I can see it serving as a "textbook" for a summer school course on gameplay or as a guide for those who truly are willing to invest extensive time into creating a game.

Did I enjoy this book? YES!
I definitely think this is one of those books that one can learn from and actually put to good use in one's life.

Board games are making a comeback and this book helps gamers develop their own game. With easy to understand instructions anyone can develop a game using their imagination. As a former Teen Librarian, I wish I had access to something like this to engage the teens in my area. I will be recommending this book to our current Teen Librarian as a resource to get the teens involved.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest opinion.

This book is not kidding around! All kinds of aspects of board gaming are expounded upon, going into a lot more detail than I had initially expected. You can of course decide how complex you want your game to become - this isn't just for children. Plenty of examples are provided, too.

Also interesting for people who are more generally interested in the mechanics of board games.

This is a very thorough book on how to design your own board game (or other game) with lots of details about the various materials and elements you may want to incorporate. It does not tell you how to do this on a commercial scale, like materials and marketing, but more along the lines of games you'd make in your family and with friends. Colorful illustrations are used throughout.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Make Your Own Board Game by Jesse Terrance Daniels was an interesting book. However, while I enjoyed how the book was broken down and had great ideas, it might be too complicated for children and is perhaps a better fit for young teachers and parents. The ideas given, included lots of variables to think about. I liked how the information was presented in a very “you can do it” way. I am very glad I was offered this book to preview and I was able to try out a couple of ideas from the book with my classes.

Make Your Own Board Game by Jesse Terrance Daniels is a great gift for all the young teacher and parents you know.

It's always great to see a new book about board games, and this is a good choice for helping to inspire kids and adults to create their own. It isn't just a 'make up some move-forward-move-back squares and roll a dice for luck' sort of board game it talks you through which is excellent to see, and although I didn't have an award-winning board game ready to go when I'd finished looking through it (I really didn't get long before it was archived) I would get a physical copy of this to try and help me settle on some ideas that I've had.

I know a ton of kids who will enjoy this manual for all the ins and outs of designing a tabletop board game.

Make Your Own Board Game by Jesse Terrance Daniels, 133 pages. NONFICTION. Storey Publishing, 2021.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISALBE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
All games can be broken down into building blocks that Daniels calls mechanics. Once readers understand the basic mechanics, they can customize those building blocks to make their own board games -- or card games or pencil-and-paper games or any other kind of games!
Reading about these game mechanics was mind blowing as I realized that all my favorite board games are pretty much the same game. Daniels breaks games down in a way that is simple without becoming boring because he also talks about the creative design aspects of making games. I also appreciate the plugs for good sportsmanship, especially for the target audience.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This book talked about designing tabletop games like board, tile, card, and role-playing games (with the most time spent on role-playing). It's solely about the concept, not the manufacture or marketing of a game. The author started with pretty basic stuff, like playing cards are usually these sizes and have the same pattern on the back. You could figure these things out just from playing a variety of board games. He then moved onto game play rules. He explained a variety of ways to handle taking turns, using currency, etc., and the pros and cons of using the different methods. He sometimes pointed out or used an existing game to demonstrate the idea, but not always. At the end, he provided a few example games, from a basic game to a complex one.

The descriptions weren't always easy to follow. Since the author explained different ideas in different areas, he might refer to a concept (like a "bank") in one place but you have to flip to another section to learn about that concept. He pointed out some complex game play possibilities that might make a game more interesting, but it's also trickier to understand how to make it work. This is a good book for inspiration about the possibilities, but I would have preferred more examples of how the more complex ideas worked in an actual game play and the steps of actual game design.

As a gamer, the title Make Your Own Board Game intrigued me, as I hoped to be given real tips on how I could replicate the success of the world leading board game manufacturers. What I read was more of a history of board games rather than a how to guide.
Definitely a good reference book but I was slightly disappointed by the fact the book didn't give me everything I was looking for.
It was a relative;y quick read, and I would recommend for people who like board games, whether strategic or ones of chance.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, Storey Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.***