Make Your Own Board Game

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.

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.

Sue Cook

Make Your Own Board Game is a well-written, concise reference book on how to construct, proof, and play your own tabletop game. Although intended for younger readers, this book is an excellent reference for anyone considering creating a board game. Please note that the word “tabletop” does not mean that the game needs to be played on a table, or on a board. Tabletop games may be played on the floor, grass, table, or any surface.

Make Your Own Board Game references many different types of games, as well as fascinating trivia regarding games and gameplay. Never in my wildest dreams did I realize there was so much to making what appears to be a simplistic game, such as Uno. That one particular game involves color recognition, logic, cooperation, rule recognition, tactical skills, reasoning, memory, and the list goes on.

This book would be an excellent resource to have in every classroom, whether the reader is in a traditional classroom setting or virtual. It applies to grade school children as well as college age students. According to the author, gameplay fosters social interactions, tactical cooperation, healthy competition, logic/reasoning, imagination, creativity, world building, and the personal achievement of goals. Wow, that is definitely not what I expected from playing a game of Go. Speaking of Go, did you know that it is considered to be the world’s oldest game? (Free Jeopardy answer for you.)

I was enthralled by the knowledge that is in this book. I love board games, but most specifically RPGs (role playing games), and would love to be a DM (dungeon master) one day. It wouldn’t make a difference if it was a Dr. Who RPG or Classic D&D, the power of holding that D20… but I digress. The power of the DM or GM is mentioned in the book, and goes without question. It makes for a more interesting game, and one that can be played repeatedly with varying outcomes. There is a chapter devoted to RPGs, so if you are considering constructing a world, check it out.

Make Your Own Board Game goes above just talking about the various structures, mechanisms, and rules of the game. It gives you actual games/worlds to play, greatly encouraging creativity and making the game your own. This book will become a much used guide.

This book was amazing!

Make Your Own Board Game

I have always loved playing board games and feel that one isn't ever old enough to enjoy them. I have often wished I could turn our children's interests and skills into a fun game. Now I can (or at least in February 2022, I will).

I loved how Make Your Own Board Game allows us to understand the rules and principles of game making, thus being able to create games with materials at hand that will entice children to play. Daniels made this process easy to understand and adapt.

As both an educator and a mom, I highly recommend this book for your classroom (and game-loving family!). I know I will add this book to both my work and personal library.



Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Storey Publishing, NetGalley, and Jesse Terrance Daniels for providing me with a copy of Make Your Own Board Game.

Thoughtful and detailed handbook for fans of board games. Accessible for older teens, readers will get all the basics and mechanics of how a board game works that will inspire them and give them a behind-the-scenes look of what makes a board game successful.

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.

I loved this book and would give it as a gift reason why because the book was amazing. I rated five stars because I enjoyed it and want others to read it. My thoughts on the book are that I would definitely buy this book for myself.

This book is a great in-depth book that allows you to flex your creative muscles and make your own board game. The details and illustrations make the reading experience fun and easy to follow along with. As a person who has always wanted to make their own board games, this book has been helpful in finding those starting points and how to further refine the gameplay. As you can create a basic board game with little thought, but understanding the fundamentals of game design and how things should be tied together to create an enthralling game loop are important.

This book is all about understanding boargames to help anyone create their own. This book did a great job of breaking down various game elements in a digestible way without it being overwhelming. Surprisingly, this book also offered a new way to look at commonplace game play. I particularly liked the illustrations and the pro/con list.

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.)*

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 requested this galley since my oldest son is obsessed with making games. It's one of his favorite hobbies but they sometimes lack direction. This book was so well organized and informative. I love how it breaks down the different components in an easy to follow way. We were able to follow the process to create a fun Family game together. The illustrations are also very beautiful! My only complaint is that the text was a bit hard to read in the digital format. But I figure that's an ARC issue and will be resolved in the final edition.

This is a really comprehensive guide to game-building!

The sections and chapters are well thought out to cover most aspects of games and the different mechanics you can encounter, including some variants and how to customize those mechanics. There are many examples to show how these come into play in classic board games, as well as a few fully designed games at the end of the book for you to discover!

I would also recommend this book to anybody in the video game industry as most game mechanics are very well explained and can help set up the scene for a video game in the same way it does for a board game.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the author, the publishers and the NetGalley team for providing me with an Advanced copy. I cherished this opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Storey Publishing for the eARC of "Make Your Own Board Game" by Jesse Terrance Daniels. Although I was given this ARC for free, I will be judging this fairly and will be based upon my own opinion.

This is such a helpful guide to board games. Each point the author makes always includes a Pros and Cons section which is so helpful for anyone like me who is very indecisive. Also, at the back there are multiple games to try and even examples of already made games (such as Chess)

I recommend buying this for a Teenager or an Adult who loves board games for the Christmas holidays once it comes out on the 30th August.

I was very interested in reviewing Make Your Own Board Game by Jesse Terrance Daniels because my 12-year-old daughter loves to invent her own games. I read it for her and gave her some tips to creating a complete board game.
This book has excellent ideas for designing your own game. It walks you through the brainstorming phase, helps you choose chance or choice, props or tokens and the rules for your game.
The graphics in the book are fun and thanks to this book, we are excited to create our own board games!

This book is fantastic! The layout is really nice, simple and easy to follow. There are lots of fun graphics to help explain and break up the text so it doesn’t feel too heavy. I really enjoyed the fact they have examples from games that everyone knows like Chess, to help explain a concept. Also, at the end they have some easy fill in the blanks and build your own game templates to help you get the swing of things.

I cannot wait to try making a game when my kids get a bit older.

Special thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is a thoroughly fun book that walks the reader through the principles of designing and board game. It makes it possible for an older child or adult to think through the things a game needs to be a great play, how to avoid possible problems to gameplay and rules, and does it all well. My family is enjoying crafting their own games with favorite themes and topics personalized just for them.

The author is very thorough and carefully explains each aspect of game play, options for modification, rationale behind different styles of games, etc. He also offers interesting historical tidbits related to board games and includes a few examples of games at the back of the book.

I'll definitely be using this book in my classroom this year - board games can be created based on books, historical events, geography, and more.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I've received an e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazing book! In my opinion from beginner to veteran board game players, everyone can find something new and interesting in it.
The book feels well thought out, cohesive and easy to understand. I love board games but compared to some of my friends I am but a novice in the field. This book helped me to understand not just the mechanics of creating a new board game but undertsanding the ones I've already played or intend to pay in the future.

There is a logical and smooth flow between chapters, the artwork feel just right and just enough. I also really enjoyed the game examples at the end and the rundown of their components and mechanics .

My only advice would be to market it it with a name and in a way that is for board game beginners/likers as well not just with the goal of creating a new board game, since it was so useful just as a tutorial about board games in general.

This colourful book breaks down the elements needed to create board games with useful examples along the way. The stepped approach is really helpful for all age groups while the colourful presentation will appeal particularly to the younger audience.
It was hard to take everything in online so I'm looking forward to having the hard copy in my hands when it is eventually published here in the UK.

I adore board games and tabletop games. I love the competitive ones, the ones you have to think about, the quirky-off-the-wall ones. The ones with catapults, or strategy. The ones with good design.

This book is for prospective game designers. It gives a detailed look at the game mechanics of a game (pieces, turns, rounds, rules, actions, movements, currency, negotiation, story telling, puzzles, chance, randomisations, levels and so on), giving real-life examples of such games in each category.

After the nitty-gritty, we get into design! Here the author provides their own experiences with game design, offers tips, and gives some examples of different types of games in each general category for the prospective designer to explore further.

While I'm not likely to be designing games in a hurry, this was a excellent introduction into the different mechanics behind what I enjoy so much.

**Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

This is a practical guide that is very well researched and written. The book manages to summarise the most common elements in popular and time tested games across the world. It also explains clearly what ratio of luck and skill is needed to make a game interesting. It defines the different game elements or "mechanics" and why they are necessary for gameplay. It is expertly thought out from beginning to end.

The illustrations are exciting, fun and ideal for conveying the intended message.

For people who love to play board games, this book is a gem. Young and old will be equipped to create a board game universe that makes sense and moves towards a final, satisfying win.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the ARC of this book. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from Jesse Terrance Daniels and Storey Publishing.

Make Your Own Board Game is a great book idea!

Posted on June 6, 2021 by michellelovatosbookreviews, world's first book color commentator, book reviews with a twist

I was up in Washington visiting my family recently, and one day my grandson, who had been quiet for a long time, appeared at my side and asked me if I wanted to play a board game. He just finished making it. Of course, I said, sure.
So he put two sheets and copy paper side by side and revealed an old-fashioned Monopoly-like playing board with some fancy scrolls. It had tiles with bonus points and bankruptcy designations, a few trinkets for game pieces, and a deck of Uno cards (a colorful deck of cards numbered from 0 to 9).
He quickly told me the rules, which were far more intricate than I’d expected, and told me to draw a card. So I did. Around the board, we went – or at least he went. Somehow, I got all the bad cards.
I was impressed with this little effort that kept my seven-year-old grandson busy for quite some time, both beforehand and after its creation. I had no idea if he based that game off of one he played or if he made it up himself. But the idea that a seven-year-old boy created a board game fascinated me.
Now I know something new about my oldest grandboy. That, and that my darling perfect, sinless grandson is a cheater. No wonder he and his big sister fight all the time.
Jesse Terrance Daniels and Storey Publishing already knew something important that I did not know. Making board games is trendy.
It turns out that tech-savvy kids are comfortable with creating customized gaming worlds.
I believe it. In this children’s book, the reader chooses his/her navigation path and method of information consumption. Tools, resources, all the regular stuff you would expect from a book like this are present as a teaching or reminder tool. This book is comprehensive and gives the reader everything they need to consider in its pages.
I give it the “Grandma thinks it’s cool” sticker for future expected success.
Daniels reminds readers that games can be a great way to teach things like history. Choosing a gameboard theme is a great way to learn history, a sport, or whatever main focus your child chooses. And if your grandchild is like my grandchild, he/she might be interested in Pokemon (I can’t believe this is still around) or Super Mario Brothers (Around since my decadent 1980s CHILDHOOD).
Make Your Own Board Game: Designing, Building, and Playing Your Own Tabletop Game by Jesse Terrance Daniels discusses dice, cards, game pieces, props, tokens, tiles, currency, and resources. Then there are tools, timers, and tokens. And let’s not forget the rules.
This looks like a great birthday gift for the child in your life. But it doesn’t publish until 2022, so you are going to be forced to ask Alexa to remember it for you. When you do get this one, however, be prepared to sit down and spend some quality time with your offspring. And expect there might be cheating.

BoutiquePublishingService@hotmail.com
BoutiqueBooks@hotmail.com
Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2

Loved the book.. A really quick read and it goes in depth of the creation of board games and how they work. There are also board games at the end that you're able to play yourself.

I love games (mostly board and card). I love sharing them with people, especially my students. This is a great book that breaks down the mechanics of games and gets the creator thinking about the different process to develop one. I was telling my schools’ design teacher about this book; his family and I get together to play board games often. He was excited to hear about a book that breaks down board games because he is having our grade 10 students create a board game next year, going through the design process when developing a board game, then building it. This book would be perfect for that project.

This book explains so many options when developing games. You forget how many there are, until you see a whole book breaking it down to games like rock-scissors-paper or paper football. It offers pros and cons to different rules of play. How a strong theme or story, can create a strong game. I love the classic game examples, these are the games I grew up on. The images also add a nice touch to explain concepts and just make the book more aesthetically pleasing.

Thank you Netgalley and Storey Publishing for this ARC. I look forward to purchasing a copy for our school… maybe a few for our design class.

I not only enjoyed this book and learned a lot but I am now in the prototype testing stages of my own board game thanks to it.
It covers every game mechanic I can think of, tones of ideas...the only downside I can think of is being overwhelmed with ideas for games after reading this.
Highly recommended for gamers, crafters, and people even mildly interested in game mechanics.

This book is so much fun, and informative at the same time. My daughter is an aspiring board game designer, and she read through this enjoying the great deal of information contained therein. The artwork made the experience even more enjoyable, covering the pages in colorful game related images.

The first portion of the book covers the various types of games that exist and their general properties, game play, game pieces, etc. The next portion gives various types of games encouraging the reader to create their own games using the templates, and general rules provided. The templates are placed in order of difficulty. Overall, this is a fantastic book set to help inspire and support other buddy game makers in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing us the opportunity to review this book.