Building a Solo Board Game - Part 1

I've been wanting to create a solo game for a while now, inspired by some of my favorites like Sprawlopolis and Cartographers. Drawing from the features that I love in those games, I've come up with an idea for a tactile strategy game. This is just the beginning of what I expect will be many, many prototypes, and I've put together a short video documenting the design process for the first one.

My goal is to create a pocket-sized, strategy-based game with a space, rocket, and battle theme. I love the idea of a compact radar unit that players can use to navigate ships, engage in battles, and interact with passing planets.

Unsure of where to start, I began prototyping in Tinkercad. I had a rough idea for the board layout but wanted to explore an additional feature: while the game is designed for solo play, two boards can be linked to create a larger battlefield for multiplayer mode. The idea of a pocket-friendly solo game that seamlessly expands into a multiplayer experience is something I’m really excited to develop further.

I was surprised by how quickly I spotted the game's weaknesses as soon as I printed the first iteration. Seeing it physically laid out made it instantly clear where it needed improvement, this is something I hadn’t noticed while planning or sketching in my notebook.

Having a physical prototype allowed me to properly test the rules I had put together. Considering most of the game was planned in my notebook, it held up surprisingly well. However, one issue was clear from the start and that was that the board is too small. While I wanted to keep the gameplay tight, expanding the play area by a few more rows will greatly enhance the player’s experience. This means the rules will need slight adjustments to accommodate the change.

Additionally, while the game includes moving parts, like the rotating number disks for tracking stats, I’d love to simplify the design with fewer individual components. Right now, I don’t feel experienced enough (yet) to create a more streamlined solution in CAD, but we'll get there.

If you've made it this far, thank you! Please watch the video at the start of this post for more information on this project and consider subscribing.