The Board Game Design Course

In my blog a few weeks ago about how to make your game unique and stand out,  I said I would go more in-depth on how to give your game good table presence.

Part of making your game unique and attractive is being able to draw people in when they first see it. Of course, the game also has to be really solid, otherwise, their expectations will not be met.

Have a look at the games below. Don’t you want to know more just by looking at them?

Fireball Island

Rising Sun

The Climbers

Santorini

It just so happens that these are great games as well. But it’s that first initial reaction when you see a game on the table that makes you want to sit down and try it out.

First impressions are important.

So, how do you make sure your game has great table presence?

Well, you can start by thinking of some interesting components or board configurations that will get people’s attention. The components could be miniatures, dragons, or meeples armed with equipment, like in the Tiny Epic series of games. Think of something that will stand out, be different than people have seen in other games, and will get others asking questions and wanting to know more. People can be captivated by toy-like components that really capture your imagination.

One other thing I’ve noticed is that height can be your friend. What do I mean by that? Games that have either a board or components that are elevated well above the tabletop can be very visually appealing.

Look back at the pictures above. Santorini has an elevated board, along with building pieces that increase the structure’s height as you play. The Climbers uses building blocks that can reach a good height. Fireball Island has a raised board with a volcano at the top that sends fireballs all over the terrain.

Just by being raised well above the height of the table, they attract attention from anyone walking by. This is especially the case where the height of the game is above the heads of the players at the table.

Of course, these examples may not apply as well to the game you’re working on. If your game doesn’t lend itself to a board or stacking components, then this may be a bit more of a challenge.

If you’re working on a deck-builder, another type of card game, or a game with minimal components, see if you can make those components more interesting and unique. Just think differently when you’re crafting your deck builder, or at least make sure the art and graphic design is visually stunning. Try to find ways to make your game stand out compared to others.

I myself am not that artistic, and this is an area where I struggle. Fortunately, I do have friends who are game designers that are much better at this than me. Sometimes it’s best to enlist help when needed.

For example, I had an idea for a game that is currently going by the name Jewel Heist. I knew that if this was done right, it would look fantastic on the table. I love working with my friend Sylvain (who always has great game ideas and suggestions) and knew that he was the one to help me make this happen, so I asked if he would co-design this game with me. It’s much further along now and the game looks fantastic!

A few years ago I took this to Proto TO, a local game designer event, and everybody that walked by the game commented on how cool it looked. That’s exactly the reaction I was hoping for!

I’ve definitely kept table presence at the top of mind since then.

What is one game that you feel has really great table presence? What makes people stop in their tracks when they see it being played?

I’d be interested to know some examples of the games you feel have great table presence.

Also, The Board Game Design Course has recently been chosen as a top game design blog by Feedspot! Check it out:

https://blog.feedspot.com/game_design_blogs/