Sketch first, play later : allowing illustration to influence game design in board games

Abstract

Every designer has their method when designing a game, be it a video game, boardgame or even an alternative controller game (or anything else that fits in the middle). There are multiple methods to choose from, designers tend to stick with the methods they have been taught or the more popular ones, while some prefer to explore to find something that makes more sense for them by exploring alternatives. One of the many alternative approaches to game design is starting from the illustration, which can be somewhat unconventional since visuals are the last thing to be produced, but starting from the end can aid the design process by setting a theme from the beginning to serve as an anchor for the mechanics and narrative present in the game. Various boardgames have utilised this approach with multiple levels of success, Scythe designed by Jamey Stegmaier and published by Stonemaier Games in 2016, is an example where the design started from the illustration. The illustrations created by Jakub Rozalski inspired the creation of the narrative for the game and inspired certain game mechanics. Games such as Sleeping Gods, designed by Ryan Laukat and published by Red Raven Games, and Flamecraft, designed by Manny Vega and published by Cardboard Alchemy, are other examples where the illustration has either been what kickstarted the design process or has heavily influenced the final game. Having these examples leads to an investigation of better understanding of how illustration can originate the design of a boardgame or influence its design process, to achieve this some game designers have been invited to participate in an interview to gather intel to understand the validity of this approach, its flaws and how designers from different background utilise illustration while creating a boardgame.