Wargame Development Questions

[Krusty81]

I'm currently developing a set of wargame rules and had a few questions for people that have tried it before or those that are successful and are still doing it.

I know that wargame rules are a dime a dozen and every man and his dog is wanting to develop them. Almost everywhere i ask these questions eyes tend to roll back into heads and deep breaths are taken. I am aware this is a hard business to crack into but i intend to try anyway.

At this point in time, i am just going to develop the rules and make an ebook available for free with a hard copy for sale. If the game gets popular i would like to take it further.

With that said,

1. How difficult is it to get sculptures for a new wargame? What is the process to get one/some? What entices a sculptor to work on a project. What kind of outlay should i expect to have?

2. Assuming i get a sculptor, what is the process to get the models mass produced?

3. What are some things that i should look out for or avoid when developing a ruleset?

Also, if anybody is interested in working on a wargame ruleset feel free to private message me. Whilst i am pretty confident of being able to develop this project myself, added hands is always a plus. At this point in time i need:

- Artists
- Fiction Writers
- Play Testers

 

[Chern Ann]

1. How difficult is it to get sculptures for a new wargame? What is the process to get one/some? What entices a sculptor to work on a project. What kind of outlay should i expect to have?

2. Assuming i get a sculptor, what is the process to get the models mass produced?

3. What are some things that i should look out for or avoid when developing a ruleset?

Also, if anybody is interested in working on a wargame ruleset feel free to private message me. Whilst i am pretty confident of being able to develop this project myself, added hands is always a plus. At this point in time i need:

- Artists
- Fiction Writers
- Play Testers

It sounds like your goal is to make a profit doing this, so avoiding the penny ante route will require non-trivial investment. The numbers I'm giving are based on this assumption, you can certainly boot strap a company but it will most likely fail since, as you say, your customers have a lot of competition to choose from. Note that a ruleset does not necessarily require your own line of miniatures, especially in the 15mm scale where there are many generic figures available, fantasy, sf and historical of all eras.

Sculptors typically prefer to work in areas where they know they're good, and also with people they know will pay on time; expect to pay a large portion of the sculpt in advance if you are new to the business, and it pays to check references on sculptors in terms of reliability. Good sculpts in 28mm the 32mm scale will range between $300 to $800. Large sculpts (monsters, large robots, griffons etc) would be $800 to $1500, depending on the sculptor. Most sculptors will insist that you have concept art to work from, at least initially. Good concept work will cost you about $300 per illustration.

Once the sculpts are ready, they must then be sent to the mold makers for the creation of permanent masters, which will be as close duplicates to the original sculpt as possible. The original in this case is likely to be destroyed by the mold making process. With these masters, production molds are made. Production molds are then used to cast the miniatures. You will have to pay for making the master molds, masters, production molds and of course the mass produced units. Molds can be anything from $50 to $200 depending on the complexity of the product. Production molds do not last forever and must be replaced, Rackham is famous for throwing them out after less than 50 casts due the complexity of their figures, but typical wear should be about 200 figures, more if you or your customers don't mind a drop in quality. Resin molds last a lot less (about 50 casts).

I can't help you with the ruleset, but after you're done and your figures are made, you will need to consider marketing, attending conventions etc which will easily be at least the cost of everything up till this point, if not more. A national convention like Salute or Gencon will probably run you $3000 to $5000 including space, hotels, staffing, meals and transportation. If people like your figures you can make them back retailing at the con. Web advertising on sites such as this, TMP and other sites will also require a budget (at least $100 a month), and depending on your genre you may consider periodicals like Wargames Illustrated. You will also need to include your own web presence, shopping cart etc, there are many hosted solutions available (shopify.com for example) that can make your life easier.

If you have a solid concept and about $25,000, I think it is possible to make a go of it, if you are very careful how you spend your money. Anything less and hitting any roadblock or mistake will likely kill your project, especially since you're new at this.

edit: I should probably add, $25k includes your working capital, no one gives credit on the manufacturing end of things in this industry.

 

[BarstoolProphet]

3. What are some things that i should look out for or avoid when developing a ruleset?

I've developed a few 'fun for my friends' things along these lines.
Things to watch out for: Language. Make sure every rule is clear and written in the briefest possible language.
Game-breaking combinations: Ability combinations that make something 'good' leap into the 'holy crap how did I lose???' category.

Playtest the crap out of it. Then, when you're sick of playtesting it.... playtest it some more. Try everything. Combine everything.
Then do it all again against different people playing the same things. No two people will use things the same way.
Then rewrite the rules again and start the process over.

 

[Krusty81]

It sounds like your goal is to make a profit doing this, so avoiding the penny ante route will require non-trivial investment.

Not really. Obviously i don't want to run at a loss, but my goal is to make a really good ruleset that will hopefully become a popular alternative for those that enjoy a more complex type of game.

The numbers I'm giving are based on this assumption, you can certainly boot strap a company but it will most likely fail since, as you say, your customers have a lot of competition to choose from. Note that a ruleset does not necessarily require your own line of miniatures, especially in the 15mm scale where there are many generic figures available, fantasy, sf and historical of all eras.

Sculptors typically prefer to work in areas where they know they're good, and also with people they know will pay on time; expect to pay a large portion of the sculpt in advance if you are new to the business, and it pays to check references on sculptors in terms of reliability. Good sculpts in 28mm the 32mm scale will range between $300 to $800. Large sculpts (monsters, large robots, griffons etc) would be $800 to $1500, depending on the sculptor. Most sculptors will insist that you have concept art to work from, at least initially. Good concept work will cost you about $300 per illustration.

Once the sculpts are ready, they must then be sent to the mold makers for the creation of permanent masters, which will be as close duplicates to the original sculpt as possible. The original in this case is likely to be destroyed by the mold making process. With these masters, production molds are made. Production molds are then used to cast the miniatures. You will have to pay for making the master molds, masters, production molds and of course the mass produced units. Molds can be anything from $50 to $200 depending on the complexity of the product. Production molds do not last forever and must be replaced, Rackham is famous for throwing them out after less than 50 casts due the complexity of their figures, but typical wear should be about 200 figures, more if you or your customers don't mind a drop in quality. Resin molds last a lot less (about 50 casts).

I can't help you with the ruleset, but after you're done and your figures are made, you will need to consider marketing, attending conventions etc which will easily be more than the cost of everything up till this point, if not more. A national convention like Salute or Gencon will probably run you $3000 to $5000 including space, hotels, staffing, meals and transportation. If people like your figures you can make them back retailing at the con. Web advertising on sites such as this, TMP and other sites will also require a budget (at least $100 a month), and depending on your genre you may consider periodicals like Wargames Illustrated. You will also need to include your own web presence, shopping cart etc, there are many hosted solutions available (shopify.com for example) that can make your life easier.

If you have a solid concept and about $25,000, I think it is possible to make a go of it, if you are very careful how you spend your money. Anything less and hitting any roadblock or mistake will likely kill your project, especially since you're new at this.

Ouch. Double Ouch. Perhaps i should take a different route as it seams that avenue would be rather restrictive if for example i wanted to release more factions for the game. As you mentioned, the 15mm scale has many generic models i could use for the game. Two other ideas i had for getting around the production of my own miniatures were:

1) Base the game factions in pre-existing models and with the permission of the manufacturers feature them in the ruleset. I've put out tentitive emails to a few compinies with this in mind but no one replied. Either because i have no product to show or becuase they were not interested.

2) Approach a miniature company to model the units. They gain the profits on the models and i gain profit on the rulebook.

Are you (or anyone else) aware of any companies that either manufacture a large range of sci fi models or that would be interested in a collaboration?

 

[Krusty81]

3. What are some things that i should look out for or avoid when developing a ruleset?

I've developed a few 'fun for my friends' things along these lines.
Things to watch out for: Language. Make sure every rule is clear and written in the briefest possible language.
Game-breaking combinations: Ability combinations that make something 'good' leap into the 'holy crap how did I lose???' category.

Playtest the crap out of it. Then, when you're sick of playtesting it.... playtest it some more. Try everything. Combine everything.
Then do it all again against different people playing the same things. No two people will use things the same way.
Then rewrite the rules again and start the process over.

Yeah i want to play test it a lot as i don't want to make an unbalanced ruleset where a particular army setup is overpowered, resulting in everyone using only that army and only that setup. Makes things very boring.

As for language, I would like to think i make pretty good rules that are hard to circumvent. Although i have never written a set of wargame rules, i have written rulesets for other games with quite a good degree of success. And as time goes by and people play the game, i can cover any holes with errata and updates to the ruleset pretty easily.

 

[Chern Ann]

Ouch. Double Ouch. Perhaps i should take a different route as it seams that avenue would be rather restrictive if for example i wanted to release more factions for the game. As you mentioned, the 15mm scale has many generic models i could use for the game. Two other ideas i had for getting around the production of my own miniatures were:

1) Base the game factions in pre-existing models and with the permission of the manufacturers feature them in the ruleset. I've put out tentitive emails to a few compinies with this in mind but no one replied. Either because i have no product to show or becuase they were not interested.

2) Approach a miniature company to model the units. They gain the profits on the models and i gain profit on the rulebook.

Are you (or anyone else) aware of any companies that either manufacture a large range of sci fi models or that would be interested in a collaboration?

Compared to starting your own business in almost any other industry, $25k is comparatively low (restaurant? $100 to $200k. McDonald's franchise? At least $500k).

There are tons of 15mm guys. E.g. http://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/15mmscifi.html, really nice mix of troops. Just google 15 mm science fiction and you'll get a ton of hits.

You might be able to convince a company to license their existing product to you under a different name, but I doubt they would produce figures based on your ruleset. What if you had a disagreement over what would sell and what wouldn't? "Yes mutant space armadillos will be the next hottest thing says I." "Sod off." (Khurusan does make these). You'd probably be better off designing your rules around existing available figures and talking to the manufacturers to make sure the lines will be available for the foreseeable future (miniatures are retired all the time) and cross promoting each other's stuff, if budget is a major constraint. This would probably make the most sense in your case -> Write rules -> Get playtesters -> Refine rules -> Get gamer support -> Demonstrate market potential to miniature producer and gain their support -> profit.

Your trickiest bit would then be to get gamer support to endorse your rules as fun, simple to play, a complex simulation that has long been missing, compelling backstory, whatever. GW achieves this with 40k by having a compelling backstory and great art, rather than very balanced rules, while Future War Commander http://www.blitzkrieg-commander.com/default.aspx?Area=FWC takes a different approach by supporting multiple miniature lines with generic rules focussed (presumably) on tactical play. I'm not sure what your angle is, but as in any venture you should probably figure out a differentiating factor before embarking on it if you have not done so already.

 

[Demihuman]

+$1200 business consultant fee to Chern Ann

 

[EricJ]

I'd just like to mention that the figure that Chern Ann threw out for your initial capital is quite conservative, having recently just produced a wargame ruleset, lol. Producing minis is quite straightforward, and it looks like you have good advice there, so I'll stick to your question #3.

But when you're working on your rules, I think there are a few very important things things to keep in mind. I've had my own successes and failures with each, but the all pop up frequently in my continued game development.

1) Simple vs. Complex: You don't want to overload your players, but at the same time you don't want to develop Checkers (which is essentially a very simple wargame). Complex is VERY tempting in everything, as it allows your game to do TONS, but it just gets overwhelming fast. Be well aware of the tradeoffs of adding complexity, and always ask yourself if it's needed. With Malifaux, I tried to have at the core of the game, a VERY simple mechanic, the duel, which people could quickly get their head around. Starting from a place of simplicity, allowed me to then build layers of complexity, which were increasingly optional. The models for the game are VERY complex, but since each player only needs a few, it allows you to mitigate that complexity.

2) Original vs. Derivative: You game doesn't need to reinvent the wheel, but it does need to look like a different wheel than all the others. That said, there are many components which are fairly standard across wargames, and which allow your players to quickly access your game with come comfort level. You may call it something different, but an army is an army, an attack is an attack, etc... Make those things stay easily accessible to players, and then make sure you hold up your original twists, and make sure they are airtight in your explanations! Always keep your eyes open to what other games do, and while you don't ever want to straight copy, try to understand the essence of what makes a fun mechanic fun, once you understand that, you may be able to make a different mechanic, which creates that same fun thing, just from a different angle.

3) The LCD Factor: Remember you are writing this game for both the seasoned wargamer, and for someone who has never picked up a miniature before. It is important that you step back and make sure that your rules make sense to both sets of players. Being a wargamer yourself, it's much easier to write for other wargamers, so you have to always make sure you're keeping the other set of people in mind.

4) The Asshole gamer factor: If you write in any hint of an exploit, it will be exploited by someone, to the determent of everyone around them, and the game. They can be fixed and errated, but that isn't a whole lot of fun either. Keep that in mind, and the best way to find the exploits is:

5) Playtest, playtest, playtest: Do lots of playtesting, there is nothing more valuable than hearing other peoples experiences with your game.

6) Emotions: Manage them. It's easy to get either totally convinced you have the best game ever....and it's just as easy to get to a point you feel totally helpless (and switch back and forth often). Neither is helpful. Just be aware this is a BIG undertaking and will take a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of dedication. Understand that before you start, or you won't get far. Also understand that no idea is perfect, so never get so attached to something that you're not willing to keep your eyes open for something better to replace it.

I think those are some good core rules to start with. There is of course much much more that goes into it, from design philosophies, to game definitions, to language/wording issues...tons more, but the best way to learn is to try! Just make sure you enjoy what you're tackling, because you'll get VERY friendly with it over the years of design

Ericj

 

[Krusty81]

Thanks Chern and Eric, that's some very valuable advice there. On your points eric,

1) I am going the complex route for my game, but am taking an approach you mentioned. My take on it at this point in time is to have base stats for things and then use modifiers to change results. So for example if a model is using specific actions or is in one situation or another, this will add a modifier to the relevant stat. With that said, it will need to be play tested to see if it actually works smoothly.

2) This point is similar to Chern's in that the game needs to have different selling points to set it apart from the rest. I've decided to go with the setting and complexity aspect, focusing on areas that are lacking in other war games such as complicated terrain rules and campaign rules.

3) This is quite difficult for me, as when i have written rule sets for other projects, they tend to get complex fast.

4) I always keep this point in mind when writing rules. I used to write competiton rules for a computer game and the area of exploits becomes essential to avoid. There are always people out there that just play to win.

5) I'm hoping that once i release a beta set of rules that i can get the right amount of interest for some dedicated play testers. Time will tell.

6) A good point. The one thing i have noticed in the online world is that providing anything of use is largely a thankless exercise. I'm trying hard to focus on making the game the best it can be rather than worrying about pleasing absolutely everyone.

Oh, and thanks for the links Chern. I contacted khurasan miniatures and they are allowing me to use their models for my game. Woot!