Learn the mechanics that take your game from an idea to a playable product.

Do you aspire to be a game designer but aren’t sure where to begin? Learning Video Game Design on the Tabletop guides you through your initial attempts to design game mechanics. It goes beyond simple description and definition to explore in detail the issues that designers grapple with for every game they create.

Learning to design tabletop games builds a solid foundation for game designers and provides methods that can be applied towards creating paper prototypes of computer-targeted games. Presented in a step-by-step format, Learning Video Game Design on the Tabletop helps the reader understand how the game design skills that are acquired through creating tabletop games can be used when designing video games. Fully playable games from master designers (including Reiner Knizia and James Ernest) accompany every topic so you can truly understand and experience each component that goes into game creation.