From Prototype to Finished Game - Photo Comparisons of Well-Known Games

Rob Bartel

(RobBartel)

Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

Recommend

This Geeklist is inspired by a recent Art in Prototypes thread. The basic question (and one that comes up fairly frequently among new designers) was "How much effort should be put into the art for a prototype before it gets submitted to publishers?" There are various answers to that question of course (and I'd encourage you to reply to the original thread with yours) but it prompted an interesting journey through the BGG image gallery.

This Geeklist provides some side-by-side image comparisons of original prototypes and the now-familiar games that they became.

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Edited Tue Jul 5, 2011 6:19 am
Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 6:35 am

26. Board Game: Royal Palace [Average Rating:6.96 Overall Rank:505]

Xavier Georges

(Xavier2)

Belgium

0 comments

Posted Fri May 8, 2009 4:04 pm

27. Board Game: Diamant [Average Rating:6.73 Overall Rank:510]

bruno faidutti

(faidutti)

France
LES ANGLES

The prototype :

The published game, european edition :

The published game, US edition :

2 comments [Hide]

Posted Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:23 pm

Dale Moore

(Dale-not-Chip)

United States
Winston-salem
North Carolina

It's a shame they took out all that lush greenery for the US version.

Posted Thu May 26, 2011 1:33 pm
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Jeremy Diachuk

(taggedjc)

Don't worry! At least they got green felt.

Posted Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:36 am
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28. Board Game: Vanuatu [Average Rating:7.51 Overall Rank:517]

EPRON Alain

(alainE)

France
LA GENEVRAYE

The prototype

The published game

0 comments

Posted Wed May 2, 2012 7:54 am

29. Board Game: Castle Panic [Average Rating:6.74 Overall Rank:581]

Rob Bartel

(RobBartel)

Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

0 comments

Posted Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:20 pm

30. Board Game: Assyria [Average Rating:7.08 Overall Rank:590]

bruno faidutti

(faidutti)

France
LES ANGLES

The prototype :

The published game :

0 comments

Posted Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:04 pm

31. Board Game: Felix: The Cat in the Sack [Average Rating:6.66 Overall Rank:617]

bruno faidutti

(faidutti)

France
LES ANGLES

Prototype :

Published game :

0 comments

Posted Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:09 pm

32. Board Game: Revolution! [Average Rating:6.76 Overall Rank:656]

Daniel Danzer

(duchamp)

Germany
Stuttgart
southwest

Not yet published, but development quite obvious already:

Playtest copy at BGG.CON

...to be continued with the final art ...

5 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 10:02 am

Rob White

(Rob in Richmond)

United States
Richmond
Virginia

This is one where I sort of like the first version better. Clearer about what's going on. And the shapes seem pleasing to me. I asked my wife what she thought and she feels the second is much more attractive because of the artwork.

Either way, I think it's a game I'll be interested in playing.

Rob

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 3:01 pm
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Philip duBarry

(pdubarry)

United States
Cincinnati
Ohio

I'll have to upload the "real" prototype image sometime. It was just plain white with black lines. I finally colored one with colored pencils just to get my family and friends to try it.

Posted Fri Mar 6, 2009 7:53 pm
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Frank Hussey

(Brazen Hussey)

United States
Olympia
Washington

Yup, the composition is far more appealing in the prototype.

Posted Sat Mar 7, 2009 10:51 am
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John Brock

(jwb3)

United States

Pennsylvania

Brazen Hussey wrote:

Yup, the composition is far more appealing in the prototype.

And it looks like an authentic period map -- or, perhaps, like a modern map of an "authentick" period location. (That is, a historical reenactment kind of museum, such as Mystic Seaport, Sturbridge Village... 'fraid I don't have any examples outside the NE US!)

And the difference between what's important to the game and what's just there to look pretty is totally clear. Unlike, say, all those big green trees on the board in the second picture, which do nothing for the game and are very distracting to the eye.

Edited Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:29 am
Posted Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:27 am
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Samo Gosaric

(sgosaric)

Slovenia
Ljubljana

Pegasus Spiele.

Posted Tue May 18, 2010 3:21 pm
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33. Board Game: Mystery of the Abbey [Average Rating:6.56 Overall Rank:694]

bruno faidutti

(faidutti)

France
LES ANGLES

The prototype :

The first edition of the game :

The published game :

0 comments

Posted Wed Dec 16, 2009 7:45 pm

34. Board Game: Galactic Emperor [Average Rating:6.77 Overall Rank:710]

A. B. West

(adamw)

United States
Beech Grove
Indiana

Early prototype II (but not the first):

...then prototype III...

...and the final product

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Sat Jun 20, 2009 4:09 am

Rob Bartel

(RobBartel)

Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

Nice protos. You should include some links to your other threads and geeklists explaining your design and manufacturing process.

Posted Sun Jun 21, 2009 4:55 am
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35. Board Game: Red November [Average Rating:6.47 Overall Rank:814]

Jaroslaw Kuczynski

(jar_on)

Poland
Warsaw

6 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 10:04 am

Nick Fisk

(Moviebuffs)

United Kingdom
Stoke on Trent
Staffordshire

Come on the mighty Seagulls! Puching for the play-offs ... but not sure we want to win them!

That's weird. This bit used to mention Shire Games, and tell you all how wonderful we are. But it seems to have got deleted. Let's see what happens this time ....

I wish they'd kept the board the same size .....

N.

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 10:48 am
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Pete Belli

(pete belli)

United States

Florida

I would be saying "Please get those drinks away from my precious prototype!"

Perhaps this is why I have a constant shortage of playtesters.

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 10:49 am
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Dominic Crapuchettes

(domcrap)

United States
Bethesda
MD

This overtext is brought to you by the abstract strategy game Battle of LITS and the number 20.

I'd be saying "Anyone want another beer? They're on me this time!"

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 5:33 pm
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Gerry Smit

(GerryRailBaron)

Canada
Toronto
Ontario

pete belli wrote:

I would be saying "Please get those drinks away from my precious prototype!"

Hmm, or just use a color copier of your prototype map, so you can write notes on it, adjust territory boundaries, etc, during play. The proto-type stays safe, and the players can drink anything they want?

(Just thinking out loud...)

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 5:34 pm
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Tim Seitz

(out4blood)

United States
Glen Allen
VA

Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him. 2 Sam 14:14

It's grog, this was originally a role-playing version of the game.

Posted Thu Mar 5, 2009 5:48 am
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Sebastian

(TermiGator)

Germany
Merzig
Saarland

Thank you for stopping at this OverText. Your cursor is now being scanned for the purpose of security. Please don't move for 3 seconds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thank you for your cooperation. You may proceed.

Moviebuffs wrote:

I wish they'd kept the board the same size .....

N.

Actually I don't. I like it the way it comes.

It's way easier to convince my girlfriend to get a Game that comes in a smaller box because there are already way to many games (in her opinion) in our small appartement...

Posted Thu Mar 5, 2009 8:19 am
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36. Board Game: Municipium [Average Rating:6.83 Overall Rank:924]

Rob Bartel

(RobBartel)

Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

4 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 6:20 am

Sebastian

(TermiGator)

Germany
Merzig
Saarland

This is one of the games, where the prototype reveals how little there aktually is on the board and how much is just shiny appearance.

Posted Thu Mar 5, 2009 8:12 am
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Jack van Riel

(purplewurple)

Netherlands
Nijmegen

I like shiny appearance!

Posted Thu Mar 5, 2009 1:02 pm
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Drew Spencer

(banyan)

United States
Tucson
Arizona

It looks like the prototype had the benefit of being able to stick to walls.

Posted Thu Mar 5, 2009 11:41 pm
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Christopher Seguin

(chrisnd)

United States
Cleveland
Ohio

purplewurple wrote:

I like shiny appearance!

Especially when it is Michael Doyle doing the shiny!

Posted Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:21 pm
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37. Board Game: Senji [Average Rating:6.68 Overall Rank:939]

bruno faidutti

(faidutti)

France
LES ANGLES

The prototype (LO5R version, I think):

The published game :

0 comments

Posted Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:19 pm

38. Board Game: Antics! [Average Rating:7.08 Overall Rank:971]

Daniel Danzer

(duchamp)

Germany
Stuttgart
southwest

The designers sent out graphics and rules with assembly instructions for a PnP playtest version using "Ingenious" tiles.
The board has the same topology, but looks quite a bit different in the published game ...

2 comments [Hide]

Edited Tue Oct 26, 2010 11:26 am
Posted Tue Oct 5, 2010 5:50 pm

Mike S

(Player77)

Netherlands

That's truly ingenious cool

Edited Tue Oct 5, 2010 7:25 pm
Posted Tue Oct 5, 2010 7:25 pm
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Kris Wolff

(kristopherjwolff)

United States
poulsbo
Washington

Cool... The first prototype of my game used old Ingenious tiles too!

Posted Tue Oct 5, 2010 7:39 pm
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39. Board Game: Talisman [Average Rating:6.50 Overall Rank:987]

Jon New

(talismanisland)

United Kingdom
Sunny North Devon

Prototype of Talisman - or Necromancer as it was known originally!

Which became this little beauty...

...and now this!

3 comments [Hide]

Posted Thu Mar 5, 2009 12:50 am

Stefan

(Piazza31)

Germany

Woho! Nice to see, that this 3rd pictures was taken from me

Posted Fri Mar 6, 2009 11:55 am
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Jon New

(talismanisland)

United Kingdom
Sunny North Devon

I'm glad you uploaded it actually as there aren't many examples of the Revised 4th Edition in the database! thumbsup

Posted Fri Mar 6, 2009 7:53 pm
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Stefan

(Piazza31)

Germany

No Problem... I was just trying to get some geekgold for myself

Posted Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:37 pm
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40. Board Game: Opera [Average Rating:6.72 Overall Rank:1044]

Rob Bartel

(RobBartel)

Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

0 comments

Posted Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:17 am

41. Board Game: Jerusalem [Average Rating:7.03 Overall Rank:1040]

Michele Mura

(Favar)

Italy
Pisa

From the first sketch of the board to the final version:

Here on BGN you can find more info and also images of the first prototype:
http://www.boardgamenews.com/index.php/boardgamenews/comment...

0 comments

Posted Mon May 24, 2010 3:53 pm

42. Board Game: Viktory II [Average Rating:6.97 Overall Rank:1191]

Gerry Paquette

(Star Hopper)

Canada
Ottawa
Ontario

Early play test vewrsion using spare Settler hexes along with Axis & Allies pieces.

There's a wonderfully detailed description of the design & manufacturing process on game's website:

http://www.viktorygame.com/viktoryiihistory/

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:42 pm

Second in a one horse race

(Microver99)

United Kingdom
Bromsgrove, Worcs

F&%K YOU, DODGEBALL!!!

Quote:

There's a wonderfully detailed description of the design & manufacturing process on game's website...

Absolutely brilliant game design diary. Anyone designing their first game should read this. I've read through it a number of times now and find it inspirational...

... even though I'm not a designer.

Posted Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:45 pm
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43. Board Game: It's Alive! [Average Rating:6.46 Overall Rank:1208]

Rob Bartel

(RobBartel)

Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

3 comments [Hide]

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 4:55 pm

Scott Everts

(ScottE)

United States
Foothill Ranch
California

MITCHELL!!!

Push the button, Frank!

This is an astounding change of theme. Even though this game is very good, I imagine if they had not rethemed it the game would of died a quick death.

Edited Wed Mar 4, 2009 8:43 pm
Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 8:43 pm
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Rob Bartel

(RobBartel)

Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

Agreed. The prototype itself is quite clean and functional (although too color-dependent, in my opinion) but far harder to market. Reiver Games' retheme of it from "The Menorah Game" to the more Frankensteinian "It's Alive!" was a stroke of genius, in my opinion.

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 9:53 pm
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Just call me Erik

(unixrevolution)

United States
Waldorf
Maryland

RobBartel wrote:

I can't imagine it making much thematic sense as "The Menorah Game." I bought it mostly due to its unusual theme, and found it to be a wonderful game besides

Posted Thu Mar 5, 2009 3:01 pm
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44. Board Game: Gonzaga [Average Rating:6.76 Overall Rank:1231]

Silvano Sorrentino

(ilsilvano)

Italy
Bari
Unspecified

One of the latest prototypes, using flat cardboard fiefs yuk

, a different scoretrack and cards showing 3D pieces:

An image of the boxed game:

0 comments

Posted Wed Nov 18, 2009 2:43 pm

45. Board Game: Kill Doctor Lucky [Average Rating:6.17 Overall Rank:1430]

Gerry Paquette

(Star Hopper)

Canada
Ottawa
Ontario

3 comments [Hide]

Posted Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:06 pm

Rob Bartel

(RobBartel)

Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

The only trouble is that the first image isn't a prototype - that's the game in its original published form.

Posted Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:35 am
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Gerry Paquette

(Star Hopper)

Canada
Ottawa
Ontario

True enough, but it still serves as a good example of a game in its most basic form prior to being embellished with artwork. The fact that the game became so wildly popular in such a crude state is a testament to the importance of playability over looks; something designers need to keep in mind.

Posted Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:05 pm
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Heiko Günther

(lee elektrik)

Germany
Saarbrücken
Saarland

I spent 100 GG so you can read this.

Also a good example of how the »embellishment« of a game with heaps of detailled artwork can take away a lot of charm, which this first edition had in spades, partially due to it's minimal artwork.
Showing more leaves less to your imagination.

Posted Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:28 pm
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46. Board Game: Caribbean [Average Rating:6.23 Overall Rank:1454]

bruno faidutti

(faidutti)

France
LES ANGLES

A very underrated game, and an old favorite :

The prototype :

The published game :

0 comments

Posted Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:25 pm

47. Board Game: D-Day Dice: Free Trial Version [Average Rating:6.97 Overall Rank:1536]

Emmanuel Aquin

(Amiral)

Canada
Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Quebec

And D-Day Dice, too!

I'm an "A"vatar.

My game's not well-known (it's only a little print-and-play), but here is its prototype:

And the final product:

1 comment [Hide]

Posted Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:52 am

The root of all evil... but you can call me cookie.

(thoia)

United States
Gainesville
Florida

Pretty well known now...with published version coming soon.

Posted Tue Jul 5, 2011 12:50 am
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48. Board Game: Pony Express [Average Rating:6.52 Overall Rank:1553]

bruno faidutti

(faidutti)

France
LES ANGLES

The prototype (with designer Antoine Bauza and publisher Philippe Nourah):

The published game :

0 comments

Posted Wed Dec 16, 2009 7:53 pm

49. Board Game: Basilica [Average Rating:6.79 Overall Rank:1663]

Lukasz Pogoda

(stalkeroi)

Poland
Warszawa
Mazowieckie

Picture below shows two very, very early prototypes, one cancelled offspring, and working prototype from the beginning of the final development.

This picture shows final stable prototype (2008/2009) that was sent to publishers and finally acquired by Rebel, just before introduction of the lastest development changes.

This photo shows almost final prototype, all the final changes to the mechanics, introduced by Ignacy Trzewiczek, are in. The board is still in working form (it was cut down in production to smallest possible size).

Now, the game components look like that. It is done!

0 comments

Posted Fri Oct 15, 2010 10:57 pm

50. Board Game: Airborne in my Pocket [Average Rating:7.44 Overall Rank:1802]

Rogério de Leon Pereira

(vinashu)

Brazil
Maringa
Paraná

Prototype

Final version

0 comments

Posted Thu Oct 8, 2009 6:52 pm

10 comments [Hide]

Post Comment

Keith Medlin

(medlinke)

United States
Holly Springs
North Carolina

Love the concept for this list

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009 9:14 pm
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Show 5 more comments...

Julian Steindorfer

(Nebenerwerbsbauer)

Austria
Vienna

nice idea !

Posted Mon Mar 9, 2009 11:37 am
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Michele Mura

(Favar)

Italy
Pisa

Why this so good list doesn't go on? It's a sin since it's very interesting.. I like to see games I like so much during their "first steps.."

Posted Thu Apr 9, 2009 2:55 pm
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David Ells

(David Ells)

United States
San Clemente
California

Notice how many of the original / playtest versions of these games feature beer in the pictures - it's amazing the lengths designers must go to get 'willing' playtesters for their games, now matter how good they are ...

Posted Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:48 pm
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Michael Ptak

(Norsehound)

I like this idea.

Personally I enjoy seeing the earliest iterations of my favorite games... it goes so far that I kind of feel like owning a copy of the prototype to play with for some reason.

Posted Sat May 14, 2011 4:44 am
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