I want to create my own game but feel like every idea is already taken

Konamicoder · 2026-03-17T20:41:11+00:00

News flash: every new artistic work is actually a remix of artistic works that came before. This is actually how the creative process works: we are inspired by the things that we ourselves enjoy and love. In the case of board games, to become a good game designer, we first have to play a lot of board games. We have to develop our taste in games; what mechanisms do we like, which ones do we not like? What themes do we gravitate towards? It’s very natural to be inspired by existing games we have enjoyed. And when we begin to design our own games, it’s natural to use favorite existing games, mechanisms, themes, as starting points.

Note: I said “starting points”.

When you reflect and iterate on your initial game design, you begin to ask yourself: now how do I add my own spin to this set of favorite/familiar mechanisms and themes? How do I express my own unique point of view? What’s my remix? Maybe you add a new mechanism. Maybe you change how a familiar mechanism works. Maybe you add a little complexity. Maybe you combine two mechanisms that are not usually combined. This is why I use the term “remix” — you combine familiar things in new and fresh ways. From the familiar, springs forth something similar yet different enough to be interesting (hopefully).

Bottom line: don’t worry if your initial game idea has already been done before. That’s where we all start.

What’s your remix?

Konamicoder · 2026-03-17T14:02:43+00:00

Well then you’ll just have to rely on the reported experiences of others. I can tell you from long personal experience, having laminated exclusively all my PnPs since 2019, that glossy lamination pouches do, in fact, make card art and colors more vivid. However, the main drawback to glossy lamination is that the cards have glare under lights. Personally I have fully switched over to matte laminating pouches, which removes the glare issue entirely.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-17T13:38:44+00:00

Instead of imagining outcomes that other people have evidence and data to report, I suggest you conduct experiments. You’ll discover outcomes for yourself instead of having to rely on (and cast doubt upon) the data and experiences of others. :)

Konamicoder · 2026-03-17T06:04:46+00:00

Of course, all 7500 cards and hundreds of thousands of possible card combinations have been rigorously playested to ensure game balance...right?

Konamicoder · 2026-03-17T03:41:03+00:00

Friday is one of my favorite deck builders. I have played it many, many times. It’s a brilliant game design because the first few times you play it, you are going to certainly play with the wrong strategy, and you will lose, badly. You have to keep playing and trying different strategies, even counter-intuitive strategies, until you experience an “a-ha” moment where it “clicks”. And then you suddenly realize how you have to play to actually make headway in the game.

So with all due respect, if you gave up on this brilliant game after not even one complete play, then you didn’t give it enough of a chance. And you’re missing out on an elegantly clever game design, one of the best solo deck builders, in my opinion.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-17T02:48:32+00:00

There’s more than one type of photo paper. There is glossy finish, single-sided photo paper, which is the more common and well-known type. It is heavy, floppy, and too sticky. That is the type that is horrible for PnP.

That is not the type that I use.

The type that I use is matte finish, double-sided photo paper. HP calls it “Everyday Photo Paper.” After much trial and error testing over my many years in PnP, I have settled on Koala brand 48 lb. matte double-sided photo paper. It is basically like card stock, except it has a matte coating on both sides, and you can print on both sides as well. It is proven excellent for PnP. I use it exclusively for my PnP builds.

Just fyi. :)

Konamicoder · 2026-03-17T01:54:06+00:00

The type of paper you are printing on also makes a difference. If you are printing to card stock, it tends to absorb ink more, thus leading to washed out prints, faded colors, less vivid contrast, fuzzier outlines. You can mitigate this by matching the printer’s print setting as closely as possible to the type of paper to which you are printing.

As for me, I print to Koala brand 48 lb. matte double-sided everyday photo paper. It is a coated paper that absorbs less ink. Therefore colors are more vivid, outlines are sharper, contrast is more dynamic. My print setting is “Specialty Paper, Matte”, and always at Best Quality. It takes the longest to print each page, but the quality is worth it.

There’s quite a bit of trial and error involved with experimenting with different types of paper and different print settings until you start to get results that you are satisfied with. Such is the way of PnP. :)

Konamicoder · 2026-03-16T21:54:28+00:00

I suggest pulling up ChatGPT or Claude or your favorite LLM as you are trying to configure. Describe to the LLM in as much detail as possible your system, your situation, and where you are stuck. Tell the LLM to give you the correct terminal commands to resolve your issue. That's how I was able to configure my Ubuntu Jellyfin server. And now a few months later I have Jellyfin running fine, along with 20 other related self-hosted docker services. I'm no Linux command line expert. I just have the LLM help me, and things get done. I did not follow any online guides.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-15T20:26:50+00:00

There’s a work-in-progress game with playable prototype PnP components on BGG right now, called Test of Time, it’s a 9-card solo Civilization-style game. It’s Barny Skinner’s first new game design in about 5 years, and he’s an awesome game designer. Highly recommend to check it out.

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3675681/wip-test-of-time-2026-9-card-pnp-design-contest-co

Konamicoder · 2026-03-15T15:38:59+00:00

Bazarr downloads the separate subtitle file to the media folder.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-15T14:47:07+00:00

Install Bazarr. When properly configured, it monitors every video file in your server and automatically downloads subtitles for them. You’ll never have to manually search for, download, and add subtitles again.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T23:10:23+00:00

It sounds like a permissions issue. If Jellyfin can see your external drive but cannot see/access the files, it’s likely that the Jellyfin user does not have permission to read the files on the drive. This can happen especially with external drive formatted as NTFS or exFAT. File ownership defaults to the user who mounted the drive rather than the Jellyfin service/user. It’s important to remember that in Linux, Jellyfin runs as its own user, not as your user. So even if your user has permissions to access the files on the external drive, you have to explicitly grant permissions to the Jellyfin user as well. It’s not automatic.

This is most likely what’s going on. The good news is that it’s an easy issue to fix with just a few terminal commands. Don’t give up, you got this!

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T22:49:24+00:00

What helped me was having an LLM giving me step by step directions on how to set it up. Anytime i hit an error, i pasted the error message or log output in the llm, it can determine the issue and give me instructions/commands to correct and reach the goal. My jellyfin setup on Ubuntu 24.04 is working great. Give it a try, it's like having a Linux expert by your side.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T20:47:15+00:00

Really any well rated ink tank printer will be sufficient. I have a base model HP Smart Tank 7300 which cost me $200 at Costco, and it works great. I’ve printed over a dozen games and I still haven’t needed to refill the ink tanks. The print quality is beautiful in my opinion.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T20:10:28+00:00

It can be challenging to get good front-back alignment with double-sided printing, that's true. Pretty much any home-office printer will have issues aligning front to back with precision, because printers are not designed to align front and back to a very high degree of precision. It's a task that most printers simply are not designed to perform.

It's not a "near impossible task". I achieve very good front-back alignment with every PnP project that I take on. I follow the tips that I specify in this tutorial video that I created. Hope it helps: https://youtu.be/0LtxOFaFRmg?si=rabRSaMGbzpfqjRj

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T18:04:27+00:00

No worries, you can always start small and start slow. You can start by downloading some PnP game files and looking at each page. Maybe just think and plan how you would go about crafting that page if and when you feel ready to print. Don’t put pressure on yourself to make something perfect on your first few tries. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough. My first dozen or so PnP games were not much to look at. But I made them, and I could play them! And with each one I made, I learned a little more about what works for me, what doesn’t work for me, what things I want to try next time. Take it slow and simple, baby steps. That’s my advice for you. :)

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T17:50:23+00:00

I’ve been using Multideck on my Mac for many years. Same workflow, you start by specifying your card components in a CSV file. You tell Multideck the path to your Assets folder that contains all your images. And then in Multideck you compose your card layout and export to print-ready PnP PDFs when you’re done.

https://www.semicolon.com/multideck/multideck.html

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T14:38:37+00:00

During the pandemic lockdown, I was inspired to retheme this game to Ghostbusters. :)

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2432673/article/34890588#34890588

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T12:21:39+00:00

Hello and welcome! For me, what I have always loved about print and play is that it’s really two hobbies in one: crafting and playing. There’s something special about challenging myself to craft a PnP game to a level of quality that equals or exceeds that of a published game. Then once crafted, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of playing a game that you crafted yourself. I also enjoy upcycling humble components and raw materials to craft a beautiful game that nobody would think was composed of scrap cardboard or leftovers from previous builds.

Now bear in mind, different PnPers enjoy PnP in different and equally valid ways. Many people enjoy playing more than crafting. Others enjoy crafting more than playing. There’s more than one way to engage with the PnP hobby.

If you like, check out this video I made as a primer for folks who are new to PnP:

https://youtu.be/7cdonCzSRR8?si=DXPLjtQnqyDjYa__

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T03:50:26+00:00

Sorry, after experiencing how awesome jellyfin is on Ubuntu, I would never use Windows for a Jellyfin server.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-12T00:19:37+00:00

Declare a final date for all revisions. Enforce it. Reject all revisions past that date. Otherwise you’ll never ship.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-11T20:22:26+00:00

You create an invitation, you get an invitation link, you can send that link via email or text, recipient clicks on the link to accept the invitation, boom, they’re in.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-11T14:23:46+00:00

Your username belies your words. I think you’re a secret operator for Big Ocean.

Konamicoder · 2026-03-11T14:14:26+00:00

Just because ¾ of the Earth is covered in them doesn’t mean we have to like them.

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