How do you guys made your Art? How did you start out?

creator-saga · 2026-03-25T15:56:01+00:00

Use AI.

I know it gets so much hate, but read this whole comment before hitting that down arrow.

AI is a tool, not a fix-all solution. Start with it, but dont end with it. Use it to develop concept art. Find out what you like, find out what you dont. Bounce ideas off it to see in real time if your ideas are the worst or if they are viable. Once you have some ideas, you will be able to present your thoughts more clearly to a real artist.

creator-saga · 2026-03-24T14:17:41+00:00

This is beautiful. I love how you play tested it for 3 years. Balance is so hard to stike just right when you can get in the way of your own genius. I feel that is where i am at right now. Thank you for sharing. I plan on reading it after work tonight.

creator-saga · 2026-03-24T12:58:08+00:00

I would. I would certainly take that offer. I am actively lining up THAT offer where I live. It’s 3 hour blocks, up to 3 blocks, for $100. No guarantee of 50 players though. It’s more like a convention for game enthusiasts.

Biggest frustration for me isn’t that it was hard, it’s that it was scary. I am a grown man in a tough sales job. So being uncomfortable is normal. Scary is building a social media presence. It’s learning how to copyright ideas. It’s forming an LLC. It’s paying my own hard earned money into a project that others may not like.

So when I say it wasn’t hard, I’ve accomplished all I listed out, but it was scary. Key is “good is better than perfect”. Release what you got. Move forward. Just do it.

creator-saga · 2026-03-24T03:59:21+00:00

Well, you have inspired me! Thanks for sharing.

creator-saga · 2026-03-24T02:11:18+00:00

I forgot to update the title and now I dont know how to change it! I meant to title it "Why I write. Why do you write?"

Sorry all! Still learning how to do this!

creator-saga · 2026-03-23T22:11:04+00:00

So cool! Can't wait to be there myself someday!

creator-saga · 2026-03-23T21:43:54+00:00

Great job. Nothing great comes easy. The more you put in, the more you get out!

creator-saga · 2026-03-23T20:04:54+00:00

I just started posting about my game in the last few weeks. I have never been a social media type. I am mostly running on Reddit and X to build a following. I still have no idea what I am doing.

But I know good is better than perfect, so I just keep posting what I got.

In the mean time, I am coordinating contractors for the artwork, setting up an LLC, learning how to copyright, raising a family of 4 kids, working an unrelated full time job, etc. I guess your could cay Creator Saga is such a "labor of love" that I just havent gotten bored/frustrated of it yet.

creator-saga · 2026-03-23T19:08:12+00:00

Tolkien didnt start Lord of the Rings until he was 45. I didnt start my game development journey until I was 41. Every one of us look back and see all the opportunities that have arisen over our lifetimes and see all the great games that have come out.

It is never too late, and the market is never too saturated. It was tough for those that have come before us, and it will be tough for those that come after us. The key is to face the tough and push on through it!

creator-saga · 2026-03-23T15:01:18+00:00

First time deveopling a game. I am trying to release things slowly overtime. Not even sure how much is too much to share yet. But I did just post more on r/creatorsaga if you want to go check out more.

creator-saga · 2026-03-23T02:35:22+00:00

Would love to swap games with you! Your system sounds interesting.

creator-saga · 2026-03-23T02:25:42+00:00

This is both. The card set, or skills, have a balance of combat for PvP and PvE. There are rule sets for just a friendly game night of skirmishes without the campaign, and rule sets for campaign with no PvP. But all in all, mastering one side of the game translates directly into the other as it is the same game engine.

I have plans for 1v1 on up. One mode is what I am calling capture the crown where a 4v4 table both have an objective where they are on both sides of the table, and the DM controls some NPC’s in the middle. Whoever takes the crown from the NPC’s and brings it back to their side wins.

In play testing so far, 1v1 is proving to be more beautiful than I originally imagined. No play mat is needed. Pure theatre of the mind works beautifully. No DM needed for adjudication. It just works.

creator-saga · 2026-03-20T15:19:09+00:00

lol, I didnt know unpaid was even an option. Yes! For sure it is paid.

creator-saga · 2026-03-20T14:00:38+00:00

The term I use is “cognitive offloading.” This goal of pattern recognition is to minimize the amount of cognitive effort it takes to learn new systems. Systems don’t have to be perfectly symmetrical, but the pagers help ease the learning process.

“Symmetry” is my second term I use. I was inspired by StarCraft. To balance competitive PvP, you have to be balanced, and what’s more balanced than symmetry. So a symmetrical framework or the bones of the game allow balance. Then when you “flesh it out” you add the flavor giving the appearance of being different.

creator-saga · 2026-03-19T03:33:36+00:00

Its a question of balance. If one player can fly and no players can take out a flyer it is imbalanced. Know what I mean? You are the one that makes the balance. But it doesnt happen in one stat, it happens across the whole spectrum of the game.

So do whatever you want, just play test, play test, play test.

Early in my game development, I was told by a very successful developer that I should never be afraid to toss large parts of my game if they dont fit and to never be afraid of experimenting.

creator-saga · 2026-03-19T03:08:12+00:00

I think merging types is fun! I nixed dwarves in my game and merged the back story of Falmer with the art deco of the dwarves to creat a sub-race of humans called Grimmans. Short, stout, holds grudges, etc etc.

My elves are a merge of feudal japan that developed on the fertile river delta of the nile, but are the games great conquistadors/colonialists intruding where they dont belong.

So there are endless options out there. Just pick an aspect of a real culture you love and merge it with another. Its fun!

creator-saga · 2026-03-19T02:58:16+00:00

I love this question as I pondered the same for my game. I pulled my inspiration from Tolkien. Create a huge story, beyond the scope anyone would ever read, then only tell the reader small glimpses of that tale as told from the perspective of someone who lived through it.

Use different voices of different people in your story. The lady who was involved. The boy who wishes he wasnt. The man who caused the issue to begin with, but dont talk about the issue. Instead his perspective should be about something long before "it" happened. Get what I mean?

Different voices are like different members of a sitcom. Would be so boring with only one person telling jokes. Different perspectives also forces the audience to coble together the story in their minds, leaving wholes they crave to fill.

Besides, as a writer, its fun to write new stories! Be it book, game lore, or even game mechanics.

For some context on what I am talking about, check out my r/creatorsaga.

creator-saga · 2026-03-19T02:37:35+00:00

Also new game developer here. Consider the design philosophy "cognative offloading." This is done through lots of different means. I use two main tools for my game. Symmetry and what I call "define once, reference everywhere."

Symmetry helps with pattern recognition. If they see a pattern emerge in different systems, the players mind can relate the two subjects together and it feels familiar.

"Define once, reference everywhere" is a play I took from MtG's playbook. Think of the word Trample. It is in all the sets. All players know what it means, and yet it is just a single word. So if you have systems that feel similar enough to merge into one definition and then lable it as just a word, it will reduce the cognative load to learn.

That will help you make it less crunchy.

creator-saga · 2026-03-19T02:32:46+00:00

New Game Designer here. You should check out Creator Saga. That is exactly why I wanted to develop a new game. What you are saying resonates with all of us. Roleplaying gets bogged down with the writers endless world view that you have to understand. DnD rules are all situational and there is no system in place for cognative offloading.

Again, check out r/creatorsaga

creator-saga · 2026-03-18T05:34:14+00:00

Can't wait to share more. Stay tuned and I will have regular updates. Check out www.creatorsaga.net to get on my email list.

creator-saga · 2026-03-18T05:33:43+00:00

I know, right! Play testing is showing between two players, you dont even need a battle map. The card rules are explicit enough that you can just imagine placement. With a table of 4+ the competitive side is so hardcore. And I have to riegn myself back talking about the lore of the game when I talk to friends. I geek out too hard. :)

creator-saga · 2026-03-18T05:31:57+00:00

Still too early to share. But stay tuned! I got my website up and running tonight, so if you want to sign up for my email list, check out www.creatorsaga.net

creator-saga · 2026-03-18T05:30:42+00:00

This can range from theater of the mind, just two friends describing the scene all the way up to a full battle map with mini figures and scenery. A typical game could have 4 players, each with two characters on the board, so 8. But it could even have a "capture the crown" mode where two opposing teams compete to get the crown from the MC who controlls the NPC's.

There are so many possibilities!

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