How To Organize Your Board Game Design Stuff Without Spending A Dime
Whether you're an experienced designer or just getting started with your first game, organizing your board game design stuff will save you a bunch of time and effort. For obvious reasons, 'getting organized' is going to look different to everyone, based on the room they have available, the tech they're using, the types of games they're making, and so on.
My goal with this post isn't to make you use my personal organization method (though I will describe it to show a real-world example). My goal here is to ensure you know how to get — and more importantly, stay — organized as you design.
What do you mean when you say 'organized'?
However it's done, my personal goal to being organized is simply 'I'm able to find the information I need, when I need it, with as little fuss as possible'. This might be my notes from the last playtest, the reasons why I changed something (something I frequently forget to note!), the rules for a game, the current version (or a specific version from the past), and so on.
Organizing the physical stuff
Alright, so obviously I've spent more than a dime on this setup. I doubt it's easily replicated, since the little drawers are from Wilko (a British chain of houseware products, and I'm pretty sure they've been discontinued)... but you get the idea.
Back when I was a digital nomad, components not in use lived in a toolbox - usually bagged up together unless there was a need to do something else. Today's setup has evolved as the collection has, but
Whatever your shelf solution and whatever baskets, boxes, or containers you may have, give yourself the time and space needed to store stuff - not just what you have now, but what you're likely to acquire in the future. (This has been my biggest mistake with the setup you see above you - at some point I'll need to check everything, add new labels, etc.)
I spent years putting my prototypes in old game boxes, adding label paper to style it as my own. I sometimes struggled finding the right size box for each game, and ultimately switched to a Ziploc-style bag for each game.
I'll also make a label for the game and attach it to a sturdy piece of cardboard. This makes it a lot easier to identify the game and has my contact info on it. As a bonus, it also gives the stuff inside a bit of protection from being bounced around.
The computer stuff - my real-world example
For the most part, this has been how most of my games are organized:
One Google Doc for the rulebook
(If working with a co-designer: one Google Doc for meeting notes or things we change)
One Google Sheet for the data, any calculations, etc.
One folder in my cloud storage (Dropbox FTW) named after the game
A couple of folders inside that folder - usually one for art and one for older versions, etc.
This is based on my usual workflow (and yes, I still use PowerPoint for a lot of my design work) - if you're building something in a cloud-based tool, then all the saving's done online.
Each file gets it's own version number, and there are two ways that make a lot of sense:
Option A: date versioning. For example, 'Name of Game v20230815'
Option B: software-like versioning. For example, 'Name of Game v0.1.2', or even simpler, 'Name of Game v4'.
For the most part I've followed Option B, but I haven't always been consistent with it. I used to say going from v0.1 to v0.2 meant a major change to the game, or something that requires re-printing a lot of cards. Going from v0.1.1 to v0.1.2 was a minor tweak, or a change to the rules, or changing a few cards, that sort of thing.
Beyond numbering the versions, I'll usually add a few words to the file name about what specific things have changed in that version (for example, 'rebalanced resources' or 'added new type of card'). A full file name would look like this:
Name of game v0.8 added status cards
Use the cloud, Luke
In other words, don't have your only copy of the files on your own computer. I've been a huge user of Dropbox (the Dropbox links are one of those 'help-me-help-you' sorts of links) - and Box.com, though there are definitely plenty of other cloud-based storage services. Each of these has a program you download - log in, then find 'the Dropbox folder' or 'the Box.com folder'. Start saving stuff there so it's in the cloud as well as on your computer.
Other cloud-based services involve using their website or app:
While there are plenty of 'sync your notes across platforms' apps, I've been using Simplenote for years and am very happy with it. Add or edit notes from the website, a computer program, or an app for your smartphone or tablet.
As previously mentioned, I use Google Drive's offerings quite a bit (specifically, Docs and Sheets)
While I don't use it personally, a designer friend has shown me their Trello, which is an interesting way to organize notes in cards and columns.
Taking notes: on paper or computer?
Again, to each their own. For the most part, I've almost always kept notes on paper. Part of that comes back to the reality of keeping up with the feedback. I can write, and more importantly draw, things faster on paper than I can type / draw on my smartphone. Your mileage may vary.
Right now, I'm using a big, semi-classy, A4 notebook for most online playtesting - most of the time, it's about one page per playtest. When going to real-world playtesting sessions, I have a separate A5-sized notebook for that. Call it a personal preference, but I'll usually splurge on some nicer notebooks with thicker paper (think artist's sketchbooks) and use nicer pens. Stuff that's a pleasure to use is more likely to get used, after all.
Part of organizing is keeping things in sync
By 'in sync', I mean the rulebook, physical prototype, virtual prototype, and files are all synchronized. The last thing you'd want is to have version 8 of the rules in version 10 of the physical prototype and version 12 of the virtual prototype...!
This is definitively not the fun part of game design, but like so many other things it's an essential one. At best it's a bad look, at worst there's a strong chance to waste playtesters' time.
Staying organized
Alright, so once your system is set up, staying organized is another thing. Again, it's not an exciting part of game design, but it's essential to get right.
Personally, when working on a game I'll open the rulebook in Google Docs, the spreadsheet in Google Sheets, the PowerPoint file, and maybe the design document / co-designer notes. I'll have the playtesting notes handy, but I'll take some time to list out the specific changes to make.
I'll usually start with the spreadsheet first (it's a personal preference, since that's where all the numbers are), then update the cards or boards from there. Along the way I'll get the rulebook updated, and if a lot has changed I'll give the whole thing a read to ensure the correct terms are still being used. Once done, I'll export the necessary cards / boards, then update the Tabletop SImulator or physical prototypes, whatever's likely to be used soon.
And yes, that's all for one iteration for one design. It sounds like a lot, but this is why I'll take some time to list out the specific changes to make. The more specific / narrow these are, the more certain you know you'll have made the correct changes, and the less time you'll spend making changes on other things.
Over to you
How do you get - and stay - organized? Comments are open.