Between January 2001 and January 2002 Matt Cowens and Deborah Giltrap designed, tested and produced three card games, titled DIG!, MOB! and COW!. They began with initial concepts, developed rules, game mechanics, artwork, card designs, text and packaging, then rigorously tested and test marketed these games. This is a short overview of the process behind the first game, DIG!.
Concept: It was the intention of designers Matt Cowens and Debbie Giltrap to create their own game using an original deck of cards and rules, with a humorous twist and cartoon artwork, utilizing their particular combination of talents. The design for DIG! was developed very quickly, and though it evolved through several stages it remained faithful to the first concept - a humorous card game for 3 to 6 players, which would take less than an hour to play, centred around the theme of archaeological expeditions in Egypt, loosely set in the 1920s or 1930s.
Initial Development: Having chosen a theme and setting for the game, Matt and Debbie brainstormed ideas for general game mechanics, specific card functions and card design. It was decided that each card should have a title, a piece of artwork, a joke where possible, and a description of the card's function. The goal of the game was to collect 'treasure' cards, while avoiding 'monsters', 'traps' and 'curses'. The game was to be a race, with the first player to amass 10 points of treasure being the winner.
Card Design: Starting from Matt's rough sketches, the card design was soon fixed to meet the above needs. As seen here, there were two separate decks of cards, differentiated by colour, but using the same layout and design. An initial deck of 80 playing cards, containing various frequencies of 27 different designs, was created based on initial design specifications. Artwork was hand drawn by Matt, then digitally captured and manipulated. All text and layouts were developed collaboratively.
Testing: A group of 8 playtesters was assembled and a round of initial testing was undertaken. Concerns such as card frequency balance, clarity of wording, and effectiveness of game mechanics were addressed. Using the feedback of this initial test group Matt and Debbie returned to their original design and began improvements.
Production: The deck of cards was finalised, at 153 cards featuring 43 separate designs (each with an accompanying illustration). Matt and Debbie contacted a range of printers (digital and conventional) and obtained quotes for having the cards printed. Packaging art and layout was created, and a source for boxes found. Cards were digitally printed, enabling smaller print runs and greater variety in artwork (not being tied to printing plates). The price per unit was set based on initial estimates and production costs, and the game was marketed directly (at gaming conventions and by extensive demonstrations) and to game stores throughout New Zealand.
Revision and Improvements: The game was received very well, with all reviews being positive. Minor changes to prepress layout were made for the second print run (on the advice of the printer). After a period of intense work on other projects (including 2 other card games) the designers chose to return to DIG!, and apply those new skills they had developed (primarily small changes in their methods of graphic manipulation and Matt's improved artistic range) to refining DIG! to its ultimate small press form.
An example of the art and layout development process
