Why I Decided to Code a Boardgame

(and how tools written in obscure programming languages helped)

@ChrisChinch

#chipshopbg

chipshopgame.com

Chip Shop

Build your Silicon Empire

Release Date: Early 2016

Editions: Print-on-Demand, Premium, Digital

Players: 2-6

Launch Party: Computer Spiele Museum

The Aim

Awesome and Open

Base: 1980s America

Expansions: 70s, 90s, Japan, Europe

Community: User Contributed

Production: Open

Workflow

Write Once, Multi-Format

Open: Everything

Write: Once

Markdown

The Content

Developer: John Gruber (& Aaron Swartz)

Skills: Clean, Perfect for Online, Focussed

Jekyll

The Website

Developer: Tom Preston-Warner

What: Static Site Generator

Skills: Easy, Light, Semi-Flexible

Pandoc

Swiss Army Knife

Developer: John MacFarlane

What: Converter

Skills: Converts

LaTeX

Print

Developer: Leslie Lamport (1985)

What: Word Processor / Markup Language

Skills: Clarity, Complex, Confusing

Tying it Together

Automate Away

Developer: Me!

What: Stops me Typing

Skills: Impresses Passers-by

Funding & Promotion

Old vs New School

Positives: Test your Ideas, Popular Category

Negatives: Popular Category, Reality of Delivery

Digital Games

App, App Away

Positives: Solo play, Broaden Market

Negatives: Variable Quality, Defeats the Point?

Game Simulators

The Future of Cardboard?

Positives: Play Testing, Global Groups

Negatives: Missing Rules, New Area

Thank you!

Writer, Developer, Other

Chris (aka Chinchilla) Ward

chriswhward@gmail.com

@chrischinch

bit.ly/1QdpeXF