Dashboard › Forums › Ask Me Anything › Joe Slack from Crazy Like a Box (Mar 3) › Reply To: Joe Slack from Crazy Like a Box (Mar 3)
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Hey Nicholas!
Thanks for your question.
So, Automa Factory makes solo variants of games, particularly for Stonemaier Games. If you’re referring to solo variants of games, then yes, if your game will support this, I strongly encourage you to develop a solo mode for your game. Note that this won’t work for every time of game (negotiation and social deduction games wouldn’t be a good fit) and you can’t force it, but there is certainly a demand for amazing solo games and great games that can be played solo (just make sure the solo mode is as good as the multi-player mode!).
As for making games easier for players to learn, this should absolutely be a goal for all game designers. Games that are easy to learn and play get played more, whereas games with complex rules often stay on the shelf.
Player aids, concise and well-tested rulebooks with good illustrations and examples, and how to play videos can all help with this. Also, if you can find a way to teach as you go, similar to a tutorial in a video game, this method can work well, too. It will depend on your game and what feels most natural. I hope this helps!
I also wrote an article to help game designers write rulebooks easier in case you want to check this out as well: https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/write-your-own-rules/