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You can make a playable board game with paper, a few household supplies, one die and improvised counters. Start with a small prototype: decide the objective, sketch the route, add a few meaningful choices, write simple rules, and test it before investing time in artwork or sturdier components.
Materials for a paper board game
A first prototype can use inexpensive or reused items. PBS KIDS’ activity uses construction paper for both board spaces and cards.
- Roll paper or blank sheets
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Tape and glue
- Markers or pens
- One standard die
- Counters such as reused game pieces, coins or small toys
For the PBS KIDS format, cut construction paper into 4-inch squares. Use one set for board spaces and another for cards. That size is a starting point, not a requirement; make pieces large enough to read and handle comfortably.
Choose the game’s basic structure
Pick the format before drawing details. Your choice determines what players do repeatedly and what counts as progress.
#1 Best Overall
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| Format | Players mainly try to | Good paper prototype feature |
|---|---|---|
| Race | Reach the finish first | A route with movement spaces and occasional events |
| Collecting | Gather a target number or set of items | Cards, tokens or spaces that award and remove items |
| Strategy | Make choices that improve a long-term position | Multiple routes, limited resources or player decisions |
| Quiz | Answer questions to advance or score | Question cards matched to board spaces |
| Battle | Outmaneuver or defeat opponents | Action cards, simple comparisons or contested spaces |
Also decide whether outcomes rely mostly on luck, player skill, strategy or a deliberate mixture. Write the win condition in one sentence, such as “The first player to reach the finish wins” or “The first player to collect five stars wins.”
Define the rules before decorating
Answer the essential design questions
- What does a player do on a turn?
- How does a player move, score or collect?
- What choices can change the outcome?
- How do players affect one another?
- Does the game have stages, rounds or a final challenge?
- What ends the game, and how is a tie resolved?
Keep the first version deliberately small. The Museum of Games and Gaming recommends beginning with two players, one die and one or two counters per player. A compact ruleset makes it easier to identify whether the core idea works.
Rank #2
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Sketch the board
Make a rough design first, before adding artwork. Draw directly on blank paper or use a printable template as a guide; templates are optional.
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Choose a path layout
- Circular: Players travel around a loop, useful for repeated rounds.
- Freeform: A winding route follows the shape of your theme.
- Multiple-path: Branches let players choose shortcuts, risks or safer routes.
Mark the start and finish clearly, then number or color spaces if the order matters. Begin with a single route. Add shortcuts, branches or a spinner only after the basic movement is understandable.
Rank #3
- You Make the Game: Tired of all your traditional board games? It’s time to create your own with the Apostrophe Games build your own game kit! Featuring a wide range of accessories and game supplies, you can build a unique board game that plays by your rules!
- Everything You Need: Our game set includes an 18 inch blank game board, blank customizable box, 72 x blank poker-size playing cards, 5 x blank dice, 2 x standard dice, 8 x multicolored player tokens, and 1 x game spinner with blank base.
- Endless Game Possibilities: With all the accessories and craft tools you need to create an entirely unique game, the outcome is only limited by your imagination! Let creativity take the lead and build a new and exciting game to impress your friends and family!
- High-Quality Materials: Our board games supplies are made with high-quality materials which makes them more resilient and stand up to endless hours of playtime. The heavy duty card stock allows you to write or draw any characters, symbols or text to bring life to your custom game.
- Fun DIY Project: Whether you are collaborating with your friends or family over a new group game, or teaching your teens with a DIY arts and crafts project for school, or you simply want a unique present for a board game enthusiast, this DIY game board kit is the ideal choice!
Assign useful spaces
Give special spaces a clear job: draw a card, move forward, lose a turn, gain an item, answer a question or make a choice. Avoid filling the board with effects that do not support the objective. A player should be able to tell what a space does from its symbol or a short line in the rules.
Make cards and other components
Cut paper squares or rectangles for cards. Write one instruction, question or event on each card and keep wording short enough to read during play. Activity cards and math-fact prompts are simple examples for a family or classroom game.
Rank #4
- You Make the Game: Tired of all your traditional board games? It’s time to create your own with the Apostrophe Games build your own game kit! Featuring a wide range of accessories and game supplies, you can build a unique board game that plays by your rules!
- Everything You Need: Our game set includes a 16.25" inch blank game board, blank customizable box, 54 x blank poker-size playing cards, 5 x blank dice, 2 x standard dice, 8 x multicolored player tokens, and 1 x game spinner with blank base.
- Endless Game Possibilities: With all the accessories and craft tools you need to create an entirely unique game, the outcome is only limited by your imagination! Let creativity take the lead and build a new and exciting game to impress your friends and family!
- High-Quality Materials: Our board games supplies are made with high-quality materials which makes them more resilient and stand up to endless hours of playtime. The heavy duty card stock allows you to write or draw any characters, symbols or text to bring life to your custom game.
- Fun DIY Project: Whether you are collaborating with your friends or family over a new group game, or teaching your teens with a DIY arts and crafts project for school, or you simply want a unique present for a board game enthusiast, this DIY game board kit is the ideal choice!
- Use a consistent card back or mark cards by category.
- Number cards when players must follow a sequence.
- Prepare enough cards that the deck does not repeat immediately.
- Use coins, scraps of paper or small toys as temporary tokens.
Do not make a large deck before testing. A small stack exposes weak or confusing effects quickly.
Write a playable rule sheet
- Set up: Place the board, shuffle any cards, choose counters and state starting positions.
- Turn order: Explain who goes first and how turns proceed.
- Action: State exactly how a player rolls, moves, draws, answers or chooses.
- Special effects: Explain every marked space and card result, including what happens when an instruction cannot be completed.
- Ending: State the win condition and tie-breaker.
Use ordinary words and examples instead of exceptions wherever possible. If a new player cannot begin after one reading, shorten or clarify the rules.
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Playtest and revise the prototype
Test alone first
Run several turns with two counters, checking that movement reaches the intended spaces and that every card or board instruction has a legal result. Note dead ends, unreachable areas and turns in which nothing meaningful happens.
Test with another person
Ask a player who did not help design the game to read the rules and play. Watch for questions without immediately answering; confusion often indicates that the rule sheet or board needs revision. Record:
- Which instructions were misunderstood
- Where players waited too long or had no decision
- Whether luck overwhelmed the available choices
- Whether the game ended too quickly or dragged on
- Which cards or spaces were ignored or dominated play
Change one or two elements at a time, then test again. Revise the route, card wording, scoring, movement or win condition before adding decoration.
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Turn the successful prototype into a finished game
Once players can learn the rules and the game reaches a satisfying conclusion, redraw the board neatly or prepare a printable version. Reinforce paper with tape, folders or thin cardboard if repeated handling is expected. Keep the prototype pieces and version number so you can compare later changes.
The most reliable workflow is to prove the idea on paper, size the components, playtest, balance the choices and only then print or decorate the final set. A hand-drawn board remains a finished game when its objective, rules and components work together.
Quick Recap
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