Taking a game from concept to reality takes iteration, patience, and lots of play testing. Beyond how the game is balanced, or how long it takes, or even whether the best player wins, I am constantly asking myself “Is it fun?”

At the start of each game of The Fair at Grenden Village, I remind my players that this is a work in progress. That the game itself is still being shaped, changed, and improved to make it more fluid and enjoyable. So I encourage them to speak out when things don’t make sense, or feel constricting. By the same token I expect them to give me a nod when things brake their way or they hit onto a new strategy to get ahead.

All this feedback is essential to making The Fair work both as a game and as an experience. My ultimate goal with this project is to create a memorable game that players want to show to other people, and have a few laughs across the table with friends.

Getting to that point takes time though. I have to remind myself constantly of the limitations of the game and work hard to innovate within its boundaries. Keeping the game lean and streamlined, in my view, is the only way it will maintain its allure as both a family-friendly activity and an entry eurogame.

One way that I have seen fit to keep the game simple is to limit the number of variables that I change and introduce at once. For instance, the last two matches that we’ve played were without staff or supplies. This change has eliminated the need to fill supply shops, and reduced on-board clutter. It also lets me dial in on the exact changes that need to be made with regard to the shops, actions, and the board without worrying about conflicting information from other sources.

As I play test more and hone in closer to the working version of The Fair, I hope to bring in more players and voices to give it the thorough testing regime it deserves. Until then though, I’ll still need to tinker with shops, staff, and supplies. Can’t have everything at once I suppose.