Your “copycat game design” exercise is a great suggestion. I’ve gotten several solid ideas because I think I know how a game will work based on the description (and get excited about it), only to find out the designer actually did it a different way. I then take my idea and run with it.
This is kind of how SolForge Fusion came to be what it is. I saw Richard Garfield's Keyforge marketing and got so excited. So I called him and we started talking and I realized it wasn't quite what I was hoping it was. So I convinced Richard to make SolForge Fusion with me to realize the full vision. :)
Your “copycat game design” exercise is a great suggestion. I’ve gotten several solid ideas because I think I know how a game will work based on the description (and get excited about it), only to find out the designer actually did it a different way. I then take my idea and run with it.
This is kind of how SolForge Fusion came to be what it is. I saw Richard Garfield's Keyforge marketing and got so excited. So I called him and we started talking and I realized it wasn't quite what I was hoping it was. So I convinced Richard to make SolForge Fusion with me to realize the full vision. :)