This document discusses the conversion of modern board games to digital formats. It provides case studies of the games Carcassonne, Ascension, and For The Win. Common features of digital board game versions include local and online multiplayer, tutorials, and achievements. User interface concerns in digital games include representing physical objects on touchscreens and presenting multiplayer lobbies simply. Digital versions can enhance games by automating tasks and showing additional information.

1. Case Studies in
Modern Board
Game Conversion
Martin Grider

2. Outline: What is this?
What are “modern” board games? & Why
do we care?
Case Study: Carcassonne
Case Study: Ascension
Case Study: For The Win
UI/UX Concerns
Digital Enhancements

3. What are “modern”
board games?
Board game industry ↑ 50% in last 10
years1
Hobby vs. Mainstream market segment
(German Boardgames, or “Euro” games)
BoardGameGeek.com
Increasingly blurry line between video
games and “Tabletop” games.

4. Why should you care?
Existing IP commands a higher price point
Potential for cross-promotion IRL
Digital enhancements can improve
tabletop game experiences. (More later.)
Easier to implement than traditional video
games (!?)

5. Case Studies:
Overview
Carcassonne - Often held up as the
shining example of a digital board game
conversion.
Ascension - Especially “polished” example
of a mobile card game.
For The Win - Only included here because
I did the iOS implementation.

6. Case Study:
Carcassonne
Tile laying game for 2-6 players

7. Case Study:
Carcassonne

8. Case Study:
Carcassonne
iOS features:
Local Play vs human or AI Players
Asynchronous and real-time Multiplayer
Solitaire variant
Tutorial / manual
Achievements / Leaderboards
Universal app

9. Case Study:
Carcassonne
Digital enhancements:
Showing possible tile locations.
No downtime in asynchronous play.
Automatic scoring.
No setup.

10. Case Study: Ascension

11. Case Study: Ascension

12. Case Study: Ascension
iOS features: (look familiar?)
Local Play vs human or AI Players
Asynchronous and real-time Multiplayer
Solitaire variant
Tutorial / manual
Achievements / Online Profile
Universal app

13. Case Study:
For The Win
For The Win

14. Case Study: For The
Win

15. Case Study: For The
Win
iOS features:
Local Play vs human or AI Players
Tutorial / Rules
Leaderboards
Missing features:
iPhone only
No online multiplayer
No Achievements

16. Common UI/UX
Concerns
Q: Should you present the game as the
physical game does?
Ideally, try to use the physical art from
the original game. (Some don’t.)
Showing numbers. (counters, score
tracks)
Some UI is simply undefined. New art is
always needed.

17. Common UI/UX
Concerns
Q: Assuming you want to, how do you
represent physical objects to be
manipulated on a touchscreen?
A: Drag vs Tap (Actually, both!)
A: False depth (importance of shadows)
A: Animate actions as they happen
A: Highlight actions when available

18. Common UI/UX
Concerns
Common pitfalls:
Always animate the AI turns.
Clearly show whose turn it is.
All public information should be readily
available.
Reduce clicks whenever possible.
(Ideally load external data in the
background.)

19. Common UI/UX
Concerns
Suggestions for best presenting the
multiplayer lobby.
Simplify, simplify, simplify. (As few
screens as possible.)
It’s not a bad idea to use (or copy) an
already existing UI. (Apple’s
GameCenter, for example.)
Pick good defaults, and make sure “Start
Game” is clearly identifiable.

20. Digital Enhancements
Menial tasks can be eliminated.
Counting tiles remaining in the bag.
Remembering what someone did on
their last turn.
Cumbersome scoring can be done
instantly.
Less potential for cheating. (Or accidental
rules mistakes.)

21. Digital Enhancements
A game’s interesting choices can be
brought into focus or made more apparent.
Carcassonne’s showing possible tile
locations.
No downtime in asynchronous play.
No game setup.

22. Footnotes & Sources
1. Estimated industry figures were 400MM
for 2003, and over 800MM for 2008
according to PurplePawn.
(PurplePawn.com)
Physical game images sourced from
BoardGameGeek.com
Martin Grider ~ @livingtech ~ http://chesstris.com/
martin@abstractpuzzle.com