Invent a Strategy Board Game

This course teaches children how strategy games really work. Learners look at what makes classic abstract games interesting, such as meaningful choices, fair starting positions and more than one path to victory, and use those ideas in a game of their own.

Week by week they sketch a board, make pieces from paper and household items, write clear rules and test their game against family and classmates. They learn to spot a dominant strategy and fix it, tune the game's length, and write a rulebook someone else could follow. The course ends with a presentation of their finished prototype.

How classes work

This is a six-week course with one 45-minute class per week. Each class builds on the previous one, taking the game from idea to prototype, and ends with a short playtest task to try at home before the next class.

What we'll cover

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  Week 1: What Makes a Strategy Game Tick – Learners play quick abstract games, discuss interesting choices and fairness, and brainstorm a theme and goal for their own game.

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  Week 2: Boards, Pieces and Movement Rules – Kids sketch a board layout, make paper pieces and decide how each piece moves or captures.

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  Week 3: Win Conditions and Turn Structure – Learners choose how the game is won, set what a player can do on a turn, and write a first draft of rules.

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  Week 4: First Playtest and Rule Fixes – Kids play their prototype with a classmate, note confusing moments, and rewrite rules that caused arguments or stalls.

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  Week 5: Balancing Strategy and Game Length – Learners find any unbeatable strategy, adjust pieces or board to balance it, and tune how long a game lasts.

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  Week 6: Rulebook Finish and Game Showcase – Kids complete a clear rulebook and present their finished game, explaining its strategy and how they improved it.

Learners should have played a few strategy board games like checkers or chess and be able to explain the rules of one. A computer or tablet with camera, card stock and markers are needed.