Make Your Own Board Game



Make Your Own Board Game

Students will work in groups to create a board game to be used as a review of all six units of 7th grade math. A minimum of 60 questions must be included – 10 for each unit – along with easy to follow answers. Questions should be a mix of basic problems (30) to solve as well as word problems (30). TURN IN THE BLANK RUBRIC and COMPLETED CHECKLIST WITH YOUR GAME.

A winner should be able to be determined after 60 minutes of play.

All materials needed must be supplied with the game.

Introduction

With a little creative thinking and the materials in your own house, you could make your own board games

Step One

Make up a theme for the game. It could be based on adventure, business, family life or something else. The object could be to reach a goal before the other players, or to eliminate them in some fashion.

Step Two

Create the rules of the game. Write them down for your players to study. Rules and directions must be typed.

Step Three

Design the board on paper first. Decide how many spaces will appear on the board and what will happen on each space. Make sure you have an evenly divided number of good and bad things that happen on the board.

Step Four

Make the actual board itself. Board needs to be made out of cardboard and needs to be foldable.

Step Five

Add the playing pieces. Small toys, figurines and pieces from other games can work. Make sure the pieces are noticeably different from one another. Make sure you have a way to secure playing pieces to game board.

Step Six

Add the remaining objects and pieces. This includes dice, tokens, cards, play money and any other prizes included in the game. Make sure you have a way to secure these items to the game board.

Step Seven

Find a group of friends or family members to test out your new board game. Above all, make sure they have fun playing it.

Tips & Warnings

Always remember that simple is better. If the game is easy, it will be more fun to play.

Some things to think about:

Add a start and a finish space.

Add a path, maybe one that's short but dangerous, or a long but easy one.

Add a gimmick like put in items or a jail; use your imagination for this step.

Add spaces where you have to draw a card and print or hand write cards on heavy card stock paper (examples: Hit three green lights in a row - move ahead twelve spaces; Flat tire - lose two turns while repairing it; etc. )

Have a few test plays by yourself to see if it is too hard or has too many spaces.

Cut small figures out of paper to use as game pieces, or use Legos or other building material.

Get ideas from other people.

Make it colorful and eye-popping. (Make it 3-D!)

Name it! Come up with something of your own - try not to use a name out of a movie or comic book.

If you want people to play your board game make it unique - people won't want to play it too much if it's already been done.

You could base the game on a movie or your life.

Add something like spaces that take you to other spaces or a space that gives you triple of your next roll. Remember to use your imagination.

Try playing around with rules. Rather than moving a set number of spaces, for example, have a player be allowed to move freely for a set time period.

You could have an objective instead of a finish space such as find a golden nugget or land on the water fountain 10 times.

For the base of the game you can ask for a clean take out pizza box from a restaurant or buy some from a restaurant supply.

Minute timers, dice with 6 to 32 sides, and replacement playing pieces are available at game and comic book stores.

Board Game Checklist

Group members:

1)____________________________ 2)________________________________

3)_____________________________ 4) _______________________________

5)_____________________________

The name of our game: __________________________________________________

Task Date Completed

We have at least 60 questions, 10 for each unit. ______

30 of our questions are basic and 30 are word problems. ______

We have provided answers for our questions. ______

We have a theme (_________________________). ______

We have clear rules and directions for how to play. ______

We have typed our rules and directions. ______

We have designed our board on paper first. ______

We have an evenly divided number of good and bad things that happen on the board. ______

Our game board is cardboard, and is foldable. ______

We have playing pieces, and we can secure them to the board ______

We have other objects needed for our game: (e.g. dice, tokens, cards, play money, “prizes”, etc.). We can secure them to the board. ______

We have a start and a finish space, or a clear objective. ______

Our game is colorful and eye-popping. ______

We have had our game tested and it is fun! ______

|Board Game Rubric |

|Your game will be graded according to the rubric below. By default, the game will get a single grade for the group. We'll ask for your input about the|

|contributions of everyone on your team and will adjust the group grade up or down for individuals if necessary. |

|Board Game Name |Authors |

|  |  |

| |  |

| |Beginning |Developing |Accomplished |Exemplary |Score |

| |1 |2 |3 |4 | |

|  |Rules are unclear and too|The rules are not |Rules are fairly short, |Rules are short, clear | |

|Rules |long. There are rules |entirely clear or |clear and complete, but |and complete. | |

|Simplicity |that add complexity |complete. There are rules|could be streamlined a | | |

|  |without adding to |that could be eliminated |bit. | | |

|  |playability or learning. |without harming the game.| | | |

|  |The content is |Significant effort is |Winning and reviewing are|Winning the game requires| |

|Review |incidental. One can play |spent on things that have|closely entwined, though |reviewing the content. | |

|Effectiveness |without reviewing much. |nothing to do with the |some mental effort is |The two are matched | |

|  | |content. |spent on aspects that are|completely. | |

|  | | |just about the game. | | |

|  |Elements of the game |Elements of the content |There is solid congruence|Game elements and content| |

|Elegance |contradict elements of |are used as elements of |between the game elements|elements are mapped onto | |

|  |the content and/or seem |the game, but it seems a |and content elements |each other in multiple | |

| |gratuitous or merely |bit contrived. | |ways that seem surprising| |

| |decorative. | | |and apt. | |

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