Prototyping and Playtesting
We spent over a year developing and testing the rules of Academy. We set out to create a unique game that models the experience of being a West Point cadet. It took many iterations and revisions to arrive at the final game.
Designing the Game
Designing Academy was a long and involved process. It took a lot of thought and prototyping to improve the game. Many concepts and mechanics we thought of did not make the final game. For example, in our first version of Academy, players rolled multiple dice and used complicated stat sheets to resolve competitions. We found this mechanic was too complicated and time consuming, so we instead used simultaneous card playing as the resolution mechanism. After months of work, we finally narrowed down the mechanics of the game and then began to rigorously tweak the final ruleset.
Various Versions of Gameboard Prototypes
Testing the Game
It is impossible to make a board game without constantly testing how it plays. We went through multiple testing phases including individual playtests, group playtests, and rulebook (“blind”) playtests. Each test was an opportunity to try out something new or get feedback from others. Our playtesters provided us with valuable feedback we used to make the game better and more fun. Over the course of development, we conducted 40+ playtests with 50+ different players with a variety of board game experience.
