World of Dice
Prototype of the game world of dice implemented in Tabletop Simulator.
Project Snapshot
I am designing a competitive multiplayer strategy board game that combines territory control, comparison-based dice combat, asymmetric player options, PvE-style threats and multiple paths to victory.
The game currently exists as a playable physical prototype with custom maps, player boards, faction sheets, dice progression, event tiles, shops, relics, monsters and boss encounters. The current focus is iteration, balancing, complexity reduction and improving replayability.
The project started from my interest in board games such as Risk, The Legends of Andor and Catan. Instead of copying these games, I wanted to explore how specific mechanics I enjoy — such as comparison-based dice combat, varied dice systems, hero-like units, event tiles, boss encounters and victory-point progression — could work together in a new competitive strategy game.
The goal is to create a game that feels more varied and strategic than a classic territory-control game, while remaining more accessible than heavier adventure or role-playing-style games.
What This Project Shows
- Game systems design
- Physical board game prototyping
- Combat mechanics and faction design
- Iteration based on design problems
- Complexity management
- Balancing and replayability thinking
Visual Overview
Overview of the game with starting setup.
Different dice, dice runes, shops, relics, gold box and fog tiles that trigger different events.
Design Goals
The core design goal is to create meaningful strategic decisions without making the game unnecessarily complex. Players should be able to interact through map control and conflict, develop different playstyles and pursue multiple paths to victory.
Instead of relying only on conquest, the game uses victory points and progression systems. This is intended to avoid situations where players mostly stack units, wait for one decisive moment and then win through a single large attack while others mostly watch.
Key Goals
- Preserve the tension of comparison-based dice combat
- Expand Risk-like combat with more varied dice mechanics
- Create different playstyles through factions, classes and unit progression
- Add PvE-style threats such as monsters and bosses to create additional map pressure
- Support multiple paths to victory through victory points
- Keep the game understandable despite added strategic depth
Core Systems
The current design includes:
- Territory control and competitive map interaction
- Comparison-based dice combat with multiple dice types
- Asymmetric factions and unit progression
- Hero-like units, relics and upgrades
- Neutral monsters and boss encounters
- Event or fog tiles that create uncertainty during exploration
- Victory points and multiple paths to victory
PvE monster table.
Dragon boss plate with rewards.
Playtesting & Iteration
Repeated playtests became the main driver of development. I observed player behavior, documented balance concerns, unclear rules, frustrating interactions and situations where the intended decision space did not match the actual player experience. Rather than treating feedback as isolated comments, I looked for recurring problems and tested changes in later sessions. Several of the largest design changes, including faction progression, map size and combat balancing, came directly from these playtests.
Key Iteration: Faction Identity vs. Player Freedom
During development, I tested different approaches to faction identity and dice progression.
One version gave each faction fixed dice mechanics. This created strong faction identity, but also limited player freedom because each faction was locked into one main playstyle.
Another version allowed players to collect and upgrade different dice during the game, in which each die color has a special effect, for example green dice enabling rerolls. This created more variety and made each session feel more different, almost like a roguelike-style progression system.
This created a clear design trade-off: fixed systems strengthened faction identity, while collectible dice increased player agency and run-to-run variety. My current challenge is finding a middle ground that preserves meaningful faction differences without restricting experimentation.
Orc faction board with hero health, talents, unit types, dice progression and special abilities.
Dice effects and player board layout used to support faction identity, progression and combat readability.
Key Iteration: Map Size and Player Interaction
Playtests showed that larger maps reduced player interaction. Players could expand and collect points without enough conflict, making the game feel more like parallel progression than a competitive territory-control game.
This led me to reconsider map size, starting positions and how quickly the game should create pressure between players.
First prototype map with early area and continent structures.
Second prototype map created in Inkarnate, including victory-point tracking and a storyteller/event track.
Tabletop Simulator Prototype
I implemented the complete game in Tabletop Simulator to make iteration and playtesting faster. The digital version allows me to adjust components and rules more quickly, organize remote playtests and test changes without rebuilding physical prototype materials after every iteration.
Current Challenges
The game is fully playable, but the current version is still too complex in some areas, particularly around dice progression and overlapping systems.
The next design goals are to reduce unnecessary complexity, improve pacing, increase player interaction and strengthen replayability.
Current Design Challenges
- Balancing faction identity against player freedom
- Making dice variety meaningful without overwhelming players
- Keeping turns short enough to avoid downtime
- Ensuring that map size creates enough interaction
- Keeping multiple victory paths viable
- Strengthening replayability and the desire for another session
What I Learned
This project taught me that strong ideas only become useful once they are tested with players. Several mechanics that looked clear or balanced on paper behaved very differently in practice.
I also learned how much physical usability affects player experience: table space, component readability, turn length, setup time and access to rule information all influence how smoothly the game plays.
Most importantly, the project changed how I evaluate mechanics. I now look beyond whether a system functions as intended and consider what decisions it creates, how players perceive those decisions, and how the system contributes to the overall experience.
From Design Problem to Master’s Thesis
While developing the board game, I realized that the expanded combat system could no longer be balanced reliably through intuition alone. Different dice types, faction effects, classes and relics created interactions that were difficult to compare manually.
This design problem became the starting point for my master’s thesis, where I developed a simulation framework to analyze and compare extended Risk-like combat mechanics more systematically.
Related project: Combat Balancing Simulation Framework
Additional Prototype Photos
Dice legend and human faction player plate.
Custom box insert for organizing the physical prototype and improving playtest setup.
Prototype asset note: Some early playtest materials use licensed or temporary placeholder graphics. They are used solely for non-commercial prototyping and are not part of a commercial release.