Homemade Games

Decide what kind of homemade game you'd like to make. Choose a classic board game as a model, or create your own game rules and format. Most games involve some or all of the following ingredients: a game board, dice, cards and game tokens. You can create a turn-based game that progresses with rolls of the dice, a cooperative game that has no winners and accomplishes a common goal such as story-telling or trivia knowledge.

Create the game board. Cut the cardboard or your choice of material using scissors or a saw into the right shape. Many boards are square or rectangular, but feel free to choose any shape that fits the theme of your game. You might create several layers, similar to the kind of chess played in "Star Trek." Decorate the game board with spaces and designs using colored pens and markers, or the artistic tools of your choice. Use a lamination machine or cellophane tape to protect your board so it will hold up under repeated use.

Select or make game tokens for your game. Some games have a single piece that represents a player, while others such as chess use many pieces of the same color for each player. Purchase tokens from a party supply or game supply shop, or make your own using self-hardening or oven-baked clay. Make tokens that have a similar theme, or create a variety of idiosyncratic pieces.

Create the cards for your game using card stock cut into pieces the same size and shape and decorated with pen and marker. Develop trivia cards with various questions and brain teasers, or plan cards with bonuses and hazards for players. Build a deck of cards similar to a traditional deck. Remember to design the backs of game cards exactly the same so players can't cheat, intentionally or unintentionally.