Brainstorm solo and move forward like a small game studio

A small studio starts with a clear decision

When you develop alone, you are by turns designer, artist, and producer. Separate these moments: imagining several directions, deciding on one, then building a test. This leaves room for exploration without each new idea inflating the game. A reference board, an idea reserve, and three task columns are enough to start.

1. Keep a reserve of ideas without putting everything on the schedule

Capture your notes, images, Steam games and videos in one space. Add a sentence about what each reference makes you want to explore. An idea remains a possibility until you choose it. Reserve tasks for concrete actions: “Test a reroll against a resource,” rather than “Make an amazing roguelike.”

2. Use AI as a sounding board

Share your intent, two references, and your time limits with the assistant. Ask for a cautious direction, a strange one, and one that contradicts your first instinct. You can keep a suggestion, modify one, or keep only the idea it sparked in you. Note why you chose this direction: that will be more useful tomorrow than a long conversation without a decision.

3. Write a brief your future self will understand

The brief should include the intent, the chosen mechanic, relevant references, constraints, what remains uncertain, and the next action. For Dicebound: test whether locking a die creates an interesting decision, in a combat with three dice and one enemy. Attach the context to the task. If you then collaborate with a person or an agent, you already have a shared starting point.

4. Run a small production loop

Pick a single design question for the next session. Build the smallest test that can answer it. Have someone try it, note what actually happened, then decide: keep, adjust, or drop. For example, compare a free reroll with a reroll that costs a defense. Change one variable at a time to understand the difference.

5. Seek feedback on a specific question

A community can help you more with "Is this rework too expensive?" than with "Do you like my idea?" Share a short playable example or a readable capture, the behavior you observed, and your question. The communities r/gamedesign and r/gameideas have different uses; read their rules before posting. File feedback as observations to examine, not orders to follow.

A prompt to adapt to your game

I'm developing a dice-based roguelike on my own. I can spend two evenings on the next prototype. Help me explore three variants of the retry mechanic. For each variant, give one player decision and the smallest possible test. Then ask me one design question. Don't turn every idea into a task: wait for my choice, then prepare a brief with intent, references, constraints and a question to check.

Replace the references and constraints with your own. The AI’s answers are leads to review; the choice remains yours.

References and communities to keep going

• Dicey Dungeons — Dice values turned into decisions: study equipment constraints.
• Slice & Dice — Visible enemy intents: compare risk, rerolls and dice teamwork.
• Dicey Dungeons — Creator notes and videos
• r/gamedesign — To discuss mechanics, rules, and design trade-offs.
• r/gameideas — To share a structured idea and explore its possibilities. Check the rules before publishing.