Today we go through a quick overview of each iteration of our design process from a tool perspective. We discuss which of these tools work well and which ones we've used in the past. We also cover some of the software we use to stay connected to our designer partners. See the list below of everything we mention!

Resources

• Multideck (Mac) - $25
  http://multideck.blogspot.com
  
  
• Paperize (Web) - Closed Beta
  http://paperize.io
  
  
• How to use Concatenate
  http://www.gcflearnfree.org/excelformulas/using-concatenate-to-combine-names/1/
  
  
• Automator (Mac) - Free
  http://www.macosxautomation.com/automator/
  
  
• Pixelmator (Mac, iOS) - $30
  http://www.pixelmator.com/mac/
  
  
• Noun Project (Web) - $1 icons or $10 month
  http://www.macosxautomation.com/automator/
  
  
• Affinity Designer - $50
  https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/
  
  
• Pages (Mac, iOS) - $20
• Numbers (Mac, iOS) - $20
• Keynote (Mac, iOS) - $20
  
• Comic Life (Mac, iOS, Windows)- $30
  http://plasq.com/apps/comiclife/macwin/
  
  
• The Game Crafter (Web) - $1 - $100
  https://www.thegamecrafter.com/
  
  
• Photoshop (Windows) - $9.99+/month
  http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
  
  
• InDesign (Windows) - $19.99+/month
  http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign.html
  
  
• Illustrator (Windows) - $19.99+/month
  http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html
  
  
• Affinity Designer (Mac) - $50
  https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/
  
• Dropbox (Web) - Free, pay monthly for more space
  https://www.dropbox.com/
  
• Google Sheets (Web) - Free
  https://www.google.com/sheets/about/

We discuss licensed games and the specific challenges associated with making a game from them. If you are granted the rights to make a card game based in the Star Wars universe, how do you make a game around it? Or should you make the game first and try to acquire the license later? Here are some questions we answer:

• Should I design a game for a license?
• How much does it cost to get an intellectual property?
• Do you pay up-front or are there royalties or both?
• What does the schedule/deadlines look like?
• What impact does this have on your cash flow?
• How do you learn enough about the chosen universe?
• What kind of help can you expect from the licensor?
• Can you add to the universe?
• Are there any conventions that you should go to related to licensing?