Garage Sale

Garage Sale

GarageSaleArt

Earlier this year I set out to make a game not based on general inspiration but a specific set of requirements. Those requirements were solely based on what I thought were the properties of a successful or “hit” game. While choosing concepts from that list, I ended up being inspired after all (restrictions tend to do that). Over the course of many months, I made a game that I, and many others, enjoy very much. The game is called Garage Sale.

I know that every one of my family and friends has been to a garage sale, and that they have warm memories associated with those experiences. I tried to capture all of the ideas and feelings I associate garage sales into the game. One idea that it has is “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” – a great concept for a game and the core of any negotiation. Another is that it has the thrill of discovery. You never know when something you want will pop up – sometimes it comes at the right time, sometimes it comes a turn too late. The core experience of the game is the negotiation. The game allows you to feel like a great deal maker as you try to get great bargains and sell off some junk for a decent price.

Playtests for the game went on over many months and at a lot of different venues. It has been refined and tweaked, but overall, the game has been getting a lot of positive feedback. At Board Game Bash, a board game convention here is Austin, there was a tournament that featured a different game for each round. Garage Sale was chosen to be one of the games in the event. The game for the final round of the tournament was to be chosen by the final four players. I was happy that Garage Sale was chosen to be that final game!

It was nice to hear people asking about where they could buy the game after the tournament. Unfortunately, the game is not published yet. I did promise to post a print and play version for anyone interested in giving it a try. If you want to give it a go, you’ll need some coins, some card sleeves, and paper to print out the rules and cards.

GarageSaleCardsV0.1.2

GarageSaleRulesV0.1.2

I am in the process now of looking for a publisher. I’ll keep you posted!

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