Hello Readers,

I'm looking for some advice on turning my fan based board games, card games, and dice games into not only marketable products, but potentially into video games (on consoles, phone apps, and tablets). If you're curious about where this came from, read below... if not, skip to the last paragraph.

My History: Like you, I've been inspired to play custom games, rate them, and give constructive criticism for improvements and/or sequels. Then one day I realized some of my advice may be better spent on doing something about it, rather than talking about it. So I created my own board game at age 17... buying "Warhammer" miniatures, found toy Smurfs, and gathered Dragon Ball Z mini figurines, to give my friends and I playable character pieces and opponents to face. It was fun... but the fun eventually spilled over to video games.

Semi-Recently: I got inspired to remake my board game, except stick to paperback and pencil, while I was in the US Navy boot camp. I managed to inspire 3 people to play, and ended up with almost 20 players waking me up in the middle of my sleep, to take at least 2 turns for training and/or searching for loot (not joking). This inspired me to create my novel called "Immortal Lover", and that led to fans on Flixster.com (the 2006 version) loving my work and asking to create a character in my stories, so they can feel like they're physically walking among my character's struggles and victories. That inspired me to create a board game similar to Dungeon and Dragon's, the story line of the sequels of Immortal Lover, and the freedom of the video game Skyrim.

NOW: I've created such a board game and called it Bloody SODA. I've been beta testing it for over two years and have tweaked it 4 times (into the 2016 edition). When it comes to art work, I do have friends I could ask... but feel working with people who are "working" for me, rather than doing me a favor, would help in making this a priority. I have both friends and strangers who want their turn in testing out the newest edition. What do you advise is my next steps to making this a reality?

What do you advise is my next steps to making this a reality?

First, I suggest you stop thinking of this as how to manage/produce a project, and think about it
instead as starting a business. You posted this question in Production/Management, and I'm moving it to
Business/Law. Your second step, once you've made the mental shift, is to write a business plan, and start
thinking about what kind of help your business needs, before you start looking for a developer to make
your game. In your business plan, consider strongly the idea that one game is not a business. That
your business may start with this one game, but then more games can make your company grow and sustain.

See these articles I wrote:
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson29.htm
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/finances.htm

Once your business plan is written, you'll have a better idea of what's ahead of you, and then you can
start looking for help - legal help, business help, accounting help, and project management expertise.
Then you can start working on a Kickstarter pitch, or looking for investors.