The Five Acts of Writing with Shakespeare: A Roadmap
Welcome back to the margins! I decided it would be a good idea to sketch out where the project came from, and where it is going. This article will give you all an idea of what the future plan is, establish common terminology for the different phases of the project, and give me something to keep updating. In game development a roadmap charts the course of a project going forward. For my purposes, I like looking at the development of “Writing with Shakespeare” like Shakespeare’s plays.
Shakespeare's plays are divided into acts, so I'll follow his lead and divide the history—and future—of Writing with Shakespeare the same way. (This one’s for you Tiffany!) Below you will find a brief breakdown of each act, in the near future I plan on expanding on each of these with their own article.
WRITING WITH SHAKESPEARE; In Five Acts
Act I: Plotting in Portions
(2024-September 2025)
The game's earliest life—from its first spark of an idea through its presentation as my Master's dissertation for the Shakespeare Institute.
Act II: The Alpha
(September 2025- January 2026)
The period when Plotting in Portions began becoming Writing with Shakespeare. This was when the game underwent some of its largest structural changes: the physical components evolved, the card sizes changed, manufacturing considerations began influencing design, and continued playtesting pushed the game toward the version that would eventually become the Beta.
Act III: The Beta
(January 2026-July 6th, 2026)
This was the first version stable enough to put into the hands of players outside the core development process. It featured Hundreds of revisions, dozens of playtests, and nine beta copies shared with early play testers.
Act IV: Production Prototyping
(July 6th, 2026- ???)
The game enters its final design phase. Rules are being locked, remaining balance and clarity issues are being tested, the visual identity is being finalized, and a production-quality prototype is being prepared. This is the point where major mechanical changes become increasingly rare—and eventually stop.
Act V: Building towards Launch
(2027)
As the game approaches it’s final form, I’ll need to make a BIG decision, to self-publish or look for a publisher (more on that in future articles). Either way, I’ll move forward with growing the game’s audience (thanks for already being here)! This means taking the games to conventions, meeting up with businesses and theater organizations who may be interested in stocking the game, creating content for youtube/tiktok/facebook, and getting the game into influencers’ hands.
Epilogue: Opening Night
(2028+)
Whether through self-publishing or a publisher, Writing with Shakespeare finally leaves the workshop and finds its way into the hands of players.
Fair warning: this roadmap is likely to change. Some of these Acts aren't even written yet, and there's a non-zero chance the story will have some twists. I'll update this page as Writing with Shakespeare develops, and when something changes, I'll tell you why.