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Almost a year ago, I set out to create my first board game. With countless ideas swirling around in my head, I began designing what would become my first serious project.

That game wasn’t Sleeping Ninjas. With my love for dogs, I initially created a game where players explored a neighbourhood as different dogs, each with unique abilities, competing to collect treasures and earn the most Good Dog Points by the end of the game.

However, after the first round of playtesting, it became clear that I had tried to do too much. The game was overloaded with mechanics, and I couldn’t decide whether it was meant for kids or adults. So, I went back to the drawing board.

This time, I chose a theme almost everyone loves: ninjas. Over the following months, the game was iterated and refined through countless playtests, starting with workmates and eventually moving on to local board game groups. A huge thank you to everyone who helped shape the game during this phase.

Sleeping Ninjas is a light, fun party game where players race to be the first to get a good night’s sleep, while actively disrupting their opponents along the way.

On your turn, you roll custom ninja dice to match symbols and unleash different attacks. Opponents then reveal hidden defence cards (think Yu-Gi-Oh! style surprises) that may block, deflect, absorb, or even grow stronger from the attack.

For added chaos, certain symbols allow players to trigger Chaos Scrolls that create round-altering effects that can dramatically shift the game, helping or hindering your quest for sleep.

Now, the game is in its final round of polish as I begin sharing it more widely. Alongside this, I’m putting a solid fulfilment plan and timeline in place, so that if the launch goes well, everything is ready to deliver.