Workspace Guide: Plan Your Game Project

Getting Started with the Workspace

The Workspace is where your research turns into a plan. Each Workspace belongs to one project, so everything you build there sits right next to the clippings in that project’s Scrapbook. Gather the evidence, then shape it into your design, your ideas and your roadmap. For an overview of everything you can build, take the Project Management tour.

Opening the Workspace

Click Workspace in the navigation bar, Open in Workspace at the bottom of the Scrapbook, or click a project’s tile in the Workspace section of your dashboard. The Workspace always opens the active project. Use Switch project at the top of the Workspace to change it. Switching here changes the active project everywhere, just like the dashboard carousel and the Scrapbook’s project menu.

If you have no project yet, choose + Create New Project. Creation keeps you on the current page; open the Workspace from the dashboard or navigation whenever you are ready.

A new project shows a few suggested next steps at the top of the Workspace, such as reviewing your project vision or setting up a workboard. Dismiss them when you no longer need them.

To give you room to think, the navigation bar starts tucked away. Click the small arrow next to the Game Oracle logo to open it, and click it again to put it away.

What you can create

Click New and choose what to add:

Folder: groups related items. Folders can hold other folders.
Document: for your game design document, pitch or notes.
Whiteboard: a free canvas for ideas, references and moodboards.
Workboard: for planning the work, from backlog to done.
Competitor Radar: a curated competitor list with market statistics, research notes, release dates and suggestions.
Data Comparison: two saved datasets side by side, with tables, statistics and charts.

Already have notes in Markdown? Choose Import Markdown… in the New menu to turn a .md file into a document.

A new item starts with a name ready to edit. Type a name and press Enter, or press Esc to keep the suggested one.

Moving between items

Use Project Items at the top left of any open item to browse the project and its folders without going back to the Workspace home. Its + button creates any kind of item (folder, document, whiteboard and so on) in the same folder as the one you have open. Links inside your content open in a new tab; moving around the project stays in your current tab.

Organising with folders

Drag any item onto a folder to move it there. On a touch screen, press and hold the item, then drag it.
Click a folder to open it. The breadcrumbs above the items show where you are. Click any of them to go back up.
Drag an item onto a breadcrumb to move it up to that folder.
Prefer not to drag? Open an item’s ⋯ menu and choose Move to… to pick a folder, or to move the item into another project you can edit.

Renaming and deleting

Open an item’s ⋯ menu to Rename or Delete it. With an item selected, you can also press F2 to rename it or Delete to delete it. Deleting a folder deletes everything inside it, and we’ll tell you how many items that is before you confirm.

Documents

Click a document to open it. Your pages are listed on the left (tap Pages on a phone), and everything saves as you type. The status next to Save tells you when it last saved.

Starting from a template

A new document offers a few starting points, or you can begin with a Blank document:

Game Design Document: a standard indie GDD structure, from the concept through to risks.
Store Page & Marketing Copy: short and long descriptions, bullet points, tags, FAQ and a press blurb.
Playtest & Feedback Notes: session notes, recurring themes, what players want and action items.
Game Development Roadmap: milestones, production priorities, risks and launch readiness.

Writing and formatting

Type / to add a block: headings, lists, to-dos, quotes, callouts, toggles, code, dividers, tables and images. Use the arrow keys and Enter to pick.
Markdown shortcuts work as you type: # and a space for a heading, - for a list, 1. for a numbered list, [] for a to-do, > for a quote, ``` for code and --- for a divider.
Select text to bold, italicise, strike through, mark as code, link or turn the block into something else. Keyboard users can press Alt+F10 to reach that toolbar.
Type [[ to link another document or folder, a Scrapbook clipping or a Steam game. Type a kind such as [[table or [[palette to narrow the list down.
With Business access, type @ to mention a teammate. Type : followed by a word (:rocket) for an emoji.
Edit tables by clicking into one: a Table toolbar appears above it to add rows above or below, add columns left or right, delete a row or column, or delete the table (keyboard users: Alt+F10, or the block menu). Press Tab in the last cell to add a row.
Paste or drop images straight in, then drag the handles on their sides or corners to resize them (or click the block handle and pick Small, Medium, Large or Original size). Paste Markdown and it turns into blocks.
Move blocks by dragging the handle that appears to their left, or with Alt+Shift+↑/↓. Click the handle (or press Ctrl+/, ⌘/ on a Mac) to turn a block into another kind, duplicate or delete it.
Tab and Shift+Tab indent and outdent list items. Ctrl+Z (⌘Z) undoes.
Headings at the top of the page lists your H1 to H3 headings so you can jump straight to a section. On a phone it opens as a drawer. It isn’t available while you’re editing the raw Markdown.

Bringing in your research

With a document open, drag a clipping from the Scrapbook into the page, or use its Insert into document button. Each kind goes in its own way:

Palettes become swatch cards. Click a colour to copy its hex code.
Images go in as images, with any notes you pinned on them shown as numbered markers and listed underneath.
Snippets become quotes, with where they came from.
Code becomes a code block.
Data Tables become tables.
Stats become stat cards that link back to their source.
Charts go in exactly as you clipped them.
Searches become links that reopen the search.

From a document’s ⋯ menu you can switch to Wide view to use the full width of your screen, edit it as Markdown, export it as a .md file, copy it as Markdown, replace it from a file, move it or delete it. Callouts export as GitHub-style alerts and toggles as collapsible sections, so your files read well on GitHub and in most Markdown editors.

If a teammate saves the same document while you have unsaved changes, we’ll ask whether to keep your version or load theirs, so nobody’s work is overwritten without you knowing. If you lose your connection, your changes are kept on this device and saved when you’re back online.

Whiteboards

Click a whiteboard to open it. It’s a free canvas for flow diagrams, storyboards, mood boards, level layouts and core-loop diagrams, and everything saves as you work. Choose Full screen to give the board your whole screen, and press Esc to come back.

Templates

A new board offers a set of templates, or choose Start with a blank board. Add more to any board later from the ⋯ menu (Add a template…).

Flow diagram: steps, decisions and outcomes joined by arrows.
Core loop: the cycle players repeat, plus what it unlocks.
Storyboard: six scene frames with captions.
Mood board: frames for art, palette, references and tone.
Level layout: rooms on a grid with a legend of markers.
Competitor map: a 2×2 positioning grid for your market.
Project vision: elevator pitch, audience, feature pillars and objectives.
Audience persona: a player persona surrounded by the questions worth answering about them.
Prioritisation grid: value against effort, with sticky notes for your ideas.
Roadmap: an eight-week timeline with tasks and milestones.
Calendar: a month view with editable dates and space for daily plans.
Steam festival calendar: upcoming Steam sales, themed festivals and Next Fest, as an editable snapshot.
Capsule Art Analysis: compares your competitors’ capsule art and suggests three colour directions (see below).

Both calendar templates ask which month to start from and how many months to add (1 to 12). Undo removes the whole calendar in one step.

Drawing

Draw with the toolbar at the top: shapes, arrows that stick to the shapes they join, lines, freehand, text, frames and the eraser. Each tool has a number key shortcut, shown on its button. Hold Space and drag to move around, and use Ctrl+scroll (⌘+scroll) to zoom.
Add sticky note puts an editable note in the middle of your view. The canvas menu (☰, top left) has the same shortcuts, plus Toggle grid.
Add images by pasting or dropping them onto the canvas (PNG, JPEG, GIF or WebP, up to 10MB).
The Library (top right) holds ready-made shapes: sticky notes, flow-chart pieces, a storyboard panel, level markers and a player persona. Add your own shapes to it too.
Turn text into a diagram with More tools → Mermaid to Excalidraw in the toolbar.

Live Scrapbook cards

Drag any clipping from the Scrapbook onto the board, or use its Insert into whiteboard button. Prefer the keyboard? Click Add from Scrapbook and type to search.

Cards stay up to date with your Scrapbook: games and segments show their latest numbers, images show their pinned notes (the numbers match the pins on the image), palettes let you click a colour to copy its hex code, and tables scroll. Click a card once to select it, then click its centre to use what’s inside. Shapes and drawings can sit on top of cards, so you can annotate them.

Capsule Art Analysis

Choose Capsule Art Analysis from the templates, then pick a Data Table or Competitor Radar from this project. The source needs at least one game. The analysis uses up to 20 games: released games ranked by estimated Steam revenue, and upcoming games by estimated wishlists. When a list has both, each game is compared within its own group.

The board keeps a snapshot of the artwork and estimates at the time, plus colour studies you can edit. Adding games to the source later doesn’t change a board you’ve already made.

Exporting and working together

Use Export to save the board as a PNG or SVG, copy it as an image, or download an .excalidraw file that opens at excalidraw.com. Scrapbook cards are drawn as plain cards in exports so they look right anywhere. You can also import a .excalidraw file onto a board from the ⋯ menu.

Teammates can work on the same board at the same time. Each person’s changes are merged in within a few seconds, shape by shape, so nobody’s work is lost. If you go offline, your changes are kept on this device and saved when you’re back.

Workboards

Click a workboard to open it. It’s a board of tickets that move from left to right through your columns as the work gets done. Everything saves as you go, and teammates on a shared project see each other’s moves straight away.

Setting up

The first time you open a workboard, choose how you want to work:

Endless board: tickets keep flowing, with no deadlines. Great for steady, ongoing work.
Iterations: plan in short blocks of time, like two weeks. Everyone gets Stamina to spend on tickets.

Then pick your columns (start from a preset, rename them, reorder them or add your own; the last column counts as Done) and add the people doing the work. You can change all of this later from the ⋯ menu (Board settings…).

Who can open the board

Add teammates under Who’s working on it? when you set up, or later from ⋯ → Teammates…, where you can also set each person’s usual Stamina and colour.

Individual plan: teammates are names for planning only, so you can add anyone, such as a contractor or a friend. Only you can open the board.
Business account: start typing to pick someone with a seat. Picking them shares the project with your team, so they can open the board and filter to their own tickets. Anyone without a seat can still be added by name for planning, but they can’t open the board. If your account has no spare seats, owners see a link to add one.

People who can open the board are marked Has access.

Epics, stories and tasks

Epics are the big themes of your game, like a combat system, progression or Level 1. Add them from ⋯ → Epics… and give each ticket one to see how every area is coming along.
Stories say what a player needs and why: “As a type of player, I want something, so that a goal.”
Tasks are the jobs that get a story done. Add them in the Tasks list inside a story, or make any ticket a task and pick its story.

Adding and editing tickets

Use Add a ticket at the bottom of the first column, or New ticket at the top. Type a title and press Enter; click or tab away to close the box (anything you’ve typed is kept for next time).

Click a ticket to open it. Fill in as much as helps:

Title, Description and Due date
Priority: Must, Should or Could
Effort (see below) and Teammates
Attachments: web links, Workspace pages or Scrapbook clippings
Under Advanced: the ticket Type (story or task), its story, its Epic, Disciplines, the Definition of Done and, for stories, its Tasks

The Definition of Done is the checklist that says when a ticket is finished. Your board’s usual checks are copied onto every new ticket, and you can add more. Choose Suggest checks for a list of checks based on your project, its game concept, the epic and the story. Tick the ones you want and choose Add selected; nothing already on the ticket is changed.

Click Save to keep your changes. Clicking outside the ticket also closes it.

Effort

Score each ticket from 1 to 5:

Tiny: well understood, no surprises expected
Simple: clear, with little uncertainty
Moderate: some unknowns
Tricky: needs careful thought
Big: large or uncertain

A task scored 5 suggests Break into tasks: type in two or more smaller tasks and we’ll create them for you. You’ll also find Break into tasks in a ticket’s ⋯ menu. A story that’s already broken into two or more tasks can stay at 5; its tasks carry the effort, so it isn’t counted twice.

Don’t need effort? Turn off Score tickets from 1 to 5 in Board settings… for a simpler board. Effort and Stamina disappear (iterations still have dates and a goal), and any scores you’d given come back if you turn it on again.

Finding and moving tickets

Search tickets at the top of the board, or filter by Epic, Teammate, Discipline or Priority.

Drag a ticket to another column or position (on a touch screen, press and hold it first). Prefer not to drag? Open a ticket’s ⋯ menu and choose Move to…, or focus a ticket and press Alt+←/→ to move it between columns and Alt+↑/↓ to move it up or down.

Backlogs

Switch to Backlog at the top to see tickets as lists instead of columns. Keep as many backlogs as you like (add them in Board settings…), add tickets straight into them, and tick several tickets to move or delete them together.

Iterations and Stamina

On a board that works in iterations (with effort turned on):

Choose Plan an iteration. Give it a name, a goal and dates. Everyone’s Stamina starts full; lower someone’s for this iteration only if they’re away or part-time.
Pick tickets from your backlogs and give them effort and teammates. Each person’s character shows their Stamina draining as you go. A ticket shared by two people costs each of them half.
If someone goes below zero, they get a sad face and we’ll tell you how far over they are. You can still start, or share the work out differently.
Choose Start iteration and its tickets appear on the board. Click a character above the board to see just their tickets.
When the time’s up, choose Finish iteration for a quick recap. Unfinished tickets go into the next iteration or back to a backlog, and everyone’s Stamina refills.

Competitor Radar

Choose New → Competitor Radar to collect and research competing games. Add a game with search, or use Import from Scrapbook to choose saved games and Data Tables. Each radar keeps its own list; adding or removing games in the Scrapbook later doesn’t change the radar.

The overview compares the whole list using market statistics, release stages, genres and a histogram. Choose the histogram’s metric, group size and whether to show counts or percentages; it starts with price. Search, filter and sort the table, and choose 10, 20, 50 or 100 games per page.

Notes opens a simple notes editor that saves as you type. For games saved in this project’s Scrapbook, these are the same notes you edit from the game page: changes stay in sync both ways and are shared with project members. Games that aren’t in the Scrapbook keep their notes in the radar.

The release schedule highlights the five closest upcoming release dates or windows, with game artwork and wishlist estimates where available. Announced days are grouped by month; quarter and year estimates appear separately under Release windows. Refresh data loads the latest statistics.

Use Find suggestions to discover up to ten new competitors. Suggestions favour games that are similar to your list, recent, and gaining wishlists or sales. Add tracks a game; Dismiss hides it from this radar’s suggestions. Open Dismissed suggestions to bring one back.

Removing a game asks you to confirm, and Undo restores it along with its notes. A radar holds up to 1,000 games. It doesn’t send alerts or keep a history of past numbers.

Data Comparison

Choose New → Data Comparison to compare two groups of games side by side, such as two saved Data Tables, or a Data Table and a Competitor Radar.

Pick Dataset 1 and Dataset 2 from this project’s Data Tables and Competitor Radars. They need to be different, but either can be empty.
Click Compare to load their tables, statistics and charts.

To start a dataset from scratch, choose Create dataset… in either dropdown, enter a name and choose Create dataset. The new, empty Data Table is selected on that side. Pick the other dataset, click Compare, then add games with the game editor. Cancel keeps your previous selection.

Your pair and chart settings are saved. When you reopen the comparison the dropdowns are already filled in; click Compare to load the results. Changing either dataset clears the results until you click Compare again.

Reading the comparison

On a desktop, Dataset 1 sits on the left and Dataset 2 on the right. On smaller screens they stack. Their numbered titles stay at the top while you scroll.

Games, Scatterplot and Histogram sections can each be collapsed. Chart controls apply to both datasets, with the same scales and histogram groups, so the charts are directly comparable. Choose Values → Percentage to compare the shape of two datasets of different sizes. Full screen enlarges a chart with its controls; Esc brings you back.
Descriptive statistics summarises a metric of your choice across both datasets. Use Group by to break it down, for example by genre.
Compare typical values compares the median (the middle value) of each dataset and tells you whether the gap is Likely a real difference or could be down to chance. You’ll see a caution when a dataset has fewer than 20 games or lots of identical values. About this estimate explains how it’s worked out.

Adding or removing games here changes the original Data Table or Competitor Radar. Changing your selection or deleting the comparison leaves both datasets as they are. Rename, move and delete the comparison like any other Workspace item.

Start from Concept Compass

Already validated an idea in Concept Compass? Choose Add to Project on a completed concept and pick a project you own, or choose + Create New Project to make one and add the concept straight away. The project’s Workspace opens and fills in as each item is ready:

Draft GDD: an editable game design document based on your concept.
Project Vision: a whiteboard of the pitch, audience, experience and design pillars.
Competitor Radar: the competitors from your report.
Research Board: findings, projections, resources and marketing ideas.
Concept Report: a copy of your report as it was when you added it, with a link back to the concept.
Capsule Art Analysis: an editable gallery and colour studies, when the concept has competitors.

You can start editing items as soon as they appear. If anything fails, choose Retry unfinished setup; items that were already added are kept.

The Project Vision and Research Board start with movable cards for the pitch, design pillars, core loop, research findings and commercial outlook. Select a card and choose its pencil button to edit it, or drag and resize cards to arrange the board. Source links open the matching section of your original report, which stays unchanged. Art you uploaded to the concept is included; empty art placeholders are not.

Keeping the project in step with your concept

Each concept is linked to one project, and each project to one concept. Editing your concept doesn’t change the project automatically. When you’ve changed something the Workspace uses, Update in Project in Concept Compass lights up. Choosing it replaces the items listed above with fresh versions, so you’ll see their names and confirm first. Edits you made to those items are lost, so copy anything you want to keep. Everything else in the project, including your Scrapbook research, is left alone, and if the update fails the previous items stay in place.

To link the concept to a different project, open Update in Project from the concepts table and choose Unlink from project. The old project keeps its items and its copy of the report.

Your Scrapbook, alongside

The Scrapbook’s book tab sits at the top right of the Workspace as it does everywhere else. Open it to see the active project’s clippings while you plan, and drag them straight into documents and whiteboards. See the Scrapbook guide.

Working with your team

On a project shared with your Business team, everyone on the project sees the same Workspace and can add, rename, move and delete items, edit documents and whiteboards, and work on workboards together. A teammate’s saved changes appear in your open document as soon as you have nothing unsaved. See Share research with your team for how to share a project.

Free vs subscriber access

The Workspace, its documents, whiteboards, templates, workboards, Competitor Radars and Data Comparisons are included with the Individual and Business plans. Working on a shared project with teammates needs a Business account. On a free account, opening the Workspace shows what’s included and how to upgrade. See the pricing page for plan details.