GDD Wizard v1.0 – Release (Jam Ready!)

Hello everyone!

We’re excited to share the first public release of GDD Wizard (v1.0) — a lightweight design-doc wizard designed for game jams and small indie projects.

Why We Made This

At Studio Erza, we’ve been seen many game jams where teams start strong but quickly lose scope. Features balloon, priorities blur, and sometimes the game never makes it across the finish line.

We wanted to create a tool that keeps planning short, simple, and effective, so teams can spend less time debating and more time building.

That became GDD Wizard: a focused tool that helps you outline your jam project in under an hour and gives you a clean, exportable design doc to keep everyone aligned.

Features in v1.0

Templates

• Jam Template – for fast-paced jams; includes Must/Nice/Stretch scope planning, team roles, milestones, and goals.

• Basic Template – for general indie projects; includes genre, hook, tone, progression, features, and more.

Planning Tools

• Auto Core Loop Diagram – quickly map out your gameplay loop with steps you can add, remove, and resize; export the diagram to share with your team.

• Beginner-Friendly Placeholders – every field includes a short guide or example, so anyone can use the tool (not just designers).

Export Options

• PDF Export – perfect for sharing with your team, attaching to jam submissions, or keeping as reference.

• JSON Export – useful if you want to pass the plan between teammates or into other tools.

User Experience

• Offline Support – runs right in your browser, no install or account required.

• Print-Friendly View – generates a clean and presentable PDF

• Dark & Light Theme Support – readability for different environments.

• Static Jam Tips – built-in advice for remote teams and jam structure, always visible under the Jam Template option.

Why It Matters for the Community

Game jams are about creativity, collaboration, and finishing games — but finishing is often the hardest part. We built GDD Wizard to give jam teams (especially small, remote ones) a simple framework to:

• Keep scope realistic

• Share ideas clearly

• Stay aligned during the rush

• Finish with something you can be proud of

It’s free / pay-what-you-want because we want as many jam teams as possible to benefit from it. If you find it useful and want to support development, tips are appreciated, but never required.

Try It Out

👉 https://studio-erza.itch.io/gdd-wizard