Cardboard Edison's Favorite Tips & Resources - September 2012

Here’s our monthly roundup of the board game design tips and resources that we’ve found the most useful.

This month, we’ve got guides for navigating the industry, surviving the design process, pitching potential publishers and more.

Industry:

• What publishing and distribution options are available in today’s board game industry, and what are the pros and cons of each?

Process:

• “Get the game on the table. You can tweak the rules forever, but it’s meaningless unless you print the game and play it.” - Benjamin Rosset
• “The single hardest lesson I learned is not letting perfectionism become a roadblock to success.” - Doug Bass
• “Game designers need to have courage to throw ideas to the bin and start right from the beginning. That what game design is - no mercy.” - Ignacy Trzewiczek
• James Ernest on the biggest obstacle to becoming a game designer
• “You can absolutely NEVER predict the reaction of the public! So, it’s important to never forget this and to continue designing with your own pleasure in mind.” - Serge Leget
• What components, themes, complexity levels, and marketing tactics should you use to reach your game’s target audience?

Playtesting:

• “Call all the local game stores in your town and find out which ones have a ‘board game night’ and then go to it. Having a community of game-lovers at the ready that gather on a regular basis makes playtesting with a wider range of individuals a whole lot easier.” - Ian Steadman

Licensing:

• Some unexpected advice from an industry veteran for pitching your game