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Cardboard Edison

Game design & bright ideas for game designers

Bright Ideas

Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers

Cardboard Edison
  • About Us/
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    • Houdini's Last Act
    • Quad Squad
    • Cobras
    • Retail Rejects
    • More Games
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  • Free Resources/
    • Blog
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theory
playtesting
prototyping
process
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licensing
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April 03, 2026 April 03, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

10 ways to use dice in your board game (other than roll and move):

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/10-ways-to-use-dice-in-your-board-game/

April 03, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

April 03, 2026 April 03, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

Exploring the concept of degenerate strategies and degenerate game states in tabletop games:

https://www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/degenerate-game

April 03, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

April 03, 2026 April 03, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

A multifaceted conversation about various aspects of making board games: the business side of indie publishing, different approaches to the design process, designing solo games, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezso5wCYTKM

April 03, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
process, publishing, theory, industry

Cardboard Edison

April 03, 2026 April 03, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

This short video runs through three things your board game probably needs—a core loop, complications, and surprises:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sBq8sUZO0Ro

April 03, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 28, 2026 March 28, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

Tips for publishers who want to work with board game media outlets: reviews, advertisements, making contact, following up, and more:

https://giantbrain.co.uk/2026/03/28/how-to-interact-with-board-game-media/

March 28, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

March 28, 2026 March 28, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

A short thread on what board game rulebook writers can learn from how comic books are laid out:

https://bsky.app/profile/nickbentley.bsky.social/post/3mhm3zkclq22i

March 28, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

March 27, 2026 March 27, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

BagBuilder is a free, browser-based game design tool for simulating random bag draws:

https://danhowardgames.github.io/BagBuilder/

March 27, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

March 26, 2026 March 26, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

How does the board game design community feel about generative AI? This survey asked for designers’ views about various potential uses:

https://irp.cdn-website.com/2b6905d0/files/uploaded/TTGDA+Member+Survey_+Use+of+Generative+AI+3_25_26.pdf

March 26, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

March 25, 2026 March 25, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

A brief overview of 12 steps it takes for one publisher to publish a board game:

https://stonemaiergames.com/12-steps-to-publish-a-tabletop-game/

March 25, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

March 23, 2026 March 23, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

How important is theme when you’re pitching your board game to a publisher? A Reddit board game design forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1s16sy6/how_important_is_a_games_theme_when_pitching/

March 23, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing

Cardboard Edison

March 22, 2026 March 22, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

The ins and outs of playtesting: when and where to playtest, how to run a playtest, how to take feedback, and good questions to ask your testers (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxp-VSwWQ-o

March 22, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

March 21, 2026 March 21, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

It’s often said that the first games you design will be terrible. But what if they aren’t? Here are some ways to approach your first design (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB6ln4buwxg

March 21, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

March 17, 2026 March 17, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

Board game publishers share how often designers’ pitches lead to a prototype handoff and eventually to a contract:

https://bsky.app/profile/elizhargrave.bsky.social/post/3mhb3m3oxjs2u

March 17, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing

Cardboard Edison

March 16, 2026 March 16, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

This set of game icons is free to use for tabletop game projects:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lvQsO-MHLRyPBFnfYChSoASJ_y4IZTsu

March 16, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

March 16, 2026 March 16, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

6 ways to improve the legibility of text in your prototypes:

https://rossongames.com/text

March 16, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

March 12, 2026 March 12, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

Tips for designing a board game for a 24-hour game jam from people who’ve done it:

https://pamwallsgamedesign.substack.com/p/tips-for-board-game-jams

March 12, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
process, contests

Cardboard Edison

March 12, 2026 March 12, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

What does it mean to “play” a “game”? Designer Leslie Scott considers various attempts to define these complex and overlapping ideas:

https://boundlessplay.substack.com/p/playing-games

March 12, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 12, 2026 March 12, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

Player elimination can take a few forms. Here’s a look at “soft” player elimination: what it is, what it’s like for players, and how some games address it:

https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/03/10/killing-me-softly-a-look-at-player-elimination-topic-discussion/

March 12, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 07, 2026 March 07, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

A pair of timely reminders about why you belong in the game design community (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3P0gg8dBrs

March 07, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

March 06, 2026 March 06, 2026/ Cardboard Edison

How randomness adds value to games (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN3Cpfyp-Vs

March 06, 2026/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

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2026 Cardboard Edison Supporters:

Alley Cat Games
Back Office by Naylor Games