Pain points in manufacturing: Designers and small publishers who have shipped a game product share their lessons on the prototype-to-production pipeline:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/1uuj52u/those_of_you_whove_actually_manufactured_your/

Why are so many board games getting sequels? Thoughts from both a publisher and player perspective:

https://stonemaiergames.com/what-do-we-really-want-from-a-sequel/

Why are board game expansions so popular? Looking to the history of expansions to understand their enduring appeal to gamers and publishers (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v08KJGWRH0o

The Explorateur links to various sites exploring graphic design, typography, logos, and other visual elements, including:

• logos from the space race era

• vintage tech logos

• fonts used in videogames

• packaging design

• selections from the Vatican’s archives

• modern illustrations

• cover inspirations

• font and color combinations

https://www.explorersdesign.com/explorateur-ennies-1/

This new service lets people create and order custom PDF or printed versions of words-on-cards games:

https://www.makemycards.art/

Board game designers who have quit their day jobs share what allowed them to do that—a Bluesky game designer discussion:

https://bsky.app/profile/eanderssonsunden.bsky.social/post/3mqehoetjyk24

The fundamentals of game design, taught by walking through the process of creating a new tabletop game (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tXjLK6oVA0

The rise of cozy games—everything you need to know about how they’ve taken over such a big part of the tabletop industry:

https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/the-rise-rise-of-cozy-board-games/

This system aims to standardize colorblind-friendly iconography:

https://colorsym.com/

news coverage: https://boardgamewire.com/index.php/2026/07/06/designer-pair-launch-colorsym-giving-publishers-a-free-tool-for-colourblind-friendly-board-game-creation/

Arguing that frustration is an essential part of games, neither inherently bad nor good:

https://lestmyopinions.com/2026/07/05/right-in-the-bad-feels/

10 board game publishers who are seeking submissions—a walkthrough of their processes and requirements (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92eIywsY6YY

What one board game designer wishes they knew when they started making games 12 years ago:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/what-i-wish-i-knew-about-board-game-design-12-years-ago/

A strong hook is important for getting publishers’ and players’ attention. Here’s a process for coming up with strong game hooks (video):

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

Thoughts on some unspoken assumptions in board game design discourse, and how the way a game is framed for the market can lead to design choices that run counter to common wisdom:

https://www.hawkanddovegames.com/blog/on-design-discourse

How the Spiel des Jahres organization earns—and spends—money:

https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/30/spiel-des-jahres-following-the-money-topic-discussion/

Want to come up with new ideas for board game designs? This acronym gives you several methods of generating game ideas (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXqMoRvWrf4

Tips for using Affinity Studio to design components and make rulebook updates for your board game prototypes:

https://rossongames.com/affinity

Game designer Phil Walker-Harding on balancing games, inspiration, the design process, players’ negative experiences, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaG_iAwxG4g

Accuracy vs. authenticity: How to assess what’s “real” in historical games? And why do some games feel “authentic” while others don’t? (video)

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

What kinds of things should you look for in a publisher before signing a game with them? Here are 5 things to consider:

https://www.benrosset.games/designer-advice#h.a85tfbdoyed0