“My First Principle of Game Publishing: Work with competent publishers, or you will have delays, inferior products and a lot of extra work.”

— Reiner Knizia (@ReinerKnizia)

“Your precious mechanisms are not the primary goal; they are a means to an end.”

— Asger Sams Granerud, interviewed on Bellwether Games

What games can you play to make you a better designer? Turns out there’s a list:

http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/140448/boardgame-recommendations-to-become-a-better-game 

Miscellaneous tips for creating a print-and-play, from the BoardGameGeek designers forum:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/789362/general-advice-on-creating-a-print-and-play

An extensive guide for first-time self-publishers, with lots of specifics, from someone who just did it:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/789423/game-design-and-self-publishing-a-primer-for-self

The 31st Game Designer Convention in Göttingen, Germany is June 2-3, 2012

Preview:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/9496/gottingen-game-designer-convention-2012

Application:

http://perlhuhn.de/termine.html

Interview with Alf Seegert, designer of Trollhalla and The Road to Canterbury:

“Don’t be afraid to find design influences OUTSIDE of board games. Often the best ideas do not come from games at all!”

“Recently I’ve followed Elton John’s rule: if the song doesn’t write itself quickly, don’t bother. Development can take months (or even years) but if the basic idea doesn’t come together quickly, I move along.”

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/9228/in-the-road-to-canterbury-i-meet-alf-seegert

Make a Better Game – Limit the Player

“Presenting someone with a huge number of options does not give them more ‘freedom’ – in fact all it does is overwhelm them.”

http://jonshaferondesign.com/2012/04/03/make-a-better-game-limit-the-player/

HT @BoardgameNews

“Don’t wait! Get talking about your book or about your game, or about your anything, as soon as you have an idea well formulated.”

http://www.gmsmagazine.com/articles/iyadwyadywagwyag-or-how-to-do-more-and-betterpart-2-the-publishers

“

Light/Medium games emphasize FUN. Heavy games emphasize CHALLENGE.

Medium games emphasize both for sure, FUN and CHALLENGE, but it’s the shared emphasis on FUN that keeps it from becoming a Heavy game.

Don’t get [me] wrong, CHALLENGE can be FUN, but it doesn’t emphasize FUN at its core, it emphasizes CHALLENGE. Make sense?

”

— Bryan Fischer (@bryanfischer)

“My First Principle of Game Design: Start somewhere new and you have the greatest chance to end up somewhere new!”

— Reiner Knizia (@ReinerKnizia)

“As a publisher, one of the most powerful tools you have in your arsenal is the ability to give fans permission to do things with your stuff.”

— Fred Hicks (@fredhicks)

“Game design is mind control. So is marketing. Game designers, take note: design your products like you design your games. (Game != Product)”

— Fred Hicks (@fredhicks)

Grant Rodiek (@HerrohGrant):
Tasty Minstrel posted the PNP and rules for their new game for free. This is the way to do things.

Tasty Minstrel Games (@TastyMinstrel):
.@HerrohGrant When you had confidence in the game play, the logical conclusion is to make it available to people to try before pledging.

Grant Rodiek (@HerrohGrant):
@TastyMinstrel I agree with you 100%. It’s the way all projects should be presented.

The pros and cons of “take that” mechanics, by Grant Rodiek (@HerrohGrant):

http://hyperbolegames.com/2012/04/09/on-the-take-that/

SEE ALSO:

How much “take that” is too much?

http://cardboardedison.tumblr.com/post/19570523389/how-much-take-that-is-too-much

What to use for prototype cards? Some ideas on BGDF:

http://www.bgdf.com/node/6331

Some Game Playing Styles, and How Games Match One Style or Another

http://www.bgdf.com/node/6337

“Lead a game to worldwide success: keep it simple that people understand it; make it different that people recognize it; but keep it familiar”

— Reiner Knizia (@ReinerKnizia)

“To design good games, you need peace in your heart - even for a first-person shooter.”

— Reiner Knizia (@ReinerKnizia)

An experiment showed that people often lie about the result of a secret die roll if it benefits them. 

The takeaway for board game designers, according to BoardGameNews:

“If you want someone to be honest, then do not allow him to roll a die in secret.”  

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/9382/links-flash-mob-game-reviews-the-hasty-cheater-ye

RELATED:

Preventing cheating: Is the honor system sufficient?

http://cardboardedison.tumblr.com/post/19570523236/preventing-cheating-is-the-honor-system