How game design is like science, and playtesting is like the peer-review process:

http://exampleofplay.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/on-being-wrong/

The Plaid Hat Podcast crew discusses how narrative can emerge from board games:

http://www.plaidhatgames.com/podcast/80

“Work for 15 min, and write down inspiration but don’t work more right away. Let it stew. Games are born from stew.”

— Jeremiah Lee (@Jeremiah042)

“Remember only a small percent of your game ideas will be any good. The key is to keep trying to discover which ones those are.”

— Tory Niemann (@tkniemann)

“When prototyping a new game, you’ll have moments you think “what is this pile of garbage?” My advice: Walk it off and carry on anyway.”

— Tory Niemann (@tkniemann)

Things to consider when setting the timing and length of your Kickstarter campaign:

http://stonemaiergames.com/2013/02/07/kickstarter-lesson-9-timing-and-length/

Mark Major of Whirling Derby (@WhirlingDerby) offers advice for new designers:

“Every skill you have helps in game design, because everything can be the basis of experience for a game. Design is about creating an experience, so before anything else, know what that experience is and be realistic about whether you can deliver that or not. Don’t be afraid to cut material out of a game that doesn’t reinforce that experience.

"Also, spend a lot of time with your games. Make them shine. Playtest them. Making games and getting them out in front of people is exciting, but don’t let that excitement make you settle for second best. If you know you can do better, take the time to make it better.”

http://news.thegamecrafter.com/post/42445138546/mark-major-inducted-into-the-hall-of-fame

Be clear about who your target audience is to avoid getting negative comments from those who aren’t:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/16818/a-different-way-to-use-negative-commentsratings

Using Facebook to attract playtesters:

http://bellwethergames.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/211-promoting-2-facebook-events-and-groups.html

Hobby Game Designer Compendium, Part 2

Nate Straight continues analyzing the games of prominent designers to discover their personal styles:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/16584/hobby-game-designer-compendium-part-2-plains-tra

SEE ALSO, PART 1:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/16583/hobby-game-designer-compendium-part-1-the-great-g

Tips for setting reward levels for your Kickstarter project:

http://stonemaiergames.com/2013/02/03/kickstarter-lesson-8-reward-levels/

“Learning to sort the essential from the non-essential is key. You can add all the bells and whistles you want to your design, but if it isn’t fun when boiled down to the core ideas, it isn’t going to be better just because you add more.”

— Jason Kotarski (@jasonkotarski)

Seven principles for making the most of a convention as a designer:

http://exampleofplay.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/make-the-most-of-a-convention-as-a-designer-7-principals/

February 2013 Game Design Showdown - “Class-ic Civilization”

Deadline: Feb 8

Restrictions: Design a civilization-building game that can be played by students through their coursework

http://www.bgdf.com/node/7787

“Make sure it’s fun. A designer can fall into a trap of working on something that the designer thinks is interesting, but that ends up not actually being fun.”

— Michael Iachini (@OnlineDM1) of Clay Crucible Games

“If you don’t have a passion for design, you’ll end up as a game idea generator rather than an actual game designer. You have to be able to actually build prototypes and test them and build new prototypes and test more.”

— Michael Iachini (@OnlineDM1) of Clay Crucible Games

David Heron joins the Board Game Design Round Table podcast to discuss the pros and cons of collectible card games, deck-building games and more:

http://www.buzzsprout.com/7928/75107-12-ccgs-dominion-with-david-heron

Cardboard Edison's Favorite Tips & Resources - January 2013

Once a month, we gather the tips and resources for board game designers that we found the most useful and share them again.

The new year is off to a strong start, with meaty posts about playtesting, the game design process and more, plus great material from a recent unpublished-games festival.

Cartrunk Entertainment’s recent Unpub 3 event yielded a wealth of great advice for designers:

• Choice quotes from designers and publishers at Unpub 3, collected by Daniel Solis
• Video of the designers panel
• Video of the publishers panel

#industry:

• Answers to many of the most common questions that new designers have
• Jason Tagmire discusses why designers need to be jacks of all trades, navigating the publication process and more

#theory:

• An extensive glossary of terms used in board gaming and game design

#process:

• What you can control–and what you can’t–about your games

#playtesting:

• How to solicit better feedback from playtesters–and what to do with it

#licensing:

• “Do every thing you can to have a face-to-face demo. If you believe in your game, this is your best shot and it’s totally worth your time even if rejection comes.” - T.C. Petty III (@puppyshogun)

Hobby Game Designer Compendium, Part I

Nate Straight examines the games of several prominent designers in an attempt to define their individual styles. What separates a “Feld game” from a “Knizia game” or a “Wallace game”?

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/16583/hobby-game-designer-compendium-part-1-the-great-g

How to use playtesters’ feedback:

http://hyperbolegames.com/2013/01/30/how-to-use-feedback/