Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers
Playtesting: the importance of getting to the end:
“And there’s also value in observing that, unless you push through with a playtest, and begin to interrogate the further reaches of your game, you won’t know how early decisions can impact the game later on. This, dear reader, is what people call strategy.”
http://www.brettspiel.co.uk/2013/04/playtesting-importance-of-getting-to-end.html
Fleet designers Matt Riddle and Ben Pinchback discuss the design process, worker placement, meeting with publishers and more, on the Geek Allstars podcast:
http://thegeekallstars.libsyn.com/episode-49-interview-with-fleet-designers-matt-and-ben
Free printable score track:
http://projectgameblog.tumblr.com/post/47718370868/here-at-project-game-we-love-games-game-design
Tips for reaching local media outlets during your Kickstarter campaign:
http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-29-hometown-press-and-local-media/
What you need to make a traitor game work:
http://3dtotalgames.com/treachery/
SEE ALSO: http://cardboardedison.tumblr.com/post/37663279148/a-boardgamegeek-forum-discussion-about-creating
How can behavioral economics be applied to board game design?
KerFlip designer Damon Tabb discusses perseverance, playtesting, prototyping, rules writing, ease of learning and more:
Some data points for successful–and unsuccessful–Kickstarter game projects:
http://rubycowgames.com/kickstarter-stats-for-the-games-category/
Tips for making your social-media posts during a Kickstarter campaign less spammy and more engaging:
http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-28-social-networks/
Patrick Nickell of Crash Games (@Crash_Games) joins Funding the Dream (@FundTheDream) for an open discussion about the delicate nature of handling a partnership that decides to split:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/4646/86229-business-partners-and-kickstarter-ep-138-with-patrick-nickell
Who should be playtesting your game, and what should you be doing while they are?
“Impact of Video Game Design Techniques on Board Games,” a panel from PAX East 2013:
http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-53-pax-ludologica
Chris and Johnny O’Neal of Brotherwise Games give tips for running a Kickstarter campaign, collaborating and more:
A broad overview of the playtesting process and what your goals should be at each step:
What mechanics are used most frequently in the top 100-ranked games on BoardGameGeek?
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/956688/top-mechanics-on-the-top-100-games-statistics
What causes board game Kickstarter projects to fail? A BoardGameGeek forum discussion:
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/956531/kickstarter-epic-fail
Board Game Designers Forum: April 2013 Game Design Showdown - “Let’s Get Kickstarted”
Goal: Pitch a game inspired by crowdfunding
Deadline: April 11
Reaching out to bloggers, podcasters and reviewers–tips for finding complementary outlets, requesting coverage, doing interviews and more:
http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-27-bloggers-podcasters-and-reviewers/
“There is truth in all feedback. That doesn’t mean you have to change your game… rather, it means that you get to the source of the truth, look at it from the feedbacker’s perspective, and decide what you want to take away from it.”
“The best playtesters are the ones that ask the right questions. It’s the designer’s job to solve their problems, not the other way round.”
