Board Game Designers Forum’s May 2013 Game Design Showdown: “Change, she is a comin’”

Theme: cyclic change

Restriction: no cards

Deadline: May 8, 2013

http://www.bgdf.com/node/12347

Gil Hova (@ingredientx), the designer of Prolix, discusses word games and the special considerations required to create one:

http://ludology.libsyn.com/game-tek-classic-54-designing-word-games

Cardboard Edison's Favorite Tips & Resources - April 2013

Our picks for this month’s roundup of board game design tips and resources includes some fascinating takes on human behavior, an important reminder about playtesting, a wry note about rules writing, and more.

Here’s the full list:

#industry:

• Dozens of tips for using social media in the board game industry
• A spreadsheet of some prominent board game reviewers, listing their social-media reach

#theory:

• Designing for the irrational: How some quirks of human psychology can inform your game designs
• How can behavioral economics be applied to board game design?

#playtesting:

• Who should be playtesting your game, and what should you be doing while they are?
• The perils of groupthink to game designers, and how to escape the echo chamber

#rules:

• “There are no rules so short and clear that everyone will follow them as intended. In fact, the shorter rules are just as prone to misinterpretation.” - Daniel Solis (@DanielSolis)

#publishing:

• Running a board game Kickstarter: takeaways from panelists at PAX East
• What causes board game Kickstarter projects to fail? A BoardGameGeek forum discussion
• Pixel Lincoln designer Jason Tagmire (@jtagmire) offers up wisdom for creating a successful Kickstarter project
• Using micro-goals during a Kickstarter campaign
• The designer of Hero Brigade, Nicholas Yu (@yutingxiang), on refining a campaign page before launch

From The Cardboard Jungle (@CBJPodcast):

There is a right way & a wrong way to ask pod casters/bloggers to promote your KS project…step 1..don’t wait till it looks like it’ll fail

Step 2..make it personal by contacting them and explaining your project to them…links on the bottom..if you can’t explain it..how can we?

Step 3..don’t over exaggerate..save your sales pitch for the consumers…we get it & also can see right through it. Being genuine=best asset

Pandemic and Forbidden Island designer Matt Leacock (@mleacock) shares what he’s learned about designing cooperative games:

http://www.mechanics-and-meeples.com/2013/04/29/co-op-interviews-matt-leacock-pandemic/

Kickstarter lessons learned by Pixel Lincoln designer Jason Tagmire (@jtagmire):

http://buttonshy.blogspot.com/2013/04/post-kickstarter-recap-lessons-learned.html

SEE ALSO:

https://www.businessfinancestore.com/2013/04/22/crowdfunding-pixel-lincolns-advice-for-new-campaigns/

An important reminder for the final hour of your Kickstarter campaign:

http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-34-the-final-hour/

A lengthy post from James Mathe of Minion Games (@MinionGames) with dozens of tips for using social media in the board game industry:

http://www.jamesmathe.com/the-enlightened-path-to-virtual-popularity/

Patrick Nickell of Crash Games (@crash_games) joins the Little Metal Dog Show to discuss running a small publishing company, scheduling a Kickstarter campaign, moving quickly to respond to challenges and more:

http://littlemetaldog.com/2013/04/26/episode-57-crashin-in/

The psychology of money, and its application to board game design:

http://sugarpillstudios.com/wp/?page_id=873

(Scroll down to section 2.)

The perils of groupthink to game designers, and how to escape the echo chamber:

http://gameofmarketing.blogspot.com/2013/04/is-there-echo-in-here.html

Different ways deception can be used in games:

http://3dtotalgames.com/liesdamnlies/

A spreadsheet of board game reviewers, listing their social-media reach:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0ApVqDbSPuC5tdHB3YlBFeHZsVFZwWDVDQmZFbkNob0E&pli=1

compiled by Dustin Oakley

The designer of Kickstarter success Hero Brigade, Nicholas Yu (@yutingxiang), discusses the importance of refining a campaign page before launch:

http://rubycowgames.com/hero-brigade-an-interview-with-designer-nicholas-yu/

How to make the most of the final 48 hours of your Kickstarter campaign:

http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-33-the-final-48-hours/

Pixel Lincoln designer Jason Tagmire (@jtagmire) offers up wisdom for creating a successful Kickstarter project:

https://www.businessfinancestore.com/2013/04/22/crowdfunding-pixel-lincolns-advice-for-new-campaigns/

The Game Design Round Table podcast discusses legal issues related to game publishing:

http://thegamedesignroundtable.com/2013/04/23/episode-24/

The Ludology podcast discusses giving players choices between short-term and long-term payoffs:

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-54-the-long-and-the-short-of-it

Kickstarter tax advice from Travis Worthington of Indie Boards & Cards:

http://boardgamegeek.com/article/12075028#12075028

Create a frenzy about your Kickstarter project: tips for the final week of the campaign:

http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-32-the-final-week/