Chris and Suzanne Zinsli of Cardboard Edison (that’s us!) discuss the online game design community, finding inspiration for new ideas, a TV show designers should watch and more:

http://goforthandgame.com/2013/07/29/a-conversation-with-chris-and-suzanne-zinsli-of-cardboard-edison/

Chaos & Alchemy designer Michael Iachini (@ClayCrucible) discusses Kickstarter for publishers–and for designers with publishers:

http://www.stonemaiergames.com/chaos-and-alchemy-the-designer-reveals-the-secret-to-making-gold/

A guide to storytelling games:

http://www.islaythedragon.com/2013/08/once-upon-time-guide-to-storytelling.html

Brad Talton of Level 99 Games (@Level99Games) joins the Board Game University podcast to discuss self-publishing, Kickstarter, familiarizing yourself with other games, and more:

http://boardgameuniversity.libsyn.com/board-game-university-episode-11-brad-talton

The theme for the August 2013 24-Hour Contest is Wild West:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1015057/24-hour-contest-august-2013

Different ways of determining turn order:

http://3dtotalgames.com/initiative-systems/

Chevee Dodd (@cheveedodd) on the value of rapid prototyping:

http://www.cheveedodd.com/2013/08/01/rapid-prototyping-the-faster-the-better/

Cardboard Edison’s Favorite Tips & Resources – July 2013

This past month was an exceptionally busy one, offering more useful advice and websites for board game creators than almost any other month in the past year and a half.

Among the many helpful items, we found some good advice from some terrible people, a giant spreadsheet of reviewers, detailed breakdowns of a successful Kickstarter and an unsuccessful one, and lots more. We even conducted our first interview!

Enjoy this month’s jumbo-sized roundup.

#featured:

• Meaningful Decisions: Jamey Stegmaier on Board Game Design Choices

#industry:

• A reminder about etiquette in the board game industry
• A wide-ranging, hour-long panel with lots of advice for aspiring designers
• Feedback from the organizers of the Cards Against Humanity Tabletop Deathmatch contest is also good advice for designers in general
•  A spreadsheet of information about more than 50 board game reviewers

#licensing:

• How to get better at pitching to publishers

#publishing:

• “Do Your Research Before Using Kickstarter”–where to start
• A detailed breakdown of all the costs of producing a Kickstarted board game
• An in-depth post-mortem from an unsuccessful board game Kickstarter campaign

#prototyping:

• Different ways to make prototype cards–pros and cons

#playtesting:

• Tips for how to interpret feedback from playtesters and apply it to your design

#theory:

• A guide to the pick-up-and-deliver genre of board games
• Observations on resource systems in games: what they are and how they can be used

#process:

•  “Good designers sometimes make bad designs. Only bad designers give up.” – Jay Treat
• “Work hard. Take it seriously. Create the games you want to play and be passionate about everything you do.” – Grant Rodiek
• “Keep a journal and write down every game idea you have…there are truly no bad ideas because what seems like a terrible idea for a game when you first think of it can sometimes months later lead you to a great idea when you go back and read it in the journal.” – Jason Slingerland
• “Learn to fail. Game design is all about trial and error.” – Kevin Kulp

Our first licensed game design, Tessen, is up on Kickstarter now!

A smooth rules explanation can enable playtesters to focus on the game, rather than the rules. Some tips on teaching your game:

http://hyperbolegames.com/2013/07/31/how-to-teach-your-game/

A detailed breakdown of all the costs of producing a Kickstarted board game:

http://nothingsacredgames.com/the-cost-of-a-board-game-money/

Suggestions for what to ask in your Kickstarter backer survey:

http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-42-the-backer-survey/

The Game Classic Remix Contest

Design a new game using the components of a classic popular game

Deadline: Oct. 1, 2013

http://hyperbolegames.com/2013/07/30/contest-game-classic-remix/

Funding the Dream (@FundTheDream) discusses the stages of playtesting and a new playtesting service, GotGameTesters.com:

http://www.buzzsprout.com/4646/105597-funding-the-dream-on-kickstarter-ep-148-jarek-smith-gotgametesters-com

Feedback from the organizers of the Cards Against Humanity Tabletop Deathmatch contest is also good advice for designers in general:

http://maxistentialist.tumblr.com/post/56178756061/judging-the-tabletop-deathmatch-back-in

Thoughts on what theme can do for a player’s experience, and how you can better incorporate theme into your designs:

http://hyperbolegames.com/2013/07/29/good-theme/

“Good designers sometimes make bad designs. Only bad designers give up.”

— Jay Treat (@jtreat3)

Ways to test your game for colorblind-friendliness:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1012650/colorblind-testing

The Geek Allstars podcast invites Dan Yarrington from Game Salute and Stephen Buonocore of Stronghold Games to discuss the board game industry, Kickstarter, working with publishers and more:

http://thegeekallstars.libsyn.com/episode-58-interviews-with-dan-yarrington-of-game-salute-and-stephen-buonocore-of-stronghold-games

“Establish presence by being useful to the community. Make first game easy to produce. Find a good business partner.”

— Daniel Solis (@DanielSolis)

Advice for using symmetry and asymmetry in your board game designs:

http://boardsandbarley.com/2013/07/23/symmetry-in-board-game-design/