A look at some different favored working methods of board game designers, and their pros and cons:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/21968/game-design-process

How to create a “Kickstarter epidemic” that captures multiple groups of backers:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/21602/kickstarter-epidemic

A look at some research on crowdfunding, and things project creators can do to improve their chances of success:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/21981/kickstarter-seriously-not-again

Gameful Wording: Board Game Resources→

gamefulwording:

In the course of managing and moderating the Indie Board Game panel, I managed to collect a nice list of resources I’d found useful throughout my board game design adventures to date. Following is a short list: by no means even close to exhaustive, but a plan of first landing, the tumultuous…

Board Game Design Forum’s August 2013 Game Design Showdown

Theme: Atomic Intelligence

Deadline: Aug. 9, 2013

http://bgdf.com/node/12830

Tips for putting out a press release to announce your Kickstarter campaign:

http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-43-press-releases/

Jay Cormier of the Bamboozle Brothers (@bamboozlebros) offers a broad overview of game design from concept to publishing:

http://metronews.ca/news/canada/756123/board-games-how-to-chute-your-way-up-the-design-ladder/

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