“To me, randomness is neither good or bad. Designers just create the space to prepare and/or respond to randomness.”

— Daniel Solis (@DanielSolis)

“I don’t know what you’ll do is more interesting than I don’t know what will happen.”

— Corey Young (@C_M_Young)

“If you want to create truly dramatic moments in your game, you must embrace uncertainty: luck; randomness; fortune.”

— Brett Myers (@brettspiel)

Don’t trust playtesters:

http://boardgamesthattellstories.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/dont-trust-testers/

What people think makes a game thematic and what actually makes a game feel thematic when you play it:

http://nothingsacredgames.com/thoughts-on-theme/

Ways to mitigate luck in a game design:

http://oakleafgames.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/game-theory-luck-mitigation/

Eleven more designers you should know:

http://boardsandbees.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/0318/

What Unpub can do for you–the benefits of attending playtesting events:

http://unpub.net/what-to-expect-from-unpubwhat-can-unpub-do-for-you/

10 rarely used board game mechanisms that might be worth considering:

http://kevingnunn.com/2013/12/25/the-10-best-game-mechanisms-you-arent-using/

http://kevingnunn.com/2013/12/28/the-10-best-game-mechanisms-you-arent-using-part-2/

http://kevingnunn.com/2014/01/01/the-10-best-game-mechanisms-you-arent-using-part-3/

http://kevingnunn.com/2014/01/04/the-10-best-game-mechanisms-you-arent-using-part-4/

http://kevingnunn.com/2014/01/07/the-10-best-mechanisms-you-arent-using-part-5/

http://kevingnunn.com/2014/01/10/the-10-best-mechanisms-you-arent-using-part-6/

Considerations for determining how many players a game should support:

http://clocksmithgames.com/the-number-of-players-question/

Introduction to balance in game design–three types of balance:

http://www.gamesprecipice.com/intro-to-balance/

The value of having at least one high-quality, eye-catching component:

http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-75-include-at-least-one-must-have-component/

A reminder about not overwhelming players with too many new concepts:

http://hyperbolegames.com/2014/01/08/the-cup-doth-runneth-overeth/

Reiner Knizia (@ReinerKnizia) discusses the process of designing, in a 2007 Q&A session:

http://boardgamebabylon.libsyn.com/bgb-volume-31-q-a-with-reiner-knizia-at-orccon-2007

PolyCon Independent Game Design Prize

Deadline: Feb. 22, 2014

Prize: $500

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1100576/polyprize-game-design-contest-win-s500-to-assist?

The pros and cons of offering exclusive content to Kickstarter backers:

http://www.stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-faceoff-1-exclusive-content/

Self-promotion for game creators:

http://gamasutra.com/blogs/RaphKoster/20140102/207962/Selfpromotion_for_game_developers.php

“It should be less about which came first and more about how well integrated theme and mechanic is in the end.”

— Jesse Catron (@ktronod)

“I see a lot of new designers who think game design is idea-driven. It’s not. It’s execution-driven.”

— Gil Hova (@ingredientx)

“As a designer, balancing your ego is an interesting exercise. You need it to navigate chaos, but need to drop it when you find your way.”

— Eric Lang (@eric_lang)