Iteration, interactions and lots more to remember while playtesting and balancing. Written for Magic but broadly applicable:

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/289

What to look for when signing a contract with a publisher:

http://www.jamesmathe.com/alien-first-contract/

The Impressions Vidcast discusses attending unpublished-games events, and setting one up yourself

Words of warning when running a contest during a Kickstarter campaign:

http://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-82-contests/

How some games deal with bad player behavior:

http://hyperbolegames.com/2014/03/02/troll-proofed/

Michael Mindes of Tasty Minstrel Games (@TastyMinstrel) discusses Kickstarter and running a board game publishing business on the Happy Mitten Games podcast (@HappyMitten):

http://www.happymittengames.com/25/

Recommended reading for game designers:

http://sizzlemothgames.blogspot.com/2014/03/recommended-reading.html

On Board Games (@OnBoardGames) discusses microgames:

http://onboardgames.libsyn.com/obg-127-what-has-it-gots-in-its-pocketses

Consider what message players might be able to take from your game:

http://oakleafgames.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/game-theory-levels-of-meaning/

“Always consider whether your components are imparting the most information and feel as possible – and what they might be unintentionally saying.”

— Rich Durham

“Creators: Feedback is good, but it will never end. You must eventually make a decision.”

— Daniel Solis (@DanielSolis)

Board Game Design Forum’s March 2014 Game Design Showdown

Design a game using a spinner

Deadline: March 8, 2014

http://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-design/game-design-showdown/gds-march-2014-and-make-mine-random

The theme for the March 2014 BoardGameGeek 24-Hour Contest is “pirate”:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1131254/24-hour-contest-march-2014

How much work should you do to guard against horrible player behavior?

http://hyperbolegames.com/2014/03/01/horrible-person-proofing/

Cardboard Edison's Favorite Tips & Resources - February 2014

This month’s roundup of useful tips and resources for board game designers features advice for finding your place in the industry, detailed stats behind a Kickstarter campaign, lots of thought-provoking articles about the theory behind board games, and more. Enjoy!

#industry:

• “Don’t attend conventions just to sell games. Attend to network and sell yourself. Think long term. Build relationships.”–Ben Pinchback (@pinchback21)

#publishing:

• Hard numbers behind a “pay what you want” Kickstarter campaign

#process:

• “Designers. Expect rejection. Tempered expectations will induce persistence in seeking publication. Never give up on something you believe in.”–A.J. Porfirio (@VanRyderGames)
• Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) joins the Game Design Round Table to discuss real-time games, designing with family, learning to play new games, and more

#playtesting:

• “For a designer, honest feedback is a beautiful thing. You can’t overreact or underreact. It’s your job to digest and appropriately address.”–Ben Pinchback (@pinchback21)

#theory:

• “Remember: simple is not the same as shallow. Complex is not the same as deep.”–Grant Rodiek (@HerrohGrant)
• Reverse engineering gaming mechanisms
• How your scoring system distributes points, and how it encourages player behavior
• Replayability is more than variability
• Examining depth and emergent gameplay—finding the ideal ratio of depth to complexity
• Underused game formats that lie somewhere between competitive and cooperative

#rules:

• Grammatical pitfalls in rulebook writing

Increase the utility of your game–the enjoyment players get and the conditions in which it gets to the table:

http://www.gamesprecipice.com/utility/

Beyond winning, what reasons might players have for playing?

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/27816/the-hidden-assumptions-of-gamers

Shift designer Samuel Strick discusses designing games backwards, discovering why you love what you love, differentiating the sort of randomness you want, designing two-player games and more:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/27921/samuel-strick-on-shifting-provinces-and-the-art-be

Sushi Go! designer Phil Walker-Harding discusses card drafting, set collection, rebooting a Kickstarter and more:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/28063/phil-walker-harding-and-the-sushi-go-heroes

Can board games terrify?

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/27805/can-board-games-terrify