Geekway to the West 2014 Game Design Prototype “Speed Gaming” Competition

Date: May 16, 2014

Theme: Microgames

Prizes: Pitch session with AEG and more

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/1156739/2014-game-design-prototype-speed-gaming-competitio

Minor lessons learned from the Tuscany Kickstarter:

http://stonemaiergames.com/5-minor-mistakes-we-made-on-tuscany-that-you-can-avoid-and-3-insights/

SEE ALSO: http://stonemaiergames.com/3-kickstarter-mistakes-we-made-on-tuscanythat-you-can-avoid/

A deeper understanding of game currencies, and how they can create interesting decisions for players:

http://kevingnunn.com/2014/04/15/game-currencies/

“Designing and publishing go really well together and also really go terribly together. When you can publish your own design, or assist in designing things you are publishing, it’s great. But publishing yanks all of the design time away as you are fulfilling many roles.”

— Jason Tagmire (@jtagmire)

The Impressions Vidcast offers shipping tips

The process of devising mechanics–a Board Game Design Forum discussion:

http://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-creation/mechanics/how-do-you-create-game-mechanics

A discussion of finance, information and dealmaking in economic games, with Michael Keller (@vhgames) and Aaron Honsowetz (@drwictz):

http://www.gamedesignerwannabe.com/2014/04/audio-aaron-honsowetz-interview.html

“When you think your rules are done, take another pass. When you think you have the best set of cards, identify your 3 weakest ones and try to replace them. If your mind conjures an alternate mechanic, branch and test.”

— Grant Rodiek (@HerrohGrant)

Lessons learned from the Tuscany Kickstarter:

http://stonemaiergames.com/3-kickstarter-mistakes-we-made-on-tuscanythat-you-can-avoid/

Challenges to making a collectible card game:

http://www.jamesmathe.com/to-ccg-or-not-to-ccg-that-is-the-question/

Alternatives to banning certain player actions:

http://nickbentleygames.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/game-design-tip-prohibit-bans/

“Sometimes, no matter how hard you work on a design, it simply will not come together. It’s okay. We all have those designs. Believe in yourself and keep at it.”

— Kevin G. Nunn (@kgnunn)

Postage calculations for shipping a Kickstarter game overseas:

http://gotgeniusgames.com/kickstarter-topics-5-shipping-a-kickstarter-game-international/

Worker placement games that all designers should play:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/172198/worker-placement-games-every-designer-should-play

One potential pitfall of success:

http://oakleafgames.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/success-as-a-way-to-alienate-new-players/

How to demonstrate to potential backers that your Kickstarter is worth supporting:

http://stonemaiergames.com/how-to-build-backer-allegiance-a-guest-post/

A guide to good rulebook writing:

http://islaythedragon.com/featured/laying-down-the-law-a-guide-to-rulebook-writing/

“The initial spark of creation is easy, the creation of said spark is harder, playtesting is even more difficult, and then iteration is where the time meter spikes and a designer could spend a lifetime trapped in this loop of spending years to make only the tiniest incremental improvements to the game in question. That’s why the reward for “completion” is never worth the effort. because paradoxically, the game is never “complete” in the designer’s eyes.”

— T.C. Petty III

Using familiarity and a sense of purpose to make games more approachable to new players:

http://www.gamesprecipice.com/extending-the-invitation/

Postage calculations for shipping a card game in the U.S.:

http://gotgeniusgames.com/kickstarter-topic-5-shipping-a-kickstarter-card-game-u-s/