“The key to being a game designer is to design games. Just wishing really hard doesn’t cut the mustard.”

— Kevin Wilson (@KevinWilson42)

“The road to success is a toll road. Our failures are the toll. Accept them and keep always moving forward.”

— Kevin G. Nunn (@kgnunn)

A process for adapting other media to tabletop games:

http://kevingnunn.com/2014/06/11/writing-effective-adaptations-part-3

The biggest challenges facing independent game designers–and advice for overcoming them. A BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1180369/independent-game-design-question

Tom Lehman joins The Long View podcast to discuss his design process, playtesting, publishing, collaboration, expansions and more:

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepodcastepisode/120244/the-long-view-tom-lehman-interview

The importance of early momentum for a Kickstarter campaign:

http://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-101-momentum-breeds-success/

JT Smith of The Game Crafter (@thegamecrafter) shares lessons learned from the Village in a Box Kickstarter:

http://www.allusgeeks.com/2014/06/the-game-of-crowd-funding-jt-smith-interview-06-04-2014/

What questions do you always ask playtesters? A Reddit tabletop designers forum discussion:

http://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/27bhf4/what_standard_questions_do_you_ask_when_you/

Different ways games have used the “pay to pick” mechanism:

http://danielsolisblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/pay-to-pick-conveyer-belts-progressive.html

Does randomness in games limit skill?

http://nickbentleygames.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/random-games-and-skill

Common pitfalls in licensing contracts for board games–and how to avoid them:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/game-contract-pitfalls/

Scott Almes (@Scott_Almes) discusses various aspects of working with publishers, on the Happy Mitten podcast (@HappyMitten):

http://www.happymittengames.com/33/

The Game Crafter’s 5th Street Challenge

Deadline: Sept. 1, 2014

Prize: publication by 5th Street Games

http://news.thegamecrafter.com/post/88284183617/5th-street-challenge

“Persistence matters. Show a good game to enough people and you’ll eventually sell it. Remember that every company’s needs are different.”

— Kevin Wilson (@KevinWilson42)

“In game design, it’s often beneficial to consider multiple problems at once. This tends to spark your creativity and you may just stumble upon a single solution that solves all of them.”

— Jeroen Geenen

“When you start to worry about someone stealing your game idea, take a step back and remember that the idea isn’t special. The real trick of game design is to make your game special by the work you put into it.”

— Nathaniel Levin (@OakleafGames)

Teale Fristoe of Nothing Sacred Games (@nothingsacredg) offers Kickstarter advice for before, during and after the campaign:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/kickstarter-questions-with-teale-fristoe/

Recognizing and escaping from “monkey traps”–those ideas you just can’t seem to let go of:

http://www.koryheath.com/monkey-traps/

MicroStack Games Summer 2014 Design Contest

Deadline: July 31, 2014

Prizes: GeekGold

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1182028/summer-2014-design-contest

“Don’t be afraid to play with other games’ toys. The end result should be something that stands on its own anyway.”

— Dave Chalker (@DaveTheGame)