“Before diving too deeply into blind test feedback, find out which rules your testers player incorrectly. Trust me. Your rules suck.”

— Grant Rodiek (@HyperboleGrant)

Exploring the difference between explicit themes and implicit themes:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/36253/exploring-explicit-vs-implicit-themes

“Letting yourself get too close to a game will prevent you from seeing problems that are obvious from the outside. For the sake of your game, take a step back and try to maintain a level of rationality when making design decisions.”

— Teale Fristoe (@teale)

Problems in game design that can result from unchecked emotion:

http://nothingsacredgames.com/emotional-game-design/

“Have a backup. If that’s regular freelance work, a part time job, or a sugar daddy – whatever it is, just make sure you have enough money to keep the power on and ramen in the pantry. It’s really hard to come up with creative ideas and take bold chances when you’re worried about money.”

— Kim Vandenbrouke (@TheGameAisle)

What non-abstract game designers can learn from abstract game designers, and vice versa:

http://drwictzboardgames.blogspot.com/2014/11/faculty-lounge-nick-bentley-of-nick.html

Kickstarter lessons learned: playtesting, reviews, price points and more:

http://www.hoggerlogger.com/2014/11/25/kickstarter-what-we-did-right-and-what-we-did-wrong/

What do you do when you discover that your killer idea is someone else’s killer idea?

http://hyperbolegames.com/2014/11/26/im-original-no-im-not/

A breakdown of the various subjects, settings and scopes that a game’s theme can take on, and how that translates to the player’s experience:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/36111/players-point-view-theme-and-framing-experience

11 more need-to-knows about game design

An Atlanta game design workshop is scheduled for Dec. 13, 2014:

http://oilandrope.com/game-design-workshop

An analytical look at the customizable card game (CCG) genre:

http://hyperbolegames.com/2014/11/25/ccg-diagnosis/

“Game terms are where your game’s mechanics and theme intersect. Choose them wisely.”

— Daniel Solis (@DanielSolis)

“Contrary to bumper stickers, believing in your dream is insufficient. Turn off the idiot box and make something.”

— Corey Young (@C_M_Young)

The Game Crafter’s Sprue Challenge

Deadline: Feb. 23, 2015

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/sprue-challenge

Pricing a print-on-demand game:

http://danielsolisblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/breakdown-of-pod-pricing.html

“I would recommend that aspiring game designers play a wide variety of games. Play the games you know you’ll enjoy, and also play games in other categories that you know less about.”

— Jamey Stegmaier (@jameystegmaier)

A 72-hour Paper Game Jam starts Nov. 28, 2014:

http://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/2n0p3k/paper_jam_11_as_requested_a_72h_paper_game_jam/

The Building the Game vidcast on issues in dealing with publishers and in self-publishing

What it means to be a designer/publisher of board games, and how the business side of things works:

http://www.firesidegames.com/news/?p=2440