“The most important aspect of designing small, light games, is to make sure they have plenty of hard decisions to make in them.”

— nevermoregames

“Playtesting is the lifeblood of game design. It’s not just a way to make sure your game works, it’s a way to reveal questions that you can answer, even after you think the game is totally done.”

— Dave Chalker (@DaveTheGame)

10 need-to-knows to make a good hobby game

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sm7n_1TE8g

The Meeple Syrup vidcast discusses licensing contract terms with David Short and Cardboard Edison

“Quickly commit to an idea to test it out. Quickly abandon the same idea if it doesn’t pan out.”

— Chip Beauvais (@the_FlyingSheep)

“Absolutely love your design. Ask people to point out its flaws.”

— Chip Beauvais (@the_FlyingSheep)

How to decide if your game should be turn-based or round-based:

http://boardsandbarley.com/2015/01/23/set-phaser-to-stun-a-discussion-of-phases-vs-turns/

“Design gameworlds that you truly want to inhabit, and draw inspiration from things other than just other games.”

— Alf Seegert (@alfseegert)

“If your own designs aren’t among your very favorite games, then you might need to work harder to design games you like.”

— Alf Seegert (@alfseegert)

Alf Seegert on persistence, patience, liking your own games, forcing a design, playtesting processes and more:

http://andhegames.com/how-alf-seegert-makes-games/

When should you shelve a design?

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/ask-the-league-when-do-you-stop/

Insights for producing a game with pre-painted miniatures:

http://stonemaiergames.com/legends-lore-and-insights-about-creating-pre-painted-miniatures-for-a-crowdfunded-game/

Board Game Licensing Contracts - Part 2: Post-Publication (high-resolution image)

Board Game Licensing Contracts - Part 1: Pre-Publication (high-resolution image)

“Try the simple stuff first. Add complexity only when needed.”

— Ed Marriott (@EdPMarriott)

Two posts on getting started as a tabletop game designer:

http://www.jamesmathe.com/so-you-want-to-be-a-tabletop-game-designer/

http://www.3dtotalgames.com/whats-game-designer/

What makes a choice interesting–it should be meaningful, informed and limited:

http://darrellhardy.com/blog/2015/01/19/choice-thoughts-on-game-design/

“The best games have “oh crap, I shouldn’t have done that” moments. Because depth. But also the gateway to a player’s heart is thru learning.”

— TC Petty III (@PuppyShogun)

A method of making solitaire modes for multiplayer games:

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/37830/automa-approach-method-making-solitaire-modes-mult

“Test as early as you can and learn how to ruin your game from the start. Test your game as you are forming the idea. Use a lot of thought experiments.”

— Chris Renshall (@TGIK_Games_CR)