“Don’t add something to your game just because it should be there. Add it because it can’t be left out.”

— Nat Levan (@OakleafGames)

“If you want your game to be published, consider the publisher part of the audience.”

— Steven Cole (@steveongames)

“Designing a game is an exploration. Guess to start. Seek to learn. No decision is final that isn’t informed by play.”

— Jay Treat (@jtreat3)

“The ending of a game should feel consistent with the rest. Once the middle is fun, try different ways to end it.”

— Randy Hoyt (@randyhoyt)

“Listen intently to your playtesters, but rarely do what they say. You must filter the info to deduce the real problem.”

— David Short (@dshortdesign)

“There are types of gamers, know which type you are designing for and remember, it’s not always you.”

— Luke Peterschmidt (@LPeterschmidt)

“Test your Minimum Viable Game. Don’t work on a broken game longer than you need to.”

— @AndHeGames

“Note which rule or mechanic players always get wrong the same way. Try to make it actually work that way.”

— Darrell Hardy (@HardyTales)

““Perfect” is the enemy of improvement. Stop searching for the perfect mechanism and focus on making your design better.”

— Matt Wolfe (@mattwolfe)

“Playtest playtest playtest - when you think you’re done, do it more. Blind tests are even better.”

— JR Honeycutt (@JayAhre)

“Get a prototype on the table ASAP. One minute of table time is worth an hour of solitary noodling.”

— Daniel Solis (@DanielSolis)

“Determine your target audience early, and tailor your design choices with them in mind.”

— Seth Jaffee (@sedjtroll)

“Consider removing rules that take too long to explain for what they add to your game.”

— Meeple Syrup (@MeepleSyrup)

David Somerville (@thisistrove) joins The Game Design Round Table (@TGDRT) to discuss using the gaming community, pitching your game, handing things over to a publisher, and more:

http://thegamedesignroundtable.com/2015/08/21/episode-131-david-somerville-and-trove/

Tips for playtesting late-stage design tweaks

10 recommended books on game design:

http://meeplemechanic.com/specials/chip-beauvais-10-favorite-game-design-books/

Different playstyles you can mimic during solo testing:

http://www.3dtotalgames.com/playstyle-profiles/

The Meeple Syrup Show (@MeepleSyrup) on working with–and as–a publisher

Using print-on-demand services to publish games:

http://legalmovespodcast.com/2015/08/12/episode-08-print-on-demand-part-1/

http://legalmovespodcast.com/2015/08/19/episode-09-print-on-demand-part-2/

“Find fulfillment in the design process, and seek out others who are engaged in game design in order to avoid traveling down that path alone.”

— Yves Tourigny (@yvestourigny)