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“After your game is ‘done’ play it a lot with first-time players. Getting that first game experience right is crucial.”
— Peter Gousis (@MVPBoardgames)

Cardboard Edison's Favorite Tips & Resources - September 2015

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Our roundup of excellent board game design links and tips this month includes a new Meaningful Decisions interview, "golden rules" of design, advice for making the most of the design process and more...

featured:

theory:

playtesting:

industry:

licensing:

prototyping:

process:

  • "Play a TON of games. And very different games at that. More experience is just more tools to draw from." - Ben Pinchback
  • “I think probably the best advice I have is work on distancing yourself from your project. Be willing to break it and re-form it and think of it as an object distant from yourself. Be willing to push, and bend, and break that thing, and be focused on creating the best experience for the gamers and understand that it’s something you’re making for them.” - Anne-Marie De Witt
  • Mark Rosewater on what your priorities should be at each step of the creative process. Part 1, Part 2.
  • "If a design isn’t working, kill it. It’s tough but for the best. Fail fast. Move on." - Ben Pinchback

podcasts:

Cardboard Edison is supported by our patrons on Patreon.

SENIOR INVENTORS: Steven Cole, John du Bois, Richard Durham, Matthew O’Malley, Isaias Vallejo

JUNIOR INVENTORS: Stephen B Davies, Luis Lara, Behrooz Shahriari, Aidan Short, Jay Treat

ASSOCIATES: Robert Booth, Doug Levandowski, Aaron Lim, Nathan Miller, Marcel Perro, Dan Sinensky

APPRENTICES: Gino Brancazio, Kevin Brusky, Keith Burgun, Kiva Fecteau, Scott Gottreu, JR Honeycutt, Brad Price, Marcus Ross, Diane Sauer

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“A mechanic being mathematically satisfying isn’t the same as it being fun to play. In game design, make sure you don’t confuse the two.”
— Fred Hicks (@fredhicks)
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“Sometimes the best feedback you can get on a game is ‘This game just isn’t good enough’ even if it takes a long time to accept.”
— Ben Pinchback (@pinchback21)