Root cause analysis and determining problems in your designs:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/48513/331444-episode-7-what-s-wrong-with-my-design

10 things every game needs:

Goal: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1416586800?autostart=1

Rules: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1418403000?autostart=1

Interactions: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1423844400?autostart=1

Catch Up: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1427473200?autostart=1

Inertia: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1431706500?autostart=1

Surprise: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1435335300?autostart=1

Strategy: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1438359300?autostart=1

Fun: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1441988100?autostart=1

Flavor: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1445012100?autostart=1

Hook: http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1449245700?autostart=1

Lots of tools to make game design easier:

http://cardboardarchitects.libsyn.com/episode-15-tools-of-the-trade

“If an idea excites you, get busy and develop it into something unique. Something yours. Most things have been ‘done’ at the genetic level.”

— Grant Rodiek (@HyperboleGrant)

Designing with accessibility in mind: color blindness, typography and ergonomics: 

http://playdiabolical.com/2015/12/usability-and-accessibility-in-board-games/

Learning Game Challenge

Design a game where a playful environment creates an opportunity for understanding real world problems and issues.

Deadline: Feb. 29, 2016

Prizes: cash, potential publication, and more

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/learning-game-challenge

What you should know about forming and running an indie game company:

http://legalmovespodcast.com/2015/12/03/episode-23-starting-indie-game-company-brian-henk/

Lessons learned from shipping Bad Medicine: Amazon Fulfillment, street dates, distribution consolidators and more:

http://gil.hova.net/2015/12/02/lessons-learned-from-shipping-bad-medicine/

The requirement for the December 2015 24-hour contest is "angel":

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1483296/24-hour-contest-december-2015

What makes a good theme? A discussion of family-friendly themes, getting into a big-box retailer, overused and underused themes, and more:

http://theforbiddenlimb.com/2015/12/02/what-makes-a-good-theme/

December 2015 Game Design Showdown

Pitch a game that starts with as minimal a learning curve as possible, and ramps up as the game progresses

Deadline: Dec. 9, 2015

http://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-design/game-design-showdown/gds-december-2015-learning-game

2016 Cardboard Edison Award

Deadline: Jan. 31, 2016

http://cardboardedison.com/award/

Cardboard Edison's Favorite Tips & Resources - November 2015

This month's roundup of great board game design links includes several new entries in our Meaningful Decisions interview series, advice for working with publishers, lessons from a first-time designer, and lots more.

featured:

• Meaningful Decisions: Jason Tagmire on Design Choices in Maximum Throwdown
• Guest Post: The Hidden Work of Game Design
• Meaningful Decisions: T.C. Petty III on Design Choices in VivaJava Dice
• Meaningful Decisions: Donald X. Vaccarino on Design Choices in Dominion

licensing:

• Reasons why a publisher might reject a game even if it's very good
• Publishers answer the question: How do you decide what games you want to publish?
• “Don’t pitch a game to a publisher until you envision it on the store shelf as-is (design-wise), and are happy with that. Then also don’t be surprised or upset if a publisher wants to do some development changes.” - Seth Jaffee

process:

• Lessons from a first-time designer: selecting ideas, delegating authority, defending without getting defensive, killing your darlings and setting deadlines
• Getting your indie tabletop game made: notes from PAX Australia

theory:

• Take-that games: When does this mechanism work and when does it fail?
• The Game Designers of North Carolina podcast on melding theme and mechanisms

playtesting:

• Advice for creating and running a board game design group
• “Playtesting is often that balance between ignoring both the worst criticism and the highest praise to hone in on the juicy middle.” - Dave Chalker

Cardboard Edison Omnibus 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

APPRENTICES: Kevin Brusky, Kiva Fecteau, Scott Gottreu, JR Honeycutt, Scott Martel Jr., Marcus Ross, Diane Sauer

Generating ideas and turning them into final products: 

http://www.justingary.com/nobody-cares-about-your-idea/

Data on player preferences of game length:

https://medium.com/@stbowden/what-s-in-a-game-length-7bc6102a04eb#.d099x710x

Publishers answer the question: How do you decide what games you want to publish?

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-117-publish-or-perish

Lessons learned from failing twice on Kickstarter: 

 http://stonemaiergames.com/third-times-the-charm-lessons-learned-from-failing-twice-on-kickstarter-a-guest-post/

“Study the old, ‘boring’, traditional games and figure out why they work and why they’ve lasted. Find the buried treasures.”

— Stephen Glenn (@spielfriek)

Crowdfunding marketing advice:

http://theforbiddenlimb.com/2015/11/26/crowd-funding-marketing-with-chris-reynolds/

“When altering a design it’s critical that you remember your core objective. Do these changes bring your closer or farther from that, regardless of how they may or may not disrupt the rest of the design.”

— Games by Play Date