Jon Gilmour on games designers should play, making a minimal viable product, rapid prototyping, questions for playtesters, do's and don'ts of playtesting, respecting a publisher's time, and more:

http://theinquisitivemeeple.com/2016/02/08/designing-meeples-with-jonathan-gilmour/

“Make sure you know where you want your game to go before you start working on it. Who is your audience? What is the feel you want?”

— Peter Gousis

How setting the right MSRP affects your cash flow:

http://blog.foxtrotgames.com/2016/02/05/distribution-cash-flow-profit/

Making a living as a board game designer--a BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1520715/what-if

2016 Two-Player PnP Game Design Contest

Deadline: May 5, 2016

Prizes: gift card and GeekGold

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1520550/2016-2-player-pnp-design-contest

Game balance: why it's unachievable, and some tools to approximate it:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/on-balance/

“You never know what’s going to be fun or interesting until you test it on another person.”

— Emma Larkins

7 tips to get your game picked up by a publisher:

http://www.justingary.com/how-to-get-your-game-published/

How to use a game's box to attract players who want the type of fun your game offers:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/the-right-type-of-fun-for-your-game/

A wide-ranging discussion of playtesting: finding players, gathering feedback, blind testing and more:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/48513/348935-episode-10-playtesting

“If you’re going to continue to design games, you’re going to continue to have games that don’t work. The key is to accept that and keep moving on to the next game or two or ten.”

— Nathaniel Levan

Randy Hoyt of Foxtrot Games on working with a publisher from pitch through production:

http://cardboardarchitects.libsyn.com/publisher-interview-randy-hoyt

Cardboard Edison's Favorite Tips & Resources - January 2016

This month, our roundup of favorite board game design links includes deep looks at some thorny design problems, an important question you probably didn't ask your playtesters, a peek inside one publisher's thought process when evaluating a game, and more.

featured:

• Meaningful Decisions: Matthew O'Malley on Design Choices in Diner

• The Publishers: Q&A With Michael Coe of Gamelyn Games

 theory:

• Catchup mechanics

• Things that drive player behavior during a game: rewards and punishments, scarcity, pivot points and more

• Ways to increase a game's depth

• Considering a game's "virtuosity"--its ability to let players make creative, unexpected moves

• Variations on worker placement

playtesting:

• The Meeple Syrup show on painful playtests--and why they're necessary (video)

• Why you should ask playtesters, "How did the game make you feel?"

process:

• An overview of the game design process, from prototype to production (video)

licensing:

• Top 10 things one publisher considers when evaluating a game: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

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: Ryan Abrams, Luis Lara, Behrooz Shahriari, Aidan Short, Jay Treat

ASSOCIATES: Robert Booth, Doug Levandowski, Aaron Lim, Nathan Miller, Marcel Perro, Matt Wolfe

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

The requirement for the February 2016 24-hour contest is "beverage":

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1517867/24-hour-contest-february-2016

Game length and player preferences

What goes on the back of the box: legal requirements, barcodes, play time, credits and more:

http://theforbiddenlimb.libsyn.com/the-perfect-box-back-ep-33

February 2016 Game Design Showdown

Pitch a game with cyclical values where "lowest beats highest"

Deadline: Feb. 8, 2016

http://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-design/game-design-showdown/gds-february-2016-circle-now-complete

Prototyping tricks from the Building the Game podcast:

http://www.buildingthegamepodcast.com/2016/01/31/proto-processing-and-the-astrogate/

How to choose and use fonts for a board game or prototype:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/what-the-font-type-tips-for-board-game-designers/

The Plaid Hat Podcast offers advice for starting on your first game:

http://www.plaidhatgames.com/podcast/197