“New game designers, learn what’s out there. No time to play them all? At *least* find the videos or rules PDFs.”

— Daniel Solis

Hooks: what they are, how to find them and how many a board game design needs:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/48513/354899-episode-11-hooks-in-game-designs

Evan Derrick joins the Building the Game podcast to discuss graphic design in games:

http://www.buildingthegamepodcast.com/2016/02/21/episode-195-evan-derrick-and-graphic-design/

What to consider when coming up with a title for your game:

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-122-the-name-of-the-game

Analyzing win conditions: what to measure, how to measure it, and when to measure it:

https://oakleafgames.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/how-to-win/

Advice for adding rewards in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign:

http://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-175-adding-new-rewards-during-a-campaign/

Ways of analyzing a game design according to various measures, including player choice, ease of learning, gameplay variety, originality, interaction and more:

http://nerdstable.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-rubric-for-game-design.html

Tips for finding and working with a board game artist:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/4-tips-for-finding-the-perfect-board-game-artist/

“You have to love the process of designing games to be a successful game designer. You can’t be only in it for the outcomes.”

— Matt Wolfe

“If you’re adding additional mechanisms to compensate for a mechanism that isn’t working, maybe you need to rethink that core mechanism. Don’t patch the bad idea, remove the bad idea.”

— Grant Rodiek

“When designing you should play your game as little as possible to learn as much as possible. Watching people play is very valuable.”

— Jon Gilmour

Building tone, mood and pressure into a game design:

http://www.buildingthegamepodcast.com/2016/02/14/episode-194-tone-mood-and-pressure/

The Cardboard Architects podcast on things you should know and do before planning a Kickstarter campaign:

http://cardboardarchitects.libsyn.com/designer-interview-jeff-saidek-joey-vigour

The benefits of uncertainty in games, and how to use it well:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/game-elements-uncertainty/

Two ways of measuring player interaction: 

http://www.gamesprecipice.com/interaction/

How to determine whether your early-stage design is worth continuing: 

http://hyperbolegames.com/2016/02/14/proving-the-concept/

 Plateau d’Or 2016, the Quebec board game design contest

Deadline: April 8, 2016

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1524241/plateau-dor-2016

The Indie Board Games panel at PAX South 2016 has information for new publishers and designers working with publishers

Steps to publish a game: setting a Kickstarter goal, finding a manufacturer, picking a fulfillment partner, calculating costs, selling into retail and more:

http://designingcardboard.com/what-does-this-game-cost/

Applying the MDA framework (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics) to board games