“Listen when a publisher tells you to change something. I know it seems like you know what is best for your game, but I promise that your publisher wants to make the game every bit as successful as you do. And the publisher’s job is to understand how players will approach and react to the game. So believe them if they tell you the experience has a problem.”

— Nat Levan

How to work within the less-than-ideal, imperfect realities of playtesting:

http://nothingsacredgames.com/board-game-design-basics-playtesting-part-iii/

Michael Eskue on games designers should play, getting started, focusing, questions for playtesters, fixing flaws, pitching to publishers and dealing with rejection, writing rulebooks and more:

http://theinquisitivemeeple.com/2016/03/24/designing-meeples-with-michael-eskue/

A reminder to think about production before pitching to a publisher: 

http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/52356/one-about-components-design 

A beginner's guide to game mechanics: 

http://drafts.asmodee.us/en/news/2016/3/23/a-beginners-guide-to-game-mechanics/

Key steps and insights for writing rules:

http://hyperbolegames.com/2016/03/22/the-54-card-guild-11/

Lessons from attending GAMA as a designer: preparation, pitching and more:

http://www.tinkerbunny.com/2016/03/22/lessons-from-my-first-gama/

Lessons in board game design from Hearthstone:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/the-heart-of-hearthstone-core-design-lessons/

10 time wasters to avoid when designing a board game:

http://galvanizedstudios.com/2016/03/21/ten-major-time-sucks/

Co-op mechanisms: what works, what doesn't, alpha players and more:

http://thegamecrafter.libsyn.com/a-co-op-mechanic-discussion-with-the-game-crafter-episode-62

Chris Handy on self-publishing versus seeking a publisher, making portable games, marketing, the design process & more:

http://www.allusgeeks.com/2016/03/the-game-of-crowd-funding-chris-handy-interview-02-25-2016/

“Don’t give up on a game just because you aren’t doing anything with it. Let it sit, let it collect dust (literal and/or figurative dust), or even forget about it for a while. But don’t give up on it. Don’t be afraid to let the game sit while you think of how to improve it. Games aren’t created overnight, and they sometimes need a chance to grow.”

— Nat Levan

Gamehole Gauntlet

Deadline: Aug. 29, 2016

Prizes: cash & more

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/gamehole-gauntlet

The Meeple Syrup vidcast on math in game design

Industry survey on liked and disliked game themes and mechanisms:

http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/03/21/survey-results-5-the-games-we-play/

Advantages of co-designing:

http://goplaylisten.com/games/board-game-design-five-reasons-to-co-design/

Unsatisfying victories your design should avoid:

http://www.mechanics-and-meeples.com/2016/03/21/the-dissastisfaction-of-victory/

Matthew Dunstan on finding a community, collaborating on designs, coming up with game ideas, working with publishers, different philosophies of game design and more:

http://theactionpointspodcast.com/2016/03/19/victory-pointers-009-design-philosophies-and-collaboration-with-matt-dunstan/

Designers share their design tenets:

https://twitter.com/HyperboleGrant/status/711275778130882560

Tim Fowers on making board games independently, going full-time, direct sales and more:

http://thegamedesignroundtable.com/2016/03/17/episode-142-tim-fowers/