Issues of depth and complexity in board game design:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/depth-and-complexity-of-design-with-randy-hoyt-of-foxtrot-games/

June 2016 Game Design Showdown

Pitch a tournament-style game

Deadline: June 9, 2016

http://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-design/game-design-showdown/gds-june-2016-its-tourney-time

2016 Solitaire Print and Play Contest

Deadline: July 31, 2016

Prizes: GeekGold

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1584590/2016-solitaire-print-and-play-contest

The requirement for the June 2016 24-hour contest is "kitten":

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1584529/24-hour-contest-june-2016

How to know when your game is ready for blind playtesting:

http://www.dancinggiantgames.com/blog/when-is-your-game-ready-for-blind-playtesting

Cardboard Edison’s Favorite Tips & Resources - May 2016

This month, our roundup of favorite board game design links includes advice for designing game systems, co-ops and family games, notes on getting into distribution, thoughts on when to throw in the towel, and more.

featured:

• The Process: Cutthroat Caverns by Curt Covert
• Meaningful Decisions: Doug Levandowski on Design Choices in Gothic Doctor

theory:

• Advice for designing a game system that will support many possible games
• Advice for balancing your game (audio)
• Three designers of cooperative games answer questions about co-op design

playtesting:

• 10 places to find playtesters

process:

• Advice for knowing when to give up on a design

publishing:

• Discussions about shipping games, dexterity games, designing for kids and families, the benefits of networking and more (audio)
• How to get a board game into distribution (audio)

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Cardboard Edison is supported by our patrons on Patreon.

SENIOR INVENTORS: Steven Cole, John du Bois, Richard Durham, Peter C. Hayward, Chris and Kathy Keane (The Drs. Keane), 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., Mike Mullins, Marcus Ross, Sean Rumble, Diane Sauer

Body language to look for in playtesters:

http://galvanizedstudios.com/2016/05/30/playtesters-nonverbal-behaviors/

The essential qualities of a good playtesting session and how designer and players can contribute to it:

https://infoperfected.com/2016/05/30/perfect-information-v-seth-jaffee/

How to playtest tabletop games using blind playtests, Protospiel/Unpub events, and other methods:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/46339/386038-playtesting-your-board-game-or-video-game-with-jeremy-commandeur

Advice for when you get tired of playing your own game: 

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1582276/tired-your-own-game

“Being a good game designer means coming up with a 100 of the coolest mechanics ever seen, and then finding out which 98 need to be trashed.”

— Scott Almes

Ways of managing predictability in a game, and how to use them responsibly:

http://coalitiongames.com/2016/05/managing-predictability/

On taking early ideas and developing them into something more:

http://www.critical-hits.com/blog/2016/05/27/game-design-by-example-making-an-idea-into-more/

Where do your ideas come from? A Reddit tabletop game design forum discussion: 

http://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/4l5l7p/designers_where_did_your_big_idea_come_from/

What is and isn't needed in a rulebook:

http://thegamecrafter.libsyn.com/rulebooks-with-the-game-crafter-episode-72

Advice for balancing your game:

https://boardgame.business/2016/05/25/balancing-your-game/

How some modern trick-taking games balance strong hands:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/54432/balancing-trick-taking-games

What to ask on your playtesting feedback form:

http://galvanizedstudios.com/2016/05/23/feedback-form/

How to decide if you need a design partner:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/how-to-decide-if-you-need-a-game-design-partner/

Advice for writers that's also good advice for board game designers:

http://coalitiongames.com/2016/05/writing-advice/