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“If you’re not prototyping your idea because you’re worried it won’t be fun enough, remember that games are more fun than game ideas.”
— Jay Treat
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“It’s way better to have a game that a smallish group really likes than a game that everyone kind of only sort of likes.”
— Sandy Petersen
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“Don’t separate what you like as a player and what you’re making. Bring your robust personal tastes into your design to guide you.”
— Grant Rodiek
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“Get to that first playtest. You may have a great idea, but there is a monumental gap between an idea and an actual game.”
— Jamey Stegmaier

Cardboard Edison’s Favorite Tips & Resources - August 2016

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This month's roundup of our favorite board game design links includes advice for new small publishers, ways of creating the experience you want in your game, tips for finding a publisher, important things to keep in mind as you design, and more.

featured:

theory:

playtesting:

publishing:

licensing:

process:

  • Ways to cope with being overwhelmed or blocked in the game design process (audio)

  • “You’ll make a game and think you’ve nailed it the first time you write the rules. Then comes the real work, which can be exhausting, discouraging, confusing. But if you believe in your game, don’t be dismayed. Get it in front of people. Playtest it. Toss out what isn’t working, explore new ideas. Make something you love playing, and then enjoy what follows.” - David Somerville

  • “Remind yourself, always: Your game is not as simple as you think. It is not as elegant as you think. It is not as intuitive as you think.” - Eric Lang

Cardboard Edison is supported by our patrons on Patreon.

ADVISERS: Peter C. Hayward, RetroIn Games, Aaron Vanderbeek

SENIOR INVENTORS: Steven Cole, John du Bois, Richard Durham, Koen Hendrix, Chris and Kathy Keane (The Drs. Keane), Matthew O’Malley, Marcel Perro

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

ASSOCIATES: Robert Booth, Danica E., Doug Levandowski, Aaron Lim, Nathan Miller, Isaias Vallejo, Matt Wolfe

APPRENTICES: Kevin Brusky, Kiva Fecteau, Scott Gottreu, JR Honeycutt, Knight Works, Scott Martel Jr., Mike Mullins, Marcus Ross, Sean Rumble, Diane Sauer, Smarter Backer

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“When designing, start by aiming for perfect balance, but tastefully depart from it. Concede ground to benefit the game’s core experience.”
— Coalition Game Studios