How to use MS Excel and Publisher to rapidly prototype cards:
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1701214/how-use-ms-excel-and-publisher-rapidly-prototype-c
Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers
How to use MS Excel and Publisher to rapidly prototype cards:
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1701214/how-use-ms-excel-and-publisher-rapidly-prototype-c
Advice for your first playtests:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/5ldu7n/how_do_i_approach_playtesting/
Ways to make a design work well for two players:
https://curiocardboard.wordpress.com/2017/01/03/what-makes-a-great-two-player-game/
PNP Game Design Awards 2016
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2017
Prizes: GeekGold
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1700106/pnp-game-design-awards-2016
The requirement for the January 2017 24-hour contest is "discipline":
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1700142/24-hour-contest-january-2017
2017 9-Card Nanogame Print and Play Design Contest
Deadline: April 1, 2017
Prizes: GeekGold
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1698963/2017-9-card-nanogame-pnp-design-contest
Our annual list of favorite tips and links features a wide range of useful materials for board game designers...
featured:
The 2017 Cardboard Edison Award. Deadline: Jan. 31, 2017
The Compendium, a directory of more than 140 board game publishers: who's accepting submissions, what they're looking for, and how to contact them
process:
A checklist for game designers. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. (audio)
“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
"Stop asking if your project is 'done'. Start asking if it’s great." - Peter C. Hayward
theory:
Lessons from 20 years of game design. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Three designers of cooperative games answer questions about co-op design
“Whatever the players do the most in your game should be the most fun. Don’t relegate the best part to 5% of game time. Weave it throughout.” - Kevin Wilson
prototyping:
playtesting:
licensing:
publishing:
industry:
Why it's so difficult to be a full-time tabletop game designer: a fascinating analysis using the Cardboard Edison board game licensing reports
Cardboard Edison is supported by our patrons on Patreon.
ADVISERS: Peter C. Hayward, Aaron Vanderbeek
SENIOR INVENTORS: Steven Cole, John du Bois, Richard Durham, Koen Hendrix, Chris and Kathy Keane (The Drs. Keane), Marcel Perro, Behrooz Shahriari
JUNIOR INVENTORS: Ryan Abrams, Joshua Buergel, Luis Lara, Aidan Short, Jay Treat
ASSOCIATES: Robert Booth, Stephen B Davies, Doug Levandowski, Aaron Lim, Nathan Miller, Isaias Vallejo, Matt Wolfe
APPRENTICES: Kiva Fecteau, Scott Gottreu, JR Honeycutt, Knight Works, Scott Martel Jr., David J. Mortimer, Mike Mullins, Marcus Ross, Sean Rumble, Diane Sauer
Scores of game design tips on numerous topics:
“There’s an instinct to want to satisfy everyone, but you can’t. In a playtest, your job isn’t to market, it’s to collect useful feedback.”
5 steps to getting honest playtest feedback (video)
“Wherever one can, it is a good idea to make correct and fun play line up.”
Ways of reducing downtime at higher player counts:
Advice for aspiring board game designers with limited mobility:
Advice for managing projects of different scopes (audio):
http://cardboardarchitects.libsyn.com/episode-66-design-scope
“Most designer / publisher interactions do not result in a signed game. So concentrate on professional, positive experiences.”
Making money in the board game industry (video)
Tips for creating a more usable print-and-play file:
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1689874/pnp-file-design-guide-or-suggestions
Advice for getting through designer's block (video)
The difference between a "scientific method" approach to playtesting versus guessing and checking:
http://pulsiphergamedesign.blogspot.com/2016/12/are-you-designing-game-or-throwing-one.html