What makes for interesting choices in a game--a Reddit tabletop game design forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/5ropk4/what_makes_for_interesting_choices/

Advice for creating a story-driven game (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/the-importance-of-story-in-games-with-jerry-hawthorne/

Cardboard Edison's Favorite Tips & Resources - January 2017

This month our list of excellent board game design links includes advice for early in the design process, thoughts on randomness from an expert, a crucial point about using other designers' ideas, plus a special appearance by us!

contests:

• Advice for participating in board game design contests (audio)

process:

• The first things you should work on when starting a design

theory:

• How to use randomness well (audio)

publishing:

• Tips for commissioning artwork

industry:

• Jamey Stegmaier: What I wish I had known before I got into board game design (audio)
• "Honor among thieves": How to steal game ideas responsibly (audio)

rules:

• “If a rule is difficult to explain in words or easily forgotten, consider cutting it.” - Sen-Foong Lim

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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

How components affect the way a game plays and how it's produced (audio):

http://www.buzzsprout.com/3256/469045-the-one-about-bits-pieces

The requirement for the February 2017 24-hour contest is "honey":

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1719002/24-hour-contest-february-2017

Thoughts on games where players can accidentally put themselves in a hole:

http://www.3dtotalgames.com/enough-rope-hang/

Discussion of several game design topics: the gaming experience, women in the industry, game design axioms, crowdfunding and more (audio):

https://www.buzzsprout.com/7928/469620-159-guess-who-s-back-back-again

A developer's perspective on the game design process (audio):

http://cardboardarchitects.libsyn.com/designerdeveloper-interview-jr-honeycutt

Gamehole Dungeon Crawler Challenge

Deadline: Aug. 15, 2017

Prizes: cash, The Game Crafter store credit and more

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/gamehole-dungeon-crawler-challenge

2017 Button Shy Wallet Game Contest

Submissions: March 27-April 23, 2017

Prizes: cash and publication consideration

http://buttonshygames.com/blogs/news-1/button-shy-games-wallet-contest-2017

“Not everything has to be your best. You can be experimenting, trying something new, or just making something for the experience of creation.”

— Behrooz Shahriari

Advice for dealing with "creator crash" after a Kickstarter campaign (video)

Ways of evaluating whether your design is providing a good experience for players (audio):

http://podbay.fm/show/580709168/e/1485533100?autostart=1

How board games can incorporate negotiation (audio):

http://perfectinformation.libsyn.com/perfect-university-102-negotiation-in-board-games

"Honor among thieves": How to steal game ideas responsibly (audio):

http://cardboardarchitects.libsyn.com/designer-interview-chris-rowlands-0

Advice for how to choose partners to work with:

http://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-214-how-i-pick-my-partners/

How to sign your game: researching publishers, contacting publishers, and pitching your game (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-get-your-game-published-with-stephen-buonocore/

“If a rule is difficult to explain in words or easily forgotten, consider cutting it.”

— Sen-Foong Lim

“Reviewers can tell when a game has been blind tested, and when it has been playtested with just friends. Hint: better ones are blind tested.”

— Cassie Maccabee

4 mental exercises to stretch your game design muscles:

http://casualgamerevolution.com/blog/2017/01/mental-exercises-to-stretch-your-game-design-muscles