“New designers should be open to other ideas that weren’t part of the initial vision of the game and be open to outside ideas from developers, friends, and playtesters. You never know when an inspiration will come that will make a good game into a great game.”

— Dale Yu

Why a publisher might reject your game and how to handle it (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/why-a-publisher-might-reject-your-game-and-how-to-handle-it-with-dan-peterson/

What should go on the box? (audio)

http://thegamecrafter.libsyn.com/what-goes-on-the-box-with-the-game-crafter-episode-113

“Playtesting your game? Write down the results of each game. You can do extraordinary things with that kind of data.”

— Brandon Rollins

Common mechanisms in two-player games (video)

Decision scales: how broadly a player's choices affect the game:

http://www.kindfortress.com/2017/03/07/game-design-glossary-decision-scales/

http://onboardgames.libsyn.com/obg-236-language-lessons (audio)

“Spend as little time as possible creating the first prototype, because you will definitely trash it and build something new just after the first playtesting session.”

— Bruno Cathala

Running a Kickstarter for a second edition of a game (audio):

https://www.buzzsprout.com/46339/483953-running-a-second-edition-kickstarter-with-teale-fristoe-of-nothing-sacred-games

Licensed properties and the specific challenges associated with making a game from them (audio):

http://theforbiddenlimb.libsyn.com/why-are-so-many-licensed-games-so-bad-ep-52

Tens of thousands of historical maps, good for prototyping:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/

Ways of making a resource-efficiency game challenging:

http://www.mechanics-and-meeples.com/2017/03/06/the-design-of-a-resource-efficiency-game/

“Tip for new designers: your first half-dozen games (at least) are going to be terrible. Lower your expectations, iterate quickly, and be prepared to throw them out.”

— Peter C. Hayward

The requirement for the March 24-hour contest is "March":

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1737555/24-hour-contest-march-2017

Cardboard Edison’s Favorite Tips & Resources - February 2017

This month our list of great board game design links features ways to use dice and cards, advice for designers from a developer, crucial but often overlooked playtesting advice--and an appearance by the fine folks at Cardboard Edison!

featured:

• How to make a name in board games by helping others (video)

theory:

• Lists of various ways dice can be used in a game

• How multi-use cards can be used in games (audio)
  Tips for designing a heavy game

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

• Designing cutthroat, take-that games (video)

process:

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

playtesting:

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

publishing:

• Poll reveals what's important to Kickstarter backers

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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 to design a great cooperative board game (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-design-a-great-cooperative-game-with-jt-smith/

What makes a decision meaningful? (audio)

https://infoperfected.com/2017/02/27/perfect-university-103-meaningful-decisions/

Things to consider when redesigning an existing game, such as for a second edition (audio):

http://ludology.libsyn.com/double-take

“In order to survive in the gaming market, you have to go over and above. It’s not enough to just do enough. You have to be able to wow people, and to wow people, you can’t just play it safe.”

— Mark Rosewater

Taking breaks from game design and how to get back in the swing of things when you do (audio):

https://www.buzzsprout.com/48513/480425-episode-28-returning-from-a-break

Ways of creating an immersive player experience (audio):

http://cardboardarchitects.libsyn.com/episode-70-art-theme-mechanics-immersion