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Cardboard Edison

Game design & bright ideas for game designers

Bright Ideas

Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers

Cardboard Edison
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    • More Games
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  • Free Resources/
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featured
theory
playtesting
prototyping
process
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publishing
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December 29, 2017 December 29, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

18 New Year's resolutions for board game designers:

http://brandonthegamedev.com/18-new-years-resolutions-for-board-game-devs/

December 29, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

December 29, 2017 December 29, 2017/ Cardboard Edison
“Before you spend hours and hours writing content for a prototype, playtest the core, core mechanic of your game. If that isn’t at least a little fun before any content is added, it’s not worth making.”
— Peter C. Hayward
December 29, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
process, playtesting

Cardboard Edison

December 27, 2017 December 27, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Two articles exploring potential ways of designing a game's endpoint:

http://www.gamesprecipice.com/endings/

http://makethemplay.com/index.php/2017/12/27/5-ways-of-ending-your-board-game/

December 27, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

December 22, 2017 December 22, 2017/ Cardboard Edison
“When you design something and get it out, there are some who will not like it, no matter how much effort you put in. And that’s okay- there is something else out there for them. The main thing is to get it out... Don’t be so worried about what people will think.”
— Byron Collins
December 22, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

December 22, 2017 December 22, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

The purposes of blind playtesting, and how to know when you've done it enough:

http://brandonthegamedev.com/how-many-blind-play-tests-does-your-board-game-really-need/

December 22, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

December 21, 2017 December 21, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Intellectual property, trademark and liability in board games (audio):

http://thegamecrafter.libsyn.com/game-law-with-zach-strebeck-and-the-game-crafter-episode154

December 21, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
industry, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

December 21, 2017 December 21, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Advice for how to create a good player experience (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/crafting-the-player-experience-with-matt-leacock/

December 21, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

December 18, 2017 December 18, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

How a game's structure can affect player engagement (audio):

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-166-impulse-control

December 18, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

December 15, 2017 December 15, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Writing a comprehensible rulebook (video)

December 15, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

December 15, 2017 December 15, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

How long it will take to make your game, at a bare minimum:

http://brandonthegamedev.com/the-long-haul-project-why-making-games-takes-a-long-time/

December 15, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

December 14, 2017 December 14, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Advice for how to filter playtester feedback (audio):

http://thegamecrafter.libsyn.com/filtering-feedback-with-the-game-crafter-episode153

December 14, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

December 14, 2017 December 14, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Some of the challenges that come with using licensed IP in a board game (audio):

http://theforbiddenlimb.libsyn.com/total-recall-post-mortem-ep-62

December 14, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

December 13, 2017 December 13, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

How to make prototype tiles that last:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/71644/hands-practical-guide-making-prototype-tiles-last

December 13, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

December 13, 2017 December 13, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Are there principles of "good" game design, and if so what are they? A BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1900554/open-discussion-principles-good-design-and-poor-de

December 13, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

December 11, 2017 December 11, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

How indie game publishers make money:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/7ig5bh/curious_how_indie_game_publishers_make_money/

December 11, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

December 08, 2017 December 08, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Different ways of handling turn order in a combat-based game:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/7if8z0/discussing_turn_structure_in_wargaming/

December 08, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

December 07, 2017 December 07, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Why "dead" turns and lose-a-turn mechanisms are frowned upon in modern games (video)

December 07, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

December 07, 2017 December 07, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

The ins and outs of designing an escape-room game (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/designing-escape-room-games-with-juliana-patel-and-ariel-rubin/

December 07, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

December 07, 2017 December 07, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Marketing and distribution insights for publishers and designers (video)

December 07, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

December 07, 2017 December 07, 2017/ Cardboard Edison

Advice for young board game designers:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1897177/advice-my-7th-grade-designers

December 07, 2017/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

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