A list of goals you might have in mind for any given playtest:
https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/75622/why-are-you-playtesting
How much should you listen to playtesters?
https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/75454/how-much-should-you-listen-playtesters
The theme for the April 24-hour contest is "egg":
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1969684/24-hour-contest-april-2018
How much information you should share about a work in progress:
https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/75360/sharing-info-keeping-game-under-wraps
Cardboard Edison’s Favorite Tips & Resources - March 2018
/This month's roundup of great board game design links and quotes includes important things to think about as you get started with a new design, a new prototyping resource, unique ways to think about a game's design, lots of rulebook-writing tips, and more.
industry:
- The most important questions to ask yourself when designing a board game (audio)
- What's your game's identifying feature, the thing that makes it memorable?
process:
- How to "overthink" a game design and prevent problems before they show up (video)
- The two opposing mindsets you must have as a game designer
theory:
- How a game design can let players create asymmetry for each other
- Using graphs to visualize the arc of your game and its strategies (video)
- How a game's different systems can be coupled to work together well (audio)
- Tips for designing a word game
prototyping:
playtesting:
rules:
- Rulebook building 101
- Tips for organizing rulebooks: introductions, terminology, visuals, player aids and more
licensing:
- Tips for approaching a publisher and making your best first impression
- “If I ask ‘What makes your game different from other games of the same theme and weight?’ and you can’t answer me? don’t make the game.” - Avonelle Wing
publishing:
Cardboard Edison is supported by our patrons on Patreon.
ADVISERS: 421 Creations, Black Letter Games, Peter C. Hayward, Aaron Vanderbeek
SENIOR INVENTORS: Steven Cole, John du Bois, Chris and Kathy Keane (The Drs. Keane), Joshua J. Mills, Marcel Perro, Behrooz Shahriari, Shoot Again Games
JUNIOR INVENTORS: Ryan Abrams, Joshua Buergel, Luis Lara, Aidan Short, Jay Treat
ASSOCIATES: Stephen B Davies, Marcus Howell, Samuel Lees, Doug Levandowski, Nathan Miller, Tony Miller, Neil Roberts, Mike Sette, Isaias Vallejo, Matt Wolfe
APPRENTICES: Cardboard Fortress Games, Kiva Fecteau, Guz Forster, Scott Gottreu, Aaron Lim, Scott Martel Jr., James Meyers, The Nerd Nighters, Matthew Nguyen, Marcus Ross, VickieGames, Lock Watson, White Wizard Games
Rulebook building 101:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ROqi1hXlOVbsZGJRJDziI-HJWLDd3eIGUNbd9l3Q2xg/edit
Free library of icons for board game prototypes:
http://afractalthought.com/fractal-symbols/board-game-library/
Tactics and strategies for each phase of a Kickstarter campaign:
https://tompetgames.wordpress.com/2018/03/26/tactics-strategies-with-kickstarter-veteran-gil-hova/
Advice for dealing with criticism in the board game industry:
https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter-lesson-247-how-thick-is-your-skin/
A look at resource-management games (audio):
Part 2: https://www.snakesandlattes.com/podcast/333/Resource-Management-Games,-Part-2-__-Exploring-examples/
How a game's different systems can be coupled to work together well (audio):
http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-172-odd-coupling
The purposes that victory points serve in a game design:
http://makethemplay.com/index.php/2018/03/26/victory-points-and-board-game-design/
Advice for making an escape-room game:
https://twitter.com/ShannonCreates/status/977199188256714753
How to use narrative to create a story-driven game (audio):
http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/story-driven-games-with-jerry-hawthorne/
