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Cardboard Edison

Game design & bright ideas for game designers

Bright Ideas

Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers

Cardboard Edison
  • About Us/
  • Our Games/
    • Houdini's Last Act
    • Quad Squad
    • Cobras
    • Retail Rejects
    • More Games
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  • Free Resources/
    • Blog
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    • Tariffs Report
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April 14, 2018 April 14, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Advice for attending a playtesting event: before, during, and afterward:

https://mailchi.mp/2f2e3fcc0d5d/suyg4

April 14, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

April 14, 2018 April 14, 2018/ Cardboard Edison
“Be an artist, not a scientist. Avoid any fixed methodology, and don’t follow well trampled paths.”
— Reiner Knizia
April 14, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

April 14, 2018 April 14, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

What to ask players in a post-test questionnaire--a BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1975599/post-play-questionnaire

April 14, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

April 11, 2018 April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

The right and wrong ways of including examples in rulebooks:

https://hollandspiele.com/blogs/hollandazed-thoughts-ideas-and-miscellany/e-g

April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

April 11, 2018 April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

The causes of analysis paralysis, and ways of addressing them:

https://www.tricorngames.com/designer-blog/2017/12/5/breaking-the-chains-of-analysis-paralysis-the-black-box-part5-of-7-nftna-tdmbf-233ds-fb3jw-m2bhc-42l9m-ldjk7

April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

April 11, 2018 April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Comparing several pledge managers that help with Kickstarter fulfillment:

http://www.jamesmathe.com/story-of-the-3-little-pledge-managers/

April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

April 11, 2018 April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Advice for writing rulebooks that are understandable, consistent, and usable:

http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/following-rules-is-hard-writing-rules-is-harder/

April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

April 11, 2018 April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

An overview of playtesting--what it is and how to do it:

https://geekandsundry.com/how-to-make-a-game-playtesting-advice-from-game-designers/

April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

April 11, 2018 April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison
“The real danger with making rulebooks is that if the wrong rule is more intuitive than the right one then your players will never open the rulebook again.”
— Eric Yurko
April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

April 11, 2018 April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison
“When you design a game, 1. Start with something innovative. This is your best chance to end up with something innovative.”
— Reiner Knizia
April 11, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

April 09, 2018 April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Advice for designing cooperative games from fans of the genre (audio):

https://soundcloud.com/user-318456537/coop-cast-episode-27-design-discussion-with-matt-leacock

...and from a skeptic of it (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/the-two-types-of-cooperative-games-with-peter-hayward/

April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

April 09, 2018 April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

A list of different kinds of playtesting you could perform:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/75551/defining-playtesting-part-2

April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

April 09, 2018 April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

How to make your game more accessible to more people (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-make-your-game-more-accessible-with-brandon-rollins/

April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing, industry, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

April 09, 2018 April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Kickstarter advice from Pandasaurus Games:

https://tompetgames.wordpress.com/2018/04/09/kickstarter-tactics-with-the-creators-of-dinosaur-island/

April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

April 09, 2018 April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison
“Go meet other designers. Play their games, have them play yours. Talk about design.”
— Chris Anderson
April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/ /Source
process

Cardboard Edison

April 09, 2018 April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

The role of progression in a game design:

http://makethemplay.com/index.php/2018/04/09/progression/

April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

April 09, 2018 April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

A list of goals you might have in mind for any given playtest:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/75622/why-are-you-playtesting

April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

April 09, 2018 April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

How "design patterns" can be used to guide a game toward the experience you want (audio):

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-173-patternity

April 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

April 05, 2018 April 05, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

More than 780 free emojis, useful for prototypes:

http://emoji.streamlineicons.com/

April 05, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

April 05, 2018 April 05, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Board game design sessions from GDC 2018 (video):

https://www.gdcvault.com/search.php#&category=free&firstfocus=&keyword=%22board+game%2Bdesign%2Bday%22&conference_id=175

April 05, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

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