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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
    • Prototypes
  • Free Resources/
    • Blog
    • Industry Reports
    • Tariffs Report
    • Playtest Groups
    • Virtual Tabletops
    • Contests
    • Podcast
    • Interviews
    • Game Design Checklist
  • Houdini's Last Act/
  • Publisher Directory/
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featured
theory
playtesting
prototyping
process
rules
licensing
publishing
industry
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August 15, 2018 August 15, 2018/ Cardboard Edison
“Every game you design will be better than the last. You will be smarter. You will be better. Don’t be afraid to put a game on a shelf for a year and work on something else. You’ll figure it out when you come back!”
— Jonathan Gilmour
August 15, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

August 15, 2018 August 15, 2018/ Cardboard Edison
“Goals can be useful in starting designing, but don’t get hung up on them. Follow your game wherever it leads you, even to places you didn’t expect to go.”
— Matthew Dunstan
August 15, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

August 15, 2018 August 15, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Three ways to improve the process of writing and editing rulebooks:

http://joshuayearsley.com/2018/08/09/were-making-rulebooks-all-wrong/

August 15, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

August 14, 2018 August 14, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

How much upkeep is too much for players? A Board Game Designers Forum discussion:

https://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-creation/design-theory/what-percentage-game-should-be-spent-doing-upkeep

August 14, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

August 13, 2018 August 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Kickstarter advice for first-time project creators:

https://www.gatekeepergaming.com/article-10-advice-panels-faq/

August 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

August 13, 2018 August 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Lessons learned from pitching to publishers at several summer conventions:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/79795/things-ive-learned-summer-about-pitching-games

August 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing

Cardboard Edison

August 13, 2018 August 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

How to put together an engaging short description of your game:

https://bluecubeboardgames.com/2018/08/10/writing-short-game-descriptions/

August 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing, industry

Cardboard Edison

August 13, 2018 August 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Tips for making your game's rules publisher-ready:

http://faidutti.com/blog/?p=9909

August 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

August 10, 2018 August 10, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Some graphic-design tips for making your prototypes more user-friendly (video)

August 10, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

August 10, 2018 August 10, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Different ways the development process between designers and publishers can work (audio):

http://thespiel.net/node/1157

August 10, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
podcasts, licensing

Cardboard Edison

August 10, 2018 August 10, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Some ways that social-deduction games can be more open to introverted players:

https://www.3dtotalgames.com/social-deduction-for-introverts/

August 10, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

August 09, 2018 August 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

How to win a game design competition (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-win-a-design-competition-with-corry-damey/

August 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
contests

Cardboard Edison

August 09, 2018 August 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

How to figure out why your Kickstarter campaign is failing and how to fix it (audio):

http://theforbiddenlimb.libsyn.com/saving-your-failing-kickstarter-campaign-ep-71

August 09, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

August 08, 2018 August 08, 2018/ Cardboard Edison
“LISTEN to your playtesters. Ask questions, take notes. Don’t argue with them! Even if they played “wrong” or you disagree with them or you tried their suggestion and it didn’t work. Playtesters are a valuable, limited resource. Treat them with respect.”
— Emma Larkins
August 08, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

August 08, 2018 August 08, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Things to consider when designing a family game (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/designing-family-games-with-bez-shahriari/

August 08, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

August 08, 2018 August 08, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

The Board Game Workshop Design Contest 2018

Deadline: Sept. 19, 2018

Prizes: cash

http://www.theboardgameworkshop.com/p/the-board-game-workshop-design-contest.html

August 08, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
contests

Cardboard Edison

August 07, 2018 August 07, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Questions to ask yourself before taking on a creative project:

https://twitter.com/DasBrieger/status/1026644467497938944

August 07, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

August 07, 2018 August 07, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

How to approach using math during game design:

https://twitter.com/KevinWilson42/status/1026729342238420992

August 07, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

August 07, 2018 August 07, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Advice for getting a job in the board game industry (video)

August 07, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

August 07, 2018 August 07, 2018/ Cardboard Edison
“If you plan on Kickstarting your board game, that means starting a business. No way around that. Separate bank account, tax forms, etc. Don’t get me wrong - it’s a fun challenge, but you need to know it’s coming.”
— Brandon Rollins
August 07, 2018/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

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