Ways games can be designed to prevent players’ analysis paralysis (audio):

http://theforbiddenlimb.libsyn.com/designing-around-analysis-paralysis-ep-73

“You don’t need to have a deep store of knowledge to be a game designer. In fact, not having it might even make for more interesting and innovative designs.”

— Tom and Mary Russell

How to make a budget for a Kickstarter board game project (video)

A discussion of “soft” and “hard” incentives in game design (audio):

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-185-soft-boiled

Advice for developing a middle-weight euro-style game that sticks around:

http://sedjtroll.blogspot.com/2018/10/games-are-more-than-main-mechanism.html

Lots of links to useful prototyping resources:

https://twitter.com/beardedrogue/status/1046159097895120896

Thoughts and approaches to working on an asymmetric game design (video)

How to make sure a game feels balanced to players (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/balancing-a-game-with-isaac-vega/

Lessons from a failed Kickstarter campaign:

Staying calm: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2065861/lessons-failed-kickstarter-1-how-keep-your-head-st

Costs and shipping: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2067957/lessons-failed-kickstarter-3-costs-logistics-shipp

Canceling a campaign: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2069152/lessons-failed-kickstarter-4-cancelling-project

Takeaways: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2070866/lessons-failed-kickstarter-5-12-verdicts

Cardboard Edison’s Favorite Tips & Resources - September 2018

In this month's roundup of great board game design links, we have in-depth looks at some game mechanics, advice for writing clearer rulebooks, advice for operating in the industry, and more.

featured:

• Meaningful Decisions: J. Alex Kevern on Design Choices in World’s Fair 1893

• Meaningful Decisions: Benoit Turpin on Design Choices in Welcome To...

theory:

• Worker placement: how it works and how it came to be

• Want to mitigate the effects of output randomness? Risk management could be the answer

rules:

• 10 ways of making your rulebook clearer

industry:

• Tips and tricks for networking in the board game industry (audio)

• How to approach tabletop industry people for advice

process:

• Common mistakes in board game design—a BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion

• “If you want to do something, it’s not important how you start. Just that you start. And then continue. And be willing to change and improve your project.” - Behrooz "Bez" Shahriari

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Cardboard Edison is supported by our patrons on Patreon.

ADVISERS: Rob Greanias, Peter C. Hayward, Aaron Vanderbeek

SENIOR INVENTORS: Steven Cole (Escape Velocity Games), John du Bois, Chris and Kathy Keane (The Drs. Keane), Joshua J. Mills, Marcel Perro, Behrooz "Bez" Shahriari, Shoot Again Games

JUNIOR INVENTORS: Ryan Abrams, Joshua Buergel, Luis Lara, Neil Roberts, Jay Treat

ASSOCIATES: Dark Forest Project, Stephen B. Davies, Adrienne Ezell, Marcus Howell, Thiago Jabuonski, Doug Levandowski, Nathan Miller, Mike Sette, S GO Explore, 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, Rosco Schock, VickieGames, Lock Watson, White Wizard Games

The requirement for the October 2018 24-hour contest is “eight”:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2069046/24-hour-contest-october-2018

“Nothing within a game stands on its own. You can change one bit and get a better outcome in one element of the game, but it’s going to influence other parts as well. Sometimes you can predict this, but often you need to test to see it happening.”

— Bastiaan Reinink

Tips and tricks for networking in the board game industry (audio):

http://breakingintoboardgames.libsyn.com/breaking-into-board-games-episode-77-networking-tips-and-tricks

Tips for making a brief board game design pitch:

https://twitter.com/elizhargrave/status/1044638047814463493

“When playtesting, players will suggest new concepts. Each desire is underlied by a problem they have in-game (a frustration unanswered) to which they are providing a solution. If enough people are have the same problem, that’s what you should fix.”

— @PHXCovenant

A roundtable discussion about designing party games (video)

Common mistakes in board game design—a BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2063969/most-common-mistakes-board-game-design

How to approach tabletop industry people for advice:

https://twitter.com/eric_lang/status/1042961985506144256

“If your game has a complicated puzzle, there is no room for error or lack of clarity in UI and rules. Even if your game isn’t broken it sure will feel like it.”

— Daniel Fremgen

Smirk & Dagger’s Curt Covert on designing take-that games (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/take-that-games-with-curt-covert/