Takeaways from the 2018 Metatopia playtesting convention from a first-time attendee:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/82808/lessons-playtesting

“The purpose of a playtest is not to validate your game but to expose issues so they can be improved. A successful playtest finds problems.”

— Jay Treat

An in-depth discussion about game balance (audio):

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-187-balancing-act-0

Takeaways from showing your prototypes at a large public playtesting event:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2088123/collaboratory-pax-australia-designers-takeaways

“Friends tired of playtesting your game? Look for open gaming nights at stores or board game meetups to find playtesters. Talk to the organizer or store runner about playtesting your game at their event beforehand. Get unbiased views, and make some new friends!”

— @PHXCovenant

Cardboard Edison’s Favorite Tips & Resources - October 2018

In this month's roundup of excellent board game design links and quotes, we have several different ways of thinking about games, lists of useful resources for making prototypes, reminders about the design process, and more.

theory:

• A board game critic’s view of what makes a game memorable (video)

• How designers can foster “narrative equity”—the ability of games to create stories that players will tell afterward (audio)

• A discussion about the assumptions we make about games—and how to design games that challenge them (audio): Part 1, Part 2

• Using components in innovative ways (audio)

prototyping:

• Lots of links to useful prototyping resources

• Free art assets for independent board game designers

publishing:

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

playtesting:

• “Don’t give up if the feedback is negative; correct and move on. Be prepared to question everything you have done and to change even when changing is the most painful thing to do. It will eventually pay off.” - Nestor Tyr

process:

• “The more I create, the more I develop the skill of persistence. I see people ‘give up’ so easily, convinced that a problem is unsolvable, resigning themselves to a flaw in their work that they see as unavoidable. With very rare exceptions, there’s ALWAYS a solution. Find it.” - Peter C. Hayward

• “You’re going to have bad playtests, bad feedback, lack of solutions to problems, and especially lack of time. Take feedback for what it is and try something different. Most importantly: Don’t stop trying.” - Lock Watson

---

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, 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

“Here’s probably my biggest tip for attending a playtesting con/event: make player aids. Even if they feel redundant, and even if nobody reads them (which will often happen.) They reinforce rules retention to everybody, including you as a designer.”

— Dave Chalker

How to make your game sound interesting in a pitch:

https://thethoughtfulgamer.com/2018/10/31/creating-a-first-impression-make-your-game-sound-interesting/

The requirement for the November 2018 24-hour contest is “leaf”:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2086913/24-hour-contest-november-2018

2018 Children's Game Print and Play Design Contest

Deadline: Dec. 16, 2018

Prizes: GeekGold

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2085758/2018-childrens-game-print-and-play-design-contest

“Every rule, every component, every aspect of your game must solve a problem or provide an experience that is essential to your game. Everything else compromises quality.”

— Jay Treat

Free art assets for independent board game designers:

https://indieconquest.com/

How to communicate with artists effectively:

https://www.3dtotalgames.com/artists-brief/

Ways of integrating story into a board game (audio):

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-episode-186-zombie-apocalypse

“Don’t give up if the feedback is negative; correct and move on. Be prepared to question everything you have done and to change even when changing is the most painful thing to do. It will eventually pay off.”

— Nestor Tyr

How designers can foster “narrative equity”—the ability of games to create stories that players will tell afterward (audio):

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-xxuth-4daa619

Information about various gaming conventions from a designer’s perspective (audio):

http://boardgamestogo.libsyn.com/boardgames-to-go-184-conventions-for-boardgame-players-designers

“Don’t take pride in your game. Take pride in yourself as a designer. It doesn’t matter how many times you rebuild it; it matters that you’re learning and building skills: both general skills and the skill of designing that specific game.”

— Jay Treat

A discussion about the assumptions we make about games—and how to design games that challenge them (audio):

Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/48513/819477-episode-46-game-assumptions-part-1

Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/48513/835898-episode-47-game-assumptions-part-2

“Every design success is just the latest iteration in a series of design failures.”

— Seth Jaffee