A board game critic’s view of what makes a game memorable (video)
A discussion of “soft” and “hard” incentives in game design (audio)
A discussion about the assumptions we make about games—and how to design games that challenge them (audio): Part 1, Part 2
Board game design sessions from GDC 2018 (video)
“What is the goal of your game? It’s impossible to make decisions in the void, but if you know your audience, your game’s weight, the focus of the decisions, and the tone of your game (your goals), you can use that to hem in your decision.” - Grant Rodiek

process:

Ideas aren't worthless: the important role they play in ma king a game
A thr ead offering ways to foster ideas and innovation in your designs
Tips for researc hing games that might be similar to your design (audio)
“Who are you designing your game for? You? Go wild with weird mechanics. Friends? Listen & tune the game to suit them. A publisher? Learn to pitch a product to a business - you’re B2B. The world? It’s a product in the market that you will need to sell.” - Emma Larkins
“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

rules:

9 tips for w riting better rules
10 ways of m aking your rulebook clearer
Rulebooks that nail it—a BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion
“Don’t blame the reader for misreading the rule book. Ask how you can improve the rule book.” - Dr. Wictz

prototyping:

playtesting:

Ways to get people to playtest your prototype: from designer groups to print-and-plays to conventions and more (audio)

licensing:

The essen tial elements of pitching your design to a publisher (audio)
Questions yo u should ask yourself before submitting a game to a contest or publisher
Charlie Hoope s on the design process, finding a publisher, recovering from disappointment, replayability, playtesting early and often, and more
“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:

contests:

industry:

Cardboard Edison is supported by our patrons on Patreon.

ADVISERS: Rob Greanias, Peter C. Hayward

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, Marcus Howell, Thiago Jabuonski, Doug Levandowski, Nathan Miller, Mike Sette, Matt Wolfe

December 18, 2018 December 18, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

Holiday Design Contest

Design a game with a holiday theme

Deadline: March 18, 2019

Prizes: The Game Crafter shop credit and more

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/holiday-design-contest

December 13, 2018 December 13, 2018/ Cardboard Edison

“Do a game for each contest that you can. You don’t have to actually submit your design, you don’t even have to finish it, but spend some time coming up with an idea for every possible contest possible. It will inspire you, not every time, not every contest, but you’re going to be looking at one of them and come up with a great idea that you wouldn’t have had if you weren’t stretching yourself.”

— Troy Pichelman