“Making a good boardgame and a sellable game are not always the same thing. Sometimes you make a great game that cannot be sold. That’s ok, you made a great game. Sometimes you make an ok game that sells like hotcakes. That’s ok because somewhere you are making someone happy.”

— Dr. Wictz

4 lessons from Sagrada for aspiring board game designers:

https://brandonthegamedev.com/4-lessons-from-sagrada-for-aspiring-board-game-designers/

Looking at two common game mechanics: bidding and take-that (audio):

http://thegamecrafter.libsyn.com/bidding-and-take-that-mechanics-with-the-game-crafter-episode-184

A discussion about good design for tabletop escape-room games (audio):

http://onboardgames.libsyn.com/obg-333-hint-system-and-bottlenecking

The Board Game Workshop Design Contest 2019

Deadline: April 21, 2019

https://theboardgameworkshop.com/design-contest-2019/

A discussion about push-your-luck games and how they work (audio):

http://meeplenation.libsyn.com/mn-0251-press-your-luck-games

Geekway Game Design Contest 2019

Deadline: Feb. 28, 2019

Prizes: publication offer from Indie Boards & Cards

https://geekwaytothewest.com/events/game-design-contest/

“if there’s something in your game design that causes confusion or leads to complicated explanations to justify, try cutting it and seeing if you miss it. you can always add it back in if it winds up necessary, but in most cases it’s probably fine to remove it.”

— Daniel Newman

Pointers for board game graphic design (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/board-game-graphic-design-with-james-van-niekerk/

How to become a better game designer—a BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2136559/how-do-you-improve-designer

How to get your prototype played at a smaller convention (audio):

http://theforbiddenlimb.libsyn.com/getting-your-prototype-played-at-smaller-conventions-ep-77

Tips for writing better rules for your game:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2135819/quick-tips-writing-awesome-game-instructions-instr

Nat Levan on the design process, co-designing, making small games, and more (audio):

http://goforthandgame.libsyn.com/a-conversation-with-game-designer-nat-levan

http://goforthandgame.libsyn.com/a-conversation-withgame-designer-nat-levan-part-2

A publisher shares red flags they look for when a designer is pitching:

http://news.thegamecrafter.com/post/182166388077/red-flags-about-game-pitches-from-aeg

A look at pivot points in board game designs:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/85492/voluntary-and-forced-pivot-points

4 lessons from Pandemic for aspiring board game designers:

https://brandonthegamedev.com/4-lessons-from-pandemic-for-aspiring-board-game-designers/

How to design deduction games (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/designing-deduction-games-with-tim-fowers/

Designing games with non-traditional themes (audio):

http://boardgamersanonymous.com/episode-120-designer-roundtable-games-non-traditional-themes-pt-1/

http://boardgamersanonymous.com/engn-episode-121-designer-roundtable-games-non-traditional-themes-pt-2/

Data and charts on Kickstarter games in 2018:

http://icopartners.com/2019/01/games-and-crowdfunding-in-2018/

“When as a designer you play some form of a game for the better part of four years, you get really good at it. As you get better, the tendency is to add more and more to keep it challenging, not realizing that you’ve outpaced your audience.”

— Ben Pinchback