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Cardboard Edison

Game design & bright ideas for game designers

Bright Ideas

Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers

Cardboard Edison
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  • Our Games/
    • Quad Squad
    • Cobras
    • Retail Rejects
    • More Games
    • Prototypes
  • Free Resources/
    • Blog
    • Industry Reports
    • Tariffs Report
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    • Virtual Tabletops
    • Contests
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    • Interviews
    • Game Design Checklist
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January 30, 2019 January 30, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Lots of pointers for how to iterate your design through playtesting:

http://jtreat.tumblr.com/post/182403959687/success-through-iteration

January 30, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

January 30, 2019 January 30, 2019/ Cardboard Edison
“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
January 30, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

January 28, 2019 January 28, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

4 lessons from Sagrada for aspiring board game designers:

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

January 28, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

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

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

The Board Game Workshop Design Contest 2019

Deadline: April 21, 2019

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
contests

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

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

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Geekway Game Design Contest 2019

Deadline: Feb. 28, 2019

Prizes: publication offer from Indie Boards & Cards

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
contests

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison
“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
January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Pointers for board game graphic design (audio):

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

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

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
process, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

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

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Tips for writing better rules for your game:

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

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

January 24, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
process, theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 22, 2019 January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

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

January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing

Cardboard Edison

January 22, 2019 January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

A look at pivot points in board game designs:

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

January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

January 22, 2019 January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

4 lessons from Pandemic for aspiring board game designers:

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

January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

January 22, 2019 January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

How to design deduction games (audio):

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

January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 22, 2019 January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

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/

January 22, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, process, industry, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

January 18, 2019 January 18, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Data and charts on Kickstarter games in 2018:

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

January 18, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing, industry

Cardboard Edison

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