“Every game is its own thing, its own miraculous and impossible creation. It’s a magic trick. It gets easier with time and experience, and you pick up techniques and short-cuts - the craft you can fall back on - but it’s always a process of discovery and iteration and trying things that don’t work until they do. There’s no secret handshake, no special or arcane knowledge.”

— Tom Russell

How one designer unwittingly found a path to major successes in the industry (audio):

http://breakingintoboardgames.libsyn.com/breaking-into-board-games-episode-93-erica-bouyouris

Some really great insight on designing historical games (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/designing-historical-games-with-tom-butler/

A breakdown of some of the different aspects of your game that you should be testing at different stages:

https://twitter.com/sophisaurus_rex/status/1126420175622934529?s=20

“Ideally, you want people to play your game. Avoid mechanics that discourage people from playing your game (“skip a turn”, rewarding hoarding (instead of playing) action cards, “cancel” cards, player elimination). ”

— Peter C. Hayward

Five ways to build a crowd for your game before launching a Kickstarter (audio):

http://theforbiddenlimb.libsyn.com/top-5-ways-to-build-a-crowd-for-your-game-ep-82

A list of techniques for creating Kickstarter stretch goals:

https://stonemaiergames.com/the-current-state-of-stretch-goals-2019/

“Don’t confuse volume of playtesting with quality of testing. That said, you should test more.”

— John Brieger

What to do during and after a playtest that falls apart:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/how-to-bounce-back-after-a-bad-playtest/

What to consider and what to ignore when designing for a certain play experience:

http://pawnsperspective.com/levels-of-game-design/

The essentials of what should be on your sell sheet:

https://mrbossdesign.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-importance-of-sell-sheets.html

“Find out what the most fun part of your game is and make sure your players spend the most time doing that. Enough folks have been dumbstruck by that advice that I repeat it often.”

— Kevin Wilson

“At some point, you’ll hate your own game. Keep testing through that valley – but be willing to shelve it.”

— John Brieger

“If a game engaged testers, they’ll usually have a lot to say afterward. Worry when they are quiet, not critical.”

— John Brieger

How to deal with rejection from publishers, playtesters, or contest judges:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/dealing-with-rejection-and-using-this-to-make-your-game-better/

Four ways of vetting your game’s core ideas before jumping onto Kickstarter:

https://brandonthegamedev.com/4-ways-to-vet-your-board-game-before-launching-a-kickstarter/

Notes on solo-testing your design:

https://twitter.com/peterchayward/status/1119684600039481344

Designers discuss how to make their game more accessible to more players:

http://design100.org/12-accessibility/

Related:

http://jtreat.tumblr.com/post/184367319147/accessibility-approachability-and-axes-of

“Making players responsible for rules enforcement can test easily forgotten or fiddly rules in your #gamedesign”

— John Brieger