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Cardboard Edison

Game design & bright ideas for game designers

Bright Ideas

Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers

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    • Quad Squad
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    • More Games
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November 25, 2019 November 25, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Lessons for board game designers from escape rooms:

https://brandonthegamedev.com/6-reasons-escape-rooms-will-make-you-a-better-board-game-designer/

November 25, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 23, 2019 November 23, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

What makes board game box art both beautiful and functional:

https://brandonthegamedev.com/how-to-make-a-beautiful-board-game-box/

November 23, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

November 23, 2019 November 23, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Three simple (but not obvious) tips on playtesting:

https://mojo-nation.com/three-simple-not-obvious-tips-playtesting/

November 23, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

November 23, 2019 November 23, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Industry figures say what makes a game a 10/10 for them:

https://tbgd.blog/2019/11/21/whats-a-10-10-game-to-you/

November 23, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 23, 2019 November 23, 2019/ Cardboard Edison
“Falling in love with your ideas is about the daftest thing a game inventor can do.”
— Maureen Hiron
November 23, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/ /Source
process

Cardboard Edison

November 20, 2019 November 20, 2019/ Cardboard Edison
“Take time to review and synthesize your notes at your notes after playtest sessions, before you make changes. It’s shocking how often my instinct when I get home is to just start changing things without really analyzing the feedback.”
— John Brieger
November 20, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

November 20, 2019 November 20, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

A look at games such as roll-and-writes where all players make use of the same random results:

http://www.kindfortress.com/2019/11/18/design-patterns-random-reactions/

November 20, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 20, 2019 November 20, 2019/ Cardboard Edison
“Don’t defend your #gamedesign, even if players are factually wrong. Capture their experience and reflect on cause.”
— John Brieger
November 20, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

November 20, 2019 November 20, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Shelves are small: Ways you can decrease the size and component count of your game:

http://www.phantasiogames.net/2019/11/shelves-are-small.html

November 20, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing, theory

Cardboard Edison

November 18, 2019 November 18, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

How to figure out what’s working in your game, and what isn’t:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/how-to-figure-out-whats-working-in-your-game-and-whats-not/

November 18, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

November 18, 2019 November 18, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Social issues in game design (audio)

http://www.buildingthegamepodcast.com/2019/11/17/episode-390-social-issues-and-carnival-games/

November 18, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
podcasts, industry

Cardboard Edison

November 16, 2019 November 16, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Considering innovative game design as innovative scoring design:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/96968/winning-game-design-designing-winning

November 16, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 16, 2019 November 16, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

When offering more decisions to players is bad:

https://remptongames.com/2019/11/16/designing-interesting-decisions-in-games-and-when-not-to/

November 16, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 16, 2019 November 16, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Musings on hex grids and the poetry of game design:

https://hollandspiele.com/blogs/hollandazed-thoughts-ideas-and-miscellany/the-rhythm-of-hexes-1

November 16, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 16, 2019 November 16, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

An update on how game manufacturing has changed over the past several years and a discussion on the importance of components (audio):

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-211-pandamonium-redux

November 16, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
podcasts, publishing, industry

Cardboard Edison

November 15, 2019 November 15, 2019/ Cardboard Edison
“One question I try to always ask playtesters is ‘How well do you think the final scores represent your performance?’ It gets players talking about frustrations, strong moments, opacity, varied strategies, and misaligned incentives. The tone they use also represents engagement.”
— Jon Vallerand
November 15, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

November 15, 2019 November 15, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Ways of extending a game that’s too short:

https://twitter.com/peterchayward/status/1194679376710897664

November 15, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 15, 2019 November 15, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Math is hard: Why you should limit the amount of math players must do in your game:

http://www.phantasiogames.net/2019/11/math-is-hard.html

November 15, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 12, 2019 November 12, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Different ways that games can obscure who’s winning:

http://www.mechanics-and-meeples.com/2019/11/12/designing-for-loss-part-one-obscuring-the-loss/

November 12, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

November 12, 2019 November 12, 2019/ Cardboard Edison

Time management tips everyone can use (audio):

http://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/time-management-and-getting-things-done-with-jason-brooks/

November 12, 2019/ Cardboard Edison/
podcasts, process

Cardboard Edison

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