“Ideas are cheap, and plentiful, and not so unique. Designers have to decide which ideas to pursue when. That skill is more important than having ideas in the first place. And it still doesn’t compare to actually executing on an idea.”

— Jay Treat

Discussion of fairness in games (audio):

http://ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-222-johnny-fairplay

A walkthrough of how to create a digital version of your game in Tabletop Simulator (video)

related: an intro to Tabletop Simulator in bite-size chunks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwxPE5V-nRA&list=PLvtozZoCmlvKL97oudPfVfcf_PGPOvDHx

Tips for working well with a co-designer, making time for game design, and staying positive:

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2020/04/21/maximize-game-design-time-part-2/

A thorough response to a common question from new board game designers: Will someone steal my idea? (video)

An in-depth comparison of three crowdfunding campaign pledge managers:

http://rockmanorgames.com/2020/04/22/the-tale-of-3-pledge-managers/

Board game designers on how and when they solo test their prototypes:

https://design100.org/59-solo/#

How different games address situations where one player must decide “who to target”:

http://www.phantomknightgames.com/news/politics-poker/

Tricks to make the most of your game design time:

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2020/04/16/maximizing-your-game-design-time-part-1/

Contests, social deduction and bluffing (audio)

https://indieboardgamedesigners.com/jeremy-lounds/

“A cooperative game win gives no sense of accomplishment if there was never any fear of losing. And a cooperative game loss is futile if players think the game was stacked and unwinnable.”

— Charlie Hoopes

How thinking outside the box can lead to success (audio)

https://indieboardgamedesigners.com/juliana-moreno-patel-and-ariel-ruben/

Advice, lessons learned and predictions from a longtime industry professional (audio)

http://breakingintoboardgames.libsyn.com/breaking-into-board-games-episode-115-mike-selinker

Return-on-investment figures for a recent board game Kickstarter:

https://rockmanorgames.com/2020/04/14/advertising-your-kickstarter-post-mortem-lawyer-up/

The importance of early blind playtesting (audio)

https://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/the-secret-sauce-of-game-design-with-peter-c-hayward/

Tips for working with a co-designer:

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2020/04/11/tips-for-working-with-a-codesigner/

The ins and outs of modern-day board game publishing (audio):

http://www.thesecretcabal.com/Home/ArtMID/426/ArticleID/323/Express-58-Questions-Misconceptions-and-WTFs-of-Board-Game-Publishing-with-Stephen-Buonocore

“A mistake many people make is to just ask friends and family to play the game and give them feedback – but that way you’ll never get the harsh criticism you need.”

— Ellie Dix

“For that first prototype, always make the simplest game that you can. And similarly, get your super-simple version prototyped and playtested as quickly as possible. If you have a clunker, you want to find out as quickly as possible and stop wasting time on it. And if you have something that works well, you can find out what direction it needs to move in, in order to find the fun.”

— Robin David

When are gameplay examples needed in a rulebook? A BoardGameGeek designers forum discussion:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2403357/examples-board-games-instructions