“Ideas are great when they’re in your head, but you can’t really figure out just how much promise it has until you get it into a workable, playable prototype.”

— Jason Brooks

Lots of pointers for requesting manufacturing quotes:

https://www.manokentgames.com/post/quotes-components-and-companies

Advanced scripting in Tabletop Simulator: how to create an automated setup button (video)

What are the most important things to keep in mind about prototypes? A Twitter board game designers discussion:

https://twitter.com/WhoWhatWhyCast/status/1290292176367357952

Swinginess 101: the basics of dice probabilities and how they change the feel of a die roll:

https://twitter.com/ammourazz/status/1290773146187046912

Six points for successfully pitching your game to a publisher in-person…

https://mrbossdesign.blogspot.com/2020/07/six-points-for-pitching-to-publishers.html

…and six points for pitching to a publisher virtually:

https://mrbossdesign.blogspot.com/2020/07/six-pointers-for-virtually-pitching-to.html

Tabletop industry veterans on how to design games, game design theory, where game design is headed, and what kinds of games people are making in 2020 (video)

Zev Shlasinger answers a whole lot of questions from board game designers: reaching out to publishers, pitching well, industry trends, working with IPs, solo modes, and lots more (audio):

https://virtualplaytesting.com/2020/07/q-and-a-with-zev-shlesinger-of-wizkids/

Finding the core of your game—Fertessa Alyse on thinking about what you want your game to be, knowing what to cut, working with playtesters, and more:

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2020/08/03/finding-the-core-to-your-game-with-fertessa-alyse/

A nuanced answer to the question of whether you should make your prototype look nice:

https://twitter.com/gilhova/status/1289047346622365697

How to publish your tabletop game, from how and where to pitch to publishers to self-publishing advice (video)

Are board game designers being asked to do too much? A Twitter game designers discussion:

https://twitter.com/PhongOdin/status/1288873031176089600

A pricing calculator for various pledge managers:

http://rockmanorgames.com/2020/07/29/pledge-manager-pricing-calculator/

What games are and how they work: an overview of concepts from the lusory attitude and the magic circle to flow and good-faith players:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/107121/what-lusory-attitude

Game mechanics that ruin the game (video)

“make games that you can’t explain with 2 or 3 words because they’ve been too well trod”

— Daniel Newman

“When done well, there is no ‘theme first, mechanism first’. Both enhance each other.”

— David Turczi

Sydney Engelstein, director of game development for Stronghold Games, on working with designers, timelines for signing and publishing games, in-house game design, women in the board game industry, solo variants, and more (video)

What three games should every designer play? A Twitter board game design discussion:

https://twitter.com/belltowergames/status/1286389802485587970

Cole and Drew Wehrle on their game design philosophy, the games market, “fun,” and more:

https://www.dicebreaker.com/companies/wehrlegig-games/interview/cole-wehrle-interview-oath-root-pax-pamir