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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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    • Houdini's Last Act
    • Quad Squad
    • Cobras
    • Retail Rejects
    • More Games
    • Prototypes
  • Free Resources/
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    • Virtual Tabletops
    • Contests
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    • Game Design Checklist
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theory
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prototyping
process
rules
licensing
publishing
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September 22, 2020 September 22, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

The factors you should consider when setting up stretch goals for your Kickstarter:

https://stonemaiergames.com/how-to-choose-realistic-stretch-goals-for-your-board-game-kickstarter/

September 22, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

September 19, 2020 September 19, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Quick answers to common questions from first-time Kickstarter creators:

  • When should I launch my Kickstarter?

  • What’s the best time to launch?

  • What should my funding goal be?

  • How do I build up interest for my game?

http://rockmanorgames.com/2020/09/18/running-your-1st-kickstarter-campaign-you-need-500-backers/

September 19, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

September 18, 2020 September 18, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

A critical look at how board games can alternately portray or endorse certain moral ideas:

https://spacebiff.com/2020/09/17/talking-games-10/

September 18, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

September 17, 2020 September 17, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Tips for how to enter and win board game design contests (video):

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2020/09/14/entering-contests-with-marcus-ross/

September 17, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
contests, industry

Cardboard Edison

September 17, 2020 September 17, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
Screen Shot 2020-09-17 at 1.07.20 PM.png

Excel-based hex tile grid generator:

https://grumpyspider.com/blogs/all/we-made-a-thing

September 17, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

September 17, 2020 September 17, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“i believe great designers are curious. they want to learn. why did another game do it this way? what is that mechanic trying to evoke? is it successful? what would i change about it? if you can be curious, then no matter what game you work on, you’ll be successful.”
— Katie Chironis
September 17, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

September 15, 2020 September 15, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Gamers share their favorite elements for improving rulebooks:

https://twitter.com/Boardgame_girl1/status/1305488932734410752

September 15, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

September 14, 2020 September 14, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Prolific game designer Reiner Knizia discusses the game design process, tips for creativity, industry trends, and more (video)

September 14, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process, licensing, industry

Cardboard Edison

September 12, 2020 September 12, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

An introduction to commonly used board game terms and mechanics (audio):

https://soundcloud.com/malthausgames/ep73-introduction-episode-to-board-game-terms-and-how-to-play-games-affordably

September 12, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, podcasts

Cardboard Edison

September 12, 2020 September 12, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Fiddliness in game design (audio):

https://www.buzzsprout.com/48513/5282658-episode-64-fiddly-games

September 12, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
podcasts, theory

Cardboard Edison

September 12, 2020 September 12, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Suggestions for how to improve on some common wisdom about board game design:

https://twitter.com/belltowergames/status/1304774935152340994

September 12, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process, playtesting, theory

Cardboard Edison

September 11, 2020 September 11, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

The importance of self-care and how it can affect your work (audio):

https://www.boardgamedesignlab.com/self-care-and-dealing-with-designer-burnout-with-kirk-dennison/

September 11, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
podcasts, industry

Cardboard Edison

September 10, 2020 September 10, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Intrinsic motivation and its role in game design:

https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2020/9/10/what-is-intrinsic-motivation

September 10, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

September 10, 2020 September 10, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“Vomit your work on to paper and get it to the table. Play it.

It will be terrible, and you’ll be embarrassed. And then you’ll either be inspired to make the next iteration better, or decide this is not for you and give up.

Both (and the entire spectrum between) are 100% valid.”
— Eric Lang
September 10, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

September 09, 2020 September 09, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

A look at loss aversion and the role it can play in game design:

https://www.psychologyofgames.com/2020/09/podcast-63-loss-aversion-and-game-design/

September 09, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

September 08, 2020 September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Three perspectives on how board games get made, from prolific publishers with different business models (video)

September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing, industry

Cardboard Edison

September 08, 2020 September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

A quick exercise to help you find a player-friendly way of describing your game in marketing materials:

https://twitter.com/TerriblyBland/status/1303464609077231618

September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

September 08, 2020 September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“Games are better if they hold up to competitive play, but they MUST hold up to non-competitive play. Don’t allow your game to drag on or fall apart if players don’t pursue victory as aggressively as you expected them to.”
— Seth Jaffee
September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

September 08, 2020 September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“Don’t automatically conflate a game’s set-up variability with its replayability. After all, based on centuries of evidence, Go and Chess are the most replayable board games. Instead realize that a game’s replayability often results from the variability within its players.”
— W. Eric Martin
September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

September 08, 2020 September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“Ideas are a dime a dozen & mean nothing if the work isn’t put in to actually make a game out of it.”
— Jason Dinger
September 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

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