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Cardboard Edison

Game design & bright ideas for game designers

Bright Ideas

Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers

Cardboard Edison
  • About Us/
  • Our Games/
    • Houdini's Last Act
    • Quad Squad
    • Cobras
    • Retail Rejects
    • More Games
    • Prototypes
  • Free Resources/
    • Blog
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    • Tariffs Report
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featured
theory
playtesting
prototyping
process
rules
licensing
publishing
industry
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October 03, 2020 October 03, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Tips for designing highly thematic games: from starting theme-first, to making a game more thematic, to playtesting with thematic elements in mind, to integrating theme and mechanics, and more:

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2020/09/23/highly-thematic-games-with-omari-akil/

October 03, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory, playtesting

Cardboard Edison

October 02, 2020 October 02, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

A quick overview of the basic types of board games that are out there (video)

October 02, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

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October 01, 2020 October 01, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

A thorough but succinct overview of what rulebooks should achieve, and how to write one effectively:

https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2020/10/1/what-makes-a-good-rule-book

October 01, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

September 29, 2020 September 29, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Ways that games can be made more conscientiously: from sustainability and accessibility to representation and more (video)

September 29, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

September 28, 2020 September 28, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“What may seem like a fantastic idea in your head, whether it be simply an idea or a fully worked-out game, can turn out to be clunky, boring and simply not work when you get put it on paper. Prototyping fast and ultimately failing fast is therefore critical to successful game design.”
— Janice Turner
September 28, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

September 25, 2020 September 25, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Suggestions for making solo playtesting easier:

https://twitter.com/OroroPro/status/1309037958004191233

September 25, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

September 25, 2020 September 25, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“One thing I’ve learned is that your game is never going to please every player; there will be some very vocal opponents that want you to create the game THEY want to play. While feedback is important, evaluate the feedback and see if what they are saying is true for all players, not just them.”
— Brian Lewis
September 25, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

September 24, 2020 September 24, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

A small Kickstarter creator shares lessons learned across nearly half a dozen campaigns:

https://bagamesco.com/lessons-from-kickstarter-creators-fundamental-games/

September 24, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

September 24, 2020 September 24, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

How various board games have used a “qualifier” mechanic that determines which players are eligible to win:

http://www.gamesprecipice.com/qualifiers/

September 24, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

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

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