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Cardboard Edison

Game design & bright ideas for game designers

Bright Ideas

Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers

Cardboard Edison
  • Cardboard Edison/
  • Our Games/
    • Houdini's Last Act
    • Quad Squad
    • Cobras
    • Retail Rejects
    • More Games
    • Prototypes
  • Free Resources/
    • Blog
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    • Virtual Tabletops
    • Contests
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    • Game Design Checklist
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featured
theory
playtesting
prototyping
process
rules
licensing
publishing
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October 18, 2020 October 18, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
Screen Shot 2020-10-18 at 9.33.36 PM.png

Free vector graphics, great for prototyping:

https://www.vecteezy.com/

October 18, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

October 16, 2020 October 16, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

A whirlwind tour of the tabletop gaming industry and how it works (video)

October 16, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

October 16, 2020 October 16, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

The basics of dexterity games:

https://dailyworkerplacement.com/2020/10/16/dexterity-games-a-closer-look/

October 16, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

October 14, 2020 October 14, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Ideas vs. execution: which is more important in game design? (video)

October 14, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process, industry

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October 13, 2020 October 13, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Tabletop gaming industry job listings:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TabletopJobs

October 13, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

October 13, 2020 October 13, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

What things make board games less accessible for new players? A Twitter board game design discussion:

https://twitter.com/alleycatgames/status/1315652730464198656

October 13, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

October 12, 2020 October 12, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Guidelines for planning out the year leading up to your Kickstarter campaign’s launch:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/12-things-to-plan-for-before-you-even-think-of-launching-a-kickstarter-board-game-campaign/

October 12, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

October 10, 2020 October 10, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Notes on game designer intentionality: how to make the game do what you want it to do:

https://twitter.com/KevinWilson42/status/1314736784669126656

October 10, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

October 08, 2020 October 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Pros and cons to self-publishing vs. working with a publisher:

https://stonemaiergames.com/self-publishing-vs-working-with-a-publisher-ks-lesson-275/

October 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing, publishing

Cardboard Edison

October 08, 2020 October 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Considering “game feel” throughout the game design process (video)

October 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

October 08, 2020 October 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

How to become a mass-market game inventor:

https://mojo-nation.com/richard-c-levy-ronald-o-weingartner-want-game-inventor/

October 08, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

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

Cardboard Edison

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

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