Cardboard Edison
  • Cardboard Edison
  • Quad Squad Cobras Retail Rejects More Games Prototypes
  • Blog Industry Reports Tariffs Report Playtest Groups Virtual Tabletops Contests Podcast Interviews Game Design Checklist
  • Houdini's Last Act
  • Publisher Directory
  • Newsletter
  • Award
Cardboard Edison
  • Cardboard Edison/
  • Our Games/
    • Quad Squad
    • Cobras
    • Retail Rejects
    • More Games
    • Prototypes
  • Free Resources/
    • Blog
    • Industry Reports
    • Tariffs Report
    • Playtest Groups
    • Virtual Tabletops
    • Contests
    • Podcast
    • Interviews
    • Game Design Checklist
  • Houdini's Last Act/
  • Publisher Directory/
  • Newsletter/
  • Award/
board+game+bits.jpg
Cardboard Edison

Game design & bright ideas for game designers

Bright Ideas

Tips & Resources for Board Game Designers

Cardboard Edison
  • Cardboard Edison/
  • Our Games/
    • Quad Squad
    • Cobras
    • Retail Rejects
    • More Games
    • Prototypes
  • Free Resources/
    • Blog
    • Industry Reports
    • Tariffs Report
    • Playtest Groups
    • Virtual Tabletops
    • Contests
    • Podcast
    • Interviews
    • Game Design Checklist
  • Houdini's Last Act/
  • Publisher Directory/
  • Newsletter/
  • Award/
featured
theory
playtesting
prototyping
process
rules
licensing
publishing
industry
Bright Ideas RSS

Receive exclusive board game design tips and resources in your inbox by subscribing to our weekly Omnibus newsletter


October 23, 2020 October 23, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Basics of escape-room design: narrative, puzzles, and more (video)

October 23, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

October 23, 2020 October 23, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

Board game designers share their favorite resources for people just getting started with design:

https://twitter.com/emmalarkins/status/1319447486390439936

October 23, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process, theory, prototyping, industry

Cardboard Edison

October 21, 2020 October 21, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“this obviously doesn’t apply to every game but fun is always more important than balance. balance serves fun. balance is not, by itself, fun. it’s entirely possible to balance all the fun out of a game.”
— Calvin Wong
October 21, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

October 21, 2020 October 21, 2020/ Cardboard Edison
“Better to have playtested and crashed than never playtested at all.”
— Mandela Fernandez-Grandon
October 21, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
playtesting

Cardboard Edison

October 18, 2020 October 18, 2020/ Cardboard Edison

The mental and emotional hurdles of making your first board game:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2523310/nobody-ever-talks-about-mentalemotional-aspect-mak

October 18, 2020/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

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

Cardboard Edison

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

  • Previous
  • Next

2026 Cardboard Edison Supporters:

Alley Cat Games
Back Office by Naylor Games