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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
    • Industry Reports
    • Playtest Groups
    • Virtual Tabletops
    • Contests
    • Interviews
    • Game Design Checklist
  • Publisher Directory/
  • Tariffs Report/
  • Newsletter/
  • Podcast/
  • Award/
featured
theory
playtesting
prototyping
process
rules
licensing
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January 10, 2022 January 10, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

A deep discussion on the various steps it takes to make and sell a board game (video)

January 10, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
process, playtesting, industry, licensing

Cardboard Edison

January 09, 2022 January 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Different player counts, the dynamics that tend to emerge at each one, and what it all means for designers:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/110939/two-us

January 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

January 09, 2022 January 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

A short thread about how long it takes a board game to get made, from initial idea to final product, and what to expect as a designer:

https://twitter.com/wisegoldfish/status/1480201267708403712

January 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

January 08, 2022 January 08, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Notes on the best place to define important terms in your rulebook:

https://twitter.com/SenFoongLim/status/1479577165461135367

January 08, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

January 08, 2022 January 08, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Pitching: how to get in front of a board game publisher and how to get them interested in your game (video)

January 08, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing

Cardboard Edison

January 06, 2022 January 06, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Advice for getting yourself out of a game design slump—a Twitter board game designers discussion:

https://twitter.com/estefaniar88/status/1478619674535284736

January 06, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

January 04, 2022 January 04, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Game design is for everyone, but there are still plenty of hurdles that make new designers nervous about jumping in—here are ways of overcoming them (video)

January 04, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

January 03, 2022 January 03, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Various ways of measuring a game’s accessibility and inclusiveness:

https://stonemaiergames.com/how-do-you-measure-accessibility/

January 03, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

January 03, 2022 January 03, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

How to develop more interesting goals for players’ characters, leading to more memorable characters and tighter thematic-mechanical integration:

https://shippboardgames.blogspot.com/2022/01/characters-with-agendas.html

January 03, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

January 03, 2022 January 03, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Lots of board game designers discuss working with a co-designer: tips for finding them and working with them:

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2022/01/03/guest-post-codesigners/

January 03, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

January 01, 2022 January 01, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Board game designers and publishers discuss when they use sell sheets:

https://twitter.com/Drawnonward/status/1476269209818525699

January 01, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing

Cardboard Edison

December 28, 2021 December 28, 2021/ Cardboard Edison

When conceiving a new game idea, here are nine things to keep in mind to help the process run more smoothly (video)

December 28, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

December 28, 2021 December 28, 2021/ Cardboard Edison

Common pitfalls that new board game designers often fall into—and how to avoid them:

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2021/12/27/common-designer-pitfalls/

December 28, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

December 28, 2021 December 28, 2021/ Cardboard Edison

Rare game mechanics: rondels, hidden actions, error handling, alliances, joint victories, information economy, and more (video)

December 28, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

December 28, 2021 December 28, 2021/ Cardboard Edison
“Heuristics for creating best-of-breed game rulebooks:

• blind playtest a TON
• test with folks who don’t read rules or play games
• be in the room, observing each test
• treat layout, pictures, and words as one unified piece of exposition”
— Nick Bentley
December 28, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
rules, playtesting

Cardboard Edison

December 27, 2021 December 27, 2021/ Cardboard Edison

Thoughts on games whose themes cause discomfort, and how that’s different from themes that cause offense:

https://shippboardgames.blogspot.com/2021/12/discomfort-vs-offense.html

December 27, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

December 27, 2021 December 27, 2021/ Cardboard Edison

A deep dive into movement mechanics in board games (video)

December 27, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

December 27, 2021 December 27, 2021/ Cardboard Edison

Tips for putting together a print-and-play of your game and making it available to Kickstarter backers:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/create-and-provide-pnp-files-if-offered/

December 27, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

December 26, 2021 December 26, 2021/ Cardboard Edison

Using another player’s stuff in a game can feel cooperative or antagonistic—here are how various titles create different vibes in such situations:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/126294/using-other-peoples-stuff

December 26, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

December 26, 2021 December 26, 2021/ Cardboard Edison

Board game retailers discuss what designers and publishers need to know going into 2022 (video)

December 26, 2021/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

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