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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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    • 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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process
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March 24, 2022 March 24, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Working with a big publisher as a game designer versus working with a small publisher:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/large-or-small-publisher/

March 24, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing

Cardboard Edison

March 24, 2022 March 24, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Trends in evergreen games that stay atop best-seller lists:

https://stonemaiergames.com/evergreen-games-what-do-they-have-in-common/

March 24, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

March 22, 2022 March 22, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Game structures: different kinds of play modes and the mechanics and themes that tend to fit well with them:

https://shippboardgames.blogspot.com/2022/03/theming-game-structures.html

March 22, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 22, 2022 March 22, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

An overview of all the steps it takes to deliver a crowdfunded board game from the manufacturer to backers around the world:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/7-steps-to-delivering-your-kickstarter-board-game/

March 22, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

March 19, 2022 March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

A conversation about how to build and maintain a positive community around your board games (video)

March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
industry

Cardboard Edison

March 19, 2022 March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Low player counts: design considerations when making games meant for 1, 2, or 3 players (video)

March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 19, 2022 March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Three different types of objectives in games: how they work in a design and affect the play experience:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/129936/new-way-talk-about-objectives-games

March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 19, 2022 March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Digital prototyping tools: pros and cons of Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia, Tabletop Playground, and Screentop.gg (video)

March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

March 19, 2022 March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Tips for designers who are early in the process of learning about making a game—a Reddit tabletop game design forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/th4hyh/what_are_some_factors_and_tips_you_would_give_to/

March 19, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
process, playtesting

Cardboard Edison

March 15, 2022 March 15, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Fulfilling a board game crowdfunding campaign yourself vs. using a fulfillment company: pros and cons:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/board-game-fulfillment-you-or-a-company/

March 15, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
publishing

Cardboard Edison

March 15, 2022 March 15, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

There’s a spectrum of how deeply a game’s theme connects with players’ actions—here are some ways of categorizing that range:

https://shippboardgames.blogspot.com/2022/03/thematic-actions.html

March 15, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 15, 2022 March 15, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Board game designers are often advised to think about the experience their game offers. So what are some kinds of common experiences players can get from games?

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/107237/once-more-feeling

March 15, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 12, 2022 March 12, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Examples of non-verbal communication in cooperative games—a Reddit tabletop game design discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/tble3r/non_verbal_communication_examples_in_coop_games/

March 12, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 10, 2022 March 10, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

What makes a great hook in a board game design? (video)

March 10, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 10, 2022 March 10, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Common win conditions for board games aside from “most points wins”:

https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/03/08/victory-conditions-other-than-victory-points-topic-discussion/

March 10, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 10, 2022 March 10, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

How to pitch your board game to publishers—including a sample script for the pitch itself (video)

March 10, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
licensing

Cardboard Edison

March 09, 2022 March 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Notes on what makes a game’s theme well-connected to its mechanics, and proposed terms for games where that is or isn’t the case:

https://shippboardgames.blogspot.com/2022/03/knitted-vs-layered-themes.html

March 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
theory

Cardboard Edison

March 09, 2022 March 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

Use this board game pitch randomizer for game design inspiration:

https://dextrous.com.au/brainstorm/

March 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
process

Cardboard Edison

March 09, 2022 March 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

A chat about the nitty-gritty of rulebook editing: structure, presentation, terminology, and lots more (video)

March 09, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
rules

Cardboard Edison

March 03, 2022 March 03, 2022/ Cardboard Edison

This remixable collection of illustrated characters is free to use:

https://www.openpeeps.com/

March 03, 2022/ Cardboard Edison/
prototyping

Cardboard Edison

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