“Given my choice, I’ll always design a boardgame that will be loved by some and hated by others rather than a game that will be seen in a mildly positive way by most. I want to make games that leave a lasting impression on those who play them, one way or the other.”

— Kevin Wilson

Horror in board games: thoughts on what works and doesn’t:

https://dailyworkerplacement.com/2023/10/31/i-want-to-play-a-game-horror-in-board-gaming/

What does it mean for a game to be “too long”? What makes players feel like a game goes on too long? Or not long enough? (audio)

https://cardboardphilosophypod.podbean.com/e/episode-015-what-makes-a-game-too-long/

Dice, cards, and more: Different ways of generating random numbers and what makes them fun (audio):

https://cardboardphilosophypod.podbean.com/e/episode-014-rolling-dice-and-flipping-cards/

Highlights from Hasbro's inaugural Women Innovators of Play event (video):

—The journey into board game design, with Elizabeth Hargrave

—Lots of tips for pitching to publishers

—How mass-market toys and games are made

—Overcoming doubt and imposter syndrome

—Working habits to be a successful toy and game inventor

https://spark.hasbro.com/womeninnovators

An argument that “balance” in games isn’t what most people think it is:

https://giantbrain.co.uk/2023/10/26/a-matter-of-balance/

Some hidden ways that board games can be more complex than you, as a gamer and the designer, might realize:

https://shippboardgames.blogspot.com/2023/10/more-about-rules-complexity.html

Websites that can generate maps for board game prototypes:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3176279/map-generator-websites

Three pieces of playtesting advice from Elizabeth Hargrave in under three minutes (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3zWuGTk27M

“Many published games go through hundreds of changes before they’re done. When people have criticism about your game they are not criticizing you as a person. They’re trying to help you make a better game.”

— Elizabeth Hargrave

How do you feel about board games that use electronic devices to assist players with part of the game? A Bluesky game designer discussion:

https://bsky.app/profile/amanpossessed.bsky.social/post/3kbzoslosmg2r

Worker-placement games where more workers isn’t necessarily better—12 ways games handle it (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuymCqs-UgI

BoardGameGeek advertising: everything for publishers to know about promoting a game on BGG (audio):

https://crowdfundingnerds.com/episode147/

Towards a theory of what makes a trick-taking game great:

https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/323856/towards-theory-what-makes-trick-taking-game-great

Why “don't expect your first board game design to be publishable” might be bad advice for new designers:

https://bsky.app/profile/elizhargrave.bsky.social/post/3kbpzvaf3jv2t

Building a brand in board games: setting expectations with the promise of your game and delivering on them, pitching it to publishers, connecting with players, creating a company, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVzlLIdHe20

Four interesting examples of game design theory and how designers can use them in their games (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn38jGiEdKc

A short thread with some little things no one tells you about running a crowdfunding campaign for your board game:

https://bsky.app/profile/sabrinac.bsky.social/post/3kbduutf2tw2v

“Do as much as you can with a project BEFORE you start investing a lot of money into it. Test your prototype, polish it, get it to as perfect as possible before spending. From there you can start investing in the art, editing, etc., but get it as close to final as you can first – it can save you a lot of future headaches.”

— Isaac Vega

Designing board games with manufacturing in mind—tips for cutting costs without sacrificing gameplay (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF8Pvz_18Rg