Cardboard Edison’s Favorite Tips & Resources - August 2015

Our monthly roundup of excellent board game design links and tips this month includes an interesting method of solo testing, practical advice for pitch sessions, some reminders about the industry and more…

theory:

• On whether to make a good game for a broad audience or a great game for a narrow group

playtesting:

• Different playstyles you can mimic during solo testing
• “No matter how much you think about a game, playtesting is way better! You see problems occur that you couldn’t think about.” - Adam Daulton

process:

• Yves Tourigny on two kinds of designer’s block, not taking feedback personally, dealing with rejection and lots more
• “Good games aren’t designed, they’re developed.” - JR Honeycutt
• Key questions to answer very early in the design process

licensing:

• The Meeple Syrup show offers lots of practical advice for pitching to publishers and navigating a con as a designer
• Tips for pitching to publishers, learned from observing dozens of pitches at Gen Con 2015

industry:

• “If you want your game to be published, consider the publisher part of the audience.” - Steven Cole
• “You have to have a thick skin in any business, and this one is no exception. Name any game and there are people who won’t like it. Sure it’s hard to hear, but as long as there are plenty of good reactions as well, it’s not the end of the world.” - Sean Scott Garrity

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SENIOR INVENTORS: Steven Cole, John du Bois, Richard Durham, Matthew O’Malley, Isaias Vallejo

JUNIOR INVENTORS: Stephen B Davies, Luis Lara, Behrooz Shahriari, Aidan Short, Jay Treat

ASSOCIATES: Robert Booth, Doug Levandowski, Aaron Lim, Nathan Miller, Marcel Perro

APPRENTICES: Gino Brancazio, Keith Burgun, Kiva Fecteau, Scott Gottreu, JR Honeycutt, Brad Price, Diane Sauer, Dan Sinensky