How many times should you playtest a game before pitching it?

https://pamwallsgamedesign.substack.com/p/how-many-times-should-you-playtest

A process for figuring out what it is about your game that’s going to hook publishers and players (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGMGdiar1J0

Turning a bad sell sheet into a good one (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uew1LKp3Mwo

Advice for your first time pitching to a publisher—a Reddit board game design forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1timcp3/first_meetings_with_publishers_this_weekend_what/

Walking through the submission process for 10 different publishers—and general tips for submitting your game for consideration (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgdxymyZC3s

Soft skills that board game designers need: giving and receiving feedback, correcting a playtest experience that has gone off the rails, dealing with publishers, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bGs8WSxZE0

Tips for pitching board games to publishers from someone who has fielded thousands of pitches:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1sfrmj0/after_9_years_and_thousands_of_boardgame_pitches/

How important is theme when you’re pitching your board game to a publisher? A Reddit board game design forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1s16sy6/how_important_is_a_games_theme_when_pitching/

Board game publishers share how often designers’ pitches lead to a prototype handoff and eventually to a contract:

https://bsky.app/profile/elizhargrave.bsky.social/post/3mhb3m3oxjs2u

5 tips for pitching your board game to publishers—and step-by-step instructions for 10 of them (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoDCHTJJ7no

Matt Leacock on how the industry has changed in the past 20 years, working with publishers, advocating for game designers, and more:

https://boardgamewire.com/index.php/2026/02/06/pandemic-creator-matt-leacock-on-fighting-for-designers-rights-working-with-effective-developers-and-his-publisher-pet-peeves/

A deep dive into board game publishing contracts: what to look for, what to avoid, specific percentages, negotiating terms, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgLJqu67dYc

see also our reports as mentioned in the show: https://cardboardedison.com/reports

Breaking down the biggest benefits of licensing your board game to a small publisher and licensing it to a large publisher:

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

How many publishers to pitch a game to at the same time? A Bluesky board game designers discussion:

https://bsky.app/profile/jeffgrisenthwaite.bsky.social/post/3mdqvhrv4hc25

A pair of short videos with quick tips for making two essential elements for pitching a game design to publishers:

How to make a pitch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkqgouPT9Pw

How to make a sell sheet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uan_taJqOqw

Our annual Cardboard Edison Best Practices booklet, filled with board game design tips and resources for every step of the process, is back!

In this edition, you’ll find:

• How to make the most of a playtest group

• What should be in a pitch video—and what shouldn’t

• Mistakes to avoid with your prototype’s art

• Onboarding players more smoothly

• How to prepare for indie game markets

…and lots more!

A good problem to have as a designer: How to deal with multiple publishers wanting to sign your game (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqfMec6YCM

Three publishers on how they’re using—and paying to include—fan designs in their releases:

https://boardgamewire.com/index.php/2025/12/16/board-game-publishers-stonemaier-cmyk-and-eurydice-games-on-how-theyre-utilising-and-paying-to-include-fan-designs-in-their-releases/

Optimizing your pitch: some best and worst practices in helping your game get a fair shake from the publishers you submit it to (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrrFsv47ZEk

This panel discussion about pitching board games to publishers covers every step of the process, from finding companies to preparing to the pitch itself (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1csZDlGVOo