A high-level, step-by-step guide to the earliest stages of designing a board game:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/how-to-make-a-board-game-a-step-by-step-guide/

Board game icons: some simple ways of making them clear and easy to understand, whether they refer to a static resource or a game action:

https://rossongames.com/icons

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!

Approaching your game’s prototype from a storytelling perspective, as a pitching tool, as a creative endeavor, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaygkfL2WhA

Here’s a small, free set of game icons for use in tabletop games:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1op44ua/i_made_a_free_set_of_game_icons_for_tabletop_games/

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rq33CJSQkiFXCjALAke6CKnd4mNfkocG

6 places to get a nice version of your board game’s prototype made:

https://boardgamedesigncourse.com/the-top-5-places-to-get-your-board-game-prototype-made/

Digital playtesting: an introductory rundown of tools, tips, and best practices for migrating your prototypes and playtests to the digital sphere (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwIsjCvEFI0

Best and worst practices for creating prototypes, commonly believed myths about prototyping, and tools to help designers level up their prototypes (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9zDMOxlUZc

5 free fonts that are versatile, readable, and good for board game prototypes:

https://www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/five-free-fonts

Things new board game designers should know about the process—making prototypes, playtest meetups, expectations for a first design, and more:

https://firsttakesomedice.blogspot.com/2025/07/getting-in-zone.html

An overview of several online tools that can help with different parts of the board game design process, from prototyping to playtesting to staying organized and more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ_m6Sdg4JU

This printable template will let you make a foldable, no-glue cardstock box that can hold a deck of cards:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/5877/blogpost/175167/no-glue-cardstock-box

A simple way of making prototype dice that look nice:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1l8x5hw/my_favorite_way_to_prototype_dice/

A wide-ranging board game designer Q&A session, touching on topics from prototyping supplies to beginners’ advice, learning from playtesters, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6wrKglWfDQ

5 common mistakes that new board game designers make—and how to avoid them:

https://streamlinedgaming.com/5-common-board-game-design-mistakes-new-board-game-designers-make-and-how-to-avoid-them/

A short thread about player aids and why it’s helpful to think about them even early on in your board game design process:

https://bsky.app/profile/drayerink.bsky.social/post/3lk6vqg3sek2g

How to make a digital prototype of a simple card game using Dextrous and Tabletopia (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkOVEPUrw9Y

Free silhouette images of animals, plants, and other life forms, available for use in prototypes:

https://www.phylopic.org/

The Public Domain Image Archive is a collection of more than 10,000 out-of-copyright works that are free to use:

https://pdimagearchive.org/

How to create a custom card deck in playingcards.io (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9hXJRHpGns