Board Game Design Lab
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495 episodes
In this BGDL rewind from May of 2020, Brad Talton, founder of Level 99 Games, and I discuss what goes into designing a game that lasts. We talk about creating games that are easily expandable, are easy to get into but provide depth for long-time players, creating worlds that players want to keep coming back...
In this BGDL rewind from June of 2020, Corey Konieczka breaks down his entire design process. Corey has several games ranked in the top 100 games of all time, and it was incredibly insightful to learn about how he brings a game to life. We chat about his path into the industry, his prototyping process,... The post The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka https://boardgamedesignlab.com/the-design-process-of-one-of-the-worlds-best-designers-corey-konieczka/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this BGDL rewind from May of 2019, Elizabeth Hargrave dives into all the ins and outs of designing an engine-building game. We chat about her personal design process and all the interesting obstacles she encountered when designing Wingspan. We also talk about how to layer concepts on top of each other, balancing winning strategies,... The post How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-design-an-engine-building-game-with-elizabeth-hargrave/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this BGDL rewind from April of 2020, Ignacy Trzewiczek, founder of Portal Games and designer of Robinson Crusoe, discusses his company’s motto: Games that tell stories. We go in-depth into Ignacy’s design process, talk about his most popular games, and get to the heart of what it looks like to create games that have players leaving... The post How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-design-games-that-tell-stories-with-ignacy-trzewiczek/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this BGDL rewind from December of 2020, I chat with Emerson Matsuuch about all the many ways a designer can use math to create better games. We talk spreadsheets, game balance, mathematical models, and more! The post Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi https://boardgamedesignlab.com/using-math-to-make-your-games-better-with-emerson-matsuuchi/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this BGDL rewind from December of 2020, I chat with Emerson Matsuuch about all the many ways a designer can use math to create better games. We talk spreadsheets, game balance, mathmatical models, and more! The post Using Math to Design Better Games with Emerson Matsuuchi https://boardgamedesignlab.com/using-math-to-design-better-games-with-emerson-matsuuchi-2/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this BGDL rewind from May of 2018, I chat with Richard Garfield about finding the right balance of luck vs skill when designing a game. The post Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield https://boardgamedesignlab.com/finding-the-right-mixture-of-luck-and-skill-with-richard-garfield/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this update, I talk about 2024’s vision for the BGDL. And if you need help with your game, company, or upcoming crowdfunding campaign, and you think I might be able to help, please click HERE. The post Where the BGDL Is Headed in 2024 https://boardgamedesignlab.com/where-the-bgdl-is-headed-in-2024/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I answer a bunch of questions that were submitted by BGDL community members! The post Your game design questions answered https://boardgamedesignlab.com/your-game-design-questions-answered/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Joe Bragg, founder of the indie publishing company Meek Heroes Gaming, discusses the grassroots approach he’s taking to building his publishing company. We chat about why this approach makes sense for a lot of people, the pros and cons of not using crowdfunding, how to build a community from the ground up,... The post How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-publish-games-with-a-grassroots-approach-joe-bragg/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Jason Perez and I chat about how designers can boost their creativity by thinking outside the box, pushing past tropes, and being more intentional about their thematic choices. The post How to Boost Creativity and Avoid Tropes | Jason Perez https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-boost-creativity-and-avoid-tropes-jason-perez/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, John de Campos, founder of Terrible Games, and I chat about the highs and lows of starting and running an indie publishing company in the board game industry. The post Listen to this BEFORE you start an indie publishing company | John de Campos https://boardgamedesignlab.com/listen-to-this-before-you-start-an-indie-publishing-company-john-de-campos/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I break down some game design productivity hacks that have been helping me lately, and I’m specifically talking about a concept called “habit fields.” This was a presentation I gave recently for Board Game Design Pro, so if you find it useful and want more helpful content like it, be sure to... The post Board Game Design Productivity Hacks with Gabe Barrett https://boardgamedesignlab.com/board-game-design-productivity-hacks-with-gabe-barrett/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Leo Taylor, designer of games in the Risk, Clue, and D&D universes, breaks down his “key pillars of game design” as we chat through the many questions designers should think through as they dive into a new game design. You can download a PDF of the key pillars HERE. The post Do this BEFORE designing a game | Leo Taylor https://boardgamedesignlab.com/do-this-before-designing-a-game-leo-taylor/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Joe Slack and I talk about how we’ve both been able to piece together lots of different revenue streams in the gaming industry to be able to make a full-time living from game design. And be sure to check out Joe’s latest puzzle game here: http://kck.st/3SfV1Np The post How to Make Money from Your Game Design Hobby with Joe Slack https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-make-money-from-your-game-design-hobby-with-joe-slack/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Elan Lee, the creator of Exploding Kittens, talks about his venture into creating games for small children. Elan has been designing the games alongside his four-year-old daughter, and we talk about the process of designing games both for and with small kids. We also get into the business side of things and... The post Designing Games FOR and WITH Young Kids with Elan Lee https://boardgamedesignlab.com/designing-games-for-and-with-young-kids-with-elan-lee/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Geoff Engelstein and I chat about design theory and break down Geoff’s favorite examples and how they relate to designing games. Geoff’s book about loss aversion can be found here: https://amzn.to/3rIgi7y More info about the Tabletop Network Conference can be found here: https://www.tabletopnetwork.com The post 4 Amazing (and Useful) Examples of Board Game Design Theory with Geoff Engelstein https://boardgamedesignlab.com/4-amazing-and-useful-examples-of-board-game-design-theory-with-geoff-engelstein/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Jason Greeno and I chat about the current boom in the print-n-play side of the market, and we dive into how and why more designers should create printable versions of their games. You can find a ridiculous number of PnP games on Jason’s website, PnP Arcade. And you can find his game,... The post Why You Should Create Print-n-Play Games with Jason Greeno https://boardgamedesignlab.com/why-you-should-create-print-n-play-games-with-jason-greeno/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Pam Walls and I chat about the games on our “must play” lists if you’re a game designer. And be sure to check out Pam’s awesome channel about game design here: https://www.youtube.com/@pamwallsgamedesign Here are the games we discuss: -Imhotep -Dungeons & Dragons -Catan -Chess -Magic: the Gathering -Robinson Crusoe -Kemet -Creature Comforts... The post The Games Every Designer MUST Play with Pam Walls https://boardgamedesignlab.com/the-games-every-designer-must-play-with-pam-walls/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Rob Daviau and I chat about how to playtest, receive feedback, iterate, and playtest a whole lot more. The post How to Playtest like a Pro with Rob Daviau https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-playtest-like-a-pro-with-rob-daviau-2/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, Jay Cormier and I chat about how to teach game design concepts to others and help them become game designers. And be sure to check out Jay’s new game design activity book HERE. The post How to Create More Game Designers with Jay Cormier https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-create-more-game-designers-with-jay-cormier/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I chat with Ben Downton who designs games and runs the publishing company Prometheus Game Labs. We chat about how lonely design work can be, how to balance being creative with running a business, Board Game Arena, and more! And here’s the Board Game Arena article mentioned in the show: https://prometheusgamelabs.wordpress.com/2023/08/14/how-a-game-gets-on-board-game-arena/ The post How to Design AND Publish games with Ben Downton https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-design-and-publish-games-with-ben-downton/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
Kyle Sussenbach and I chat about how to get started in creating a publishing business and how to go from absolutely nothing to launching a crowdfunding campaign. The post 10 Steps to Go from Nothing to Crowdfunding Campaign with Kyle Sussenbach https://boardgamedesignlab.com/10-steps-to-go-from-nothing-to-crowdfunding-campaign-with-kyle-sussenbach/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I talk through pretty much every tip about game design that I can think of! And if you want to see the video version, you can check it out on YouTube HERE. The post 71 Ways to Become a Better Game Designer with Gabe Barrett https://boardgamedesignlab.com/71-ways-to-become-a-better-game-designer-with-gabe-barrett/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I chat with Jason Tagmire about everything related to 18-card games. We talk about designing, publishing, manufacturing, shipping, marketing, crowdfunding, and more! The post Small Games that Pack a Big Punch with Jason Tagmire https://boardgamedesignlab.com/small-games-that-pack-a-big-punch-with-jason-tagmire-2/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I chat with Jonny Pac about how to create games that fully engage players and keep them coming back for more. We talk about the difference between puzzles and games, designing for different types of players, utilizing randomness, fuzzy logic, and a whole lot more! The post How to Craft the Perfect Player Experience with Jonny Pac https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-craft-the-perfect-player-experience-with-jonny-pac/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I chat with James Ernest about how to make a game that doesn’t just work mechanically but is also a lot of fun to play. We talk about how to identify when testers are having fun, the design decisions that create fun experiences, utilizing surprise, and a whole lot more. You can... The post How to Design Fun Games with James Ernest https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-design-fun-games-with-james-ernest/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I chat with Amy and Dusty Droz who raised over $1 million on Kickstarter as first-time creators with a game that only costs $39. You can late back their game, Botany, here: https://botany.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders The post How to Have Massive Success on Kickstarter with Amy and Dusty Droz https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-have-massive-success-on-kickstarter-with-amy-and-dusty-droz/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I give my best advice on how to reach out to content creators and get featured on podcasts, and I chat with my friend, Justin Kral, a professional audio engineer about how to create an audio setup that sounds great. The post How to get featured on podcasts and sound great with Justin Kral https://boardgamedesignlab.com/how-to-get-featured-on-podcasts-and-sound-great-with-justin-kral/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
In this episode, I chat with Andrew Lowen, and we break down a recent crowdfunding campaign I ran that I had to cancel. I talk about the mistakes I made and what I’m doing to fix things as I get ready to relaunch the campaign. The post My Crowdfunding Failure: A Post Mortem with Andrew Lowen https://boardgamedesignlab.com/my-crowdfunding-failure-a-post-mortem-with-andrew-lowen/ appeared first on Board Game Design Lab https://boardgamedesignlab.com.
