Mechanisms Archives - Board Game Design Lab

Curt Covert, designer of Tower of Madness and owner of Smirk & Dagger Games, talks about take-that games. Curt has been designing back-stabby games for years and is a wealth of information and insight on the topic. And he’s a ton of fun to talk to! The post Take That Games with Curt Covert appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Callin Flores, designer of Guardians, discusses how the finer details of creating a shuffle builder. (Games like Smash Up.)Callin’s game takes the shuffle building mechanism to new places, and he has a lot of insight on these types of games.​​ The post How to Design a Shuffle Builder with Callin Flores appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Ted Alspach on Tile Placement Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Cody Stevens, the designer of Dino Dunk, discusses dexterity games. We talk about lots of different dexterity style games, how they work, and what makes them good. The post Designing Dexterity Games with Cody Stevens appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Joseph Z Chen discusses catch-up mechanisms. Joseph is a designer and indie publisher who did a fairly in-depth analysis on ways different games keep players involved until the end. We talk about several popular games and their catch-up mechanisms as well as Joseph’s personal experiences. And don’t forget to check out Joseph’s game, Fantastic Factories, on... The post Catch-Up Me...

The post [BONUS] Richard Garfield on Collectible Card Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Jon Mietling, designer of Palm Island, discusses how to effectively design a game with multi-use cards. Jon ran an incredibly successful Kickstarter for Palm Island which is rather innovative game that focusses solely on multi-use cards as its core mechanism. The post Multi-Use Cards with Jon Mietling appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Peter Hayward, founder of Jellybean Games, discusses the two types of cooperative games and what makes them work. Peter plays hundreds of prototypes a year, and he’s noticed some serious issues with the majority of the co-op prototypes he sees. The post The Two Types of Cooperative Games with Peter Hayward appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Vincent Vergonjeanne, founder of Lucky Duck Games, discusses games that use digital components in their design. Vincent runs his own video game company and has been quite successful in both the digital space and the board game industry, so he really knows a lot about this topic. The post Designing Games with Digital Elements with Vincent Vergonjeanne appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Petter Olsen, designer of Kill the King, discusses the king of the hill mechanism. (We also might go into propane and propane accessories…)Petter’s new game hinges on this particular mechanism, so he knows a lot about what makes it work well.​​ You can check out his new game on Kickstarter HERE. The post The King of the Hill Mechanism with Petter Olsen appeared first on Board Game Desi...

Don Eskridge, designer of The Resistance, discusses all the ins and outs of creating a social deduction game. The Resistance is one of the most popular games ever made that lets you lie directly to your friends’ faces, and Don has designed several more of these types of games, so he definitely knows what he’s talking about. And... The post Designing Social Deduction Games with Don Eskr...

Jamey Stegmaier is back on the show, and we’re talking Legacy Games. Jamey’s game, Charterstone, just came out, and it’s quite possibly the most ambitious Euro game in existence as it takes all the legacy style elements and applies them to a worker placement experience. Jamey is one of the best designers on the planet, and... The post Designing Legacy Games with Jamey Stegmaier a...

Juliana Patel and Ariel Rubin, designers of Escape Room in a Box, discuss the ins and outs of creating an escape room game. Juliana and Ariel are busy moms who find time to get together and design games, and they have a ton of insight on what makes a great escape experience. Escape Room in a Box was... The post Designing Escape Room Games with Juliana Patel and Ariel Rubin appeared first on Board...

Sami Laakso, owner of Snowdale Design, discusses how to design a scenario based game. Sami is both a publisher and a designer, and he’s been working on a campaign driven game with legacy elements for over 2 years. We discuss what he’s learned throughout the design process, and he gives lots of tips and tricks. And you can find Sami’s... The post Designing Scenario Based Games wit...

Scott Rogers, designer of Rayguns and Rocketships, discusses how to intertwine theme and mechanics. Scott has been designing both video and board games for years and teaches game design at the University of Southern California. Scott also does the “History of a Board Game” segments on the Dice Tower and Ludology podcasts. And the Jack Vasal Memorial Fund auction mentioned in... The pos...

The post [BONUS] Evan Derrick on Mechanics He Loves to Use appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Denny Weston, designer of Kingdoms Lawn Game, discusses the ins, outs, and challenges of creating a game meant to be played in the great outdoors. And check out the Kingdoms Lawn Game Kickstarter here. The post Designing Outdoor Games with Denny Weston appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Richard Launius, designer of Arkham Horror, shares great, veteran advice on how to design an AI system for both co-op and non co-op games. The post Designing a Good AI System with Richard Launius appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Gil Hova on Why Drafting Is Such a Great Mechanic appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Mike Mihealsick on Why Euro Games Are Awesome appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

JT Smith, designer of The Captain Is Dead, talks about how to design a great cooperative game. We talk creating tension, alpha players, and the math behind a good AI system. Personally, I think The Captain Is Dead is one of the best co-op games on the market today, and it was great to get JT’s... The post How to Design a Great Cooperative Game with JT Smith appeared first on Board Game Desig...

Emerson Matsuuchi, designer of Specter Ops, goes into all the ins and outs of putting together a hidden movement game. There are very few hidden movement games out there right now which means there’s still a ton to be explored. Emerson discusses the challenges he faced and his insights on the topic. The post How to Make a Great Hidden Movement Game with Emerson Matsuuchi appeared first on Bo...

The post [BONUS] Richard Launius on His Favorite Game Mechanics appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Jay Vales on How to Make a Good “Take That” Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [Bonus] Jamey Stegmaier on his favorite game mechanisms appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .