The Board Game Design Lab

The post [BONUS] Chris Rowlands on What RPG Elements He’d Like to See More of in Board Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Chris Rowlands, designer of Last Garden and host of NPC-Cast , discusses creating awesome content that helps people as much as possible and also builds up goodwill toward you and your games. The board game community is incredible, and there are tons of opportunities to help fellow designers and add value to what they’re trying to create. And in doing so, you build relationships that will lik...

The post [BONUS] Rob Daviau on What Themes Need a Legacy Version appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Rob Daviau, designer of Pandemic Legacy , and I discuss  how to run playtests like an absolute pro. Rob started designing games for Hasbro before moving into the designer game space, and he has a TON of insight on how to playtest your way to an amazing game. The post How to Playtest like a Pro with Rob Daviau appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Brent Kinney on Underutilized Printing Opportunities in Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Brent Kinney, vice president at Panda Game Manufacturing , discusses the details and nuances of getting your game printed. We talk typical setbacks, what the different phases in the process look like, ways to make the process easier, and much more. Panda GM is one of the major manufacturers of board games in the world, and Brent brings a ton of experience and insight to the discussion. The post Th...

The post [BONUS] Tom Vasel on Where He Hopes the Gaming Industry Goes Next appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Tom Vasel, founder of the Dice Tower, discusses some of the many things he’s learned after playing an astronomical number of games. We talk themes, mechanics, Kickstarter, publishing, trends, and tons of other stuff. Tom has played and reviewed thousands upon thousands of games which has led to some interesting insight on what makes a great game. The post Lessons Learned from Playing 5000+ G...

The post [BONUS] Sen-Foong Lim on Where to Find Components for Your Prototypes appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Sen-Foong Lim, designer of Belfort and Junk Art , discusses the many things a good game design space needs and ways to organize it all. Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the show: Gimp Canva Cropodile Rotary Cutter   The post How to Organize a Design Space with Sen-Foong Lim appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Edo Baraf on How to Create and Manage Kickstarter Stretch Goals appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Edo Baraf, designer of Herbaceous , discusses the many different types of custom components you can add to your games and the challenges and considerations that go with each one. We talk custom dice, boards, boxes, inserts, meeples, sleeves, and more. (Not miniatures. That will be its own episode.) Edo has experience with lots of custom components and offers a ton of insight on the things to be aw...

The post [BONUS] Dan Peterson on Themes that Need to Be Explored appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Dan Peterson, chief developer and head of new acquisitions at Mayday Games, discusses  why a publisher might reject your game and how to handle it. Dan looks at close to 200 unpublished games a year and has years of experience in finding new games to publish. This episode is packed with great wisdom for anyone wanting to travel down the traditional publishing path. The post Why a Publisher Might R...

The post [BONUS] JT Smith on How to Come Up with Expansion Ideas 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 insight on its creation. The post How to Design a Great Cooperative Game with JT Smith appeared f...

The post [BONUS] Jamey Stegmaier on How to Approach a Small Publisher with Your Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Jamey Stegmaier, designer of Scythe , is back on the show, and we’re talking about what the schedule of a pro game designer looks like. It’s easy to have a romanticized idea of what being a full time designer is, but it doesn’t quite line up with reality. We talk about the daily fires that have to be put out, how to be intentional with your time, ways to become more efficient, an...

The post [BONUS] Emerson Matsuuchi on His Process of Creating Special Abilities appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

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 B...

The post [BONUS] Ryan Laukat on Creating Art for a Kickstarter Project appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Ryan Laukat, founder of Red Raven Games , discusses how to create a beautiful game that is also functional. Ryan does his own art for all of his games, so he has an incredible understanding of the tug of war a designer and artist can have when trying to make a game look great but also work well for the players. We also talk about some best practices when hiring and working with an artist. The post...

The post [BONUS] Jerry Hawthorne on How He Draws Inspiration from Everyday Life appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Jerry Hawthorne, designer of Mice and Mystics , discusses  the importance of story in games. Jerry specializes in narrative driven games and has numerous games to his credit. He goes into why people enjoy story in games so much and how you can inject more story into your games. Finally, he gives great advice on what to do first when creating a story driven game. My favorite idea from the interview...

The post [BONUS] Stephen Buonocore on Things to Consider when Adding Components to a Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .