The Board Game Design Lab

Jon Vallerand, founder of  Subsurface Games , does a deep dive into the mechanism of majorities. We talk about the best majorities based games, ways to incentivize players, interactive play, and more. And be sure to check out Jon’s game, With a Smile and a Gun, on Kickstarter  HERE .​​ The post Designing Majorities Based Games with Jon Vallerand appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Justin Gary, designer of  Ascension , discusses what goes into both designing and publishing games that continue to have new content. We talk about content creation, different types of expansions, reinventing the fun for a game, and more. The post Designing Games in a Series with Justin Gary appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Rachael Blaske, owner of  Five24 Labs , discusses everything that goes into designing and publishing games that can fit in your pocket. We talk about design constraints, managing expectations, marketing, and more. The post Designing and Publishing Small Box Games with Rachael Blaske appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Corey Konieczka, one of the best designers on the planet, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his creative process. We talk about what it’s like to work at Fantasy Flight Games, coming up with ideas, playtesting, and more. If you’re not familiar with Corey, he’s worked on these games: Battlestar Galactica Space Hulk: Death Angel Descent 2nd Edition Eldritch Horror Star Wars: Imp...

Shem Phillips and Sam Macdonald, from of  Garphill Games , discuss what all goes into designing worker placement games. We talk about creating unique mechanisms, board design, player interaction, and more. The post Designing Worker Placement Games with Shem Phillips and Sam Macdonald appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Phalgun Polepalli, founder of  DICE Toy Labs  in India, discusses the process of defining your target audience and creating products for them. We talk about market research, community building, figuring out your ideal customer, and more.  The post Designing Games for a Specific Audience with Phalgun Polepalli appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Danielle Reynolds, designer with  DMR Creative Group , discusses the many ways a designer can get involved in the game design community. We talk about volunteering, design groups, mentorships, and more.  The post How to Get Involved in the Game Design Community with Danielle Reynolds appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Christian Martinez discusses the making of his hit game, INIS. INIS is one of the highest-rated games of all time, and we go into everything from its title to its theme to its mechanisms.  The post The Making of INIS with Christian Martinez appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Brad Talton, founder of Level 99 Games , discusses 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, and creating worlds that players want to keep coming back to. And be sure to check out Level 99’s latest game, Bullet, on Kickstarter  HERE . The post Designing Games that Last wit...

Hankerin Ferinale, founder of  Runehammer Games , discusses what board game designers can learn from the world of tabletop RPGs. Hankerin is one of the most creative people I know, and he’s been creating RPG content for years. He has a ton of insight on how RPG concepts can improve board games. The post What Board Game Designers Can Learn from Tabletop RPGs with Hankerin...

T.C. Petty III, designer of  VivaJava , discusses how to create positive player interaction in your game. Most games have a tendency to focus on negative interactions between players, but it doesn’t have to be that way! The post Creating Positive Player Interaction with T.C. Petty III appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Assad Quraishi, designer of  Genesis: Battle of Champions , how to design a collectible card game and how to run a company with a CCG as your main product. Assad has been designing CCGs for 20+ years and running his own CCG company for quite a while, so we’re able to explore nearly every angle of this aspect of gaming. The post How to Design a Collectible Card Game with Assad Quraishi appear...

Chris van der Linden, founder of  Loresmyth Games , discusses his journey about going full-time in the gaming industry and how he turned his passion into his profession. It’s no small task to turn your hobby into a business, so Chris and I talk through how to make it happen, pitfalls, failure, and what the best parts are. And be sure to check out Chris’s latest RPG supplement on Kickst...

Justin Marty, accountant at  Anders CPA , discusses everything you need to be thinking about when it comes to taxes and accounting as a game designer or publisher. Whether you want to just design games on the side, run Kickstarters, or make games your full time job, we go in-depth on everything you should be thinking about to make sure you stay on the IRS’s good side. The post Accounting, Ta...

Marco Pecota, designer of  Legions of Steel , discusses everything that goes into designing a miniature war game. Marco has been designing these types of games since the 90s, and we go into combat systems, movement, metal vs plastic, and everything in between. And be sure to check out Marco’s miniatures packs on Kickstarter  HERE . The post How to Design Miniature War Games with Marco Pecota...

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 table with a story to tell. The post Designing Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy...

Peter C. Hayward is back on the show, and we’re delving into the secret sauce of his personal design process. Hint: It all hinges on blind playtesting. Peter is a designer, developer, and publisher, so he has the benefit of seeing games from lots of different angles.​​ The post The Secret Sauce of Game Design with Peter C. Hayward appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

It’s just me on the show, and I’m talking about my latest book project called Board Game Kickstarter Advice .  I go through some of my favorite excerpts from the 50 interviews I did for the book and discuss why it’s such good advice if you want to fund a game on Kickstarter. Be sure to check out my book on Kickstarter  HERE . The post How to Fund a Game on Kickstarter with Gabe B...

Charlie Cleveland, professional video game designer and founder of Unknown Worlds Entertainment , discusses the crossover of video games and board games and what board game designers can learn from their digital counterparts. And be sure to check out Charlie’s game, Vampire Vendetta, on Kickstarter  HERE . The post What Board Game Designers Can Learn from Video Games with Charlie Cleveland a...

Bez Shahriari, designer of  Yogi , discusses how to design not just a game but a gaming system that can support lots of different games. Bez designed a system called the ELL Deck a while back, and we get into everything a designer has to think about when working on a project that’s going to consist of more than one game. And be sure to check out Bez’s game system, the ELL Deck, on Kics...

Victoria Caña and Alex Uboldi, designers of  Gladius , discuss the design process for creating a game with betting at its core. We go into the ins and outs of balancing hidden vs open information, tension, and why people like these games so much. The post Designing a Betting Game with Victoria Caña and Alex Uboldi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Tim Eisner, designer of  Tidal Blades , discusses the design process for creating big games. Tim is a master of designing games that take up a bunch of space on your table, but his games are also super approachable. The post Designing Big Games with Tim Eisner appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Juma Al-JouJou, designer of  Clans of Caledonia , discusses the design process for a farming centric game. We talk about market economies, resources, balance, and more. The post Designing a Farming Game with Juma Al-JouJou appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Mohamed Alqadi, designer of  Conqueror: Final Conquest , discusses what localization is and how you can take it to the next level.  We talk about not only translating a game but also changing the art and gameplay depending on where the game is being sold. The post Localization with Mohamed Alqadi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Erica Bouyouris, designer of  Bosk , discusses what all goes into designing a nature-themed game.  We talk about bringing a theme to life, mechanisms, art, components, and more. The post Designing a Nature-Themed Game with Erica Bouyouris appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .