Helping You Design Great Games People Love
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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…
Ben Rosset, designer of The Search for Planet X, talks about how to design games based on real-life systems and processes.Ben has designed games based on aging cheese, brewing beer, finding planets, manufacturing board games, and many other themes that happen in the real world, so we have quite a bit to chat about. The post Designing Games Based on Real-Life Systems with Ben Rosset appeared first…
Jess and Steph Nguyen, from Hot Potatoz, talk about how to design take that games. We talk about finding a good balance of fun, game length, and hurt feelings. And we get into finding the right audience, playtesting, and more. The post How to Design Take That Games with Steph and Jess Nguyen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Jesse Stacy, from Triceratops Games, discusses how to design drafting games. Jesse has been working on a drafting style game for a while, and we dive into the different types, how to keep a game moving, stacking other mechanisms, and more. The post [BGDL Community Spotlight] How to Design Drafting Games with Jesse Stacy appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Ted Alspach, designer of Maglev Metro and several other route building games, talks about what makes these games special. We talk about themes that mesh well with the mechanism, end conditions, keeping players interested, and more. The post How to Design Route Building Games with Ted Alspach appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Steve Finn, founder of Dr. Finn’s Games, discusses how to design set collection games. Steve has designed a ton of games with this mechanism including Biblios, Herbaceous, and Sunset over Water, so he has a lot to say on the topic. And be sure to check out Steve’s Latest game on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Set Collection Games with Steve Finn appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Fabio Lopiano, designer of Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road, discusses how to use entangled decision-making as the primary mechanism in a game.In several of Fabio’s designs, players have to make choices based on how things like resources and actions are paired together or “entangled.” We unpack everything that goes into designing games that... The post Entangled Decision Making in Games with Fabio…
Mike Kelley, designer of Mega Man Adventures, discusses cooperative games and what goes into designing a good one.Mike has been designing and reviewing cooperative games for years, and we dive into both creating co-op games and how to stand out to reviewers and gamers. The post How to Design a Cooperative Game with Mike Kelley appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Jonny Pac, designer of Merchants Cove and lots of other games, discusses his process of finding the perfect mesh of theme and mechanisms.We talk about his approach to theme in his various games, research, and what it looks like for mechanics to make sense inside the theme. The post Thematically Informed Game Design with Jonny Pac appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Marcel Köhler, designer of Dutch Resistance: Orange Shall Overcome!, discusses what all goes into designing a pick-up and deliver game.We talk about how to make things thematic, the best number of resources, route obstacles, and more. And be sure to check out Marce’s pick-up and deliver game on Kickstarter HERE. The post How to Design a Pick-up and Deliver Game with Marcel Köhler appeared first…
Fertessa Allyse, producer at Funko Games, talks about how to design a trick taking game.We talk about table talk, bringing new ideas to the genre, what to look for while playtesting, and more. And be sure to check out Fertessa’s trick taking game, Wicked and Wise, on Kickstarter HERE. *Also, at one point, I mention UNO as a trick taking game,... The post How to Design Trick Taking Games with…
Janice Turner, designer of Assembly, talks about designing puzzle games.We talk about player experience, designing during nap times, how to make puzzles fun and not tedious, and more! And be sure to check out Janice’s game, Pilfering Pandas, on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Puzzle Games with Janice Turner appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Josh Horsley, designer of Castlescape, talks about designing deck-building games that have more going on than just building a deck.We talk about adding boards and other components, and we get into the benefits and obstacles of creating these kinds of games. And be sure to check out Josh’s game, Castlescape, on Kickstarter HERE. The post Deck Building and MORE with Josh Horsley appeared first on…
Ami Baio, designer of You Think You Know Me and several other conversation-based games, talks about what all goes into designing and publishing them.We talk about how to create gaming environments that encourage people to talk, listen, and enjoy chatting with each other. The post Designing Conversation Games with Ami Baio appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Martin Wallace, designer of Brass: Birmingham and about 100 other great games, talks about Euro games and his process for designing them.Martin is one of the greatest designers of all time, and he offers tons of excellent advice based on his 30+ years in the industry. The post How to Design Euro Games with Martin Wallace appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Joe Hout, designer of Dungeon Draft, talks about how to design a roll and write game.Joe has designed quite a few roll and writes, and we get into dice vs cards, combos, player counts, and more. And be sure to check out Joe’s game Dice in the Darkness and play along on Twitch HERE. The post Designing Roll and Write Games with Joe Hout appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
In this BGDL community spotlight episode, Alex Lu, designer of Dogs Bond, discusses how to implement interchangeable win conditions in a game. The post BGDL Community Spotlight – Interchangeable Win Conditions with Alex Lu appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Today, it’s just me on the show, and I’m discussing different angles of designing and publishing solo games, and I’m talking through the design process for my latest solo game, Hunted: Wode Ridge.I talk about pros, cons, design challenges, the business side of things, and more. And you can check out Hunted: Wode Ridge on... The post Designing Solo Games and the Making of Hunted: Wode Ridge with…
Travis Jones, designer of Pendulum, discusses what all goes into the design process for a real-time game.We talk about time constraints, chaos, analysis paralysis, board layout, and more. The post Designing a Real-Time Game with Travis Jones appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Shannon McDowell, puzzle maker and escape room designer, discusses what designers and publishers need to think about when designing puzzle games and games with puzzles in them.Shannon has done a ton of research on puzzles and how they relate to culture and cultural biases for Wilfred Laurier University. And she has a great system for defining and... The post Puzzles in Games with Shannon McDowell…
Frank West, designer of Isle of Cats, discusses the ins and outs of designing a polyomino game (games with those funny Tetris tiles). Isle of Cats is one of the best polyomino games on the market, and we get into what makes these games fun, prototyping, and more. The post How to Design a Polyomino Game with Frank West appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Al Leduc, designer of Yukon Airways, discusses what all goes into designing a dice drafting game.We talk about balance, dice mitigation, why the d6 is king, and more! The post Dice Drafting Games with Al Leduc appeared first on 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 .
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 .
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... The post How to Design a Collectible Card Game with Assad Quraishi appeared first on…
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 appeared…
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... The post Designing a Game System with Bez Shahriari appeared first on Board Game Design Lab…
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 .
Jayson Smith and Jason Zmuda, from Gold Cauldron Games, discuss the ins and outs of various combat systems. We talk dice, cards, dexterity and more. And we analyze several “must play” games to learn how to design awesome combat. The post Combat Systems with Jayson Smith and Jason Zmuda appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Odin Phong, founder of Inkwell Games, discusses how to design a roll and write game. The roll and write genre has exploded in popularity over the last couple of years, and we get into why people are drawn to them and how to design a good one. And be sure to check out Odin’s roll and... The post Designing a Roll and Write with Odin Phong appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
The post [BONUS] Ryan Langewisch on Tile-Placement Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Luke Laurie, designer of Energy Empire, discusses all the ins and outs of creating a worker placement game. Luke has a ton of experience with the genre with 4 more worker placement games set to come out over the next 2 years. The post Designing Worker Placement Games with Luke Laurie appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
The post [BONUS] Ian Zang on Rondel Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Nikki Valens, designer of Mansions of Madness, discusses how to design a narrative driven game. Nikki has designed some of my absolute favorite games and is a master of creating games that tell good stories. The post Designing a Narrative Driven Game with Nikki Valens appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Bob and Ryan Craig, founders of One Day West Games, discuss how to design a tile-laying game. Their game, Monster Highway, is a fast-playing tile laying game about escaping from a Godzilla style monster, and they have several other tiling games in the works. The post Designing a Tile-Laying Game with Bob and Ryan Craig appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Elizabeth Hargrave, designer of Wingspan, discusses how to design engine building games. Wingspan is ranked in the top 100 on Board Game Geek, and we talk a lot about Elizabeth’s design process for creating the game. The post Designing an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Darren Terpstra, designer of Ignite, discusses designing games with multiple moving parts and several mechanisms integrated together. Ignite has quite a few mechanisms working together, so Darren has had to figure out how to make this concept work in a streamlined way. And be sure to check out Ignite on Kickstarter HERE. The post Multiple Mechanisms in a Game with Darren Terpstra appeared first on…
The post [BONUS] Jesse Zamora on Hidden Information Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Noel Gussen, designer of Deckfighters, discusses designing a game with multiple win conditions. Noel’s MMA style card game has lots of ways to win (and lose), so we talk through different ways to add multiple end-game triggers. The post Multiple End Game Triggers with Noel Gussen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Bill Lasek, designer of Koi, discusses how to design programmable action games. Programmable actions provide really interesting options for players and create really interesting challenges for designers. Bill’s game, Koi, programs fish moving around a pond, so he has first-hand experience with this type of game. The post Programmable Action Games with Bill Lasek appeared first on Board Game Design…
Tim Fowers, designer of Burgle Bros and Fugitive, discusses how to design deduction games. Fugitive is one of my favorite deduction games, and Tim’s next game, Sabotage, is also a really cool deduction game coming out later this year. The post Designing Deduction Games with Tim Fowers appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Steven Aramini, designer of Animal Kingdoms, discusses how to design an area control game. Animal Kingdoms won the 2018 Cardboard Edison award and is a really clever, card-driven area control game. The post Designing Area Control Games with Steven Aramini appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
The post [BONUS] Fabian Zimmermann on Roll & Write Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Fabian Zimmermann, designer of Goodcritters, discusses how to design a negotiation game. Goodcritters is the most recent game in the Dice Tower Essentials line, and negotiation is the core of the game. The post Designing a Negotiation Game with Fabian Zimmermann appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Darwin Kastle, from White Wizard Games, discusses how to design a deck builder. Darwin is a hall of fame Magic: the Gathering player and has a TON of experience designing card games. His most popular games are Star Realms and Hero Realms. The post Designing a Deck Building Game with Darwin Kastle appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Rita Orlov discusses how to design a good puzzle game. Through her company, Post Curious, Rita designs deeply immersive games for people who enjoy a good challenge. The post Designing Puzzle Games with Rita Orlov appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
The post [BONUS] Dan & Connie Kazmaier on In-Game Economy Systems appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Aron West, designer of Catacombs, discusses the art and challenges in designing dexterity games with depth. He’s been designing and publishing these types of games for years and has a ton of insight on the topic. And be sure to check out the latest version of Catacombs HERE. The post Designing Dexterity Games with Aron West appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Julio Nazario, winner of the HABA Games design challenge, talks about game components and interesting ways to use them.Julio has been designing some really innovative games using components in really cool ways. The post Innovative Uses of Game Components with Julio Nazario appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Alex Macklai, designer of Sea of Nadia, talks about augmented reality and board games.Alex has been working on an AR-centric game for 2 years and has some interesting insight on the topic. For more info: www.maclaysgames.com The post Augmented Reality and Board Games with Alex Maklai appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
