Eight years ago, I got a message from a well-known designer asking me to co-design a game with him.
I was very surprised and nervous as I had never co-designed before and was still fairly new to the board games industry.
I said yes and immediately started researching as much as I could about the subject matter (the game was based on a book).
For the following year, I ended up being the main project manager (coordinating video calls, updating documents and to do lists) as well as the lead designer of the game. It felt more like I was the designer of the game and he was the supervisor who I would check in with and would try to get some feedback on the progress of the game.
It culminated in a playtesting event where my “co-designer” was showing the game and he only listed his name as the designer and didn’t mention me anywhere on the listing of the game.
That was my breaking point.
I sent him a message saying I didn’t have any more energy to put into the game design as well as the project management.
He did apologize for putting the majority of the labour on my shoulders and he said he would work on the game and get back to me with his progress soon. That was seven years ago, still waiting for that follow up.
That experience has definitely coloured my view on co-designing and I am definitely hesitant to ever co-design a game again.
I also don’t really want to share the (already very low) royalty percentage if the game did get signed with a publisher.
I will say though, that I worked very closely (and very well) with Shanon Lyon from Ravensburger on my game Chronicles of Light.
I think that partnership worked better because:
We had clear roles: I was the designer and she was the developer. So I drove the mechanical implementation of the gameplay and she gave feedback based on the wishes of Disney and with the target market in mind.
We both put in an equal amount of effort: We both ran playtests, followed up about meetings, took notes, kept our own to do lists, etc. We were both equally dedicated to the project and helped it move forward.
There are many positives to co-designing games:
You can get more games out on the market if you work with co-designers since you are (ideally) sharing the work of developing a game.
And, if you work well together, it can be nice to not go through everything alone, and to have someone to talk to/lean on throughout the volatile game design process.
They can also offer a different perspective to the game and could suggest things that you might not have thought of.
But, I enjoy getting many different perspectives on my games from my playtesters.
I see my playtesters as my collaborators, that is why I always make sure to thank them in the rulebooks of my games.
And, with playtesters, there is a clear hierarchy: they can suggest things, but at the end of the day, I make the final call. When you have two people trying to steer a ship, it can make it difficult to get anywhere.
Being a solo designer who seeks out many playtesters has been working well for me.
But, never say never.
I did reach out to a couple other designers recently to possibly work on a game together, and while that ultimately didn’t work out, I might still be open to it in the future. As long as we are clear on our roles and they show they are just as dedicated to the project as I am (by responding to emails in a timely manner, following up with me rather than me being the only one checking in, taking initiative to work on the game on their own, etc.)
But, I’d like to know, have you co-designed a game? If so, what did you like about it and what did you not like about it?
That’s all for now, I hope you have a great week!
Thanks and speak soon.
Your pen pal,
Pam
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I send a full digest of publishers accepting submissions to my Youtube members via Discord and to my paid subscribers in a separate newsletter. Become a paid subscriber or Youtube member to receive the full list. In this newsletter, I will highlight one publisher a week.
Notable games: Lord of the Rings Trick Taking Game, Crafting the Cosmos, River of Gold
They are looking for games that are:
Creative, innovative, clever, and fun
Suitable for a global audience
Deeply play-tested and ready to work with a publisher
Sure to evoke strong emotions from players
Thematically original and presented in a mechanically authentic way
Bringing something new and exciting to the gaming community
More info on their submission page.
In person pitch: June 25, 2026 | London, UK
Virtual pitch: July 14-16, 2026
Protospiel North June 26-28, 2026 | Toronto, ON, CA
Dice Tower East July 1-5, 2026 | Orlando, FL, USA
Play Con July 3-5, 2026 | Sydney, Australia
RAGECON July 10-12, 2026| Reno, NV, USA
Protospiel Michigan July 10-12, 2026 | Romulus, MI, USA
Ragnarok July 25-26, 2026 | Kitchener, ON, Canada
Want to see MORE events and view them in calendar format?
Join my membership program to get access to my Board Game Designer Google Calendar that I am always updating!
Job opportunities in the board games industry:
📊 Job of the Week: Cephalofair hiring Gen Con event staff ($18 USD/hour and full weekend badge if able to work 4-5 hours/day, travel and hotel not included)
Contests:
🌟 Contest of the Week: 2026 Bad Comet Cozy Game Design Contest ($500 USD Cash Prize for the winner, deadline: June 30, 2026)
Chat with other designers:
Playtest with other designers:
Become a member to playtest with me and other members
Break My Game in person and online playtest opportunities
Virtual Playtesting Discord Server
Designers should play as many board games as possible and Board Game Arena is a great way to do that. Play board games online with friends or gamers around the world! Not a member yet? Use my referral link to join for free!
I hope you have a great week and best of luck with your designs.
Until next week,
Pam
PS: You can view past newsletters here.
No generative AI was used in the creation of this newsletter.
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