Board Game Design Lab

Jamey Stegmaier, designer of Tapestry, discusses how to design a civilization game. Creating a civ game is no small task, and we get into all the ins and outs of putting one together. The post Designing a Civilization Game with Jamey Stegmaier appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Odin Phong on Creating an Anthology of Games 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] Ann Losito on Tips for Streaming appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Ann Losito, Twitch streamer with Twist Gaming, discusses how to engage with media as a game designer. In today’s world, designers and publishers are more and more having to be on top of their media game in order to be successful. Ann and I get into what that looks like. The post Media and Game Design with Ann Losito appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Dave Schultze on the Intersection of Industrial Design and Game Design appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Dave Schultze, designer of Gridopolis, discusses how to design a game that not only spreads out on the table but also goes up. Dave has worked for companies like Lego, Hasbro, and Mattel designing toys and games and has a ton of knowledge on how to design three-dimensional games. The post Designing 3D games with Dave Schultze appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Lizzy Funkouser on Designing with Kids in the House appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Lizzy Funkhouser, designer of Something to Fear, discusses what it looks like to pay attention to detail when designing a game. Lizzy loves to add Easter egg type details into her games to enhance the gaming experience, and we get into lots of examples and ways to add cool things to a design. The post Paying Attention to Detail with Lizzy Funkhouser appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] John Brieger on Re-Theming a Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

John Brieger, professional freelancer, discusses what it looks like to make a living working on board games. John is a designer, developer, editor, and more, and he’s been working on games full-time for about a year. The post Freelancing in the Gaming Industry with John Brieger appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Joe Pilkus on Overcoming Failure appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Joe Pilkus, professional game developer, discusses the lessons he’s learned from developing games over the years. Joe has worked on games from Stonemaier Games, Academy Games, and many other major publishers, and he’s been helping fledgling game designers online for years. The post Lessons Learned from Developing Games with Joe Pilkus appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Derek Funkhouser on Going from Freelancer to Working for a Publisher appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Derek Funkhouser, designer of Walking Dead: Something to Fear, discusses how to design games that create magic moments. Derek is the lead developer at Skybound Games and loves designing so that players enjoy awesome moments that they’ll talk about for years to come. The post Creating Magic Moments with Derek Funkhouser appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Wes Woodbury on Tips and Tricks for Tabletop Simulator appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Wes Woodbury, designer of Legends of Novus, discusses how to design a fantasy-themed game. We talk about world-building, combat systems, art, and more. And be sure to check out Wes’s fantasy-themed board game on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Fantasy Themed Games with Wes Woodbury appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Ryan Langewisch on Tile-Placement Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Ryan Langewisch, designer of Tasty Humans, discusses how to create and update a game quickly and efficiently. Ryan recently won a 48-hour game jam and has gotten really good at the iteration process. The post Rapid Iteration with Ryan Langewisch appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Luke Laurie on Designing Expansions 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.

Ian Zang, developer for Deep Water Games, discusses 4 different types of gamer experiences. Ian has simplified and categorized different ways that people experience games, and he shares a lot to think about as designers. The post 4 Types of Gamer Experiences with Ian Zang appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Nikki Valens on Designing Games with App Integration 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.

The post [BONUS] Bob and Ryan Craig on Drawing Inspiration from Retro Games 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.

The post [BONUS] Geert Sillevis on Translating a Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Geert Sillevis, founder of Mystery City Games, discusses how to design an outdoor escape room type of game. Geert’s game, “A Secret Sender,” is designed to help tourists experience Amsterdam while also enjoying a mystery game. (And it has a 5-star rating on Trip Advisor.) The post Outdoor Mystery Games with Geert Sillevis appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Elizabeth Hargrave on How to Get More Women into Game Design 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.

The post [BONUS] Evan Derrick on the Dos and Don’ts for Artists appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Evan Derrick, designer of Detective: City of Angels, discusses his own journey and his advice on how to go pro in the gaming industry. Evan works for Van Ryder Games and has been a full-time pro for over a year. And be sure to check out Hostage Negotiator: Career on Kickstarter HERE. The post Going Pro in the Gaming Industry with Evan Derrick appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Daryl Andrews on the Best Conventions to Go to as a Designer appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Daryl Andrews discusses designing games based on licensed IPs. Daryl has designed a TON of games based on comics, TV shows, and movies, and he goes through lots of ins and outs on how the process works. The post Designing Games Based on a Licensed IP with Daryl Andrews appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Darren Terpstra on Building an Audience through Going to Conventions 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 Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Tom Butler on Organizing Game Design Time appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Tom Butler, designer of Patriots and Redcoats, discusses the design of historical games.  Tom has specialized in creating games based on history and has lots of interesting insight on the topic. And be sure to check out Tom’s new game, Paradise Lost, on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Historical Games with Tom Butler appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Adam Chunn and Woody Hutsell on Creating Miniatures appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Adam Chunn and Woody Hutsell discuss designing economic games. Adam and Woody have years of experience working in the real world of finance and economics and decided to design a game that translates those concepts into game mechanics. Check out their back-alley economic game set in a fantasy world, Plunderbund, on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Economic Games with Adam Chunn and Woody Hutsell appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [ANNOUNCEMENT] 2019 Board Game Design Challenge appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Jesse Zamora on Hidden Information Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BGDL+] Quality vs Quantity, Lessons from Steve Martin, and the Weight Room appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jesse Zamora discusses modifying published games and what can be learned from the process as game designers. The post Modifying Published Games with Jesse Zamora appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] John Coveyou on Building a Brand appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

John Coveyou, founder of Genius Games, discusses how to design games that also happen to be educational. John is the designer of Cytosis, Subatomic, Ion, and several other well-received science based games, and he’s really figured out how to take scientific ideas and translate them into enjoyable games.  The post Fun AND Educational Games with John Coveyou appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Peter C. Hayward on Designing 2nd Editions appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Peter C. Hayward, founder of Jellybean Games, discusses how to be a great playtester. Peter often gets paid by publishers to playtest games and probably playtests more games than anyone you know. He’s got great advice on what it looks like to be the most helpful playtester at the table. Be sure to check out Peter’s new... The post How to Be a Great Playtester with Peter C. Hayward appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Noel Gussen on Workflow and Organization appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.