Podcast Archives - 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 [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.

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.

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.

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.

Jay Cormier, designer of Belfort and tons of other games, discusses tons of ins and outs of playtesting. Jay has been designing games for over 15 years and has a ton of experience and advice on how to get to the best game possible. And be sure to check out Jay’s playtest journal on Kickstarter HERE.​​ The post Playtesting Pro Tips with Jay Cormier appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Joe Slack, college instructor of game design, discusses the ins and outs of teaching game design to other people. Joe recently went full-time in the gaming industry and is focussing on helping others learn how to bring their games to life. And be sure to check out Joe’s board game design course HERE. The post Teaching Game Design with Joe Slack appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [ANNOUNCEMENT] Learn How to Design Great Games People Love appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Patrick Rauland, designer of Fry Thief, discusses product management and how it relates to game design. Patrick has worked as a pro product manager in the software industry, and there are tons of ways that understanding product management will make you a better designer in everything from prototyping to playtesting to running a Kickstarter. Patrick’s game, Fry... The post Product Management and Game Design with Patrick Rauland appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jason Tagmire, founder of Button Shy Games, discusses the process of designing and publishing small games that pack a big punch. Jason’s company specializes in 18 card games, and he’s become a master at packing a ton of game into a small package.​​ And check out Button Shy’s latest game on Kickstarter HERE. The post Small Games that Pack a Big Punch with Jason Tagmire appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The 2nd edition will hit Kickstarter on February 19th, so be sure to check it out! The post [BGDL+] Interviewing Reiner Knizia for the 2nd Edition of the Board Game Design Advice Book appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

For the past 3 years, Eric Rayl has been traveling around the world interviewing some of the best designers in the world about their games, their processes, and their experiences in the industry. Check out the documentary HERE. The post The Game Designers Documentary with Eric Rayl 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 Lab.

James Van Niekerk, professional graphic designer and creator of Valor & Villainy, discusses colors, fonts, hierarchies, and tons of other concepts that you need to think about when working through the graphic design of a game. The post Board Game Graphic Design with James Van Niekerk appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

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.

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.

Daniel and Connie Kazmaier discuss how they put together a rather large online playtesting group for their game, Chai. They have nearly 800 playtesters in their group and go into how they’ve nurtured and developed it. The post Creating an Online Playtesting Group with Daniel & Connie Kazmaier appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Stephen and Michael Stagliano discuss designing an RPG system. They’ve been working on their own tabletop RPG game, and they run a podcast, both called Tavern of Heroes.They’ve been playing and designing role playing games for years, and we have a lively discussion on the ins and outs of putting one together. These guys have an... The post Designing a Tabletop RPG with Stephen & Michael Stagliano appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jamey Stegmaier and I discuss what went wrong with my Kickstarter campaign and what I’m doing differently for the relaunch. Check out the relaunch of The Final Flicktier HERE. The post [BGDL+] My Kickstarter Post Mortem 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.

Jackson Pope, founder of Eurydice Games, talks about designing and putting together hand made games.Jackson has been hand crafting and selling his games for years and has a ton of insight on the topic.You can find the episode HERE. The post Designing Hand Crafted Games with Jackson Pope appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BGDL+] When Gatekeepers Say No, Creating Must-Have Components, and Using Video in Design appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

David Abelson, founder of Fisher Heaton Games, talks about designing abstract games.David’s abstract game, Intelle, is a brain burning 2 player experience with a theme that actually makes sense. And be sure to check out the solo expansion for Intelle on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Abstract Games with David Abelson appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Dustin Staats, founder of Board Gaming with English, talks about using and designing games in the classroom.Dustin has taught all over the worlds and regularly uses games to reinforce different concepts his students are learning. The post Gaming in the Classroom with Dustin Staats appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jamey Stegmaier is guest hosting, and we’re celebrating 100 episodes of the show! We’re talking past, present, and future with lots of interesting things thrown in.​​ The post Celebrating 100 Episodes! appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Calum Taylor, designer of Motora, talks about balancing luck with player agency.It’s good to have luck to keep a game unpredictable, but if it goes too far, players will feel like the game is playing them. You need to make sure players feel in control while also allowing for cool “plot twist” moments. And be sure... The post Randomness and Player Agency with Calum Taylor appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Carla Kopp, founder of Weird Giraffe Games, talks about designing light (or filler) games. Carla’s company focuses on this type of games, and she’s designed several herself, so she definitely understands the topic well. The post Designing Light Games with Carla Kopp 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.

Isaac Vega, designer of Dead of Winter, Ashes, and many others, talks about how to balance a game.Isaac has designed some of the best games in the world and has really figured out how to make sure a game feels balanced to its players. The post Balancing a Game with Isaac Vega 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.