Theme Archives - Board Game Design Lab

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 on Board Game Design Lab.

Ryan Laukat, designer of Sleeping Gods, talks about designing open world games. Sleeping Gods is a phenomenal example of how a board game can pull off the open world experience, and we do a deep dive into basically every aspect of its design. I’ve also been working on an open world game of my own... The post Designing Open World Games with Ryan Laukat appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Kathleen Mercury, designer of Greece Lightning, talks about designing race games. We talk about meshing a racing theme with mechanisms that actually feel like a race, different ways to win, general design concepts, and more. The post How to Design a Race Game with Kathleen Mercury appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Tyler Langtimm, designer of Moxie: A Journey of Monsters, discusses how to design a game about monster taming (think Pokemon). Tyler has been working on a monster hunting/taming game for a while (and so have I), so we have quite a lot to talk about. We get into exploration, combat, puzzles, progression, and more. The post [BGDL Community Spotlight] Designing Monster Taming Games with Tyler Langtimm 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.

Dave Beck, designer of Distilled, talks about improving games through experiential graphic design.Dave did a TON of research for his latest game, hired experts, and dove as deeply into the theme as he could. So, he’s got a lot of advice for anyone wanting to make a super thematic game. And be sure to check out Dave’s game, Distilled, on... The post How to Make a Super Thematic Game and Do Research with Dave Beck appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Lori Love and Lea Velocci, founders of People for Goldfish, discuss the ins and outs of designing word games.We talk about components, scoring systems, accessibility, fun factor, and more. And be sure to check out Lori and Lea’s game Word Hustle on Kickstarter HERE.​​ The post Designing Word Games with Lori Love and Lea Velocci appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Alex Hague, designer of Wavelength, discusses all the ins and outs of designing a party game. We talk about simplicity, expectations, scoring systems, time constraints, and more! And be sure to check out Alex’s game, The Fuzzies, on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Party Games with Alex Hague appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

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 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.

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.

Mike Gnade, designer of Maximum Apocalypse, Set a Watch, The Few and Cursed, discusses what all goes into designing an adventure game.  We talk about open worlds, story moments, combat, events, luck, and all sorts of other things that come together to make a good adventure game. The post Designing Adventure Games with Mike Gnade appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Chris Totten, designer of La Mancha, discusses the intersection of the fine arts and modern gaming. Chris is a professor of game design at Kent State University and has written several books on game design. The post Mixing the Fine Arts with Game Design with Chris Totten appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Omar Tarancon, designer of Safari Turbo, discusses how to design a racing game. We talk about creating tensions, special abilities, board design and more. The post Designing a Racing Game with Omar Tarancon appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Tobias Olsson and Samuel Sapire, from Tea Time Productions, discuss how they get the most out of the themes in their games. We talk about starting with a theme in mind and making the mechanisms bring it to life, and we go into how to start with mechanisms and add a theme to the mix. And check out... The post Getting the Most out of a Theme with Tobias Olsson and Samuel Sapire appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Glenn Ford on Designing Small Skirmish Games appeared first on 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] John Brieger on Re-Theming a Game 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] Bob and Ryan Craig on Drawing Inspiration from Retro Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.