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.

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.

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.

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] Steven Aramini on Re-Theming a Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Rita Orlov on Adding Mystery to a Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] The Importance of Narrative in Games with Stephen & Michael Stagliano 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.

The post [BONUS] Alex Maklai on Pirate Themed Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Marilia Poggiali on Bringing a Place to Life appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Callin Flores on Designing Super Hero Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Bez Shahriari, designer of Yogi, discusses the ins and outs of creating a game made specifically for families. We go into why family games are so good for helping kids as they grow up, and we talk about a lot of things to consider when making these types of games. The post Designing Family Games with Bez Shahriari appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Ted Alspach, designer Suburbia of and founder of Bezier Games, discusses city building games.Suburbia is ranked 94th on Board Game Geek and is easily on the Mount Rushmore of city building games, so Ted really knows what he’s talking about when it comes to designing one of these types of games. The post City Building Games with Ted Alspach appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Brad Talton, designer of BattleCon and Pixel Tactics, discusses dueling games. Brad has been creating dueling combat games for years and has found incredible success with his company, Level 99 Games. The post Dueling Games with Brad Talton appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jerry Hawthorne, designer of Stuffed Fables, discusses story driven games and how to use narrative to create incredible gaming experiences.Jerry is a long-time veteran of the industry and specializes in games that evoke stories. The post Story Driven Games with Jerry Hawthorne appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Jason Mowery & Chase Williams on Designing Heist Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Jon Gilmour on Post-Apocalyptic Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jon Gilmour, designer of Dead of Winter, discusses how to design the experiences and themes that people can’t wait to get their hands on. Jon just seems to have an innate ability to design games that go hand in hand with what people are excited about, and he gives me a tour behind the curtain... The post Themes that Sell with Jon Gilmour appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Andrew Harmon, designer of Portals and Prophets, discusses religious themed games.Andrew designed a time travel game with a Biblical theme, and we talk the ins and outs of how to bring a religious themed game to life. We also talk about how not to offend too many people along the way. Also, Andrew’s game is out on Kickstarter right now.... The post Creating Religious Themed Games with Andrew Harmon appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Scott Rogers, designer of Rayguns and Rocketships, discusses how to intertwine theme and mechanics.Scott has been designing both video and board games for years and teaches game design at the University of Southern California. Scott also does the “History of a Board Game” segments on the Dice Tower and Ludology podcasts. And the Jack Vasal Memorial Fund auction mentioned in... The post Intertwining Theme and Mechanics with Scott Rogers appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Evan Derrick, designer and part owner of Van Ryder Games, discusses theme and how to really bring it to the forefront in a game.Evan designed “Detective: City of Angels” which is one of the most thematic games I’ve ever seen, so I pick his brain on what makes a theme really come together. The post THEME! And How to Bring It Out with Evan Derrick appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Danny Lott, designer of Coma Ward, discusses how to design a horror themed game and really evoke a creepy experience. This episode has a ton of great advice, but I’m not gonna lie, it gets a little weird in the middle. (You’ll hear what I mean…) We finish strong though, haha. The post Designing Horror Themed Games with Danny Lott appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Fabio Del Rio, owner of CSE Games, discusses the ins and outs of sports themed games. We go into mechanics, marketability, licensing, challenges, success stories, and more. Fabio has been publishing sports games for over a decade and brings a lot of wisdom and insight to the episode. The post Sports Themed Games with Fabio Del Rio appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Hermann Luttmann on Designing a Zombie Game that Stands out from the Crowd appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Richard Launius on Themes He’d Like to See appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Chris Kirkman, designer of Fate of the Elder Gods, discusses Cthulhu themed games and what makes them so popular. There’s just something about Cthulhu that continues to intrigue people, and even with all the Cthulhu games that have come out, there’s still a great deal left to be explored. The post Cthulhu Themed Games with Chris Kirkman appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Rob Daviau on What Themes Need a Legacy Version appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Dan Peterson on Themes that Need to Be Explored appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Richard Launius, designer of Arkham Horror, gives incredible game design advice, talks Cthulu and what makes a great Cthulu game, and goes into how to make games that create epic experiences that stand the test of time. This episode is packed full of wisdom from a game design legend. The post Advice, Cthulu, and How to Create an Epic Gaming Experience with Richard Launius appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Mike Strickland on Coming up with Alien Races appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.