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Teaching a Game
You know this game, inside and out. It’s easy to learn, but as you’re talking you see the wrinkle forming in between their eyes. Another’s eyebrow just arched up. They’re not getting it. Why is this...
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How to Build a Sell Sheet for Your Game
A good sell sheet can be a key part of getting your game picked up by a publisher. In this piece, I’ll discuss these topics: What is a Sell Sheet? When do I need a Sell Sheet? How do I make a Sell...
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Balancing Family Life and Gaming -Part 2: Gaming is Absolutely Fantabulous
Introduction by Luke Laurie: One of the keys to successfully balancing a gaming hobby or a career in game design is to include your kids in your gaming world. For me, this means bringing my kids to...
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Using Game Theory to Design Games
Game theory is an interesting beast. Supposedly you can use it to solve any situation where intelligent people, given a number of strategies or decisions to make, can optimize their decisions for the...
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How to Playtest – Part 1 “Set the Stage”
Playtesting games can be fun, insightful, and productive. It can also be disappointing, frustrating, and uncomfortable. Worse still, sometimes, playtesting is simply a waste of time. With the best...
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For the Love of Play
This article was inspired by a rather in depth discussion on the Card & Board Game Designers Guild on Facebook. The question posed by our own Luke Laurie was “What are the top 10 tabletop games...
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The Price is Right!
Now that we are moving toward getting Stones of Fate out to retail stores, one thing on my mind has been “How do I set the MSRP?” I am sure this is a question that comes up frequently with every...
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Component First: A Design Challenge Part 3
Part 3 of a 3 part series on the DFWNN Design competition – perspectives from two League of Gamemakers design teams! Here’s a link to Part 1 and Part 2. – The submissions are in, the judges are...
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Events for Game Designers 2015
This post is a resource for designers and gamemakers looking for events to: Playtest Games Improve Design Skills Make Connections in the Industry Get Face Time with Prospective Publishers You may find...
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Designing the Experience around the Player
Guest Post by Marco Valtriani Marco Valtriani is an Italian game designer and lead developer for Red Glove publishing. He also runs an Italian version of the Board Game Designer’s Forum: Board Game...
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Designing Five Tribes
#interviewed{color:#FF4E00;} One of the many benefits of being in the League of Gamemakers is talking with other designers. I asked designer, Bruno Cathala, if he’d like to answer a few questions...
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Go to CONS!!! – Connecting at Conventions like Kubla Con
Gamemaking, even if you self-publish, is not a solo endeavor. It takes relationships and collaboration to get your game signed, sealed, and delivered. Game conventions play a major role in connecting...
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Summer Gaming Extravaganza Eleganza Fabulosa
Summer is here: time again for sun, beaches, traveling, family time, and of course, GAMES! But why not spice up your summer gaming with a little summer meta-game? My good friend Tom Vespucci(Bastard...
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Stretch Goals, Who Needs ‘Em
The next Kickstarter from Kraken Games, Flippin Monsters, will not feature any Stretch Goals. There’s been an overwhelming attitude lately among creators that Stretch Goals are an absolute must....
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Are Backers Always Right?
What do you do as a Kickstarter creator when the public (your potential backer population) is telling you they want one thing, and every other creator you talk to (who has been there before) is...
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Steal this Game Idea!!
Almost a year ago, in November of 2014, I presented a piece entitled “Steal this Game Idea!” which became one of our most popular articles on the League of Gamemakers, receiving over 100 reader...
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Designing Boardgames Efficiently for Cost
Whether you’re self-publishing or pitching to a publisher, it’s important to keep in mind, the cost of the game you’re designing. When you’re pitching a game design to a publisher, one of the things...
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Game Elements: Actions
All games need actions. Otherwise, do you really have players, or just observers? Today I continue my examination of the different core elements of games by looking at actions. If you’ve missed my...
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Sasquatch 2015 convention report
For several years I’d heard about Sasquatch, a small, invite-only convention in Seattle, but I never had the time to get up there for it. A couple of years ago I finally did make my way to the pacific...
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In Defense of Cubes
Cubes get a bad rap in the boardgame community. They are often seen as unthematic, boring, and unoriginal. “Cube-pusher” is a derogatory term used to describe resource-heavy games that might be too...
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