Steve Finn, founder of Dr. Finn’s Games, discusses how to design set collection games. Steve has designed a ton of games with this mechanism including Biblios, Herbaceous, and Sunset over Water, so he has a lot to say on the topic.

And be sure to check out Steve’s Latest game on Kickstarter HERE.

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Jasper Burch, founder of Pine Island Games, dives into business plans and why you probably need one.

The post [BGDL Community Spotlight] Creating a Business Plan with Jasper Burch appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Scott Smith, designer of Dungeon Drop, discusses how to design games by starting with the components. Scott has become a master at this, and it’s an interesting way to approach design that often begins with theme or a mechanism.

The post [BGDL Community Spotlight] Component First Game Design with Scott Smith appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Hersh Glueck, founder of Hero Time Manufacturing, discusses the most common pitfalls and frequently asked questions when it comes to printing a board game.

Hersh lives in China and started a manufacturing company several years ago, so he has a ton of experience and knowledge when it comes to bringing a game to life. We also get into logistics and fulfillment during the episode.

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David Turczi and Nigel Buckle discuss the making of their hit games Imperium: Classics and Imperium: Legends.

We talk through everything from the initial idea all the way to getting the games published and onto people’s tables.

The post The Making of Imperium with David Turczi and Nigel Buckle appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jerry Hawthorne, designer of Stuffed Fables, discusses how to design a game that focuses on storytelling.

Jerry has created several super popular storytelling games (and has a new one about to come out), and we dive into writing, scenario design, combat mechanisms, and more.

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Fabio Lopiano, designer of Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road, discusses how to use entangled decision-making as the primary mechanism in a game.

In several of Fabio’s designs, players have to make choices based on how things like resources and actions are paired together or “entangled.” We unpack everything that goes into designing games that intertwine various options.

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Mike Kelley, designer of Mega Man Adventures, discusses cooperative games and what goes into designing a good one.

Mike has been designing and reviewing cooperative games for years, and we dive into both creating co-op games and how to stand out to reviewers and gamers.

The post How to Design a Cooperative Game with Mike Kelley appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Assad Quraishi, designer of Genesis: Battle of Champions, discusses everything to think about if you want to design a trading card game for today’s market.

We talk about how to get started, building an audience, when to go to Kickstarter, how to stand out, and more.

The post Designing a Trading Card Game in the Modern Era with Assad Quraishi 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.

Marvin Hegen, designer of Mindbug, discusses how to use a blue ocean strategy in game design and game publishing.

We talk about blue ocean vs red ocean concepts, how the strategy can help you pitch games, marketing, and more.

The post Using Blue Ocean Strategy in Game Design with Marvin Hegen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson, designers of the Undaunted series, discuss how to take a solid core idea and then expand on it.

We talk about the making of Undaunted games, what goes into creating expansions, standalone sequels, and new games with similar DNA to previous designs.

The post How to Expand on a Core Idea with Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Ariel Rubin and Juliana Moreno, designers of the Escape Room in a Box series, discuss what it takes to put a new twist on a familiar genre.

Over the last few years, they’ve designed and published several games that brought new angles and fresh ideas to various different genres, so we dive into lots of great examples of how to do this.

The post How to Put a New Twist on a Familiar Genre with Ariel Rubin and Juliana Moreno appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Darren Terpstra, designer of Ignite, discusses what to be aware of when designing games that go up to six or more players

We talk about the pros and cons of higher player count games, balance, finding playtesters, and more.

The post Designing Games with Higher Player Counts with Darren Terpstra appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Nicolas Fournier, designer of Megapulse, breaks down his top 10 Photoshop tips and tricks to help game designers.

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Jon Spike, designer of Gamestormers, discusses his game about designing board games (it gets a bit meta). I think it’s an excellent way to introduce new people to the game design hobby and also might make for a helpful resource for seasoned designers.

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The post The Pros and Cons of Doing Everything Yourself with Malachi Ray Rempen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Lucas Sosnick, designer of Crisis on Cardea, discusses different ways we can bring young people into both gaming and game design.

Lucas is seventeen years old and has been both a gamer and a designer for a while, so he gives an inside look at what we can do to make the hobby a more welcoming place.

And be sure to check out Lucas’s game on Kickstarter HERE.​​

The post How to Reach the Next Generation with Lucas Sosnick appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Robert Longtin, professional data analyst, discusses all angles of playtest data.

We talk about what data to collect, when to collect it, how to collect it, how to analyze it, and more.

Learn more about Robert’s games HERE.

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