Edo Baraf, designer of Herbaceous, discusses the many different types of custom components you can add to your games and the challenges and considerations that go with each one. We talk custom dice, boards, boxes, inserts, meeples, sleeves, and more. (Not miniatures. That will be its own episode.)

Edo has experience with lots of custom components and offers a ton of insight on the things to be aware of when adding them to your game.

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

Dan Peterson, chief developer and head of new acquisitions at Mayday Games, discusses why a publisher might reject your game and how to handle it.

Dan looks at close to 200 unpublished games a year and has years of experience in finding new games to publish. This episode is packed with great wisdom for anyone wanting to travel down the traditional publishing path.

The post Why a Publisher Might Reject Your Game and How to Handle It with Dan Peterson appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] JT Smith on How to Come Up with Expansion Ideas appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

JT Smith, designer of The Captain Is Dead, talks about how to design a great cooperative game.

We talk creating tension, alpha players, and the math behind a good AI system. Personally, I think The Captain Is Dead is one of the best co-op games on the market today, and it was great to get JT’s insight on its creation.

The post How to Design a Great Cooperative Game with JT Smith appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Jamey Stegmaier on How to Approach a Small Publisher with Your Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jamey Stegmaier, designer of Scythe, is back on the show, and we’re talking about what the schedule of a pro game designer looks like. It’s easy to have a romanticized idea of what being a full time designer is, but it doesn’t quite line up with reality.

We talk about the daily fires that have to be put out, how to be intentional with your time, ways to become more efficient, and much more.

The post A Day in the Life of a Pro Designer with Jamey Stegmaier appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Emerson Matsuuchi on His Process of Creating Special Abilities appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Emerson Matsuuchi, designer of Specter Ops, goes into all the ins and outs of putting together a hidden movement game.

There are very few hidden movement games out there right now which means there’s still a ton to be explored. Emerson discusses the challenges he faced and his insights on the topic.

The post How to Make a Great Hidden Movement Game with Emerson Matsuuchi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Ryan Laukat on Creating Art for a Kickstarter Project appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Ryan Laukat, founder of Red Raven Games, discusses how to create a beautiful game that is also functional. Ryan does his own art for all of his games, so he has an incredible understanding of the tug of war a designer and artist can have when trying to make a game look great but also work well for the players.

We also talk about some best practices when hiring and working with an artist.

The post The Intersection of Art and Game Design with Ryan Laukat appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Jerry Hawthorne on How He Draws Inspiration from Everyday Life appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jerry Hawthorne, designer of Mice and Mystics, discusses the importance of story in games.

Jerry specializes in narrative driven games and has numerous games to his credit. He goes into why people enjoy story in games so much and how you can inject more story into your games. Finally, he gives great advice on what to do first when creating a story driven game.

My favorite idea from the interview: “Create a story. Not a series of incidents.”

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The post [BONUS] Stephen Buonocore on Things to Consider when Adding Components to a Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Stephen Buonocore, president of Stronghold Games, goes into all of the ins and outs of researching publishers, contacting publishers, and pitching your game. We talk in depth on how to do things the right way to give your game the best chance of being signed. Then, Stephen closes the conversation with a couple funny stories about some epic game pitch fails.

The post How to Get Your Game Published with Stephen Buonocore appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Richard Launius on His Favorite Game Mechanics 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] Jay Vales on How to Make a Good “Take That” Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jay Vales discusses how his game, Conquest at Kismet, came to be and how it got great reviews but underperformed when it came to sales. We go into the contributing factors and what other designers can learn from the experience.

We also talk about some interesting design concepts, dealing with real-life death, and how even Zee Garcia can’t guarantee you sales.

The post Why Good Reviews Aren’t Always the Magic Bullet with Jay Vales appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The post [BONUS] Colby Dauch on Barriers to Entry in Gaming appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.