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.

Ignacy Trzewiczek, founder of Portal Games and designer of Robinson Crusoe, discusses his company’s motto: Games that tell stories.

We go in-depth into Ignacy’s design process, talk about his most popular games, and get to the heart of what it looks like to create games that have players leaving the table with a story to tell.

The post Designing Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Peter C. Hayward is back on the show, and we’re delving into the secret sauce of his personal design process. Hint: It all hinges on blind playtesting.

Peter is a designer, developer, and publisher, so he has the benefit of seeing games from lots of different angles.​​

The post The Secret Sauce of Game Design with Peter C. Hayward appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

It’s just me on the show, and I’m talking about my latest book project called Board Game Kickstarter Advice. 

I go through some of my favorite excerpts from the 50 interviews I did for the book and discuss why it’s such good advice if you want to fund a game on Kickstarter.

Be sure to check out my book on Kickstarter HERE.

The post How to Fund a Game on Kickstarter with Gabe Barrett appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Charlie Cleveland, professional video game designer and founder of Unknown Worlds Entertainment, discusses the crossover of video games and board games and what board game designers can learn from their digital counterparts.

And be sure to check out Charlie’s game, Vampire Vendetta, on Kickstarter HERE.

The post What Board Game Designers Can Learn from Video Games with Charlie Cleveland appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Bez Shahriari, designer of Yogi, discusses how to design not just a game but a gaming system that can support lots of different games.

Bez designed a system called the ELL Deck a while back, and we get into everything a designer has to think about when working on a project that’s going to consist of more than one game.

And be sure to check out Bez’s game system, the ELL Deck, on Kicstarter HERE.

The post Designing a Game System with Bez Shahriari appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Victoria Caña and Alex Uboldi, designers of Gladius, discuss the design process for creating a game with betting at its core.

We go into the ins and outs of balancing hidden vs open information, tension, and why people like these games so much.

The post Designing a Betting Game with Victoria Caña and Alex Uboldi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Tim Eisner, designer of Tidal Blades, discusses the design process for creating big games.

Tim is a master of designing games that take up a bunch of space on your table, but his games are also super approachable.

The post Designing Big Games with Tim Eisner 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.

Mohamed Alqadi, designer of Conqueror: Final Conquest, discusses what localization is and how you can take it to the next level. 

We talk about not only translating a game but also changing the art and gameplay depending on where the game is being sold.

The post Localization with Mohamed Alqadi 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.

David Smith and Travis Winstead, designers of 10 Gallon Tank, discuss what all goes into publishing your first game. 

We talk about idea selection, creating a product, long-term planning, and more.

And be sure to check out their game 10 Gallon Tank on Kickstarter HERE.

The post Publishing Your First Game with David Smith and Travis Winstead appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

For this episode, I’m doing another design diary, and this time I’m talking about my monster-themed football game Dungeon Ball.

I talk about how the game came to be and what went into its design process.  I also go into the business side of things and talk about the highs and lows of its Kickstarter campaign.

The post The Making of Dungeon Ball with Gabe Barrett 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.

Martin Gonzalvez, expert print-n-player, discusses why having a print-n-play version of your game is so important. 

We talk about best practices and ways to make PnP files with excellence. We also get into some game creation techniques.

The post Designing an Awesome Print-n-Play with Martin Gonzalvez appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Andrew Lowen, from Next Level Web, is back to discuss even more things you need to know in order to market a game effectively. We talk about Facebook ads, post-Kickstarter marketing, working with a marketing agency, and more.

The post How to Market a Board Game (Part 2) with Andrew Lowen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Andrew Lowen, from Next Level Web, discusses everything you need to be thinking about when it comes to marketing your game.

We talk email lists, Facebook, timelines, and more. There was so much, in fact, that this podcast will be a 2-part series.

The post How to Market a Board Game (Part 1) with Andrew Lowen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jayson Smith and Jason Zmuda, from Gold Cauldron Games, discuss the ins and outs of various combat systems.

We talk dice, cards, dexterity and more. And we analyze several “must play” games to learn how to design awesome combat. 

The post Combat Systems with Jayson Smith and Jason Zmuda appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me, that it might be the mirror of my soul, as my soul is the mirror of the infinite God!

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects.

I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

O my friend — but it is too much for my strength — I sink under the weight of the splendour of these visions! A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects.

The post Post: Gallery Example appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me, that it might be the mirror of my soul, as my soul is the mirror of the infinite God!

I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

O my friend — but it is too much for my strength — I sink under the weight of the splendour of these visions! A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects.

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