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.

The post Designing Storytelling Games with Jerry Hawthorne 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.

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.

The post A Game about Game Design with Jon Spike appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jeff Fraser, designer of Cartouche, talks about various skill barriers in games and what you should be aware of when designing games with elements like spatial reasoning, dexterity, memory, math, and negotiation.

We talk about playtesting these elements, designing based on your target audience, and more.

And be sure to check out Jeff’s game, Cartouche, on Kickstarter HERE.​

The post Skill Barriers in Games with Jeff Fraser appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Perry Berkum, founder of Game Decks, talks about how to turn a video game into a board game.

Perry’s company has published several board games inspired by video games, and we talk about theme, mechanisms, licensing, marketing, and more.

The post How to Turn a Video Game into a Board Game with Perry Burkum appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Nick Murray, founder of Bitewing Games, discusses how you can evaluate your game and ideas using SWOT analysis. This is a common technique in the business world to analyze ideas, products, companies, etc., and it can really help with game design as well.

The post (Community Spotlight) Evaluating Your Game with SWOT Analysis with Nick Murray appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Dan Hundycz, founder of DPH Games, discusses layered victory conditions. In his latest game, Usurp the King, there’s a hierarchy of ways to win, and Dan breaks down how it came together.

And be sure to check out Usurp the King on Kickstarter HERE.

The post (Community Spotlight) Layered Victory Conditions with Dan Hundycz appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Joe Klipfel, designer of Griphold Tower, discusses what it’s like to take a large, published game and turn it into a microgame. Joe has done this with Set a Watch and Gloomhaven and offers lots of insight on how to break a game down to its essence.

The post [Community Spotlight] Turning Big Games into Microgames with Joe Klipfel appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.