In this BGDL rewind from May of 2019, Elizabeth Hargrave dives into all the ins and outs of designing an engine-building game. We chat about her personal design process and all the interesting obstacles she encountered when designing Wingspan. We also talk about how to layer concepts on top of each other, balancing winning strategies, creating a satisfying conclusion, and more!

The post How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Ben Rosset, designer of The Search for Planet X, talks about how to design games based on real-life systems and processes.
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Ben has designed games based on aging cheese, brewing beer, finding planets, manufacturing board games, and many other themes that happen in the real world, so we have quite a bit to chat about.

The post Designing Games Based on Real-Life Systems with Ben Rosset appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jess and Steph Nguyen, from Hot Potatoz, talk about how to design take that games.

We talk about finding a good balance of fun, game length, and hurt feelings. And we get into finding the right audience, playtesting, and more.

The post How to Design Take That Games with Steph and Jess Nguyen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jesse Stacy, from Triceratops Games, discusses how to design drafting games. Jesse has been working on a drafting style game for a while, and we dive into the different types, how to keep a game moving, stacking other mechanisms, and more.

The post [BGDL Community Spotlight] How to Design Drafting Games with Jesse Stacy appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Ted Alspach, designer of Maglev Metro and several other route building games, talks about what makes these games special.

We talk about themes that mesh well with the mechanism, end conditions, keeping players interested, and more.

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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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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.

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.

The post How to Design a Pick-up and Deliver Game with Marcel Köhler appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Fertessa Allyse, producer at Funko Games, talks about how to design a trick taking game.

We talk about table talk, bringing new ideas to the genre, what to look for while playtesting, and more.

And be sure to check out Fertessa’s trick taking game, Wicked and Wise, on Kickstarter HERE.

*Also, at one point, I mention UNO as a trick taking game, however, it’s definitely a matching game. (duh, haha)

The post How to Design Trick Taking Games with Fertessa Allyse appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Janice Turner, designer of Assembly, talks about designing puzzle games.

We talk about player experience, designing during nap times, how to make puzzles fun and not tedious, and more!

And be sure to check out Janice’s game, Pilfering Pandas, on Kickstarter HERE.

The post Designing Puzzle Games with Janice Turner appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Josh Horsley, designer of Castlescape, talks about designing deck-building games that have more going on than just building a deck.

We talk about adding boards and other components, and we get into the benefits and obstacles of creating these kinds of games.

And be sure to check out Josh’s game, Castlescape, on Kickstarter HERE.

The post Deck Building and MORE with Josh Horsley appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Ami Baio, designer of You Think You Know Me and several other conversation-based games, talks about what all goes into designing and publishing them.

We talk about how to create gaming environments that encourage people to talk, listen, and enjoy chatting with each other.

The post Designing Conversation Games with Ami Baio appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Martin Wallace, designer of Brass: Birmingham and about 100 other great games, talks about Euro games and his process for designing them.

Martin is one of the greatest designers of all time, and he offers tons of excellent advice based on his 30+ years in the industry.

The post How to Design Euro Games with Martin Wallace appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Joe Hout, designer of Dungeon Draft, talks about how to design a roll and write game.

Joe has designed quite a few roll and writes, and we get into dice vs cards, combos, player counts, and more.

And be sure to check out Joe’s game Dice in the Darkness and play along on Twitch HERE.

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In this BGDL community spotlight episode, Alex Lu, designer of Dogs Bond, discusses how to implement interchangeable win conditions in a game.

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Today, it’s just me on the show, and I’m discussing different angles of designing and publishing solo games, and I’m talking through the design process for my latest solo game, Hunted: Wode Ridge.

I talk about pros, cons, design challenges, the business side of things, and more.

And you can check out Hunted: Wode Ridge on Kickstarter HERE.

The post Designing Solo Games and the Making of Hunted: Wode Ridge with Gabe Barrett appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Travis Jones, designer of Pendulum, discusses what all goes into the design process for a real-time game.

We talk about time constraints, chaos, analysis paralysis, board layout, and more.

The post Designing a Real-Time Game with Travis Jones appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Shannon McDowell, puzzle maker and escape room designer, discusses what designers and publishers need to think about when designing puzzle games and games with puzzles in them.

Shannon has done a ton of research on puzzles and how they relate to culture and cultural biases for Wilfred Laurier University. And she has a great system for defining and understanding the different types of puzzles in games.

[mobileonly]To download this episode to your phone, click <a href=”https://media.blubrry.com/board_game_design_lab/content.blubrry.com/board_game_design_lab/BGDL_209_Shannon_McDowell.mp3″>HERE</a>.[/mobileonly]

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