I feel like I learn something every day from another game publisher, whether it’s game design, operations, product design, marketing, etc. Today I thought I’d highlight some of the things our panelists love about other publishers–the types of things they want to see more publishers emulate.

Also, before we hear from our panelists, we just launched two major products on the Stonemaier Games webstore! Finspan: Sharks & Reefs and Euphoria Essential Edition (or the update pack if you already have the game and expansion) are ready to ship to you now: https://store.stonemaiergames.com/collections/latest

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Plaid Hat Games (Dillon’s pick): I like how Plaid Hat’s games often have either a subscription or continual, mostly optional content, for their game systems. It’s basically just a living card game model, but it keeps me engaged with the games. In terms of what I’d like to see others emulate, it doesn’t necessarily need to be constant new content, but in the hobby, it can often feel like we’re constantly hurrying to check out what’s new. So something to keep a game feeling alive is valuable. As a side example, I think Stonemaier does this in a different way by representing their games as different “Worlds” and by keeping their amount of releases fairly lean. [JAMEY: I previously highlighted some things related to this that Plaid Hat is doing with print on demand.]

Restoration Games (Garrett’s pick): While our hobby is often fixated on the new, I’d love to see more publishers emulate Restoration Games’ mission of breathing new life into forgotten or underrated classics. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a company look backward to ensure great legacy designs get their well-deserved flowers, combining modern production quality and mechanical updates with genuine reverence for the past. Even though this is Restoration’s core business model, seeing other publishers take a stab at this could increase the output of lovingly remastered titles that honor our hobby’s history. [JAMEY: I also think 25th Century Games does this well.]

Stonemaier Games (Aryn’s pick): I went back and forth on this a lot. But, ultimately, I’d be picking nits if I chose another thing a publisher does that I wanted other publishers to take note. So here I am writing to other publishers, take note of what Stonemaier Games is doing. Hire a team to craft a solo mode for your games. I understand not all games can have a solo mode. It’s hard to have a party game for one, for instance. I also understand this costs money, but please consider it. Stonemaier Games’ relationship with The Automa Factory is why I got into Stonemaier Games. I can play all these wonderful games that Stonemaier puts out without having to worry about another person’s availability. I can dive into the design of a game more in depth when I am able to get it to the table more often. Am I about to teach a game? I play the solo mode to further enforce the rules before I teach the game to others. [JAMEY: I am truly grateful for Automa Factory’s involvement over the years.]

Kaitlyn also chimed in with a general comment that she attributed to Stonemaier Games, but honestly I see other publishers doing this better. Check out Endeavor Deep Sea by Burnt Island Games for a great example of how you can achieve high quality with fully sustainable components. Kaitlyn says: I love seeing publishers use eco-friendly packaging. I think Stonemaier does their best; I first noticed it with Wingspan, but I think most, if not all, Stonemaier games are packaged in an eco-friendly way.

We’ll close with Skiler, who mentions several publishers and examples.

I love consistent components throughout many of a publisher’s games.  For example, I believe Garphill Games offers custom metal coins designed specifically for the North Sea, West Kingdom, and South Tigris trilogies. Instead of unique currency for every game, the coins are compatible across every title in a series. I would love to see this with resources and other components in more games. They also often have consistency with their iconography across their games which makes learning new games by them way simpler. I really appreciate this!

I love the trend of missions in games, that are not legacy, but have optional progression. For example, Deep Sea Endeavor (Burnt Island Games): I absolutely love that we can play through different missions, but not feel constrained by the parameters that a legacy game inherently comes with. This isn’t necessarily new, but it feels more common and I welcome it!

I love the trend of cozy games with great art. The gameplay still very much matters, but a cozy theme with great art will get me every time. More please! (Examples of this would be Harmonies by Libellud or Creature Comforts by Kids Table Board Games.)

I love that learn-as-you-play tutorials are becoming more common. (An example of this would be Stonemaier’s Quick Start cards in Wyrmspan.)

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Huge thanks to Dillon, Garrett, Kaitlyn, Aryn, and Skiler for sharing these things they love about a variety of publishers. One thing I’ll add to the list is that I have a continued and growing appreciation for publishers who focus on one game at most every year or so. That level of focus and time spent getting it right is a luxury that not everyone has, but I admire those who are able to do it.

What’s something a publisher is doing that you love (and would like to see others emulate)?

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