The Board Game Design Lab

Latest Episodes:

Designing a Real-Time Game with Travis Jones Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

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.

Puzzles in Games with Shannon McDowell Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

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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What Makes a Great Solo Game with Jeremy Howard Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

Jeremy Howard, reviewer at Man vs Meeple, discusses what makes a great solo game.
Jeremy is super passionate about solo games, and we dive into examples of excellent solo games, capturing tension, solo modes for multiplayer games, and more.

[mobileonly]To download this episode to your phone, click HERE.[/mobileonly]

The post What Makes a Great Solo Game with Jeremy Howard appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Live a Creative Life with Charlie McCarron Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

Charlie McCarron, designer of Four Humours, discusses what it looks like for a board game designer to live a creative life
We talk about scheduling, self-care, betting on yourself, inspiration, and more.

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

[mobileonly]To download this episode to your phone, click HERE.[/mobileonly]

The post How to Live a Creative Life with Charlie McCarron appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Promote a Game with Allen Wolf Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

Allen Wolf, founder of Morning Star Games, discusses various ways to promote a game and get the word out about it.
We talk about how to contact game stores, traditional media, digital content creators, and more.

[mobileonly]To download this episode to your phone, click HERE.[/mobileonly]

The post How to Promote a Game with Allen Wolf appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Design Games Online with Bevan Clatworthy Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

Bevan Clatworthy, designer of Ghostel, discusses all the different angles of bringing a game to life when you work exclusively online.
Bevan has been co-designing games online since 2015, and we talk about scheduling, software, good habits, and more.
And be sure to check out Bevan’s game Haunticulture on Kickstarter HERE.

The post How to Design Games Online with Bevan Clatworthy appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Design and Publish an Expansion with Patrick Lysaght Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Patrick Lysaght, designer of Commissioned, discusses the process of designing and publishing an expansion for a game.
We talk about the different kinds of expansions, design challenges, and what it takes to bring them to the marketplace.

And be sure to check out Patrick’s expansion to Commission on Kickstarter HERE.

The post How to Design and Publish an Expansion with Patrick Lysaght appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Designing Word Games with Lori Love and Lea Velocci Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

Lori Love and Lea Velocci, founders of People for Goldfish, discuss the ins and outs of designing word games.
We talk about components, scoring systems, accessibility, fun factor, and more.

And be sure to check out Lori and Lea’s game Word Hustle on Kickstarter HERE.

The post Designing Word Games with Lori Love and Lea Velocci appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Run a Publishing Company with Scott Gaeta Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

Scott Gaeta, founder of Renegade Game Studio, discusses his journey to become one of the most well-known publishing companies in the industry.
We talk about business advice, marketing, game development, and more!

The post How to Run a Publishing Company with Scott Gaeta appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Design a Polyomino Game with Frank West Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

Frank West, designer of Isle of Cats, discusses the ins and outs of designing a polyomino game (games with those funny Tetris tiles).
Isle of Cats is one of the best polyomino games on the market, and we get into what makes these games fun, prototyping, and more.

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