The Board Game Design Lab

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**The Board Game Design Lab**

The Board Game Design Lab was created for one purpose: to help you design great games people love. To accomplish that goal, this podcast interviews designers, publishers, and board game insiders on specific topics related to game design. I don’t waste time talking about recently played games or pop culture. Instead, the show does a deep dive into subjects that I hope you’ll find extremely valuable as you progress through your game design journey.

Latest Episodes:

Designing Majorities Based Games with Jon Vallerand Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

Jon Vallerand, founder of Subsurface Games, does a deep dive into the mechanism of majorities.

We talk about the best majorities based games, ways to incentivize players, interactive play, and more.

And be sure to check out Jon’s game, With a Smile and a Gun, on Kickstarter HERE.

The post Designing Majorities Based Games with Jon Vallerand appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Designing Games in a Series with Justin Gary Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

Justin Gary, designer of Ascension, discusses what goes into both designing and publishing games that continue to have new content.

We talk about content creation, different types of expansions, reinventing the fun for a game, and more.

The post Designing Games in a Series with Justin Gary appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Designing and Publishing Small Box Games with Rachael Blaske Jul 01, 2020

Show notes

Rachael Blaske, owner of Five24 Labs, discusses everything that goes into designing and publishing games that can fit in your pocket.

We talk about design constraints, managing expectations, marketing, and more.

The post Designing and Publishing Small Box Games with Rachael Blaske appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The Design Process of Corey Konieczka Jun 24, 2020

Show notes

Corey Konieczka, one of the best designers on the planet, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his creative process.

We talk about what it’s like to work at Fantasy Flight Games, coming up with ideas, playtesting, and more.

If you’re not familiar with Corey, he’s worked on these games:

Battlestar Galactica
Space Hulk: Death Angel
Descent 2nd Edition
Eldritch Horror
Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Star Wars: Rebellion
Twilight Imperium 4th Edition
Star Wars: Outer Rim
And a TON more!

The post The Design Process of Corey Konieczka appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Designing Worker Placement Games with Shem Phillips and Sam Macdonald Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

Shem Phillips and Sam Macdonald, from of Garphill Games, discuss what all goes into designing worker placement games.

We talk about creating unique mechanisms, board design, player interaction, and more.

The post Designing Worker Placement Games with Shem Phillips and Sam Macdonald appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Designing Games for a Specific Audience with Phalgun Polepalli Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

Phalgun Polepalli, founder of DICE Toy Labs in India, discusses the process of defining your target audience and creating products for them.

We talk about market research, community building, figuring out your ideal customer, and more.

The post Designing Games for a Specific Audience with Phalgun Polepalli appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Get Involved in the Game Design Community with Danielle Reynolds Jun 03, 2020

Show notes

Danielle Reynolds, designer with DMR Creative Group, discusses the many ways a designer can get involved in the game design community.

We talk about volunteering, design groups, mentorships, and more.

The post How to Get Involved in the Game Design Community with Danielle Reynolds appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

The Making of INIS with Christian Martinez May 27, 2020

Show notes

Christian Martinez discusses the making of his hit game, INIS.

INIS is one of the highest-rated games of all time, and we go into everything from its title to its theme to its mechanisms.

The post The Making of INIS with Christian Martinez appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Designing Games that Last with Brad Talton May 20, 2020

Show notes

Brad Talton, founder of Level 99 Games, discusses what goes into designing a game that lasts.

We talk about creating games that are easily expandable, are easy to get into but provide depth for long-time players, and creating worlds that players want to keep coming back to.

And be sure to check out Level 99’s latest game, Bullet, on Kickstarter HERE.

The post Designing Games that Last with Brad Talton appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

What Board Game Designers Can Learn from Tabletop RPGs with Hankerin Ferinale May 13, 2020

Show notes

Hankerin Ferinale, founder of Runehammer Games, discusses what board game designers can learn from the world of tabletop RPGs.

Hankerin is one of the most creative people I know, and he’s been creating RPG content for years. He has a ton of insight on how RPG concepts can improve board games.

The post What Board Game Designers Can Learn from Tabletop RPGs with Hankerin Ferinale appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.