The Board Game Design Lab

Latest Episodes:

[BONUS] Edo Baraf on How to Create and Manage Kickstarter Stretch Goals Mar 17, 2017

Show notes

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Custom Components in Your Game with Edo Baraf Mar 15, 2017

Show notes

Edo Baraf, designer of Herbaceous, discusses the many different types of custom components you can add to your games and the challenges and considerations that go with each one. We talk custom dice, boards, boxes, inserts, meeples, sleeves, and more. (Not miniatures. That will be its own episode.)

Edo has experience with lots of custom components and offers a ton of insight on the things to be aware of when adding them to your game.

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[BONUS] Dan Peterson on Themes that Need to Be Explored Mar 10, 2017

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Why a Publisher Might Reject Your Game and How to Handle It with Dan Peterson Mar 08, 2017

Show notes

Dan Peterson, chief developer and head of new acquisitions at Mayday Games, discusses why a publisher might reject your game and how to handle it.

Dan looks at close to 200 unpublished games a year and has years of experience in finding new games to publish. This episode is packed with great wisdom for anyone wanting to travel down the traditional publishing path.

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[BONUS] JT Smith on How to Come Up with Expansion Ideas Mar 03, 2017

Show notes

The post [BONUS] JT Smith on How to Come Up with Expansion Ideas appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Design a Great Cooperative Game with JT Smith Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

JT Smith, designer of The Captain Is Dead, talks about how to design a great cooperative game.

We talk creating tension, alpha players, and the math behind a good AI system. Personally, I think The Captain Is Dead is one of the best co-op games on the market today, and it was great to get JT’s insight on its creation.

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[BONUS] Jamey Stegmaier on How to Approach a Small Publisher with Your Game Feb 24, 2017

Show notes

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A Day in the Life of a Pro Designer with Jamey Stegmaier Feb 22, 2017

Show notes

Jamey Stegmaier, designer of Scythe, is back on the show, and we’re talking about what the schedule of a pro game designer looks like. It’s easy to have a romanticized idea of what being a full time designer is, but it doesn’t quite line up with reality.

We talk about the daily fires that have to be put out, how to be intentional with your time, ways to become more efficient, and much more.

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[BONUS] Emerson Matsuuchi on His Process of Creating Special Abilities Feb 17, 2017

Show notes

The post [BONUS] Emerson Matsuuchi on His Process of Creating Special Abilities appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Make a Great Hidden Movement Game with Emerson Matsuuchi Feb 15, 2017

Show notes

Emerson Matsuuchi, designer of Specter Ops, goes into all the ins and outs of putting together a hidden movement game.

There are very few hidden movement games out there right now which means there’s still a ton to be explored. Emerson discusses the challenges he faced and his insights on the topic.

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