Board Game Design Lab
Summary: The Board Game Design Lab came into existence for a very simple reason: I could never find the game design info that I needed. And I assumed I wasn't the only one. I had a lot of very specific questions I wanted to ask game designers and publishers, and as it turns out, they're more than happy to answer those questions when asked. So, I created the BGDL Podcast. I release a weekly show that interviews designers, publishers, and board game insiders on specific topics. We don't waste time talking about games we've played lately or get caught up on pop culture. There are plenty of other podcasts that do those things very well. Instead, the show does a deep dive into subjects that I hope listeners find extremely valuable as they progress through their game design journeys. The show comes out on Wednesdays.
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Podcasts:
[BONUS] Morten Pederson on Writing Rulebooks for Non-Native English Speakers
Morten Pedersen, designer behind the solo modes for games such as Scythe and Viticulture, discusses how to scale a game down to one player and create a great solo experience. Morten has his own design company that focuses on creating single player systems for games and has even won awards for it. For more, check out Morten’s...
[BONUS] Patrick Leder on How to Know When a Game Is Done
Patrick Leder, designer of Vast, discusses what all goes into designing an asymmetrical game. In Vast, each player takes on an incredibly different role with different actions, different win conditions, and different ways to play. And creating a game of this scope is no small task.
[BONUS] Chris Rowlands on What RPG Elements He’d Like to See More of in Board Games
Chris Rowlands, designer of Last Garden and host of NPC-Cast, discusses creating awesome content that helps people as much as possible and also builds up goodwill toward you and your games. The board game community is incredible, and there are tons of opportunities to help fellow designers and add value to what they’re trying to create. And...
[BONUS] Rob Daviau on What Themes Need a Legacy Version
Rob Daviau, designer of Pandemic Legacy, and I discuss how to run playtests like an absolute pro. Rob started designing games for Hasbro before moving into the designer game space, and he has a TON of insight on how to playtest your way to an amazing game.
[BONUS] Brent Kinney on Underutilized Printing Opportunities in Games
Brent Kinney, vice president at Panda Game Manufacturing, discusses the details and nuances of getting your game printed. We talk typical setbacks, what the different phases in the process look like, ways to make the process easier, and much more. Panda GM is one of the major manufacturers of board games in the world, and...
[BONUS] Tom Vasel on Where He Hopes the Gaming Industry Goes Next
Tom Vasel, founder of the Dice Tower, discusses some of the many things he’s learned after playing an astronomical number of games. We talk themes, mechanics, Kickstarter, publishing, trends, and tons of other stuff. Tom has played and reviewed thousands upon thousands of games which has led to some interesting insight on what makes a...
[BONUS] Sen-Foong Lim on Where to Find Components for Your Prototypes
Sen-Foong Lim, designer of Belfort and Junk Art, discusses the many things a good game design space needs and ways to organize it all. Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the show: Gimp Canva Cropodile Rotary Cutter
[BONUS] Edo Baraf on How to Create and Manage Kickstarter Stretch Goals
