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] JR Honeycutt on His Process of Developing a Game
JR Honeycutt, developer of SeaFall, goes into all the ins and outs of what game development is, why it’s important, and how you can become a developer. People often don’t understand the difference between a designer and a developer. JR sorts out the difference and goes into the value of having a developer work on...
[BONUS] Richard Launius on His Favorite Game Mechanics
Richard Launius, designer of Arkham Horror, gives incredible game design advice, talks Cthulu and what makes a great Cthulu game, and goes into how to make games that create epic experiences that stand the test of time. This episode is packed full of wisdom from a game design legend.
[BONUS] Jay Vales on How to Make a Good “Take That” Game
Jay Vales discusses how his game, Conquest at Kismet, came to be and how it got great reviews but underperformed when it came to sales. We go into the contributing factors and what other designers can learn from the experience. We also talk about some interesting design concepts, dealing with real-life death, and how even...
[BONUS] Colby Dauch on Barriers to Entry in Gaming
Colby Dauch, founder of Plaid Hat Games and designer of Summoner Wars, goes in depth on the challenges he faced when he started his own publishing company. We talk about business, life, and work/life balance, and we even get into not letting people discourage you from chasing your dreams. The article Colby talks about in...
[BONUS] Mike Strickland on Coming up with Alien Races
Mike Strickland, designer of Tau Ceti, and I talk about his Kickstarter failure and what he did to relaunch the campaign to wild success. After an unsuccessful first attempt, Mike regrouped and brought in over $100k the second time around. We discuss what led to the dramatic difference. Please note that Mike was in a spaceship...
[BONUS] Rahdo on Themes He’d Like to See More Of
[BONUS] Luke Laurie on Things All New Designers Need to Know
[Bonus] Jamey Stegmaier on his favorite game mechanisms
Rahdo and I discuss 2 player games and how to craft an awesome 2 player experience. We go into specific mechanics that work really well in 2 player games, and we talk through how a designer can make a game scale down to 2 players effectively. After playing nearly 1000 games with just 2 players,...
Luke Laurie, designer of The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire, and I discuss all the ins and outs of working with a co-designer. Luke has worked with a co-designer on multiple projects and provides great insight on what’s good and what’s challenging about the process. Check out more from Luke at The League of Gamemakers.
