Fun Problems

By AJ Brandon and Peter C. HaywardLeisure Games

Fun Problems episodes

June 13, 2025 #61 - Amazing Board Game Hooks
Today we follow up on an exercise of developing hooks we gave to our community by highlighting the very best we've seen shared in our discord.
Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
27 min
June 09, 2025 #60 - An Entire Episode About Drawing Cards
What is says on the tin.
Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
54 min
May 31, 2025 #59 - The Best Design Advice on the Internet – Part 5
The best game design advice on the internet can be found at https://daniel.games/ – we can't recommend it highly enough! This is part 5 of a series where we explore the game design blog "Daniel.Games," written by Daniel Piechnick.
Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
1 hr 9 min
May 23, 2025 #58 - Audience Sell-Sheets 2
Peter C. Hayward and AJ Brandon explore what makes an effective sell sheet, providing feedback on listener-submitted examples. Throughout the discussion, they offer actionable advice on how to improve clarity, visual hierarchy, and focus in order to capture the interest of potential publishers.
Link to Sell Sheets: https://tinyurl.com/4n85j7vf
Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
1 hr 5 min
May 17, 2025 #57 - How to Balance your Board Game Part 2
The episode delves into the importance of understanding player dynamics, how to tackle randomness, the impact of player skills on balance, and the art of choosing fun over perfect equilibrium.
Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
1 hr 18 min
May 09, 2025 #56 - How to Balance your Board Game Part 1
In this episode of Fun Problems, hosts Peter C. Hayward and AJ Brandon delve deep into the intricacies of balancing game design. They explore the concept of balance from various angles, including strategic collapse, a test of skill, economies, and more to create engaging gameplay.
Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
1 hr 16 min
May 09, 2025 #55 - Catch-Up Mechanisms and Hooks
In this episode of Fun Problems, hosts Peter C. Hayward and AJ Brandon discuss catch-up mechanisms in gaming, such as rubber banding and blue shells. They also dive into an interesting exercise aimed at developing game design concepts through strong hooks.
Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
50 min
May 03, 2025 #54 - Would CMYK Publish This?
Alex Hague and James Nathan Spencer explain what CMYK is looking for, and go through many examples of published games that would be a great fit. Tune in to see if you have a game CMYK is looking to publish! Email [email protected] to submit your game ideas to the company!
Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
1 hr 1 min
April 30, 2025 #53 - Critter Kitchen Design Diary
Alex Cutler and Peter C. Hayward break down the design process of Critter Kitchen: the lessons learned, the journeys taken, and the critters kitchened.
Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
1 hr 52 min
April 18, 2025 #52 - Would AEG Publish This?
John Zinzer and Mark Wooten explain what AEG is looking for, and go through many examples of published games that would be a great fit. Tune in to see if you have a game AEG is looking to publish!
Email [email protected] to submit your game ideas to the company!
Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me
Email: [email protected]
Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!
56 min

About Fun Problems

From the publisher's feed

Board game design is a deep and often challenging pursuit. We explore all aspects of game design and the fun problems (and solutions) that come with it.