The Board Game Design Lab

In this BGDL rewind from June of 2020, Corey Konieczka breaks down his entire design process.

Corey has several games ranked in the top 100 games of all time, and it was incredibly insightful to learn about how he brings a game to life. We chat about his path into the industry, his prototyping process, the challenges of working on IPs like Star Wars, when to walk away from a design, and more!

The post The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

In this BGDL rewind from May of 2019, Elizabeth Hargrave dives into all the ins and outs of designing an engine-building game. We chat about her personal design process and all the interesting obstacles she encountered when designing Wingspan. We also talk about how to layer concepts on top of each other, balancing winning strategies, creating a satisfying conclusion, and more!

The post How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

In this BGDL rewind from April of 2020, Ignacy Trzewiczek, founder of Portal Games and designer of Robinson Crusoe, discusses his company’s motto: Games that tell stories.

We go in-depth into Ignacy’s design process, talk about his most popular games, and get to the heart of what it looks like to create games that have players leaving the table with a story to tell.

The post How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

In this BGDL rewind from December of 2020, I chat with Emerson Matsuuch about all the many ways a designer can use math to create better games. We talk spreadsheets, game balance, mathematical models, and more!

The post Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

In this BGDL rewind from May of 2018, I chat with Richard Garfield about finding the right balance of luck vs skill when designing a game.

The post Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

In this update, I talk about 2024’s vision for the BGDL.

And if you need help with your game, company, or upcoming crowdfunding campaign, and you think I might be able to help, please click HERE.

The post Where the BGDL Is Headed in 2024 appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

In this episode, I answer a bunch of questions that were submitted by BGDL community members!

The post Your game design questions answered appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

In this episode, Joe Bragg, founder of the indie publishing company Meek Heroes Gaming, discusses the grassroots approach he’s taking to building his publishing company. We chat about why this approach makes sense for a lot of people, the pros and cons of not using crowdfunding, how to build a community from the ground up, and a whole lot more.

I also dive into the slightly different approach my own publishing company is planning to take in 2024, so hopefully this episode gives you lots to think about if you’re interested in publishing games.

The post How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

In this episode, Jason Perez and I chat about how designers can boost their creativity by thinking outside the box, pushing past tropes, and being more intentional about their thematic choices.

The post How to Boost Creativity and Avoid Tropes | Jason Perez appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.