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The Board Game Design Lab

Gabe Barrett•boardgamedesignlab.com
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The Board Game Design Lab was created for one purpose: to help you design great games people love. To accomplish that goal, this podcast interviews designers, publishers, and board game insiders on specific topics related to game design. I don’t waste time talking about recently played games or pop culture. Instead, the show does a deep dive into subjects that I hope you’ll find extremely valuable as you progress through your game design journey.
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Episodes

Designing Games with Digital Elements with Vincent Vergonjeanne

Vincent Vergonjeanne, founder of Lucky Duck Games , discusses games that use digital components in their design. Vincent runs his own video game company and has been quite successful in both the digital space and the board game industry, so he really knows a lot about this topic. The post Designing Games with Digital Elements with Vincent Vergonjeanne appeared first on Board Game Design Lab ....

Mar 07, 2018•49 min

Working with a Co-Designer with Jason Mowery and Chase Williams

Jason Mowery and Chase Williams, designers of The Big Score , discuss the process of co-designing a game. We talk scheduling, conflict management, and more. Also, you can check out their new game on Kickstarter HERE . (It’s basically Ocean’s 11, the board game.) The post Working with a Co-Designer with Jason Mowery and Chase Williams appeared first on Board Game Design Lab ....

Feb 28, 2018•1 hr 8 min

The King of the Hill Mechanism with Petter Olsen

Petter Olsen, designer of Kill the King , discusses the king of the hill mechanism. (We also might go into propane and propane accessories…) Petter’s new game hinges on this particular mechanism, so he knows a lot about what makes it work well.​​ You can check out his new game on Kickstarter HERE . The post The King of the Hill Mechanism with Petter Olsen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab ....

Feb 21, 2018•37 min

Designing Micro Games with Greg Loring-Albright

Greg Loring-Albright, designer of Leviathan , discusses the ins, outs, and what-have-yous of micro games. He brings up some great points about designing small games that carry a big experience. The post Designing Micro Games with Greg Loring-Albright appeared first on Board Game Design Lab ....

Feb 14, 2018•33 min

Themes that Sell with Jon Gilmour

Jon Gilmour, designer of Dead of Winter , discusses how to design the experiences and themes that people can’t wait to get their hands on. Jon just seems to have an innate ability to design games that go hand in hand with what people are excited about, and he gives me a tour behind the curtain on how he does it. Jon also goes into a great deal of general design advice. We talk about working on lots of games at the same time, co-designers, going full time in the industry, and more. We cover a lot...

Feb 07, 2018•40 min

Creativity and the Future of the BGDL with Gabe Barrett

Today, it’s just me on the podcast, and I’m discussing creativity, time management, and the future of the BGDL. I’ve learned a lot of really great stuff about the creative process, and I want to share with you some of the things that have been helping me with my game designs. And then I want to tell you about the fun and exciting things ahead for the BGDL podcast and community. The post Creativity and the Future of the BGDL with Gabe Barrett appeared first on Board Game Design Lab ....

Jan 31, 2018•44 min

How a Publisher Develops Games with Alan Emrich

Alan Emrich, founder of Victory Point Games , discusses how a publisher approaches the development process when taking a game from prototype to store shelf. Alan has been in the gaming industry for four decades and brings a great deal of experience and insight into this conversation. Both designers and publishers will benefit from what he has to say here. The post How a Publisher Develops Games with Alan Emrich appeared first on Board Game Design Lab ....

Jan 24, 2018•52 min

Digital Prototyping on Tabletopia with Artyom Nichipurov

Artyom Nichipurov (Arty for short), designer of Guards of Atlantis: Tabletop MOBA , discusses Tabletopia and gives lots of tips and tricks on how to get your prototype up and running on the system. Tabletopia can be an extremely useful resource for playtesting, demoing, and pitching your game. If you need some help with the software, Arty has offered to give you a hand. You can reach him at nichipurov (at) gmail (dot) com. Also, Arty’s game, Warpgate, just launched on Kickstarter. If you like Eu...

Jan 17, 2018•48 min

Designing Social Deduction Games with Don Eskridge

Don Eskridge, designer of The Resistance , discusses all the ins and outs of creating a social deduction game. The Resistance is one of the most popular games ever made that lets you lie directly to your friends’ faces, and Don has designed several more of these types of games, so he definitely knows what he’s talking about. And click HERE to check out Don’s latest social deduction game which is on Kickstarter right now. The post Designing Social Deduction Games with Don Eskridge appeared first ...

Jan 10, 2018•55 min

How to Create an Awesome Rulebook with Dustin Schwartz

Dustin Schwartz, professional rulebook writer , discusses what makes a great rulebook and lots of tips and tricks on how to put together a ruleset that’s easy to teach and easy to learn. Dustin wrote 40 rulebooks in 2017 and is looking to write 100 in 2018, so he’s got a TON of experience on what makes a rulebook great. For a program that makes adding icons to word docs super easy, check out: www.fontawesome.com The post How to Create an Awesome Rulebook with Dustin Schwartz appeared first on Bo...

Jan 03, 2018•56 min

Designing Legacy Games with Jamey Stegmaier

Jamey Stegmaier is back on the show, and we’re talking Legacy Games. Jamey’s game, Charterstone, just came out, and it’s quite possibly the most ambitious Euro game in existence as it takes all the legacy style elements and applies them to a worker placement experience. Jamey is one of the best designers on the planet, and after Charterstone , he’s got a TON of insight on how to design, develop, and publish a legacy game. Charterstone Design Diaries The post Designing Legacy Games with Jamey Ste...

Dec 27, 2017•54 min

Crafting the Player Experience with Matt Leacock

Matt Leacock, designer of a little game called Pandemic , discusses how to craft the player experience. ​ Matt is one of the most well-known designers in the world, and he’s learned how to finely tune a game to give players the desired experience. Previously, he worked for companies like Apple and Yahoo developing UX for various products, and he’s been able to bring those ideas into the board game space. The post Crafting the Player Experience with Matt Leacock appeared first on Board Game Desig...

Dec 20, 2017•49 min

Shipping, Fulfillment, and Fulfillment Services with Seth Grier

Seth Grier, vice president of Quartermaster Logistics , discusses the ins and outs of shipping, fulfillment, and fulfillment services. Whether you’re looking to ship games out of your garage or hire a service to do it for you, this episode is for you as Seth goes into the nuts and bolts of things to be aware of when shipping board games. The post Shipping, Fulfillment, and Fulfillment Services with Seth Grier appeared first on Board Game Design Lab ....

Dec 13, 2017•40 min

Designing Escape Room Games with Juliana Patel and Ariel Rubin

Juliana Patel and Ariel Rubin, designers of Escape Room in a Box , discuss the ins and outs of creating an escape room game. Juliana and Ariel are busy moms who find time to get together and design games, and they have a ton of insight on what makes a great escape experience. Escape Room in a Box was the first escape room board game to show up when it hit Kickstarter last year, and it’s now been picked up by Mattel. You can preorder Mattel’s version of Escape Room in a Box here . And Juliana and...

Dec 06, 2017•53 min

Creating Religious Themed Games with Andrew Harmon

Andrew Harmon, designer of Portals and Prophets , discusses religious themed games. Andrew designed a time travel game with a Biblical theme, and we talk the ins and outs of how to bring a religious themed game to life. We also talk about how not to offend too many people along the way. Also, Andrew’s game is out on Kickstarter right now. Check it out here . The post Creating Religious Themed Games with Andrew Harmon appeared first on Board Game Design Lab ....

Nov 29, 2017•46 min
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