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Three Best Practices of RISK: Legacy-Style Game Design
Posted on June 1, 2012 | Make a CommentLooks like my RISK: Legacy post got some traction on Google Plus and BGG. What's funny is that the key attributes of Legacy mechanics are something that most traditional RPGs take for granted. In-game choices having persistent effects in future sessio... -
Email Your Ducks: 5 Kickstarter Freelance Hiring Tips
Posted on May 22, 2012 | Make a CommentYou may recall my last post on the freelance market around Kickstarter. There I mentioned Lyndsay Peters of Dragon Chow Dice Bags. She works with a lot of Kickstarter projects these days. So many that she now has a reputation as a go-to source for high... -
Belle of the Ball Prototype Cards from SuperiorPOD
Posted on May 18, 2012 | Make a CommentFor independent or DIY game designers, there haven't been many affordable options for printing card games until recently. I decided to try out SuperiorPOD mainly because their pricing structure was clear, their interface was easy to use and their templ... -
Feedback Loops in Game Design [Infographic]
Posted on May 17, 2012 | Make a CommentFULL TEXT:FEEDBACK LOOPS IN GAME DESIGNas observed by Jesse Catron, Jay Barnson, KyoryuDesign: Daniel Solis (danielsolis.com)In a feedback loop, the output affects the input.POSITIVE FEEDBACK AMPLIFIES the output and tends to destabilize the system. Fo... -
Variable Data in Card Game Design
Posted on May 6, 2012 | Make a CommentI've certainly had an educational weekend. Right now I'm laying out three card games: Zeppelin Armada, Velociraptor! Cannibalism!, and Belle of the Ball. I'm kind of using Belle as a training ground to become a more efficient card game layout-er, 'c... -
Hierarchy of Interface for Tabletop Games – The Stavro Principle
Posted on April 26, 2012 | Make a Commentas observed by John Stavropoulos (Source)TOOLSThe actual components of play, like character sheets, cheat sheets, boards and bits.TEXTThe actual documented rules and how they are presented, including exact wording, procedures and game terms.RULESThe p... -
Crystal Mandalas in Card Game Design
Posted on April 5, 2012 | Make a CommentAfter describing the organic "wabi-sabi" style of card game design I used in Belle of the Ball, I got some comments on boardgamegeek expressing a preference for more symmetrical deck design.Mark McEvoy : "I'm of the camp that prefers the symmetrical sy... -
Affordable Success: Why I’m Postponing the Kickstarter for Utara Dice Game
Posted on February 15, 2012 | Make a CommentI've decided to postpone plans for kickstarting my dice game Utara. Here's why.Utara's biggest problem is that it calls for so many custom dice. I thought I could manage it as a small outfit thanks to new tools like Kickstarter. That opened up opportun... -
5 Tips for Crowdsourcing Content as a Kickstarter Reward
Posted on February 7, 2012 | Make a CommentFolks asked if I could share some best practices on crowdsourcing content as a part of a Kickstarter campaign. Ooh boy, yeah. Crowdsourcing is a very fun way to engage your backers in the project. It's like a giant mad libs. I've incorporated crowdsour... -
Follow-up on the Costs of the Writer’s Dice Kickstarter Campaign
Posted on January 28, 2012 | Make a CommentIn the spirit of transparency, I wanted to share a basic overview of costs for the Writer's Dice kickstarter campaign. Many thanks to my wife Megan who's been keeping track of this info. Our costs consider the following:• Kickstarter's cut• Amazon ...
