

The Board Game Design Lab
Gabe Barrett
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 22, 2017 • 42min
Designing Scenario Based Games with Sami Laakso
Sami Laakso, owner of Snowdale Design, discusses how to design a scenario based game.Sami is both a publisher and a designer, and he’s been working on a campaign driven game with legacy elements for over 2 years. We discuss what he’s learned throughout the design process, and he gives lots of tips and tricks.
And you can find Sami’s scenario game on Kickstarter right now. Check it out here.
The post Designing Scenario Based Games with Sami Laakso appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Nov 17, 2017 • 8min
[BONUS] Kirk Dennison on How to Dominate a Playtest Convention
The post [BONUS] Kirk Dennison on How to Dominate a Playtest Convention appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Nov 15, 2017 • 47min
How to Iterate like a BOSS with Kirk Dennison
Today, Kirk Dennison, owner of Piecekeeper Games, discusses how to efficiently create new versions of a game and iterate like a boss
Kirk is both a publisher and a designer, and he’s obsessed with efficiency. He gets into some serious nuts and bolts about saving time and moving from one version to the next.
And be sure to check out Kirk’s latest game “Gearworks” on Kickstarter.
The post How to Iterate like a BOSS with Kirk Dennison appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Nov 10, 2017 • 10min
[BONUS] Scott Rogers on Tips and Tricks for Art Direction
The post [BONUS] Scott Rogers on Tips and Tricks for Art Direction appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Nov 8, 2017 • 49min
Intertwining Theme and Mechanics with Scott Rogers
Scott Rogers, designer of Rayguns and Rocketships, discusses how to intertwine theme and mechanics.Scott has been designing both video and board games for years and teaches game design at the University of Southern California. Scott also does the “History of a Board Game” segments on the Dice Tower and Ludology podcasts.
And the Jack Vasal Memorial Fund auction mentioned in the show can be found HERE.
The post Intertwining Theme and Mechanics with Scott Rogers appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Nov 3, 2017 • 8min
[BONUS] Andrew Birkett on How to Know When to Put a Game on the Shelf
The post [BONUS] Andrew Birkett on How to Know When to Put a Game on the Shelf appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

4 snips
Nov 1, 2017 • 54min
How a First Time Publisher Gets Funded on Kickstarter with Andrew Birkett
Andrew Birkett, founder of Atheris Games, discusses how he started a publishing company and got his first game 200% funded on Kickstarter.
We talk about tips for pre-campaign preparation, overcoming the mid-campaign slump, finishing strong, and more.
The post How a First Time Publisher Gets Funded on Kickstarter with Andrew Birkett appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Oct 27, 2017 • 7min
[BONUS] Timo Multamaki on Advice for Non-Native English Speakers who Want to Run a Kickstarter
The post [BONUS] Timo Multamaki on Advice for Non-Native English Speakers who Want to Run a Kickstarter appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Oct 25, 2017 • 51min
Project Management and Working with Virtual Teams with Timo Multamaki
Timo Multamaki, founder of Dragon Dawn Productions, discusses the many things he’s learned about project management and getting games across the finish line.Timo has a team of 40+ people from all over the world working on various games, so he’s had to become the glue that holds people together and keeps them on the same page until the games are done.
The post Project Management and Working with Virtual Teams with Timo Multamaki appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Oct 20, 2017 • 11min
[BONUS] Jamey Stegmaier on Tips and Tricks to Make a Great Rulebook
The post [BONUS] Jamey Stegmaier on Tips and Tricks to Make a Great Rulebook appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.