
The Board Game Design Lab
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.
Latest episodes

Jun 1, 2022 • 58min
Designing Games with Your Kids with Patrick McNeil
Patrick Mcneil, from McMeeple Games, discusses what it’s like to design games with his children.Patrick has been creating games with his kids for years and has gotten many of the designs to the point of being fully published games. We talk about being intentional, setting the right expectations, overcoming negative feedback, and more.
The post Designing Games with Your Kids with Patrick McNeil appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

May 25, 2022 • 58min
Designing Games Based on Real-Life Systems with Ben Rosset
Ben Rosset, designer of The Search for Planet X, talks about how to design games based on real-life systems and processes.Ben has designed games based on aging cheese, brewing beer, finding planets, manufacturing board games, and many other themes that happen in the real world, so we have quite a bit to chat about.
The post Designing Games Based on Real-Life Systems with Ben Rosset appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

May 18, 2022 • 1h
How to Design Take That Games with Steph and Jess Nguyen
Jess and Steph Nguyen, from Hot Potatoz, talk about how to design take that games. We talk about finding a good balance of fun, game length, and hurt feelings. And we get into finding the right audience, playtesting, and more.
The post How to Design Take That Games with Steph and Jess Nguyen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

May 11, 2022 • 35min
[BGDL Community Spotlight] How to Design Drafting Games with Jesse Stacy
Jesse Stacy, from Triceratops Games, discusses how to design drafting games. Jesse has been working on a drafting style game for a while, and we dive into the different types, how to keep a game moving, stacking other mechanisms, and more.
The post [BGDL Community Spotlight] How to Design Drafting Games with Jesse Stacy appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

5 snips
May 11, 2022 • 42min
[BGDL Community Spotlight] The 3 Stages of Prototyping with Gino Brancazio
Board game designer Gino Brancazio talks about the three stages of prototyping. They discuss different prototyping styles, finding a balance between excitement and avoiding waste, importance of timing and skill level in game design, and the significance of prototyping and playtesting in board game design.

May 4, 2022 • 1h 18min
How to Get the Most out of Your Crowdfunding Campaign with Andrew Lowen and Sean Bradford
Experts discuss maximizing crowdfunding success through strategic marketing, engaging backers, and leveraging community involvement. They emphasize the importance of quality gameplay and art in board game design, addressing weaknesses promptly, and implementing essential hygiene factors. Humanizing backer interactions and effective crowdfunding strategies are key for a successful campaign.

Apr 27, 2022 • 1h 9min
How to Run a Publishing Company with Rob Dougherty
Rob Dougherty, founder of Wise Wizard Games, talks about how to run a successful publishing company. We talk about how Rob got started, how to actually make money, how to use Kickstarter effectively, and more.
The post How to Run a Publishing Company with Rob Dougherty appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Apr 20, 2022 • 1h 27min
Designing Open World Games with Ryan Laukat
Ryan Laukat, designer of Sleeping Gods, talks about designing open world games. Sleeping Gods is a phenomenal example of how a board game can pull off the open world experience, and we do a deep dive into basically every aspect of its design. I’ve also been working on an open world game of my own over the last couple years, so we get into the ways we overcame similar issues.
The post Designing Open World Games with Ryan Laukat appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Apr 13, 2022 • 37min
Teaching Board Game Design with Matt Bivens
Matt Bivens discusses how to teach game design. Matt has been teaching design to high school kids for years, and we get into the usefulness of game design concepts, feedback, and more.
The post Teaching Board Game Design with Matt Bivens appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Apr 13, 2022 • 32min
Designing Greeting Card Games with Jess Metheringham
Jess Metheringham, founder of Dissent Games, talks about designing games that are housed completely on greeting cards. We talk about the value of constraints, holiday themes, and more.
The post Designing Greeting Card Games with Jess Metheringham appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
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