In my first foray into trying to create a design orientated “functional” boardgame review, I look at a game I have distinctly mixed feelings about: Century: Golem Edition
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All posts filed under “Game design”
Is there room for a new kind of boardgame review?
There’s something missing from the boardgame review landscape. This is what I think it might be – and what I am going to experiment with to fill it.
Confessions of a print and play virgin – Part II
Last week, I posted about why making print and plays is a great thing for designers to do. This week, I navigate my first two creations and see what I can learn from the whole process.
Confessions of a print and play virgin – Part I
[Quietly] I’ve never made a print and play (PnP) game before. Is that ok? Well… maybe I’ve been missing out. There are lots of reasons to create a good PnP game, even if you don’t think of yourself as a ‘crafty’ person. Read part I?… Read More
What can a negative review tell us about the lure of objectivity?
Some people hate Ticket to Ride; people who do not appreciate its brilliance. I hate the United Kingdom expansion as much as they hate the basic game. But unlike them, I’M ACTUALLY RIGHT… right?
Great Design Decisions: Dominion’s useless victory point cards
This is the first post in an occasional series examining design choices that were critical factors in the overall success of a game’s design. In this entry, I go right in with one of the greats and look at Dominion’s powerful victory point (VP) card… Read More
11 resources to help first time boardgame creators work with artists
A collection of resources to help you speed up and improve the process of working with artists. Especially useful if this is your first game and you’re the one in charge of making sure it’s beautiful.
A new model for game design: Moving beyond the “Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics” framework
The MDA framework is now well known in design circles. Here I take it a step further putting forward my own riff on the model for tabletop games specifically; incorporating the notion of access and mapping out some critical detail.
When is a mechanic worth the set-up time? An illustrative example from Ticket to Ride: Pennsylvania
Applying a cost-benefit framework to a specific mechanic in a TTR expansion, I explore if we can create a more objective way of weighing-up design decisions; at least as far as set-up goes.
The designer’s drawer: A Dominion mini expansion – “By decree”
Many years and quite a few designs ago, I made a mini-expansion for Dominion. It’s been sat in a drawer ever since. So as an experiment in criticism and self-reflection – and with the benefit of hindsight – I’ve decided to dissect it. I want… Read More
