Lost Cities, panoramic card art
I didn't think that borders were the answer to my problem with taking Abydos from a print-and-play game to a manufactured game. Then I saw this (the game is Lost Cities and this photo was spotted in the wilds of Facebook). Testing revised graphics for Abydos today. Wish me luck!
Fur, Feathers & Fun Game Design Contest closes April 18! Submit your game now before the deadline! www.thegamecrafter.com/contests/fur-feathers-fu... Need help? Check help.thegamecrafter.com/article/503-how-to-enter...
You need more cats in your life.
Mostly got it done. I have a few more opportunity cards to build but more time means I have time to build in more flair.
Yes. The flames light up. 🔥
The Deluxe Edition includes LED fire tokens that bring the wildfire to life on your table.
When the forest glows… the tension rises. 🔥
Follow Now: firesidegames.com/pages/hotsho...
Updated with new posts over the past several months - if you've been meaning to bookmark resources on all things #gamedesign, I've put my best posts on a single page and categorized them:
entrogames.substack.com/p/my-best-po...
#gamedesignresources #designresources #makeagame #organized
What are some of the most unusual components you have used in a prototype? A Reddit board game designers forum discussion
All the world's a game table, And those around it merely players; They have their critical hits and misses; And one group in their time tells many tales, Though more remain untold. The first character Chosen at a whim, paper-thin and doomed, Steps aside for a proper heroine; Brimming with backstory, ablaze with Potential; but her campaign is cut short. The player, alone, seeks solace in rules; Builds someone unstoppable, optimal, Unplayed. This mighty adventurer lives And dies in the player's dreams, character sheet Pristine, never used in a single scene. But then, a call: there's a new game to play. Five friends gather together fortnightly. A new hero lives and loves and levels; Wise and dextrous, strong and bright. At last The campaign ends in glory! What comes next? A long rest, a fresh start. Then the friends try New journeys, a new party, for a time: A princess, a warlock, a paladin, A bard. But scheduling is hard. Game nights Slain by the deadliest of dragons: Time. It demands one last sacrifice, a toll; Someone to run every role, every roll. A servant served up on the altar of fun; The master of games, but player of none.
In "All the World's a Stage," Shakespeare describes the different roles a person plays over the course of their life, until we reach the inevitable end.
Reading it, I couldn't help but think about role playing games the different characters we play. So I ended up writing this... 😁
If your game can surprise players, it will stick with them more. Here are some ways of surprising your players
boardgamedesigncourse.com/surprise-you...
Shelves holding all 20 Cardboard Edison Award finalists.
Judging has begun! Here are the prototypes for all 20 finalists in the 2026 Cardboard Edison Award! Details about all of them are available at cardboardedison.com/award
Did a fun little interview, but really also an excuse to pass around a Google Doc between a dozen people to crowdsource the answers.
Also did not realize I had the wrong company shirt in this photo.
Fantasy Flight puts an end to Descent: Legends in the Dark due to it costing too much to make.
www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2026...
This stunning pyritized ammonite from the Jurassic period showcases nature's artistry as minerals transform organic material into golden relics. A true marvel of paleontology.
Bouncing back and forth between BGG and Game Crafter, I need the BGG pages for my games up and running and my shop pages too. Hoping to have everything pretty and functional by mid-April.
StrongHolds prototype: just a big ol’ brick of stickered magnetic tiles.
Cardboard Edison Award finalist StrongHolds by Nelson de Castro has arrived! These stickered magnetic tiles will be used to build and knock down castles!
Lovely artist diary for Sanibel over on @boardgamebeat.bsky.social. It was such a delight to see this game come together!
The letters C, M, O and N on a purple Background inside a yellow square, surrounded by more purple. The logo for board game publisher CMON.
CMON eyes crowdfunding return after annual losses spiral to almost $20m:
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
Pam Walls discusses all 20 of this year's Cardboard Edison Award finalists!
And you can see the full videos at cardboardedison.com/award
New post! Trying to keep up with something as extensive as the board game industry is basically impossible even for those that spend most of their day around board games... So where can you keep up with what's happening?
#boardgames #boardgamenews #gamenews
open.substack.com/pub/entrogam...
If your game has reached the point where you’re thinking about its form (as in ‘should these be tiles or cards?’), my newest post is worth your read: entrogames.substack.com/p/how-to-mak...
#boardgames #manufacturing #makeagame
An orange tabby cat lying on a floor with sunlight creating a charging icon pattern on its back. Transcribed Text: Bro is fully charged 😂
Wednesday
Leylines and elemental magic on a keystone.
How would you produce a game where 9 cards/tiles form 1 image that flips to another image (on the backs) during gameplay? As a PNP, it was manageable. But drift is a real problem now that I'm trying to use The Game Crafter. Advice? The game is Charge the Circle and the front image is shown below.
BoardGameGeek is hosting an auction to raise donations for the The Jack Vasel Memorial Fund, a non-profit formed in memory of Tom Vasel's son. The foundation supports gaming families who are experiencing a time of hardship. bit.ly/jvmfa2026
The next Ravensburger Game Inventor Days pitching event on April 23-24 will focus on children’s games www.ravensburger.de/de-CH/entdec...
(or a game)
The words Print & Play in white with black border, with a stylised illustration of the letter P apparently made out of blue, yellow, red and green paper between Print and &. In small grey letters underneath are the words An AdMagic Company. Logo for AdMagic print on demand, prototype and print and play division Print and Play.
GAMA EXPO in large letters in a brown conference centre, GAMA is in white and the E, X, P and O are in red, orange, green and blue respectively.
The logo for OffDutyNinja, left, and Game Brands, right, with their names underneath in white and red/white text respectively. The OffDutyNinja logo is an orange ninja star inside an octagon outline, while Game Brands's logo is a red dragon head facing right. Underneath all this is the text Game Brands Acquires OffDutyNinja.
Head and shoulders photos of two men. The one on the left has a ginger beard and wears a red-brown hat, brown t-shirt and black, grey and white checked shirt. He is against a rich brown background. The one on the right has short dark hair, a short goatee beard and moustache, and is wearing a blue zip-up fleece. Multicoloured small meeples are scattered in the air around him. He is on a grey-white background. Ryan Schoon, left, and Mark Burke, right, the new marketing manager and operations manager respectively for board game publisher GameHead.
AdMagic makes ‘difficult and sad’ decision to shut down Print and Play after financial strain from division became ‘overwhelming’
Catch up on this and all the other essential board game industry news in the latest BoardGameWire newsletter, plus jobs, designer advice:
buttondown.com/boardgamewir...
I don't think about whether I'm being "good" or "bad" at game design. Instead., I try to enjoy myself and communicate that delight to the player. Let yourself have fun and just screw around with your designs. Pursue interesting rabbitholes. Get nerdy about dice probabilities if you want. Chase joy.
