Tabletop game design guides
Start with the card game guide if you have an idea and nothing else yet. The playtesting, prototype and cost guides cover the middle, and the Kickstarter pages cover getting it made.
How to make your own card game, step by step
From first idea to printed deck: how to design, prototype, test and produce your own card game, with the order to do things in.
How to playtest a board game (and get useful feedback)
How to run playtests that actually improve your game: solo testing, friends, blind playtests and online tests, plus the questions to ask afterward.
How much does it cost to make a board game?
What goes into the cost of producing a card or board game: printing, minimum orders, freight, fulfillment, fees and art, and how to set a retail price.
Playing card sizes and the sleeves that fit them
A chart of common card game sizes, from poker and bridge to mini Euro and tarot, how to measure your cards, and how to pick sleeves that fit.
Board game prototype supplies: what you actually need
The supplies for a board or card game prototype, from blank cards and sleeves to dice, cubes and card stock, plus software to make cards from a spreadsheet.
Social deduction and hidden-role games, explained
What social deduction and hidden-role games are, how they work, well-known examples, and what to get right if you're designing one.
Push-your-luck games, explained
How push-your-luck games work, classic examples like Can't Stop and Incan Gold, and how to design the stop-or-continue decision so it stays tense.
'I split, you choose' games, explained
How the split-and-choose (cake-cutting) mechanic works in games like Hanamikoji, San Marco and Divorce Simulator, and how to design with it.
Board game terms: a glossary for players and designers
Plain definitions of board game jargon, from meeple, worker placement and deck-building to playtest, MOQ, pledge manager and FLGS.
Crowdfunding your game
Board game Kickstarter mistakes that sink first campaigns
The mistakes that most often sink a first tabletop Kickstarter, from launching to nobody to art that looks homemade, with what to do instead.
Kickstarter mistake #1: not getting the word out
Why marketing before launch decides most tabletop Kickstarters, and a practical pre-launch plan for a small first campaign.
Kickstarter mistake #2: the art isn't good enough
Why art and page presentation decide most tabletop Kickstarters, how to test your art before launch, and where to spend a small art budget.