The Board Game Design Lab

Feb 26 2024 487 ep. 224
The Board Game Design Lab Podcast artwork

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.

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The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka

Feb 26 2024 68 mins  
In this BGDL rewind from June of 2020, Corey Konieczka breaks down his entire design process. Corey has several games ranked in the top 100 games of all time, and it was incredibly insightful to learn about how he brings a game to life. We chat about his path into the industry, his prototyping process,...

How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave

Feb 18 2024 53 mins  
In this BGDL rewind from May of 2019, Elizabeth Hargrave dives into all the ins and outs of designing an engine-building game. We chat about her personal design process and all the interesting obstacles she encountered when designing Wingspan. We also talk about how to layer concepts on top of each other, balancing winning strategies,...

How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek

Feb 11 2024 63 mins  
In this BGDL rewind from April of 2020, Ignacy Trzewiczek, founder of Portal Games and designer of Robinson Crusoe, discusses his company’s motto: Games that tell stories. We go in-depth into Ignacy’s design process, talk about his most popular games, and get to the heart of what it looks like to create games that have players leaving...

Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi

Jan 29 2024 72 mins  
In this BGDL rewind from December of 2020, I chat with Emerson Matsuuch about all the many ways a designer can use math to create better games. We talk spreadsheets, game balance, mathematical models, and more!

Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield

Jan 21 2024 62 mins  
In this BGDL rewind from May of 2018, I chat with Richard Garfield about finding the right balance of luck vs skill when designing a game.

Where the BGDL Is Headed in 2024

Jan 21 2024 7 mins  
In this update, I talk about 2024’s vision for the BGDL. And if you need help with your game, company, or upcoming crowdfunding campaign, and you think I might be able to help, please click HERE.

Your game design questions answered

Dec 16 2023 43 mins  
In this episode, I answer a bunch of questions that were submitted by BGDL community members!

How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg

Nov 29 2023 59 mins  
In this episode, Joe Bragg, founder of the indie publishing company Meek Heroes Gaming, discusses the grassroots approach he’s taking to building his publishing company. We chat about why this approach makes sense for a lot of people, the pros and cons of not using crowdfunding, how to build a community from the ground up,...

How to Boost Creativity and Avoid Tropes | Jason Perez

Nov 21 2023 66 mins  
In this episode, Jason Perez and I chat about how designers can boost their creativity by thinking outside the box, pushing past tropes, and being more intentional about their thematic choices.

Listen to this BEFORE you start an indie publishing company | John de Campos

Nov 14 2023 83 mins  
In this episode, John de Campos, founder of Terrible Games, and I chat about the highs and lows of starting and running an indie publishing company in the board game industry.