Amigo Games’ chief operating officer discusses the true goal of pitching a publisher, a method for demoing games at conventions, marketing new versions of old games, and more (audio):

https://justingarydesign.substack.com/p/alex-yeager-mastering-game-pitches

The most important skills for board game designers to have—a Twitter game design discussion:

https://x.com/AD_BoardGames/status/1844026650528510329

A game designer’s guide to board game conventions and trade shows:

https://www.thedarkimp.com/blog/2024/10/12/a-designers-guide-to-board-game-conventions-and-trade-shows/

An overview of hidden traitor and semi-cooperative game mechanisms:

https://www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/hidden-traitor

A conversation covering some basic principles of graphic design for board games (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4-uTkIRmfE

You can’t really know when a game will be a hit—but you can do a lot of things to increase its chances:

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/166200/hit-board-games

The different types of board game designers, from hobbyists to professionals—and everything in between:

https://shippboardgames.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-hobby-professional.html

Designing for depth: how depth works in games and some surprising risks of designing deep games:

https://www.underdoggames.com/a/blog/how-much-should-we-focus-on-depth-1

10 observations about board game customers and what they’re looking for:

https://stonemaiergames.com/10-unexpected-things-about-tabletop-customers-i-learned-after-starting-stonemaier-games/

Pros and cons of victory points (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fssYt8nFvk

Good examples of tutorials, learning scenarios, and built-in how-to-plays in board game rulebooks—a Bluesky game design discussion:

https://bsky.app/profile/emmalarkins.bsky.social/post/3l4wjv6l2532y

Crisis management games: examples of tabletop games that surround players with threats, plus a look at how they work and escalate tension, and design pitfalls to watch out for:

https://www.skeletoncodemachine.com/p/crisis-management

Some need-to-knows when you license a tabletop game to a publisher (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJOnaErxig0

Aside from identifying your game’s target audience, here’s why you should also know who it isn’t for:

https://shippboardgames.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-unintended-audience.html

The colors of game design: a framework for how games work and a tool to help with game development:

https://uxdesign.cc/colors-of-game-design-9413d81e93a

Lots of tips for better board game prototyping: material hacks, software, workflows, and more:

https://www.whatifgames.co.uk/boost-your-board-game-prototyping-with-these-expert-tips/

An exploration of various tessellating shapes and how they might inspire us to create new games:

https://www.thedarkimp.com/blog/2024/09/18/tiles-tracks-and-tessellations/

Data on how board game publishers engage with reviewers:

https://stonemaiergames.com/publishers-approach-to-tabletop-reviews/

Some of the different types of work that gets done behind the scenes in the tabletop industry, and how those roles contribute to making a game (audio):

https://unboxedboardgamepodcast.podbean.com/e/s2e1-celebrating-industry-roles/

Two paths for indie board game publishers—handmade copies vs. fully manufactured—and the pros and cons of each:

https://www.whatifgames.co.uk/tabletop-game-manufacturing-routes-a-conversation-with-nikita-from-atikin-games/