Board Game Design Resources

Websites I've found to be useful (Last updated October 2024)

Games I'm working on...

Dean's Brain Games

Written Blogs

Great commentary on board game design

Stonemaier Games Blog (Jamey Stegmaier) - updated weekly
Dark Imp Blog (Ellie Dix) - updated monthly
The Board Game Design Course (Joe Slack) - updated weekly
GameTek (Geoff Engelstein) - updated monthly
Pink Hawk Games (Emily Vincent) - updated monthly
daniel.games Board Game Design Articles by Daniel Piechnick - Updated for 2024
ShippBoard Games (Sarah Shipp) - hasn't been updated in a while
Telling the story behind the art in board games - no longer updated
Posts on Board Game Graphic Design and Art Direction


Audio Blogs

Great commentary and discussion on board game design

Ludology (Various hosts over the years) - Complete list - Start at the beginning for the best design tips - Highly recommended!
Biography of a Board Game segment list (Scott Rogers) | Archive List | Professor Game Podcast
Fun Problems (A.J. Brandon and Peter C. Hayward)
Boardgames To Go (Mark Johnson)
The Who, What, Why? Game Design Podcast (Mike Bonet)
On Board Games (Various Hosts)
Flip the Table Playing bad games so you don't have to!
Board Games Insider a weekly podcast hosted by 3 game industry veterans
The Game Design Round Table


Video Blogs

Great commentary and discussion on board game design

Board Game Design Lab - Gabe has stopped creating new episodes, but there is an incredible list of episodes to watch
Pam Walls Game Design Great insight into the full time designer life
Adam in Wales - Be sure to watch the recent game mechanic videos and designer do's and don'ts
Gaming with Edo - Lots of insights for self publishers and designers
Stonemaier Games - The most open insight into a publisher/designer
Board Game Binge - Bite sized interviews with designers/publishers
Joe Slack Instagram
James Ernest
Off the Page Games - How to Start a Board Game Company
Crowdfunding Nerds Episodes
Hidden Role Podcast
Game Developers Conference (Mainly focused on video cards, but search for board or tapletop games to find relevant topics)









Prototyping

Various Tools and Tips

Dollar store for containers, paper and random parts from the craft isle (and sometimes inspiration!)
Paper Cutters
Mat Board - get it from the leftovers of a framing shop, sometimes free
Full page Avery stickers - for printing in full colour (laser or inkjet) and then cutting into smaller shapes
Cardmaker - free, but a learning curve
Card Creator
Playing card templates for Photoshop or Illustrator

Adobe Color | Accessibility tools
Component Studio
McDie
nanDECK
Board Game Materials
Dextruous Make cards, tiles and tokens

TTGDA Resource List

Game Idea Generator