Dice and More Dice – Part 2 – Modern Use of Ancient Shapes – How Plato Influenced Modern Role Playing Games
In Part 1 of this series we presented: The Traditional Role of Traitional (cubic, d6) Dice - - - Did you know that those DnD guys all started out at Berkeley? Well, they did. Or they may as well have. They really knew their math! So, when Gary Gygax and...
Dice and More Dice – Part 1 – The Traditional Role of Traditional (cubic, d6) Dice
When is the last time you played with children’s building blocks? (aka : Alphabet blocks) You know the kind. Capital “A” on one side, and lowercase “a” on the other. Capital “B” on a third side, and lowercase “b” on a fourth. A drawing of an Apple on a...
Two Cavemen Stopped at a Pub for Drinks … Introducing a New Series : Dice and More Dice
After a hard day’s work at the stone quarry, two cavemen (I think their names may have been Fred and Barney) stopped at a pub for drinks but neither of them had any money. And neither of them wanted to let on that their pockets were empty. So, being...
Crossing the 200 Square Foot Limit – Why You Need an Office and Why It Can’t Be Tiny
Anyone with half a brain knows you can’t build a boat in a basement. Right? And yet, it happens all the time. Well, maybe not always boats. But certainly, things as big as boats. And they’re not all built in basements either. Sometimes it’s an attic room...
Grease Monkey Meets Math Nerd – Where Little Game Mechanics Come From
Marla had worked at Joe’s Body Shop for just under a year when it happened, she met Dave, a grad student from Berkeley. He had hit a tree (just a little one) and bent his fender. She hammered it out. Then they dated, briefly, mostly at night after she got...
Getting Your Board Game Art Just Right – How to Make Your Characters Come to Life
Have you ever been right there – right at the point of having your artwork come to life? Sure you have, remember? You were working late at night and sitting atop your favorite stool with your favorite beverage just off to one side. You took a sip and...
Board Games For Kids – Are They Really Any Different Than Board Games For Adults?
The very best board games, some would say, are family board games (a.k.a. board games for kids). Those brand new board games that come out every year just before Christmas at, you guessed it, The Board Game Store. Right there at the mall between Penney’s...
Who Is Your Target Audience? Creating Games with a Specific Player in Mind
You may have heard this before but I'll say it again: People buy games. People with names and faces, homes and families. Real people, not abstract buyers. In fact, they're so real that they may just have a dog, and a mortgage, and a little one on the way....
The Big Green Monster – Dual Coding, Accessibility, and Inclusion in Board Game Design
Did you know that the very top lens in a standard US traffic signal is red? And that the lowest of the three lenses is green? The only man that I’ve ever truly known to be colorblind passed that little observation along to me. It was how he obeyed the...
Of Superman and Apple Sauce
In the beginning there was Superman, the human ideal, the Übermensch. Strong. Fast. Absolutely unassailable. A hero among men. And yet, he was just too good to be true. He couldn’t be wounded, never tired, and, well, he could fly. Who or what could defeat...
Game Sense, What It Is And Why You Need It
Game sense is the seemingly innate ability that some people have when it comes to game balance. They instinctively know what will work and what won't. What is too much and what is not enough. Maybe it’s a myth, but I've seen it with my own eyes. And I, for...
The Thrill Of Victory – Having What It Takes To Win
It’s the bottom of the ninth and your team is behind by two. The bases are loaded and you’re in the box. The count is 2 and 2 with 2 outs and Blazing Thomas has hit his stride. You’ll never get a piece of his fastball. Have you ever been right there? Right...
The Agony of Defeat – Taking a Loss in Stride
Remember when you were six and you got your first pair of hoop earrings? The ones with the colored glass beads that you really loved? Sure you do, you still have them tucked away in that box of treasures that traveled with you to high school and then on to...
Prototyping On The Cheap – How To Make A Board Game Using Recycled Materials
So you want to make a board game, good for you. But you only have a dollar. And that’s not so good. So what are you going to do? Give up? Sit down and cry? Go back to bed and pull the covers over your head? Never! You will fight back – never give up, never...
I’ve Got a Secret – 3 Times To Play Close To The Vest
At Conception – when your idea is still only half formed, During Incubation – while your dream is still wet behind the ears, and Whenever “PREMATURE REVELATION” flashes before your eyes in all caps. Let's take a look at each of these cases in turn: 1). Any...
If You Had To Do It All Over Again, Would You Really Wanna Start A Board Game Company?
Well, if your answer is any of the following, you just might: For heaven's sake, why? You bet your sweet bippy I would! In a heart beat. Not on your life! Uh … would I what? … maybe. I don't know. Right now I'm too tired to think. Oh my! What a mixed bag...
Been There, Done That: What NOT To Do When Prototyping Dice
Let's face it, dollar store dice are a dime a dozen and the temptation to use them is only natural. Why? Well, think about it, would you rather pay a dollar apiece (or sometimes a whole lot more) for custom dice? And if you did, what would you have? Dies...
Geek Speak 101: Board Game Math, A Historical Perspective
Do you remember the eighth grade? That cute blonde that sat right behind you but one row over? You know, the one with a brother already in high school and two sisters in junior high? Yeah, that one. Let's call her Virginia. Virginia saw you looking back at...
So, You Went and Lost All Your Marbles…
There you were, poised and ready, your old aggie on your thumb. The Thompson twins were there by your side rooting you on and across the circle was the enemy, Big Pete and his brother, Toothless Rufus. The score was about even. You’d knocked his red...
The 7 Tenets of Inspiration
In order to breathe life into your work you must follow the same guidelines as you would with physical breathing. Here’s a checklist for those of us that don’t consciously think about what we do when we breathe. Or, more to the point, what we might do when...