Explore how board game ideas grow from theme, mechanics, or message, and learn how a clear creative focus shapes better game design. If you ask any creative person what question they get most often, this one will surely be in the top three: Where do your ideas come from? The…

A veteran’s lighthearted guide to surviving – and thriving – at the world’s biggest board game fair Introduction: Why Preparation Matters If you’ve never been to Essen Spiel, let me paint you a picture. Imagine tens of thousands of board gamers, publishers, and content creators converging on a sprawling labyrinth…

A behind-the-scenes look at Essen SPIEL from a publisher’s view: pitches, demos, deals, and the energy that powers the biggest board game fair in the world. Essen SPIEL is the world’s largest public board game fair, held every October in Essen, Germany, at Messe Essen. Over four packed days (Thursday…

So, you just developed a meaty eurogame, and it’s really good. It’s balanced, fun, looks great… and now comes the hard part: explaining it. You sit down to write the manual. At first, it feels fine, the rules aren’t even that long. But when people start reading it, everything goes…

It’s been almost exactly ten years since I pitched my first board game to a publisher. Back then, I had no idea how much skill went into crafting a strong board game pitch. I remember the scout responsible for evaluating pitches sitting down across from me, and how those ten-or-so…

Ever wondered how players instantly know what a symbol means in a complex board game? That’s the power of iconography! But what makes iconography essential in board game design? In this blog post, I will take a look at how symbols improve UX, simplify rules, and broaden international reach with…

Alongside several members of Mindclash Games, I’ve been giving lectures and running workshops on game design, development, and publishing over the past few years. We’ve had many classes pass through our hands, and every single time – independently of one another – the same question arises from students: “How did…

In today’s post, I want to share some of the key lessons we’ve learned over our ten years and twelve completed crowdfunding campaigns, primarily from the perspective of a small board game publisher. The crowdfunding landscape has changed dramatically in that time, and we’ve had to evolve alongside it. This…