Chess Variants and Other Phantom Design Space
Mike Elliott is a game designer I met working at Wizards of the Coast. He was among the best designers for Magic and has designed many games himself; trading card games which include Duel Masters and...
View ArticleThe Kludge
Have you ever been playing a game and your opponent does something that you did not expect? Not something brilliant, since you might have expected that depending on your friends, but rather something...
View ArticleWho is “The Meepler”?
I received a visit today from Agent Taupe of the FBI (Fictitious Bureau of Investigations). It seemed that a game designer, who went by the handle “Buttersleeves”, had been murdered and they suspected...
View ArticleChainmail Bikinis
Even if you have not read any of my posts before and even if you have no idea who I am, there is no way that you visited this site, saw this title, and did not at least read a few lines to see what it...
View ArticlePlay It Again
I have said it before and I will say it again. Most game designers are avid gamers themselves. Many have game libraries that would keep you busy for weeks. Much to my wife’s dismay, my game collection...
View ArticleThe Man with the Plan
I often get told that I am a bit of a loner. I hear this every so often from my friends. I would probably hear it more often if I had more friends I guess, or maybe not. It is a conundrum that keeps me...
View ArticleJust Shut Up Already
Even though I argue a lot, I am not really known as being a talkative person. I mostly work alone these days, so I don’t have the pleasure of the back and forth conversations that you get when you work...
View ArticleSo You Want to be a Rock Star
Fancy cars, late night parties, gold necklaces. Who doesn’t want that life? However, you have your mind set on becoming a game designer. No worries. There is still hope. There are several paths to...
View ArticleThe Social Nutwork
I have a particularly addictive personality when it comes to computer games. When the Infocom games like Zork first came out, I spent hours on my Commodore 64 plugging away at them to solve their...
View ArticleWhat Makes a Design Team a Team?
Game design is an endeavor that becomes more fun and more effective with a team, yet good collaborative environments seem relatively rare. That’s unfortunate. I think approaching design as a team sport...
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