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April 2020 update: games in the time of coronavirus

I know, I know... where the hell have you been, Chris? This used to be a monthly thing, and it's fallen by the wayside... Let's pick it up again. The first few months of 2020 started off OK, got better, then coronavirus happened and shut everything down. So let's...

Book review: Characteristics of Games (George Skaff Elias, Richard Garfield, K. Robert Gutschera)

A "meticulous book about the design of games", this MIT-published textbook based on a college-level course makes the case that "games are valuable because are a fundamental form of human expression". The focus here is on "looking critically at games" and "as a...

November 2019 update: post-Essen, 18 card contests, and playtesting

Right under the wire here! After months of gearing up for Essen, it was nice to take a step back to a certain extent. I needed to spend some time updating my book Becoming a Digital Nomad. Where is Chris now? I'm in Kyiv (AKA Kiev), the Ukraine. Wait, you went to Kiev...

Game design 101: What if someone steals my idea?

Whether it's phrased: What if someone steals my idea? What if someone steals your idea? I don't want to talk about my idea, someone might steal it... The fear is the same. The reality is that an idea by itself is worthless — it's the execution of that idea that...

Essen 2019: a behind the scenes look at running a booth

For many folks, having a booth at the biggest board game convention is a perfect opportunity to get your game out there in the world. Having gone to Essen three times now, I was curious about the other side. What's it like to a run a booth? I talked to Paul Stapleton...

Essen 2019: lessons learned, trends noticed, and a post-mortem

I'm back from Essen... and there's a lot to unpack. I mean that in both the game designer way (lots to learn and share) and the physical way (I literally overpacked my bags and now have to slim down before the next move)... Whether you also attended Essen or are just...

My Ultimate Guide to Pitching at Conventions — or, What I’ve Learned After Several Hundred Pitches

Whether you're pitching at Essen or another convention, there's definitely a process. I hesitate to call myself an expert on this one, but my meeting schedule for this Essen is officially full. Actually, a little too full. That said, I've made more than a few of the...

Book review: Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: An Encyclopedia of Mechanisms

I’ve been meaning to review more of the books I’ve been reading behind the scenes. Since Building Blocks first came out in June 2019, I was initially hesitant to buy this book, not because of the authors or the subject, but because of the price tag — about $50...

September 2019 update: playtesting, pitching, and development

Yeah, yeah, I know — it's been a few months. This blog hasn't been as high of a priority as it should have been, and I'm sorry. Where is Chris now? As I type this, Halifax, Canada — in a few days, the Toronto area in Ontario. We'll be in Canada until it's time for...

June 2019: UKGE, moving around, and diving deeper into fewer games

So it turns out I missed a couple of update posts in April and May... eep! Yes, I'm still alive and well, just forgot about it is all... Been busy traveling since UKGE, what with the dragon almost eating me and all: Where is Chris now? I'm currently in Tallinn,...