The Board Game Designer's Guide: The Easy 4 Step Process to Create Amazing Games That People Can't Stop Playing Kindle Edition

It's and okay book to get you started but this book really lacked any hardcore substance. For about 80 pages, this guide tells you to play a bunch of games and some tips to keep you motivated. The rest of the book gives some sources for game design, but most of it is just fluff and filler. This book could easily be turned into a 5 page outline. I was actually a little disappointed, especially since the forward is by a well known and favorite game designer. He basically mentions that he wished he had this book. I gave this book three stars because this guide does offer the very...very...very basics of getting started.This is the book in a nutshell:Stay motivatedPlay gamesMake a single gamePlay more gamesPlay your own gameStay motivatedPlay more gamesThink about publishing optionsETC.I'm sure other guides will provide better info.

I skimmed it in a few hours. Provided nice overview of the game development process, trade-offs of various commercialization approaches, encouragement to push your project to completion. What I would've liked to have seen more of are hard numbers and more research about commercialization:How many new games do publishers release each year? What is the cost structure of the industry- what percentage of MSRP goes to materials, the developer, the publisher? What is the material cost for a basic game set-up at a 500 unit printing (board, dice, cards, etc)? Aside from Amazon what are other self-published retail outlets/models? What are the costs of using Amazon vs. Ebay vs. other?These are all questions I wish Joe had tackled.

Wish it had contained more SPECIFIC ideas about generating a playable game.

Wow! I created a game and prototype last year and it’s still in the craft room! This book has so much packed value that I’m inspired to dust it off and start going at it again! I love the 4I Framework that he uses! I didn’t know of the other resources that are available. I had only looked into licensing but crowd funding and print on demand sound like some good options. The check list is helpful. Excellent resource for inspired geniuses. I love how the author also addresses mindset because that is 80% of the process!

My husband made a fantastic game and I was so excited when this book came out so he can read it!! This book covers everything from your game idea to how to make it to how to sell it. Thanks for such a thorough guide.

In my idea book I have several game ideas. I'd write out the rules and even sketch game boards but I never knew what to do next. After reading this book I feel confident I could make these game ideas or reality or at least know how to find out if they would be fun to play.

Not the greatest resource.

Interesting and comprehensive look at creating a board game. There was even practical advice for anyone working in any creative field. I know two little boys who would love this book and who I will be sharing it with.

Bought this and enjoyed reading it -- it's pretty basic in places, but it does have several chapters that are definitely well worth reading, and the resources are the back are also very helpful (even if the author missed a few he said he'd include in there!) If I have a criticism, it's against the very bold claim on the cover -- indeed, the '4-step-process' is never clearly defined or even specifically referred to other than in the Introduction, never mind the rest of the claim! In summary, it's a good read, and it's informative, but make sure you approach it with your eyes open: it's helpful and collects a lot of very useful information and advice into one package, but it's certainly not an easy, catch-all Amazing Games generator ;-)

In my mid twenties,( I am twice that now) I made a game as a project for college, showing how to run a business. It was called ' mind your own business.' It was played a few times by friends and colleagues then put in the loft and forgotten about. It has been lost now.Back in April 2020, I got to thinking that I needed a hobby, something to occupy my idle hands!! I remembered the fun I had making up a game, so I started thinking of game ideas. I was amazed at how many I thought of and needed to figure out a way of prioritising them. Hard work when you don't know what you're doing!I read this book and it has put things in order for me, especially finishing one game before starting on another.Thanks Joe, this as been a real help *****

As someone who loves playing board games, but has very little knowledge on the design, i found The Board Game Designer's Guide to be incredibly helpful. It is easy to understand, even for a layman. My favourite section was Designing and Playtesting Your Game. It is fascinating to see how it all comes together and i love how approachable everything is, finding out you can use simple items like playing cards, elastic bands and even parts from other games at this stage makes everything feel less daunting. Overall there is a ton of great information in this book, its a very good, informative read.

This guide has helped me with my board game design efforts. The author uses a fun voice and the advice was easy to follow but very valuable. I feel like it covered every aspect of what you need to think about when designing. As a beginner designer I would highly recommend this book, although I think more experienced designers might find it useful as well.

The Board Game Designer’s Guide is an excellent resource for anyone interested in creating a board game or curious about the design process behind board game development. Informed by both theory and experience, the author successfully breaks down the daunting task of board game creation into a concise, step-by-step process and does so in a manner that is friendly and accessible.Light and conversational, the book isn’t an instruction manual in board game design and doesn’t pretend to be. Advice, instruction, and tips are supplied with anecdotal passages of the author’s personal experience in the industry, making the book a valuable source of knowledge executed in a fashion that is helpfully human. Additionally, each section ends with a prompt of action, a useful means to summarize the section and direct the reader in applying what they’ve read.This is a book by someone who is passionate about board games and wants nothing more than to help more board games be created. If you have any interest in designing board games (or any tabletop game really), picking up this book will supply you with extremely valuable insight, guidance, and friendly warnings to help you avoid mistakes, understand the industry, and drive you toward making your ideas a reality.