Posts
Logistics and game design (and history)
"Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics" (Napoleon and many others). But commercial historical games rarely reflect logistics. Why and how.
Apr 15
21st century marketing: age of destinations not journeys
Another look at 21st century game marketing. It's the age of destinations, of bucket lists, not of enjoying the journey.
Apr 12
How much solo playtesting?
Some designers do not playtest their games solo, especially if tabletop. I think this is a serious mistake, here's why.
Apr 8
Three possible "hats" of game designers
Game designers don't do everything involved with making and marketing a game. What are some of the roles the designer might assume?
Apr 5
Surprise in games, especially tabletop
How to enable surprise in games, especially opposed games (which are usually tabletop games).
Apr 1 (not an April Fools)
Historical fiction
I don't read historical fiction much, but I thought some people might like to hear about some of my successes.
Mar 29
My take on abstract games
Just what it says. I'm not, usually, a fan, preferring models of some reality, though I have designed a few.
Mar 25, 2021
Could the Mongols have conquered Europe? NO
Bonus Monday. People enamored of maps and worship of warriors often think the Mongols could have conquered Europe. Not a chance. Here's why.
Mar 22, 2021
"Meeting expectations" in game ratings - a nonsense question to ask
In many cases, when people are asked to rate a video (or book, or game) they're asked if it met their expectations. This is nonsense. No author can be expected to meet another person's expectations.
Mar 18, 2021
History: Is history inevitable? Of course not.
This is important in game design, but important in general as well. This isn't about those who imagine a history that they like. It's about those who think history could only be one way, whereas in fact it's one of many possibilities, often not even the most likely.
Mar 15
Barbarians with Fire and Sword? - No
A long one this time. There's a tendency, perhaps encouraged by TV and film, to think that barbarians always came with fire and sword, raping and pillaging. Sometimes they did, but often they did not.
Mar 11, 2021
Modern game markets: The Age of Avoiding Responsibility
Game markets depend on the habits and preferences of potential buyers. I have a few videos about what appears to be the market. While this isn't a part of game *design* it's certainly important to game success.
Mar 8, 2021
Fundamental differences between board and card games
Just what it says. But it's an analysis of function, not form. Of course, designers need to pay attention to function much more than form.
Mar 4, 2021
How people react when thy learn the truth about game design
Over many years of teaching and making videos and online courses, I have occasionally encountered people who react negatively when someone tells them the truth about game design.
Mar 1, 2021
What play length to put on the box?
We all know that tabletop games take varying amounts of time, some more than others, depending on both the game and the players. So what time should you put on the game box?
Feb 25, 2021
