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The Board Game Design Lab - Podcast

The Board Game Design Lab

The Board Game Design Lab was created for one purpose: to help you design great games people love. To accomplish that goal, this podcast interviews designers, publishers, and board game insiders on specific topics related to game design. I don't waste time talking about recently played games or pop culture. Instead, the show does a deep dive into subjects that I hope you’ll find extremely valuable as you progress through your game design journey.

Games Hobbies Crafts Leisure
Update frequency
every 6 days
Average duration
41 minutes
Episodes
490
Years Active
2016 - 2025
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How to build a million dollar publishing company with Amy and Dusty Droz

How to build a million dollar publishing company with Amy and Dusty Droz

Amy and Dusty Droz join me to talk about how they’ve built an extremely profitable publishing business in a relatively short amount of time. We talk about tariffs, fulfillment, audience, budgeting, c…

01:38:00  |   Thu 20 Mar 2025
Game Design Trends for 2025 with Jamey Stegmaier

Game Design Trends for 2025 with Jamey Stegmaier

In this episode, Jamey Stegmaier and I chat about the various trends we’re seeing in the current game design landscape. We talk about solo and 2-player games, open worlds, licensed IPs, and more!

The…

00:45:24  |   Thu 20 Mar 2025
Game Marketing Made Simple with Andrew Lowen

Game Marketing Made Simple with Andrew Lowen

In this episode, I chat with Andrew Lowen, from Crowdfunding Nerds, about how to make people aware your game exists.

Also, be sure to check out Andrew’s crowdfunding marketing course, and if you sign…

01:29:51  |   Thu 20 Mar 2025
My new book will help you find the FUN

My new book will help you find the FUN

My game design book, Find the Fun, recently came out, and in this episode, I do a brief synopsis and give you the audio version of the first three chapters.

To check out Find the Fun on Amazon, go he…

02:49:07  |   Thu 20 Mar 2025
The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka

The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka

In this BGDL rewind from June of 2020, Corey Konieczka breaks down his entire design process.

Corey has several games ranked in the top 100 games of all time, and it was incredibly insightful to lear…

01:08:22  |   Mon 26 Feb 2024
How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave

How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave

In this BGDL rewind from May of 2019, Elizabeth Hargrave dives into all the ins and outs of designing an engine-building game. We chat about her personal design process and all the interesting obstac…

00:53:30  |   Mon 19 Feb 2024
How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek

How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek

In this BGDL rewind from April of 2020, Ignacy Trzewiczek, founder of Portal Games and designer of Robinson Crusoe, discusses his company’s motto: Games that tell stories.

We go in-depth into Ignacy’…

01:03:21  |   Sun 11 Feb 2024
Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi

Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi

In this BGDL rewind from December of 2020, I chat with Emerson Matsuuch about all the many ways a designer can use math to create better games. We talk spreadsheets, game balance, mathematical models…

01:12:56  |   Mon 29 Jan 2024
Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield

Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield

In this BGDL rewind from May of 2018, I chat with Richard Garfield about finding the right balance of luck vs skill when designing a game.

The post Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Ri…

01:02:18  |   Sun 21 Jan 2024
Your game design questions answered

Your game design questions answered

In this episode, I answer a bunch of questions that were submitted by BGDL community members!

The post Your game design questions answered appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

00:43:31  |   Sat 16 Dec 2023
How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg

How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg

In this episode, Joe Bragg, founder of the indie publishing company Meek Heroes Gaming, discusses the grassroots approach he’s taking to building his publishing company. We chat about why this approa…

00:59:59  |   Wed 29 Nov 2023
How to Boost Creativity and Avoid Tropes | Jason Perez

How to Boost Creativity and Avoid Tropes | Jason Perez

In this episode, Jason Perez and I chat about how designers can boost their creativity by thinking outside the box, pushing past tropes, and being more intentional about their thematic choices.

The p…

01:06:11  |   Tue 21 Nov 2023
Listen to this BEFORE you start an indie publishing company | John de Campos

Listen to this BEFORE you start an indie publishing company | John de Campos

In this episode, John de Campos, founder of Terrible Games, and I chat about the highs and lows of starting and running an indie publishing company in the board game industry.

The post Listen to this…

01:23:19  |   Tue 14 Nov 2023
Board Game Design Productivity Hacks with Gabe Barrett

Board Game Design Productivity Hacks with Gabe Barrett

In this episode, I break down some game design productivity hacks that have been helping me lately, and I’m specifically talking about a concept called “habit fields.”

This was a presentation I gave …

00:59:15  |   Thu 09 Nov 2023
Do this BEFORE designing a game | Leo Taylor

Do this BEFORE designing a game | Leo Taylor

In this episode, Leo Taylor, designer of games in the Risk, Clue, and D&D universes, breaks down his “key pillars of game design” as we chat through the many questions designers should think through …

01:19:51  |   Fri 03 Nov 2023
How to Make Money from Your Game Design Hobby with Joe Slack

How to Make Money from Your Game Design Hobby with Joe Slack

In this episode, Joe Slack and I talk about how we’ve both been able to piece together lots of different revenue streams in the gaming industry to be able to make a full-time living from game design.…

01:01:22  |   Wed 25 Oct 2023
Designing Games FOR and WITH Young Kids with Elan Lee

Designing Games FOR and WITH Young Kids with Elan Lee

In this episode, Elan Lee, the creator of Exploding Kittens, talks about his venture into creating games for small children. Elan has been designing the games alongside his four-year-old daughter, an…

01:08:43  |   Sat 21 Oct 2023
4 Amazing (and Useful) Examples of Board Game Design Theory with Geoff Engelstein

4 Amazing (and Useful) Examples of Board Game Design Theory with Geoff Engelstein

In this episode, Geoff Engelstein and I chat about design theory and break down Geoff’s favorite examples and how they relate to designing games.

Geoff’s book about loss aversion can be found here:

01:27:09  |   Fri 13 Oct 2023
Why You Should Create Print-n-Play Games with Jason Greeno

Why You Should Create Print-n-Play Games with Jason Greeno

In this episode, Jason Greeno and I chat about the current boom in the print-n-play side of the market, and we dive into how and why more designers should create printable versions of their games.

Yo…

00:53:22  |   Tue 03 Oct 2023
The Games Every Designer MUST Play with Pam Walls

The Games Every Designer MUST Play with Pam Walls

In this episode, Pam Walls and I chat about the games on our “must play” lists if you’re a game designer. And be sure to check out Pam’s awesome channel about game design here: https://www.youtube.co…

01:24:44  |   Thu 28 Sep 2023
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