The Massive 18OE: On the Rails of the Orient Express (2014)
Big in every way. Big table presence. Big wallet presence. Big wall presence (huh?) Big cognitive presence. Big player presence. Let’s go for a ride on 18OE!
Chris Scaffidi
Games with Unusual Table Layouts
Dear designers, consider this easy way to grab attention: don’t mindlessly emulate the Monopoly layout, with a board and a few rows of other components nearby.
Objectively Investigating Investment in Objective Cards
I observe that publishers rarely invest much in art for objective cards, and I see a few justifications for this choice. There are, of course, exceptions.
Horror, Sex and Puns: The Humor of Munchkin
Get those players laughing. How? Push the boundaries. Which boundaries? How far? In what directions? Munchkin illustrates a few angles to approach the issue.
The Making of an Amazing Tabletop-Game Box: An Age Contrived
An Age Contrived illustrates the journey of a tabletop game’s primary box illustration, including some challenges along the way.
On AI-Generated Art and Humans’ Competitive Advantage
Will the game industry will replace human artists with AI artists? I put my computer scientist cap on to explore where humans have a competitive advantage.
Furthering Table Presence with Funny Flavor Text
Flavor text can trigger laughter. And when I hear a bunch of gamers laughing at the local pizza parlor, I wonder: What are they playing? And WHY is it so funny?
Fresh, Engaging, Fun, and Interactive: Scenario Booklets as a Tool for Keeping a Game Interesting
Scenarios keep a game fresh–and the Kickstarter campaign just unlocked scenarios for Gnomadic Gardeners. Here’s a quick look at three other games present scenarios.
Acknowledging Excellent Advice About Crowdfunding
The launch of Gnomadic Gardeners creates an occasion to acknowledge excellent advice of colleagues–and to draw attention to these people. Thanks to you all!
The ‘Best’ Ways to Represent Tech Tracks
Visualizing a tech track/tree is easier said than done. You must make the mechanic learnable, flexible, and replayable, all while maintaining player agency.