BOARD GAME DESIGN ARTICLES by DANIEL PIECHNICK

UPDATED FOR 2025

  1. Start Here
  2. Turn Structure
  3. I Thought I Was Good
  4. The Depth:Complexity Ratio
  5. The Core
  6. Relatability
  7. Big Moves
  8. Chances of Getting Published
  9. Balance
  10. Calculation vs. Intuition
  11. Make Lots of Games
  12. The Publication Process
  13. Designing Mechanics-First
  14. Enjoyment or Success
  15. Icons
  16. Game Weight
  17. Ramps
  18. Interlinking
  19. Work
  20. Tension
  21. Feedback
  22. Beginning a New Design
  23. Game Length
  24. Designing Your First Game
  25. Player Interaction
  26. Information Overload
  27. Kickstarter vs. Publisher
  28. Feelbad Situations
  29. Theme
  30. It Has to Be That Way
  31. Copyright
  32. the Simplest Way
  33. Your Game is Not Done
  34. Awesome Things
  35. Who Goes First?
  36. The Rite of Passage
  37. The Work of Game Design
  38. Proposing Your Game
  39. Who Wins?
  40. Politics
  41. Replayability
  42. Long-Term Strategy
  43. Catch-Up Mechanics
  44. Gatekeepers and Control
  45. Naming Your Game
  46. Pace
  47. Types of Fun
  48. Polishing
  49. Accumulation
  50. The Story of Radlands
  51. General Benefit
  52. Player Count
  53. Turning a Theme Into a Game
  54. Your "Magic" Knockoff Sucks
  55. Reducing Complexity
  56. Miscellaneous Advice
  57. Changing Your Game
  58. Randomness
  59. Getting Playtesters
  60. Terminology
  61. Resources
  62. Choices
  63. What Do Publishers Want?
  64. Promotion & Demotion
  65. Spatial Systems
  66. Playtesting
  67. Your Combat Game Sucks
  68. Killing Games
  69. Players Must Enjoy Their First Game
  70. Spare Us Your Trash
  71. Making Sure the Game Ends
  72. Component Limitations
  73. Doing Work Beyond the Game
  74. Your Baby is Ugly
  75. Resurrecting Old Projects
  76. Card Design
  77. Reflections on a Career
  78. Scaling
  79. Working With a Publisher
  80. Writing a Rulebook
  81. Deck Design
  82. Aesthetic Patterns in Design
  83. Motivation and Quitting Game Design
  84. The Story of daniel.games
  85. The End


 

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Radlands official site at Roxley. You can buy Radlands there.

Radlands listing at BoardGameGeek.


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