Learn how to play ! 🧐🧐 The Ayar rulebook is now available on the game's @boardgamegeek.com page and our website gaming resources page: https://bit.ly/4miX3YE Get a head start before release and demos @spielessen.bsky.social next month... October 16th UK / 14th US: https://bit.ly/4oFvT0y

Ayar photos are on @boardgamegeek.com! Get a sneak peek at the eurogame from the creators of Merv and Sankoré ahead of release @flopiano.bsky.social @mandelafg.bsky.social @ianotoole.bsky.social 📸 boardgameshots // 16th October UK // 14th October US // https://bit.ly/4n7je5c

I've been talking to Matthew Dunstan about building and maintaining relationships with publishers. We discuss: 📬 Making first contact 🔁 Balancing persistence & pressure 💬 Positive publisher experiences 🧩 When publisher ties still matter in self-publishing thegamedesignroundtable.com/episode/btc-...

In our hot new eurogame Ayar you'll balance different minigames with their own rules & benefits as your player clan learns the essentials of Incan life... 🌾Farming ⚱️Pottery 🧵Weaving 🛶Reed bundling OCTOBER: https://bit.ly/4oFvT0y @flopiano.bsky.social @mandelafg.bsky.social @ianotoole.bsky.social

Here's your first peek at the beautiful meeples from our hot new eurogame Ayar! In the game you'll be playing as the first clans of the Inca following in the Ayar's footsteps & influencing their journeys... OCT: https://bit.ly/4oFvT0y 📸 boardgameshots @flopiano.bsky.social @mandelafg.bsky.social

Tonight we are mostly following Incan demi-gods around, in Ayar: Children of the Sun.

Some last minute prototyping 🎲✂️ on my way to @manorcon.bsky.social. Will be my first time. Look forward to demoing Ayar, hopefully some playtesting, and lots of playing new games. Feel free to stop me if you fancy some playtesting.

Great turnout for the London weekend Playtest meetup last Sunday. 3 full tables of prototypes across 3+ sessions. From pandas to pirate mutinies to the Zodiac to epic snail adventures. The creativity is always astounding. Search out your local friendly Playtest meetup here: www.meetup.com/Playtest

This campaign is from a former mentee of mine, Bruno Ligouri Sia. It was great to guide him through those first steps to published design and now see one of his games, about his homeland, with such lavish and vibrant production. www.kickstarter.com/projects/mar...

Today's video is about 10 common ways to improve your game design, things I find myself giving as playtesting feedback again and again :) youtu.be/px1sdjwL-z4 🎲✂️

Elation for some and consternation for others as another Ayar retires and is reunited with his partner. @ospreygames.bsky.social @flopiano.bsky.social @ianotoole.bsky.social

Received 'Brilliant Bugs' insect cards from Quarto/Kaddo. I was a consultant entomologist for these. A fun wee job where I got to choose some cool insects for the game, did some fact checking, and text wrote for the accompanying booklet. It came out very nicely.

A new episode of Behind the Cardboard landed last week - I'm late to share it. In the show I talk to my co-designer @mandelafg.bsky.social about co-designing! We cover the benefits & process of co-design, co-design challenges and how to get a co-designer. thegamedesignroundtable.com/episode/btc-...

In this week's video, I take a look back at the steps that led to me becoming a full time game designer, starting some 15 years ago! youtu.be/Q0-5qr6lhfc 🎲 ✂️

Some nice insight, with numbers, into 11 years of design from a great ambassador of the UK design community.

If you're interested in hearing some thoughts and tips 🎲✂️ from me and @thedarkimp.bsky.social about co-designing, please have a listen here as I was treated to be being a guest on her excellent podcast series: thegamedesignroundtable.com/episode/btc-...

Wonderful day spent playtesting and sketching out new design ideas with @thedarkimp.bsky.social in the delightful Wellcome reading rooms. 3 new games to prototype, 3 cleaned up for pitching/playtesting. 🎲✂️

I designed a game called Adventures in Friskies World for Purina. It's not often that you get flown across the Atlantic for a launch event... complete with visiting cats, crazy well-know influencers and life-size game components, or that your game gets an article in Cosmopolitan. Quite surreal.

Jane observation after a playtest 🎲✂️ session: "Sometimes all the designers seem too focussed on 'designing' the game and forget that it should be fun"

I'll be at AireCon tomorrow and through the weekend. Don't know who is all going but will be nice to see some folks. Will of course be carrying some prototypes 🎲✂️ (pictured) if anyone wants to test let me know. Always happy to playtest others' games. Maybe even play some 'real' games.

Cutting about London carrying Torres and walked past someone clutching a copy of Carcassonne. Gave each other a mildly confused look then the slight nod of acknowledgement.

I think you're much more likely to design good games from having a wide experience of existing games but there is a very high risk approach of ignoring everything and in very rare cases this leads to outstanding and highly novel games.

Steak and ale suet pudding with a spot of playtesting. I suggested pausing when food arrived but the request to play on feels like a good sign. Clear improvement on the game with a new mechanism which means the more conservative your play, the more your opponent is rewarded.

Playtest bookings are now open for UK Games Expo, as well as a call for volunteers (organised by @playtestuk.bsky.social). Have a look here... playtest-london.blogspot.com/2025/02/regi... 🎲✂️

Day off work for a bit of fun travel and time for a wee playtest over a coffee break. Have had this wee racing game for a while. Think this was the worst play of it so far...but also feel it sparked some solid good ideas that could give it life. Look forward to changing and testing.

I'm excited to announce that I have a new podcast series called Behind the Cardboard, under the banner of The Game Design Round Table. Episodes will be going out every other week on TGDRT feed. In each episode I speak to a guest about the business & practicalities of being a board game designer.

What a pleasant surprise and honour to see Sankoré nominated for a Cannes As D'Or. Seems we did well @flopiano.bsky.social @ospreygames.bsky.social @ianotoole.bsky.social and SuperMeeple for the VF.

We're so proud that our game Sankoré made the final shortlist for the @expert-game-award.bsky.social 2024: bit.ly/4gjIwbY A huge congratulations to the whole team behind the game, especially @flopiano.bsky.social, @mandelafg.bsky.social & @ianotoole.bsky.social 👏👏

Fabio @flopiano.bsky.social and I have just signed a contract for a new game. Always a thrill to sign but also a wee bit special: when I started designing games I made a wish list of dream publishers. The goal, which seemed lofty at the time, was 1 off the list. With this signing that is the 3/6.

Here are all of our 2025 board games in one place for the first time! We can't wait to share them with you... 🐻Katmai 💥Line of Fire: Burnt Moon 🕯️Ofrenda ⚔️General Orders: Sengoku Jidai ☀️Ayar Read more: bit.ly/4h0SNLm Join our newsletter: bit.ly/3MEQbVT

For the first time in a long time, it's Gloomhaven day. Last session was 2022.

Just finished the first day of my new Saturday job on this bright and frosty day - teaching game design to young people. Fun and fulfilling. It's in Kew Gardens so additional bonus of this view from the classroom

A random mix of some of my favourite new-to-me media I enjoyed in 2024: Board games: Ra, Underwater Cities, Nova Era, Saltfjord Films: Dune 2, Anatomy of a Fall, The Menu TV shows: Smoggie Queens, Dopesick, Baby Reindeer ...

Tonight we are mostly increasing the prestige of Timbuktu University in the 14th Century (in Sankore, one of our fave games of the year).

I'm always interested in seeing what @adaminwales.bsky.social has to say so was absolutely chuffed to feature in his 'Designer Spotlight' for 2025 along with @thedarkimp.bsky.social. youtu.be/KEtCGhCXy3g?...

Good bit of prototype making at the weekend. Most demanding prototype I've ever made. 🎲✂️

Track down Fabio at PAXU if you want to check out one of our latest co-designs.

Optimist: The cup is half full Pessimist: The cup is half empty Kickstarter: Unlock stretch goals to get full cup

🎲✂️ Sitting down to work on the next map and characters for our upcoming Postmark Games release - 52 Realms Adventures. I thought it might be interesting to some to chat a bit about how I approach designing new content for games as I have for Snowdonia, Voyages, Waypoints and others. (1/10)

Today will be the day I write that rulebook. 🎲✂️

A very pleasant morning doing my messages, eating pizza, watching a film, and laying out the framework for a new game with @thedarkimp.bsky.social . Who knows if the game will work or be good but it's already been fun talking it through. Now for basketball then maybe tackling some rule writing.

Really appreciate this wee pouch in backpack straps for smuggling prototypes.

Ooh. Looks like the cover to my next game with Fabio has been released. This one is coming from @ospreygames.bsky.social in 2025.

Very interesting video on game design as optimising a search. Although focusing on video games, I think everything is relevant for board games too.

For anyone curious to know a bit more about our game Sankoré and the process behind its creation, the design diary is now up on BGG (link in comments).

Had a new game idea. Sure it will work exactly as expected.

Played some very good games at SPIEL but particular stand-outs for me this year were the crunchy and combo-tastic Windmill Valley (next year release for Board&Dice from Dani Garcia) and the raucous and delightful Prey Another Day from Brett Gilbert and @matthewdunstan.bsky.social.

Had a great time demoing Sankoré in Essen. Sign-ups filled fast and unfortunate we couldn't have more slots but was great to get to show it to at least some folks and see people really getting into it. Thanks all that stopped by.