5 tips for pitching your board game to publishers—and step-by-step instructions for 10 of them

If you asked to be emailed about the 2026 UTMP Session, you're about to get an email! https://f.mtr.cool/xuagntkcev

Prototyping hex tiles is still the Worst Thing Ever. But on the bright side, I accidentally made dozens of triangle tokens?

I just stickered 216 stickers for a prototype! 😵‍💫

The nomination period for the Diana Jones Award Emerging Designer Program is open! See our website for details. You can nominate yourself or any worthy tabletop game designers in their first three years of publishing. Nominations close March 16. Spread the word! Thanks! www.dianajonesaward.org

Shopping for small square sticker labels in a variety of colors, and I run across this sheet of labels designed by a serial killer, apparently

I hope Unpub will be ready for my highly chaotic, frenetic, role-switching cooperative game :)

If you're like me, and tortilla chips are primarily a salsa delivery mechanism, what is your favorite thing to do with the useless fractional shards at the bottom of the bag?

Just saw that Alan R Moon will be executive producer on the Ticket to Ride movie that Netflix is working on. Good to know they're serious about being accurate to the source material.

New comic! Be honest… are you the one who rotates just the box lid or also makes sure the rulebook is rotated correctly? 👀 📜 You can read this week's blog post at: www.semicoop.com/comic/best-orientation/ #boardgames

In today's video I go over what I earnt as a full time game designer in 2025, comparing my income over the past few years and how it varies from game to game. My aim has always been to increase transparency in the industry and help newer designers with what to expect. youtu.be/avLL2siSmyc 🎲✂️

The latest additions to the GDofNC library are Bullseye by Grace Kendall and Mike Belsole, and VNTYPL8S by @stoichamster.bsky.social! Both published by @25thcentury.games.

Chipotle Cashier (pointing at my GDofNC hoodie): Oh! You're a software engineer? Me: No, I design board games. Cashier: Oh. Well.. You'll get there! Everybody's gotta start somewhere.

Tantrum Con gets better every year and continues to punch well above its weight class in bringing in publishers and industry notables. Had an amazingly fun and inspiring time!

First day of TantrumCon is in the books!

Cooking up something brand new with @boardgameghee.bsky.social, currently codenamed A Season for Paws 🐾

It was below freezing, and there's an ice storm headed for us later today, but Raleigh still showed up for the Walk for Peace!

Latest additions to the GDofNC library! Squirrel Away, designed by group member @stoichamster.bsky.social and published by @floodgategames.bsky.social, and Off With Their Heads, designed by group member @mihealsick.bsky.social and published by @druidcitygames.bsky.social.

Today I learned REI has a very very small board game section

This is the most effort I’ve put into a prototype in a long time.

Just got this text from a friend that was playing A Message From the Stars tonight. 😂😂😂

GDofNC are hosting Playtesting 4 Prizes at Whose Turn today. 5 tables, 10 designers, and 18 prototype designs!

Solo test of the gem game. Modified the rules to be able to create chains of the same color gem more easily. I think it worked!

"Game I Was Most Surprised By This Year" "[Squirrel Away] is wonderfully stupid in all of the best ways." I'll take it! 😁

Merchants of Magic, a classic and one of my favorite Roll n Writes! Art and Graphics still stun my insides it's so lovely! Rock Manor Games has a gem on their hands, plus I love anything that @stoichamster.bsky.social designs! 6🪨's/ 8 gingerbread🏚️'s

Made myself get a brand new design to the table tonight - codenamed "Stupid Gem Game". It's still super raw, but there might be something interesting in there!

Here's a look back at my game design journey in 2025. Happy new year!

It's time for a 2025 Retrospective on my board game design journey! Read along for some insight (including some detailed numbers) into a semi-professional who makes money from design, but not quite enough to be a full-time job that supports a family. 🧵

I've never tracked my time on my own original designs, but I love seeing this kind of data. So, I may have just made a new years resolution...

This game may not be for everyone, but you can't fake the joy that I see from literally everyone that plays this game. It's a testament to the work that @coinflip.games & I have done over the years, breaking the mold of what games can accomplish! Q1, 2026 on KS y'all. Check us out⤵️⤵️ bit.ly/3XXLWdU

Marcus has designed a game (Worker Replacement) that looks super-fun, and I want to buy it just from these pictures

Coffee time this morning with my new mug from friends Grace and Mike who recently opened up the Tabletop Inn in North Carolina. Charming home with more games than you could possibly need. And the most welcoming hosts possible.

Tasso Banana is on sale for the bananas price of $5 at the @25thcentury.games store. So I'm taking a moment to say why I love this underrated gem. If you're like me you see this cover and think "oh! cute bananas... I guess?" You can't really understand what's going on, and aren't sure if you care. 🧵

Beasts featured on The Game Boy Geek's Top 10 Co-op Games of 2025! youtu.be/RzGtp7w8Aso?...

So excited to see Candice back and doing new things in board games!

I had 6 bananas in my online grocery order and they gave me 6 bunches of bananas. I need your best banana recipes. Go!

Squirrel Away design diary is live on BGG! Read about how magic and impractical game components inspired me to design a sleight-of-hand game! boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogp...

TerreDice is calling VNTYPL8S their party game of the year! Squirrel Away and Flintlock (a game I helped dev) also get some love! youtu.be/-YhT1QPT_Wo?...

Squirrel Away is on the Holiday Must-Play list from Board Game Gumbo!

It's release week for Beasts! This Friday you'll officially be able to find it in game stores in the US, so we'll be celebrating all week long 🎉

Wait... is this dinnerware... delicious?

This photo I took feels like a Pink Floyd album cover

As much as I love volleyball, I've somehow never watched the NCSU women play. Fixing that today!

I was worried I overhyped Chicken Fried Dice (@urbanprogames.bsky.social ) and that my wife wouldn't like it as much as I did when we got to play it. The response was "Best game we played this year" Adding in the best card in the game, if I do say so myself. Photos by @peppermintfox.bsky.social

My favorite meal at #PAXUnplugged - shared a huge 15-person table (with matching huge lazy susan) with this bunch o' people. 📹 - Mike Belsole

Amazing to see Squirrel Away featured by such a talented content creator!

Train Con Part Deux: The Return from #PAXUnplugged

Mad genius @boardgameghee.bsky.social showing us his strings-and-magnets dexterity game prototype at #paxunplugged

Finally sharing my sizzle reel! If you're in need of video production work (or pretty much anything creative), hit me up, esp. at #PAXU! I don't ask for this much, but if you're in the #boardgames industry and like what I do, consider sharing this! I'm looking to book up 2026! linktr.ee/jcw.gay

It's almost time for #paxunplugged! Here's where and when you can find me and my games this weekend, including some signing sessions for Squirrel Away and VNTYPL8S. If any mutuals are going and want to meetup sometime, reach out, or just stop by one of these spots!