I've been really bad at keeping up with blogging my game design progress lately, so in order to get things going again, here's the current state of one of my co-designs. It has actually changed quite dramatically since I last wrote about it...

https://firsttakesomedice.blogspot.com/2026/03/introducing-artificers.html

#BoardGameDesign

#WritersCoffeeClub Mar. 23: What's the most you've worked on a WIP before deciding to scrap it? What happened?

I had a game I had worked on for four years. Card designs, graphics, art. Lots of changes and improvements but after constant tweaks it just… wasn’t clicking the way it needed to.

I scrapped the mechanics, rebuilt it into a brand new game, and I am much happier for having done so.

#boardgamedesign #boardgames #creativity

When there is no local #boardgame store and only one #toystore, but your in laws get obsessed about #Scout and want a copy of the game.

#boardgamedesign #domino #dominoes

Board game design meetup: Join us at ThinkTank Adelaide on 21 March 12:30-17:00 @ Dragon's Lair, Edwardstown.

#BoardGameDesign #Adelaide

I met up with a co-designer today at a cafe/workspace that was about half way between where we live - which would be several hours' drive. It was great to work on our game in a physical form, and we spent a load of the time trying various configurations of the game, just playing the first few turns to see how long it takes for the game to settle into its flow. The early stages of the game can be vulnerable to some random factors providing frustration, and we now have a mitigation for that which seems to work pretty well. A whole heap more testing is required, obvs.

#BoardGameDesign

The last time I played 1860: Railways on the Isle of Wight, I found myself in the lead from fairly early on. As the game progressed, that lead only kept growing. Each round, the gap widened until it was clear that nobody had a realistic way to catch up with me. The game carried on, turns were taken, but the excitement and tension had gone. The game had become a fight for second place. I call this soft elimination, and it is especially common in longer games, when you are technically still playing, but no longer really competing. In this article, I want to talk about this a bit more.

Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/03/10/killing-me-softly-a-look-at-player-elimination-topic-discussion/
Listen to the audio version here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0n6d9VFbOzCNNMyBvoQXut?si=HQaWVVuuQw21uEuBAJcW7g

(Photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash)

#boardgames #PlayerElimination #BoardgameDesign

I had an opportunity to try my dice game at the #boardgamedesign meetup. Turns out this overhauled version has some problems that weren't apparent during my previous tests but overall it's on the right track. It sort of bothers me that the core mechanic feels pretty flawless and is essentially a game already (to me) but most people want "more" 😅

Anyway, they said it has potential to become a great #dice game like Las Vegas but it has some overhead that gets messy and needs problem solving.

Board game design meetup: Join us at ThinkTank Adelaide on 21 Feb 12:30-17:00 @ Dragon's Lair, Edwardstown. 

#BoardGameDesign #Adelaide

Roll the fun! 🎲✨ This free dice vector SVG is perfect for board game crafts, tabletop projects, game night decor, stickers, shirts, and Cricut DIY designs.

👇 Download link in the comments!

#DiceSVG #DiceVector #BoardGameDesign #TabletopInspired #GameNightCrafts #FreeSVG #SVGCutFile #VectorArt #CricutProjects #SilhouetteDesign #PrintableDesign #PODGraphics #GameIcons