Need help with game designing? Feel free to check out these guide from various self publishers, who have successfully launched their games or assisted in publishing of board games
The Board Game Design Lab is a community built on one central purpose: To help you design great games that people love.
It started off as a podcast in 2016, since then, it’s grown into an incredible community of designers and publishers doing their absolute best to encourage and help one another down the design path.
The BGDL has acted as a helpful guide to thousands of game designers from all walks of life, and I firmly believe it’ll help you accomplish any design goal you set. BGDL on Facebook.
They started in 2015 with the board game SALEM 1692, and have really grown with time. Having tasted success in crowd funding via Kickstarter, which is by no means a small feat. Their other games include Toruga 1667, Bristol 1350, Deadwood 1876 & Trophies.
Check out their website to know more about their journey and valuable contents that they have shared to help upcoming designers on How to Publish a board game…
The Player Lair is a boardgaming website created by designers Ivan Alexiev and Vesselin Alexiev. They have performed hundreds of tests. with games at various stages- from early prototypes to games with final artwork.
They have worked with publishers like Garphill Games, Jacob’s Brick Games, NiNi Games, plenty of independent game designers, and many more.
As their team consists of several published game designers, a graphic designer, board game convention organizers, prototype contest judges, and a gaming journalist. They choose playtesters who will fit your game’s style and needs.
Player Lair is run by Ivan Alexiev, who also hosts the Player Lair Podcast and has talked to dozens of world-renowned game designers and has a lot of experience in making and developing games.
At first, they read the draft rulebook to ensure it is clear and easy to understand for a party who are not familiar the game and does not have anyone to explain. If your game is at an earlier stage or the rulebook isn’t quite up to date with the latest additions to the rules, you may also have a test where you teach the rules, the mechanics, and the main focus of the gameplay.
After reading the rulebook and understanding the game, they start to play. The whole session is recorded so you can see real-play-time emotions and play through. After completing the playing session, they write up a detailed report of the game’s strengths and weaknesses and add an action plan with improvement suggestions.
Tabletop Simulator is generally used to conduct playtests. If you need assistance putting your game into the platform, the Player Lair team may be able to assist you. It is also possible to create a prototype or deliver a print-and-play version.
They will play your game, record it, give an overview including strength and weakness. You will also get opinions form industry professionals and suggestions for improvement.
They charge $25 per playtester per session (1.5 hrs).
They will also assist with Tabletop Simulator asset creation if needed.
You may contact them by email at admin@playerlair.net or fill out their contact form at Player Lair Playtesting
