BastiaanWhen I was 29 I went on a sabbatical: 8 months in South America, going wherever my curiosity led…Of course some people wanted to stay in touch, for me to tell them where I was and I was up to. Innovation comes from laziness and so I…Nov 17, 2018Nov 17, 2018
BastiaanPutting your players under pressureI recently wrote an article in which I compared board games to other forms of entertainment. That got me thinking about how books and…Jul 30, 2018Jul 30, 2018
BastiaanIn-game economics: More feedback loopsQuite some time ago I wrote an article about “feedback loops in board games”. There I discussed two feedback loops, the positive feedback…Jul 23, 2018Jul 23, 2018
Bastiaan5 ways of changing gameplay in your board game designThe best games we play again and again. These games are the best because they’re inherently fun, but “replayability” is also you can design…Jul 16, 2018Jul 16, 2018
BastiaanAssessing a board game design before creating a prototypeI always advocate to get a game out of your head and to the table. That means making a prototype and testing with it. Prototyping however…Jul 11, 2018Jul 11, 2018
BastiaanDesign lessons from comparing board games to other forms of entertainmentWe play board games because we like to be entertained, because we want to have fun. There are a number of other forms of entertainment that…Jun 18, 2018Jun 18, 2018
BastiaanOther people’s brilliance: 5 great articles about board game design“Those who seek will find”. I’m always seeking for interesting articles to inspire my own game design. Below are a few that I’ve found…Jun 13, 2018Jun 13, 2018
BastiaanHow to create interesting problems in your board game”If only I were rich, life would be so much easier!”May 28, 2018May 28, 2018
BastiaanTaking action(s) — How players get things done in board gamesI place my worker on the gather wood space. I move my queen two spaces forward. I spend 4 gold and place a building card from my hand on…May 21, 20181May 21, 20181
BastiaanHow to make workers work in board game designIn Los Buenos I used a variant of worker-placement as the main mechanic (technically it was “work-placement”) and in my new design…May 14, 2018May 14, 2018
