Byron M. HuangThe Brilliance of Aabria Iyengar and the Joy of Collective StorytellingOne of the unique aspects of tabletop role-playing games is the nature of the human interactions they generate. It survives the burgeoning…Oct 7, 2022Oct 7, 2022
Byron M. HuangThe Feeling of Fairness — Equity in GamingEquity, fairness, justice — interrelated concepts that seem basic, almost fundamental to human society. There are, of course, differences…Aug 12, 2022Aug 12, 2022
Byron M. HuangA Wider World — Inviting More Players to the Boardgame TableIn modern times, when we talk about board games that have outsized exposure beyond the closer community, I think of Settlers of Catan and…Jul 30, 20221Jul 30, 20221
Byron M. HuangThe Sprawling Forest — Writing a “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” Type StoryWhen I was growing up in San Francisco, my best friend and I had a mild obsession with Goosebumps, the R.L. Stine series, featuring young…Jul 23, 2022Jul 23, 2022
Byron M. HuangThe Bliss Point — Key Mechanics in Boardgames that Hook Us.I first came across the phrase “bliss point” in connection with Salt Sugar Fat, a book by Michael Moss about how the large snack food…Jul 16, 2022Jul 16, 2022
Byron M. HuangThe Point of a Passion — Why I’m Designing a Boardgame.After a person has their basic needs met (though many in the world can ill-afford them), a natural thought occurs — who am I, and what…Jul 9, 20222Jul 9, 20222
Byron M. Huang“Do you want to know a secret? I am, a coward.” — The Importance of Earning Moments in Narrative.The quote in the title is from one of my favorite episodes in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a reboot by ND Stevenson of the 1985…Jul 1, 20221Jul 1, 20221
Byron M. HuangThe Night My Wife Called Me a War Criminal: A Lesson in Playtesting.I was really excited for the session that night. It was the first time we were alpha-testing one of the more difficult enemies at the end…Jun 24, 2022Jun 24, 2022
Byron M. HuangA boardgame design journal.The first scrawls of my boardgame were for a game that friends and family could have played in a lounging area at the venue for my wedding…Jun 17, 2022Jun 17, 2022
