Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
@fanfactories.bsky.social
Seattle board game designer/dev. Posts about game design, playtesting, art, and crowdfunding.
Credits: Fantastic Factories. Flatout Games CoLab dev for Verdant, Knitting Circle, Point Galaxy, Propolis, Cascadia: Alpine Lakes.
https://www.josephzchen.me/
Credits: Fantastic Factories. Flatout Games CoLab dev for Verdant, Knitting Circle, Point Galaxy, Propolis, Cascadia: Alpine Lakes.
https://www.josephzchen.me/
Pinned
Here it is in all its glory. 50 copies of Flip Stack Burger Shack ready for the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged! Let's see if they all fit in the suitcase...
This amount of care and effort is what indie games are all about! Make sure to stop by the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged!
And that is how a copy of Fold & Fly! is made. 😅 Doing it in batches makes things run smoother, and it really it a labor of love. I adore this game and am so so SO excited to share it with the world! 🌈🛫
Please come by and grab a copy at PAX Unplugged's Indie Games Night Market! 💖
Please come by and grab a copy at PAX Unplugged's Indie Games Night Market! 💖
November 14, 2025 at 1:50 AM
This amount of care and effort is what indie games are all about! Make sure to stop by the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged!
Not sure how we ended up here but by the end of an evening of playtesting games this is what we found ourselves doing.
November 13, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Not sure how we ended up here but by the end of an evening of playtesting games this is what we found ourselves doing.
Today's prototyping aftermath. Sometimes there's beauty in the scraps.
November 12, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Today's prototyping aftermath. Sometimes there's beauty in the scraps.
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Ashwin & Rob (Urban Professional Games) are bringing Chicken Fried Dice to PAX Unplugged.
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you hit up their booth and let them show you this fun dice chucking game. Throw the dice, choose your ingredients, feed your customers!
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you hit up their booth and let them show you this fun dice chucking game. Throw the dice, choose your ingredients, feed your customers!
We're going to PAX Unplugged! Stop by to demo Chicken Fried Dice or pick up a copy of Trickadee!
Also... check out our pre-launch page and reserve your copy of the Critter Critics mini expansion for Chicken Fried Dice: get.chickenfrieddice.com
Also... check out our pre-launch page and reserve your copy of the Critter Critics mini expansion for Chicken Fried Dice: get.chickenfrieddice.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Ashwin & Rob (Urban Professional Games) are bringing Chicken Fried Dice to PAX Unplugged.
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you hit up their booth and let them show you this fun dice chucking game. Throw the dice, choose your ingredients, feed your customers!
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you hit up their booth and let them show you this fun dice chucking game. Throw the dice, choose your ingredients, feed your customers!
ICYMI, I'll be selling Grunt Work & Flip Stack Burger Shack next week at the Indie Games Night Market @ PAXU. Making indie games really is a labor of love. I dyed all the wooden discs myself for the burger game and wrote a blog post about it: fantastic-factories.medium.com/prototyping-...
Prototyping: Coloring wooden discs using dye
I’m currently working on a game about building burgers and it uses wooden discs that represent ingredients that are drawn randomly from a…
fantastic-factories.medium.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:30 PM
ICYMI, I'll be selling Grunt Work & Flip Stack Burger Shack next week at the Indie Games Night Market @ PAXU. Making indie games really is a labor of love. I dyed all the wooden discs myself for the burger game and wrote a blog post about it: fantastic-factories.medium.com/prototyping-...
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Friday 11/14 6PM ESTour Indie Games Night Market Special Preview goes up~
I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~
Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~
(tagged below)
@officialpax.bsky.social
I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~
Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~
(tagged below)
@officialpax.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Friday 11/14 6PM ESTour Indie Games Night Market Special Preview goes up~
I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~
Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~
(tagged below)
@officialpax.bsky.social
I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~
Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~
(tagged below)
@officialpax.bsky.social
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
📣 It’s announcement time! 📣
The pre-launch page for Counterpoint is up on Kickstarter! All the cool kids are saving it! You should too! 🎻🎶
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
The pre-launch page for Counterpoint is up on Kickstarter! All the cool kids are saving it! You should too! 🎻🎶
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
Coming soon: Counterpoint: a Co-op Trick-Taking Classical Music Card Game
Counterpoint is a cooperative trick-taking game for 3-5 players where the challenges are based on different pieces of classical music.
www.kickstarter.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:20 AM
📣 It’s announcement time! 📣
The pre-launch page for Counterpoint is up on Kickstarter! All the cool kids are saving it! You should too! 🎻🎶
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
The pre-launch page for Counterpoint is up on Kickstarter! All the cool kids are saving it! You should too! 🎻🎶
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Just 24 hours to go and we only need 6 more backers to cross the finish line!
November 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Just 24 hours to go and we only need 6 more backers to cross the finish line!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Board game friends: you’ve gotta check out this kickstarter. _That’s the Spirit_ is a truly unique take on a deduction game—nobody knows for sure who’s guilty until the big reveal at the end! I’ve played many versions of the game over the last few months, and it’s been wonderful seeing it evolve.
November 3, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Board game friends: you’ve gotta check out this kickstarter. _That’s the Spirit_ is a truly unique take on a deduction game—nobody knows for sure who’s guilty until the big reveal at the end! I’ve played many versions of the game over the last few months, and it’s been wonderful seeing it evolve.
Last night I ventured out to the Eastside to attend the game designer meetup at Uncle's Games. It was great to see such a lively community over there as well!
October 30, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Last night I ventured out to the Eastside to attend the game designer meetup at Uncle's Games. It was great to see such a lively community over there as well!
Okay everyone, we need to help get this across the finish line. I'm doubling up my pledge. These games deserve to exist, and I'm confident I will have no trouble finding homes for the extra copies.
October 30, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Okay everyone, we need to help get this across the finish line. I'm doubling up my pledge. These games deserve to exist, and I'm confident I will have no trouble finding homes for the extra copies.
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Just one week left to back Club Spooky and That’s the Spirit! If you back now, you can get both games for $35 (they’ll be $25 each after the campaign). And of course, these games will only exist with your support.
Thank you everyone’s who’s backed so far!
Thank you everyone’s who’s backed so far!
October 28, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Just one week left to back Club Spooky and That’s the Spirit! If you back now, you can get both games for $35 (they’ll be $25 each after the campaign). And of course, these games will only exist with your support.
Thank you everyone’s who’s backed so far!
Thank you everyone’s who’s backed so far!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Had a surprise and inspiring chat with the WA Secretary of State about the intersection of political and game theory, and how games can be useful for de-radicalisation
And how games ultimately center our shared humanity ❤️
And how games ultimately center our shared humanity ❤️
October 24, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Had a surprise and inspiring chat with the WA Secretary of State about the intersection of political and game theory, and how games can be useful for de-radicalisation
And how games ultimately center our shared humanity ❤️
And how games ultimately center our shared humanity ❤️
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
I'll be at the Heidelbär booth (6B200) again today from 14:00 to 16:00.
October 25, 2025 at 6:20 AM
I'll be at the Heidelbär booth (6B200) again today from 14:00 to 16:00.
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Flatout Games is at SPIEL, demoing Cascadia: Alpine Lakes Stop by BOOTH 5A700 to see it in action!
@flatoutgames.bsky.social
@flatoutgames.bsky.social
October 23, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Flatout Games is at SPIEL, demoing Cascadia: Alpine Lakes Stop by BOOTH 5A700 to see it in action!
@flatoutgames.bsky.social
@flatoutgames.bsky.social
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
I’m thrilled to share we have a special video going through *every* game at the 2025 Indie Games Night Market (at PaxU)!
We’re working with @dnlnwmn.bsky.social, some awesome designers, playing some games, all to give you a thorough set of previews & reviews to see the games you won’t want to miss~
We’re working with @dnlnwmn.bsky.social, some awesome designers, playing some games, all to give you a thorough set of previews & reviews to see the games you won’t want to miss~
October 23, 2025 at 9:33 PM
I’m thrilled to share we have a special video going through *every* game at the 2025 Indie Games Night Market (at PaxU)!
We’re working with @dnlnwmn.bsky.social, some awesome designers, playing some games, all to give you a thorough set of previews & reviews to see the games you won’t want to miss~
We’re working with @dnlnwmn.bsky.social, some awesome designers, playing some games, all to give you a thorough set of previews & reviews to see the games you won’t want to miss~
Another great night of playtesting at Mox Boarding House! There were 3 tables of games going. Lot of great stuff happening every week. So lucky to be a part of such an active community if game designers. ♥️
October 23, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Another great night of playtesting at Mox Boarding House! There were 3 tables of games going. Lot of great stuff happening every week. So lucky to be a part of such an active community if game designers. ♥️
Last month I dropped off a few copies of Grunt Work at my LGS but it didn't sell as quickly as I would have liked. So I'm reimagining the game for retail and what the packaging might look like.
Cover says what the game is about. Back basically teaches you the game.
Let me know what people think!
Cover says what the game is about. Back basically teaches you the game.
Let me know what people think!
October 20, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Last month I dropped off a few copies of Grunt Work at my LGS but it didn't sell as quickly as I would have liked. So I'm reimagining the game for retail and what the packaging might look like.
Cover says what the game is about. Back basically teaches you the game.
Let me know what people think!
Cover says what the game is about. Back basically teaches you the game.
Let me know what people think!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
I have a whole thing about small indie designers/publishers making great games from the heart. I had the chance to play Club Spooky a few weeks ago and was utterly charmed by it.
There's tension in the simple auction system that lures club goers to your hall, solid scoring and tableau building...
There's tension in the simple auction system that lures club goers to your hall, solid scoring and tableau building...
October 15, 2025 at 1:15 PM
I have a whole thing about small indie designers/publishers making great games from the heart. I had the chance to play Club Spooky a few weeks ago and was utterly charmed by it.
There's tension in the simple auction system that lures club goers to your hall, solid scoring and tableau building...
There's tension in the simple auction system that lures club goers to your hall, solid scoring and tableau building...
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Just made my final edits to the game, and put in my order for 50 copies of the game—coming well in time for Indie Games Night Market at Pax Unplugged!!
Come to IGNM (organized by @dnlnwmn.bsky.social New Mill Industries) and celebrate, buy, and play indie boardgames!!! 🎲✂️ ✨
Come to IGNM (organized by @dnlnwmn.bsky.social New Mill Industries) and celebrate, buy, and play indie boardgames!!! 🎲✂️ ✨
Speak of the devil: Look who just received her first proof! 🎲✂️
Heavenly Bodies came out great (even with some small graphical improvements I’ve made since then!)
With this in hand, I’m now gonna hit *send* on the full order of 50! Wish me luck!
Heavenly Bodies came out great (even with some small graphical improvements I’ve made since then!)
With this in hand, I’m now gonna hit *send* on the full order of 50! Wish me luck!
October 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Just made my final edits to the game, and put in my order for 50 copies of the game—coming well in time for Indie Games Night Market at Pax Unplugged!!
Come to IGNM (organized by @dnlnwmn.bsky.social New Mill Industries) and celebrate, buy, and play indie boardgames!!! 🎲✂️ ✨
Come to IGNM (organized by @dnlnwmn.bsky.social New Mill Industries) and celebrate, buy, and play indie boardgames!!! 🎲✂️ ✨
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Hey board game designers I made a list of Pax Unplugged publishers: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
"Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions.
Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.
"Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions.
Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.
Pax Unplugged Publisher List 2025
docs.google.com
September 28, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Hey board game designers I made a list of Pax Unplugged publishers: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
"Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions.
Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.
"Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions.
Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
😭😭😭
I just wanna make games and deliver em to people without a surprise $20k bill. is that too much to ask for?????
I just wanna make games and deliver em to people without a surprise $20k bill. is that too much to ask for?????
“Production will stop, shipments will be frozen, and some companies may not make it”: board game industry braces for further pain after Trump threatens 130% tariffs on China:
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
October 17, 2025 at 3:46 PM
😭😭😭
I just wanna make games and deliver em to people without a surprise $20k bill. is that too much to ask for?????
I just wanna make games and deliver em to people without a surprise $20k bill. is that too much to ask for?????
Live now!
🔴Live now! Come ask Randy your questions!
📺 www.twitch.tv/panda8ngel
📺 www.youtube.com/@Panda8ngel
www.kickstarter.com/projects/fla...
📺 www.twitch.tv/panda8ngel
📺 www.youtube.com/@Panda8ngel
www.kickstarter.com/projects/fla...
October 16, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Live now!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
After last year's Out of Sorts, I've been looking forward to seeing what @connor.alwaysawake.games would come up with next. Turns out, the next thing is two very different board games about the afterlife: Club Spooky and That's the Spirit! My review: spacebiff.com/2025/10/15/c...
Afterlives
Sometimes I think about the afterlife. Not the actual afterlife. I’m suspicious about the probability of any such thing. But the afterlife as it appears across faiths and cultures, as reflect…
spacebiff.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:05 AM
After last year's Out of Sorts, I've been looking forward to seeing what @connor.alwaysawake.games would come up with next. Turns out, the next thing is two very different board games about the afterlife: Club Spooky and That's the Spirit! My review: spacebiff.com/2025/10/15/c...
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 PAX Unplugged
Nachdem ich es hier schon öfter bei @sibizkit.bsky.social gesehen habe, habe ich nun auch bei einem guten Angebot mit allen Erweiterungen und Promos von Fantastic Factories zugeschlagen und bin von der ersten Solopartie schon sehr angetan. Ein schöner Enginebuilder mit viel Potential.
#Brettspiele
#Brettspiele
October 15, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Nachdem ich es hier schon öfter bei @sibizkit.bsky.social gesehen habe, habe ich nun auch bei einem guten Angebot mit allen Erweiterungen und Promos von Fantastic Factories zugeschlagen und bin von der ersten Solopartie schon sehr angetan. Ein schöner Enginebuilder mit viel Potential.
#Brettspiele
#Brettspiele