Luke Wolyncewicz
@bumblepie-games.bsky.social
Day 6: Carbon Dating
Today's takeaway: Being intentional about the experience you want to create is crucial in guiding the development process. It gives you the freedom to "kill your darlings", pivot, and rework without getting too invested in specific mechanics.
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Being intentional about the experience you want to create is crucial in guiding the development process. It gives you the freedom to "kill your darlings", pivot, and rework without getting too invested in specific mechanics.
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Dev Diary: The Road to Jigokudani | BGG
Carbon Dating
Created for the Button Shy 18-card Dinosaurs (but no fighting or Jurassic Park) challenge
Ever since that whole asteroid business last week, the dating pool has been really strained for ...
boardgamegeek.com
December 26, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Day 6: Carbon Dating
Today's takeaway: Being intentional about the experience you want to create is crucial in guiding the development process. It gives you the freedom to "kill your darlings", pivot, and rework without getting too invested in specific mechanics.
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Being intentional about the experience you want to create is crucial in guiding the development process. It gives you the freedom to "kill your darlings", pivot, and rework without getting too invested in specific mechanics.
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
We're at the midway point in the dev diary series, and it's a good place to pause for a day. This point in my design journey marks a significant shift in my thinking: from focusing purely on the craft of game design to viewing games as products - you'll see this play out over the rest of the series!
December 25, 2025 at 10:01 PM
We're at the midway point in the dev diary series, and it's a good place to pause for a day. This point in my design journey marks a significant shift in my thinking: from focusing purely on the craft of game design to viewing games as products - you'll see this play out over the rest of the series!
Day 5: Flip-5X
Today's takeaway: Managing complexity is super important! Could anything be streamlined? Does it match the form-factor of the game? Judging complexity can be hard when you've already internalized the systems, so playtest with new players often!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Managing complexity is super important! Could anything be streamlined? Does it match the form-factor of the game? Judging complexity can be hard when you've already internalized the systems, so playtest with new players often!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Dev Diary: The Road to Jigokudani | BGG
Flip-5X
Created for the Button Shy Flip'n'Write Challenge
Flip 5-X is an epic 5X flip'n'write space game. Explore the galaxy, expand your empire and overcome a great challenge to determine if your civ...
boardgamegeek.com
December 24, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Day 5: Flip-5X
Today's takeaway: Managing complexity is super important! Could anything be streamlined? Does it match the form-factor of the game? Judging complexity can be hard when you've already internalized the systems, so playtest with new players often!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Managing complexity is super important! Could anything be streamlined? Does it match the form-factor of the game? Judging complexity can be hard when you've already internalized the systems, so playtest with new players often!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Day 4: The King's Feast
Today's takeaway: Every single point of friction or confusion is a chance for a player or publisher to give up on playing the game. The effort to perform unguided playtesting and streamline the first play pays off a million times over!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Every single point of friction or confusion is a chance for a player or publisher to give up on playing the game. The effort to perform unguided playtesting and streamline the first play pays off a million times over!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Dev Diary: The Road to Jigokudani | BGG
The King's Feast
Created for the Button Shy Numbers on Cards Challenge
The King's Feast is a solo spatial/memory puzzle. An assassin has snuck into the King's Feast and caused a panic! You need to man...
boardgamegeek.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Day 4: The King's Feast
Today's takeaway: Every single point of friction or confusion is a chance for a player or publisher to give up on playing the game. The effort to perform unguided playtesting and streamline the first play pays off a million times over!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Every single point of friction or confusion is a chance for a player or publisher to give up on playing the game. The effort to perform unguided playtesting and streamline the first play pays off a million times over!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Even better, apply it to your own games: go through the same exercise and try to answer "What is key to the experience? What can I cut out? What can I condense?"
December 22, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Even better, apply it to your own games: go through the same exercise and try to answer "What is key to the experience? What can I cut out? What can I condense?"
Day 3: XCOM 1-Card (a nano adaptation of XCOM: The Board Game)
Today's takeaway: Nano adaptations of larger games are a great exercise to help build your toolbox: it forces you to identify the essence of the experience and distil it down to just the crucial parts.
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Nano adaptations of larger games are a great exercise to help build your toolbox: it forces you to identify the essence of the experience and distil it down to just the crucial parts.
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Dev Diary: The Road to Jigokudani | BGG
XCOM 1-Card
Created just for fun!
XCOM 1-Card is a solo nano-adaptation of XCOM: The Board Game. It focuses on capturing the same intense strategic decision making and push-your-luck gameplay from th...
boardgamegeek.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Day 3: XCOM 1-Card (a nano adaptation of XCOM: The Board Game)
Today's takeaway: Nano adaptations of larger games are a great exercise to help build your toolbox: it forces you to identify the essence of the experience and distil it down to just the crucial parts.
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Nano adaptations of larger games are a great exercise to help build your toolbox: it forces you to identify the essence of the experience and distil it down to just the crucial parts.
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Day 2: Grandma Theseus
Today's takeaway: Humour and emergent storytelling help a game stick in people's minds long after it's over, so lean into it whenever you can!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Humour and emergent storytelling help a game stick in people's minds long after it's over, so lean into it whenever you can!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Dev Diary: The Road to Jigokudani | BGG
2 - Grandma Theseus
Created for the Button Shy 9-card "Ship of Theseus" challenge
Grandma Theseus is a quick, simple asymmetric bluffing game for two players. One player is the Werewolf's curse, tryi...
boardgamegeek.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Day 2: Grandma Theseus
Today's takeaway: Humour and emergent storytelling help a game stick in people's minds long after it's over, so lean into it whenever you can!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: Humour and emergent storytelling help a game stick in people's minds long after it's over, so lean into it whenever you can!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Day 1: Summoning Circle Scramble
Today's takeaway: The first game you design will probably suck and that's ok! Focus on making something small, with specific constraints in mind and a hard deadline to force you to finish something and start learning!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: The first game you design will probably suck and that's ok! Focus on making something small, with specific constraints in mind and a hard deadline to force you to finish something and start learning!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Dev Diary: The Road to Jigokudani | BGG
1 - Summoning Circle Scramble
Created for the Button Shy 18-Card worker placement challenge
Summoning Circle Scramble is a two player abstract puzzley duel. Play as two wizard apprentices, racing to ...
boardgamegeek.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Day 1: Summoning Circle Scramble
Today's takeaway: The first game you design will probably suck and that's ok! Focus on making something small, with specific constraints in mind and a hard deadline to force you to finish something and start learning!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...
Today's takeaway: The first game you design will probably suck and that's ok! Focus on making something small, with specific constraints in mind and a hard deadline to force you to finish something and start learning!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/36308...