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/
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.
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!
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!
I managed to fit all the games into my luggage but it turns out it's 15 pounds overweight for checkin. 🥵 Will have to come up with some creative solutions...
October 15, 2025 at 8:59 PM
I managed to fit all the games into my luggage but it turns out it's 15 pounds overweight for checkin. 🥵 Will have to come up with some creative solutions...
I can attest this is a lot of fun and at $10 it's a steal! Just check out the sketch I got a few years ago.
October 15, 2025 at 8:51 PM
I can attest this is a lot of fun and at $10 it's a steal! Just check out the sketch I got a few years ago.
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...
October 14, 2025 at 12:47 AM
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...
The aftermath.
October 13, 2025 at 7:18 PM
The aftermath.
Almost ready to assemble 50 copies of Flip Stack Burger Shack for the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged!
October 13, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Almost ready to assemble 50 copies of Flip Stack Burger Shack for the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged!
I put the game on a shelf with other games I've worked on. I also have framed art from the game with the card component. I don't know that I would call it a ritual though.
October 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
I put the game on a shelf with other games I've worked on. I also have framed art from the game with the card component. I don't know that I would call it a ritual though.
All right, who wore it better? Me or this tent at the state fair?
October 6, 2025 at 8:17 PM
All right, who wore it better? Me or this tent at the state fair?
Presenting the new bag for Flip Stack Burger Shack! This version will be what's available at the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged.
October 1, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Presenting the new bag for Flip Stack Burger Shack! This version will be what's available at the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged.
There are two types of players...
September 25, 2025 at 5:51 AM
There are two types of players...
I've been cutting cards...
September 23, 2025 at 10:09 PM
I've been cutting cards...
A handful of copies of Grunt Work are available at Blue Highway Games in Queen Anne, Seattle now! BHG is an awesome local game store, a tremendous supporter of local designers, and our monthly host for our design meetups. Go check them out!
September 22, 2025 at 9:34 PM
A handful of copies of Grunt Work are available at Blue Highway Games in Queen Anne, Seattle now! BHG is an awesome local game store, a tremendous supporter of local designers, and our monthly host for our design meetups. Go check them out!
Playtesting at Blue Highway Games was PACKED tonight! There were around 25 people. Playtesting and industry discussions were happening all over the place late into the night.
September 18, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Playtesting at Blue Highway Games was PACKED tonight! There were around 25 people. Playtesting and industry discussions were happening all over the place late into the night.
Flip Stack Burger Shack will be sold again at the Indie Games Night Market at PAXU. This has given me some time to improve & streamline things.
Because the game is in a bag, the rulebook can get bent. I've taken on the challenge of fitting the rules into a single double sided folded sheet.
Because the game is in a bag, the rulebook can get bent. I've taken on the challenge of fitting the rules into a single double sided folded sheet.
September 12, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Flip Stack Burger Shack will be sold again at the Indie Games Night Market at PAXU. This has given me some time to improve & streamline things.
Because the game is in a bag, the rulebook can get bent. I've taken on the challenge of fitting the rules into a single double sided folded sheet.
Because the game is in a bag, the rulebook can get bent. I've taken on the challenge of fitting the rules into a single double sided folded sheet.
Turnout yesterday for our local game design meetup was crazy! I think we had 14+ folks. It's amazing to see our community grow.
September 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Turnout yesterday for our local game design meetup was crazy! I think we had 14+ folks. It's amazing to see our community grow.
So after the PNW Tabletop Game Market & reflecting a bit on how Flip Stack Burger Shack sold out in ~1 hour...
Was only able to bring 20 copies because of how labor intensive it is to make each bag. What do people think about using a more generic bag & pricing the burger bag version higher?
Was only able to bring 20 copies because of how labor intensive it is to make each bag. What do people think about using a more generic bag & pricing the burger bag version higher?
September 3, 2025 at 5:37 PM
So after the PNW Tabletop Game Market & reflecting a bit on how Flip Stack Burger Shack sold out in ~1 hour...
Was only able to bring 20 copies because of how labor intensive it is to make each bag. What do people think about using a more generic bag & pricing the burger bag version higher?
Was only able to bring 20 copies because of how labor intensive it is to make each bag. What do people think about using a more generic bag & pricing the burger bag version higher?
The PNW Tabletop Game Market was amazing! Sold out of Flip Stack Burger Shack within 1.5 hours & Grunt Work was selling like hotcakes as well!
Saw many designers sell out. Incredibly fulfilling experience. The ~40lb bag filled with games was light enough for my son to carry by the end of the night.
Saw many designers sell out. Incredibly fulfilling experience. The ~40lb bag filled with games was light enough for my son to carry by the end of the night.
August 31, 2025 at 3:19 PM
The PNW Tabletop Game Market was amazing! Sold out of Flip Stack Burger Shack within 1.5 hours & Grunt Work was selling like hotcakes as well!
Saw many designers sell out. Incredibly fulfilling experience. The ~40lb bag filled with games was light enough for my son to carry by the end of the night.
Saw many designers sell out. Incredibly fulfilling experience. The ~40lb bag filled with games was light enough for my son to carry by the end of the night.
We are ready! Come down to the PNW Tabletop Game Market at Summit Level 0 from 7 to 10!!!
August 31, 2025 at 1:32 AM
We are ready! Come down to the PNW Tabletop Game Market at Summit Level 0 from 7 to 10!!!
Locally made & limited run indie board games for one night only at PAX West @ 7 PM!! Come check out games from 16 different designers (including myself) and support the local game designer community.
www.alwaysawake.games/pnw-tabletop...
www.alwaysawake.games/pnw-tabletop...
August 28, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Locally made & limited run indie board games for one night only at PAX West @ 7 PM!! Come check out games from 16 different designers (including myself) and support the local game designer community.
www.alwaysawake.games/pnw-tabletop...
www.alwaysawake.games/pnw-tabletop...
Finally we played Syzygy. A very elegant set collection drafting game. Everyone picks a card from their hand at the same time & passes the hand. Try to match the cards you play as closely to the scoring hand. Tension of making sure you can hit the scoring threshold & others don't take your cards.
August 25, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Finally we played Syzygy. A very elegant set collection drafting game. Everyone picks a card from their hand at the same time & passes the hand. Try to match the cards you play as closely to the scoring hand. Tension of making sure you can hit the scoring threshold & others don't take your cards.