I think excitement in sports is defined and optimized around being a spectator, while in board games you are often actively participating. Imo exciting board games seem to correlate with dramatic moments. This can come from anywhere (cleverness, luck, etc), but too much drama can lead to frustration

Though I didn’t get to play this one, I’m glad at least got to watch a round of this game at the end of unpub. It was really fascinating and I hope to play it in the future!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it, and congrats on being part of the first group of the weekend to NOT explode 🎉💥

Thank you Connie 😁! This means a lot coming from you (a person whose games are great)

If you want to play any of these games, please come find me at Unpub this weekend!! I’ll have at least 2 out of them during my 12-4 block on Saturday, but the rest I’ll save for open playtesting. Excited to see everyone! 🧵(5/5)

And finally, I will have Rome: Reconstructed. An archaeology game about reconstructing the past. This has always been the one to live beyond my comfort zone as a designer, but I’ve been managing thanks to guidance from the lovely designers of my design group. Excited to see how it goes! 🧵(4/5)

Third, I’ll have Puzzling Potions. The driving mantra of this one has been “how can I take a weird and unfamiliar tile shape and make it feel natural?” and I’ve had a fun time taking on that challenge! Plus, I personally love the way the end product looks on the table. 🧵(3/5)

Next is Understory, a 20 minute simultaneous matching deckbuilder about growing trees in the understory of a forest. This one in particular has been a labor of love over the past 3+ years and, with the recent help of other incredible designers, it’s definitely in the best shape it’s ever been.🧵(2/5)

Thank you! Hopefully we can successfully *not* explode next time 😂. Backdraft was lots of fun as well!

I usually use Notion for things like this, and I don’t think it costs too much! They likely have templates that you can use for gantt charts as well

Any book recs as of late? Looking for some more non-fiction biology related reads

I do this too! Well, I recently switched to component studio, but until then I used Google slides for everything! (and I still make my icons in slides😁)

Great thread! Love the idea of having a high benchmark for number of versions to make removing mechanics easier mentally. Thats something I used to struggle with 😅

I find that co-op games with open information can be more inviting, but fall into quarterbacking traps. One of the few examples I’ve seen avoid that issue is Daybreak, making players focus largely on their personal board to eliminate the problem. Still has the tense co-op feel on shared board tho!

Haha yes I have, but somehow that one flew right over my head when I read it ope😅