Jay
@jay-au.bsky.social
*Very* slowly up and coming board game designer from Australia. Designer of à la food cart, Shades of Ink, Psychic Links (I & II), and some content for Battlecrest.
But even then, I'd still lean on the common language ("library deck" and "market deck" vs "library" and "market").
October 5, 2025 at 10:00 PM
But even then, I'd still lean on the common language ("library deck" and "market deck" vs "library" and "market").
Reposted by Jay
Trans lives matter.
I understand if maybe CGE can’t say anything critical about JKR or the HP license
They *can* say that trans lives matter. But they haven’t.
I understand if maybe CGE can’t say anything critical about JKR or the HP license
They *can* say that trans lives matter. But they haven’t.
August 4, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Trans lives matter.
I understand if maybe CGE can’t say anything critical about JKR or the HP license
They *can* say that trans lives matter. But they haven’t.
I understand if maybe CGE can’t say anything critical about JKR or the HP license
They *can* say that trans lives matter. But they haven’t.
In conclusion, are players getting bogged down in AP because your game's decision space is too broad or because they're trying to concoct the perfect plan too far into the future? You've got more than one lever to pull to fix it. 🧵 8/8
July 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
In conclusion, are players getting bogged down in AP because your game's decision space is too broad or because they're trying to concoct the perfect plan too far into the future? You've got more than one lever to pull to fix it. 🧵 8/8
On the other hand, in a heavier game you may want deep strategy and planning, but not overwhelm in the immediate term. Maybe have a hand of 5 cards, but instead of drawing from a deck, draw from an open market to increase visibility into the future, while still limiting predictability. 🧵 7/?
July 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
On the other hand, in a heavier game you may want deep strategy and planning, but not overwhelm in the immediate term. Maybe have a hand of 5 cards, but instead of drawing from a deck, draw from an open market to increase visibility into the future, while still limiting predictability. 🧵 7/?
For example, in a light game you may want lots of in-the-moment fun choices, but no AP-inducing deep strategy, so maybe go with a hand size of 10, but give players the ability to force each other to discard their hands to disrupt future planning 🧵 6/?
July 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
For example, in a light game you may want lots of in-the-moment fun choices, but no AP-inducing deep strategy, so maybe go with a hand size of 10, but give players the ability to force each other to discard their hands to disrupt future planning 🧵 6/?
Depending on what type of game you're designing you may want to increase one to provide a specific feeling, while decreasing the other to manage overall decision space and prevent analysis paralysis. 🧵 5/?
July 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Depending on what type of game you're designing you may want to increase one to provide a specific feeling, while decreasing the other to manage overall decision space and prevent analysis paralysis. 🧵 5/?
You could juggle the hand size to find the sweet spot for your game, but the problem is, the *types* of decisions that arise from option breadth and information horizon aren't the same, since the former provides tactical flexibility and the latter provides strategic insight. 🧵4/?
July 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
You could juggle the hand size to find the sweet spot for your game, but the problem is, the *types* of decisions that arise from option breadth and information horizon aren't the same, since the former provides tactical flexibility and the latter provides strategic insight. 🧵4/?
You might want to increase the decision space, so you double the hand size to 10. But you've also increased the information horizon, so the number of choices doesn't just double it increases exponentially. 🧵 3/?
July 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
You might want to increase the decision space, so you double the hand size to 10. But you've also increased the information horizon, so the number of choices doesn't just double it increases exponentially. 🧵 3/?
Consider a game where players have a hand of 5 cards and on a turn play 1 then draw 1. The breadth of decisions on a turn is 5, but they also have some information about the next 4 turns. If card order matters, this increases the real decision space (since A=>B is a different choice to B=>A). 🧵 2/?
July 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Consider a game where players have a hand of 5 cards and on a turn play 1 then draw 1. The breadth of decisions on a turn is 5, but they also have some information about the next 4 turns. If card order matters, this increases the real decision space (since A=>B is a different choice to B=>A). 🧵 2/?
It can definitely be disheartening to be so far away from cons (I'm sure Finland is still cost/time prohibitive enough)... I had to laugh though when comparing Origins to the 10 alternatives given. Looks like I can shrink the distance I'd have to travel from ~15,000kms to ~14,000kms. 😅
June 9, 2025 at 6:02 AM
It can definitely be disheartening to be so far away from cons (I'm sure Finland is still cost/time prohibitive enough)... I had to laugh though when comparing Origins to the 10 alternatives given. Looks like I can shrink the distance I'd have to travel from ~15,000kms to ~14,000kms. 😅
Any options for Australians who'd like to pitch to you? 🥹
I've got a flip & write that'd (IMO) be the perfect complement to the Next Station series...
I've got a flip & write that'd (IMO) be the perfect complement to the Next Station series...
June 9, 2025 at 5:05 AM
Any options for Australians who'd like to pitch to you? 🥹
I've got a flip & write that'd (IMO) be the perfect complement to the Next Station series...
I've got a flip & write that'd (IMO) be the perfect complement to the Next Station series...
So yeah, turned out to be a relatively easy (and fun!) exercise that has not only shifted my mindset, but has also generated new and exciting ideas, refueling my enthusiasm after being in a rut for a while. Highly recommend giving it a go and I'd love to hear back if anyone does!🧵 6/6
April 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
So yeah, turned out to be a relatively easy (and fun!) exercise that has not only shifted my mindset, but has also generated new and exciting ideas, refueling my enthusiasm after being in a rut for a while. Highly recommend giving it a go and I'd love to hear back if anyone does!🧵 6/6
From that, I generated 10 concepts, some with real potential IMO. I also showed my list to friends to see what stood out. My favourite was the most common #1 pick, which is validating, but a dark horse I'd dismissed emerged as #2, which is interesting too. The exercise keeps paying dividends! 🧵 5/6
April 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
From that, I generated 10 concepts, some with real potential IMO. I also showed my list to friends to see what stood out. My favourite was the most common #1 pick, which is validating, but a dark horse I'd dismissed emerged as #2, which is interesting too. The exercise keeps paying dividends! 🧵 5/6
🎲✂️ exercise:
Come up with as many game ideas as you can, but each is limited to 3 bullet points. If you can't make it sound compelling in 3 bullets, it's already missing the mark. All 3 points should be strong hooks (a mix of mechanical/thematic/component) and ideally form a cohesive vision.
🧵 4/6
Come up with as many game ideas as you can, but each is limited to 3 bullet points. If you can't make it sound compelling in 3 bullets, it's already missing the mark. All 3 points should be strong hooks (a mix of mechanical/thematic/component) and ideally form a cohesive vision.
🧵 4/6
April 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
🎲✂️ exercise:
Come up with as many game ideas as you can, but each is limited to 3 bullet points. If you can't make it sound compelling in 3 bullets, it's already missing the mark. All 3 points should be strong hooks (a mix of mechanical/thematic/component) and ideally form a cohesive vision.
🧵 4/6
Come up with as many game ideas as you can, but each is limited to 3 bullet points. If you can't make it sound compelling in 3 bullets, it's already missing the mark. All 3 points should be strong hooks (a mix of mechanical/thematic/component) and ideally form a cohesive vision.
🧵 4/6
And in an increasingly competitive space, if you want to engage, if you want to get signed, if you want people to buy your game, this is where designers need to be aiming, IMO. So, I spent a week doing an exercise to generate new ideas (or re-imagine old ones) viewed through that lens... 🧵 3/6
April 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
And in an increasingly competitive space, if you want to engage, if you want to get signed, if you want people to buy your game, this is where designers need to be aiming, IMO. So, I spent a week doing an exercise to generate new ideas (or re-imagine old ones) viewed through that lens... 🧵 3/6
First, some context... I keep hearing in design circles how important it is to have a clear hook. But when I read about TGDA's Take My Money award, it really drove it home to me - I'm working on games with pretty ok hooks, but certainly nothing I'd call "take my money" good... 🧵 2/6
April 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
First, some context... I keep hearing in design circles how important it is to have a clear hook. But when I read about TGDA's Take My Money award, it really drove it home to me - I'm working on games with pretty ok hooks, but certainly nothing I'd call "take my money" good... 🧵 2/6
I'm probably the first to say this, but yes to both. :)
March 26, 2025 at 12:46 AM
I'm probably the first to say this, but yes to both. :)
Not at the moment, unfortunately. I'll see how these pitches go, but if I do another round of testing I'll share things here.
March 12, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Not at the moment, unfortunately. I'll see how these pitches go, but if I do another round of testing I'll share things here.
Thanks! Might need to be a coffee assisted second wind. 😄
March 11, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Thanks! Might need to be a coffee assisted second wind. 😄
Thanks! That's what I assumed, but wanted to double check while the design was in the very early stages before I potentially locked it into a path that made it less publishable.
March 9, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Thanks! That's what I assumed, but wanted to double check while the design was in the very early stages before I potentially locked it into a path that made it less publishable.