Nathan Thornton
nathanthornton.bsky.social
Nathan Thornton
@nathanthornton.bsky.social
Really into board games. I designed or helped design Medium, Green Team Wins, Everything Ever, and That Old Wallpaper.
FLATIRON! You and your opponent are building NYC’s historic Flatiron Building. Once you’re done, you’ll push your chair back from the table and say: “Look what we built together! You won, I think.” (That’s what I said, anyway).
January 13, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Medium: Testing Fate! It's coming this year! A standalone sequel to Medium (the mind-reading party game), M:TF brings 270 inventive new word cards for even more astonishing mind melds!
January 7, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The games that I do are mostly party games, and they don't tend to have a ton of rules, but there's one very important rule I like to get into every rulebook I write. People should be cool about things.
December 4, 2024 at 7:55 PM
My prototypes are done and ready to go to PAX Unplugged!

(I haven’t done anything to the boxes yet)
December 3, 2024 at 12:18 AM
We don’t have a ton of holiday traditions, but the Exit Advent Calendar is a perennial one that we always look forward to. This Hollywood star won’t be missing for long!

(I assume they’ll likely be missing for the next 25 days)
December 2, 2024 at 12:31 AM
If a bunch of people come over to your house, there's a lot worse things you could do than play Green Team Wins Holiday Party. It's as entertaining as Green Team Wins, as magical as a holiday, and as fun as a party!

And it has ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE new cards (which seems like too many, kinda).
November 24, 2024 at 4:17 PM
World Expo! A new prototype of my Epcot-inspired dice placement. The cards are out, and this spinning wheel (the “Carousel of Nations”) is in! It’s a good game and we’re having fun with it.
December 24, 2023 at 1:53 AM
1902 Méliès! One of the more interesting games we’ve played. You’re helping make the movie A Trip to the Moon: filming, editing, writing, sfx. There’s some push & pull as your opponent shifts actors or moves sets, undoing your plans. The theme comes through perfectly! Fun and sometimes frustrating.
December 19, 2023 at 2:51 AM
Some days you get discouraged about designing board games and wonder if all the time and energy is worth it. And other days you get an Amazon review like "Game Crazy Family Loved" and you get whatever the opposite of discouraged is. Feeling couraged!
December 10, 2023 at 7:12 PM
Build some cherished memories with That Old Wallpaper! It's the season to remember 1. tales of the glories of Christmases long long ago, 2. what that wallpaper in Grandma's old house looked like. 3. the time you got a board game for free. Make it a holiday they'll never forget!
December 10, 2023 at 5:06 PM
ROMI RAMI and SEA SALT & PAPER! If you’re looking for two outstanding quick classic-feeling card games that play great with two, look to me and look at my finger pointing to these two little boxes. Pure fun, both of them.
November 23, 2023 at 1:05 AM
BRUGES! We love this game of building canals and houses and statues and gaining people and money then watching it all burn up in a fire, get lost in a flood, get raided and stolen, and of course, rat plagued.

Fifteenth Century Belgium was a rough place to live, I guess.
November 23, 2023 at 12:33 AM
One of the most thoughtful components in all of board games is this little tray that New York Zoo gives you for ease in grabbing these cute-as-pie animal pieces. Great game, awesome tray, fantastic little flamingos!
November 17, 2023 at 12:31 AM
Ok, here's something new I'm working on. It's a sliding tiles game about eating party mix. The cubes represent pretzels, bagel chips, crackers, breadsticks, etc. You slide a tile in one side, and collect what comes out the other side. It's called Slide Me That Party Mix and I think it's working.
November 9, 2023 at 11:12 PM
I know it’s just marketing, but I can’t tell you how excited I was to see Green Team Wins in this Target holiday gift guide thing!
October 30, 2023 at 7:58 PM
I'm doing a presentation for a high school entrepreneurship about making board games. I put this slide in of all the games I've been pitching that haven't found a publisher (actually one of these is signed, but it's not out) and it's half satisfying and half depressing.
October 26, 2023 at 7:50 PM