Phil Walker-Harding
@philwh.bsky.social
Board and card game designer (Sushi Go!, Tetris, Gizmos, Imhotep, Bärenpark, Silver & Gold, Planted) on Gadigal land (Sydney).
www.philwalkerharding.com
Co-founder of Joey Games.
www.joeygames.com.au
www.philwalkerharding.com
Co-founder of Joey Games.
www.joeygames.com.au
Working on another shared board tile-laying game! No keepers yet, but fun to try using a pretty old game design muscle again.
October 26, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Working on another shared board tile-laying game! No keepers yet, but fun to try using a pretty old game design muscle again.
The players of the Super Mega Lucky Box app are amazing!.. I didn’t think 85 points was even possible and someone just got 88! It has been really interesting to watch players optimise this game so long after its release.
September 26, 2025 at 11:55 AM
The players of the Super Mega Lucky Box app are amazing!.. I didn’t think 85 points was even possible and someone just got 88! It has been really interesting to watch players optimise this game so long after its release.
This creates a little tactical puzzle around the action selection, and the ability to set up contingency plans in each round. For a long time I wanted this to be the whole game - but eventually I realised I needed a second system. A rare path for me to take, but I learnt a lot from the process! 2/3
September 19, 2025 at 10:43 AM
This creates a little tactical puzzle around the action selection, and the ability to set up contingency plans in each round. For a long time I wanted this to be the whole game - but eventually I realised I needed a second system. A rare path for me to take, but I learnt a lot from the process! 2/3
My Essen release Tropicalia had its first version all the way back in 2014, but the central mechanism has remained the same from the start: two-phase worker placement. First, place workers around the edge of a grid, then move workers along their row or column to claim an action space. 1/3
September 19, 2025 at 10:43 AM
My Essen release Tropicalia had its first version all the way back in 2014, but the central mechanism has remained the same from the start: two-phase worker placement. First, place workers around the edge of a grid, then move workers along their row or column to claim an action space. 1/3
A sneak peek at the next release from Joey Games! Dropping in Q4.
August 21, 2025 at 9:31 AM
A sneak peek at the next release from Joey Games! Dropping in Q4.
Working on a shared board tile laying game like it’s 1998!
August 20, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Working on a shared board tile laying game like it’s 1998!
Triple J is running a poll for the greatest Australian songs of the past 50 years. A great chance to come up with my top ten but almost impossible to choose just one Go-Betweens track! 🐨
July 7, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Triple J is running a poll for the greatest Australian songs of the past 50 years. A great chance to come up with my top ten but almost impossible to choose just one Go-Betweens track! 🐨
I have been enjoying this book by @3mbg.bsky.social ! It thoughtfully onboards newer gamers with the way it categorises games and uses some nifty tag icons. Plus nice write-ups of games of all complexities. Recommended!
June 24, 2025 at 7:31 AM
I have been enjoying this book by @3mbg.bsky.social ! It thoughtfully onboards newer gamers with the way it categorises games and uses some nifty tag icons. Plus nice write-ups of games of all complexities. Recommended!
Just updated my web site to include my latest releases. If you're interested, I have mini-designer diaries for each game!
www.philwalkerharding.com
www.philwalkerharding.com
March 12, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Just updated my web site to include my latest releases. If you're interested, I have mini-designer diaries for each game!
www.philwalkerharding.com
www.philwalkerharding.com
My oldest albatross was “area control on a slide puzzle grid board” but co-designing with @ericlang.bsky.social cracked it! Work on Wrath of Fire Mountain started with that unfinished idea. Here is a prototype of a failed version from 2012:
January 31, 2025 at 11:54 PM
My oldest albatross was “area control on a slide puzzle grid board” but co-designing with @ericlang.bsky.social cracked it! Work on Wrath of Fire Mountain started with that unfinished idea. Here is a prototype of a failed version from 2012:
The As d’Or has been nominating great games in recent years. Really excited to try For a Crown!
January 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM
The As d’Or has been nominating great games in recent years. Really excited to try For a Crown!
It's so cool to me that there are still Cacao tournaments in Germany. Really thankful that Abacusspiele continues to support an almost 10 year old game! 🍫
November 21, 2024 at 12:38 PM
It's so cool to me that there are still Cacao tournaments in Germany. Really thankful that Abacusspiele continues to support an almost 10 year old game! 🍫
Game of the year!?
November 15, 2024 at 7:48 AM
Game of the year!?
Working on a card game about birds who want chips.
November 13, 2024 at 3:41 AM
Working on a card game about birds who want chips.
Got some interesting new games in a local math trade including Hase und Igel with original SdJ 1979 logo!
November 10, 2024 at 8:26 AM
Got some interesting new games in a local math trade including Hase und Igel with original SdJ 1979 logo!
I've been using PlayingCards.io to test new prototypes lately. It's the quickest and easiest way I've found to do a digital test of a card game. You can also play a whole bunch of standard deck games there. Recommended!
October 30, 2024 at 11:37 AM
I've been using PlayingCards.io to test new prototypes lately. It's the quickest and easiest way I've found to do a digital test of a card game. You can also play a whole bunch of standard deck games there. Recommended!
Ok, last old prototype pic! This is Llamaland, back when the llamas were much less fun-looking houses. I cut lots of tricky pentominoes from foamcore because I wanted to show how important thick tiles were for playability. Thankfully Lookout went with super thick cardboard!
October 29, 2024 at 8:27 AM
Ok, last old prototype pic! This is Llamaland, back when the llamas were much less fun-looking houses. I cut lots of tricky pentominoes from foamcore because I wanted to show how important thick tiles were for playability. Thankfully Lookout went with super thick cardboard!
Another couple of old prototype pics! The Imhotep expansion, which was super lo-fi and just pieces of paper for most of its life. And Sushi Roll, which required stickering 30 dice a bunch of times!
October 28, 2024 at 11:13 AM
Another couple of old prototype pics! The Imhotep expansion, which was super lo-fi and just pieces of paper for most of its life. And Sushi Roll, which required stickering 30 dice a bunch of times!
Here’s another old prototype photo. This is Gizmos, then called Inventions.
I had a lot of fun finding art from old books in the British Library archive. Unnecessary, but for me sometimes doing full “art direction” on a prototype is a fun project, and instructive for the design.
I had a lot of fun finding art from old books in the British Library archive. Unnecessary, but for me sometimes doing full “art direction” on a prototype is a fun project, and instructive for the design.
October 25, 2024 at 12:46 AM
Here’s another old prototype photo. This is Gizmos, then called Inventions.
I had a lot of fun finding art from old books in the British Library archive. Unnecessary, but for me sometimes doing full “art direction” on a prototype is a fun project, and instructive for the design.
I had a lot of fun finding art from old books in the British Library archive. Unnecessary, but for me sometimes doing full “art direction” on a prototype is a fun project, and instructive for the design.
Here’s some more old prototype photos from way back.
These are Tanis and Gingerbread House (then called Chocolate Factory). I really went through a 3D components phase after Imhotep!
These are Tanis and Gingerbread House (then called Chocolate Factory). I really went through a 3D components phase after Imhotep!
October 23, 2024 at 10:25 AM
Here’s some more old prototype photos from way back.
These are Tanis and Gingerbread House (then called Chocolate Factory). I really went through a 3D components phase after Imhotep!
These are Tanis and Gingerbread House (then called Chocolate Factory). I really went through a 3D components phase after Imhotep!
I thought I’d give bluesky a go!
I just found some old pics of Bärenpark prototypes that I thought could be interesting to share. A really early version and the final one (when it was theme park themed).
I just found some old pics of Bärenpark prototypes that I thought could be interesting to share. A really early version and the final one (when it was theme park themed).
October 22, 2024 at 11:01 AM
I thought I’d give bluesky a go!
I just found some old pics of Bärenpark prototypes that I thought could be interesting to share. A really early version and the final one (when it was theme park themed).
I just found some old pics of Bärenpark prototypes that I thought could be interesting to share. A really early version and the final one (when it was theme park themed).