Too Short to Post

I keep a list on my phone of possible blog posts (actually it’s more like 2-3 lists plus random ideas scattered in other notes). Some of those ideas are enough for full articles, but some of them, while interesting, I just don’t have that much to say on.

So, here are a couple of thoughts that are too short to post on their own.

Games are like Restaurants

We live in NYC and have far more restaurants to choose from than either our budgets or stomachs can handle. If our first experience with a restaurant is less than stellar, we’re very unlikely to ever go back.

The high stakes pressure of Kitchen Rush

On the rare occasion we might give a joint a second try – and when we do it’s almost always due to overwhelming social pressure. Either a group of friends is super keen on eating there, or maybe we see overwhelming rave reviews (although I can’t think of a case of this later scenario actually happening).

Board games are a lot like restaurants. One bad experience will turn a player off from ever trying it again (unless their arm is twisted into it by friends). So, we need to do everything in our power to make sure that first play is amazing.

The Spiral of Knowledge

Mr. Yared was one of my favorite teachers in high school. He taught math and analogized learning to a spiral. You start on the outside and work your way in. As you go around, you’re learning new ancillary topics, and with each rotation you go deeper into the topics you previously learned.

Honing in on the location of Planet X

You need to circle around a problem again and again and broaden your knowledge – in order to deepen your knowledge.

I often feel like our journey of publishing a game follows this kind of pattern.

Each time I visit a problem, I’m going deeper into the nitty-gritty.

Here’s an example – I learned the basics of querying manufacturers from some blog posts. I put together a query and sent it off. Then I learned a bit more about freight, and about materials. I re-RFQed which taught me more about cartons, and pallets, which let me go deeper into freight.

Then I researched card stock for a couple of days. I learned about industrial clusters and the nuance between manufacture and assembly.

Then I had a call with the team over at Long Shore and learned more about the history of board game manufacturing, where games are made, more nuance in print methods and the kinds of molds used to make vacuum seal components.

Each time around the circle I go deeper and deeper, and it’s only possible with the foundation from all the other little topics I’m researching.

A Game I Want to Talk About

One of the surest signs of a great game is that we want to talk about it after and between plays. Maybe it’s the if-onlys, maybe it’s rewinding the board and talking strategy.

The adorable meeples of Draftasaurus - one of our favorite quick games

I think as designers we often see outputs and have an urge to design towards them.

But, I don’t think something like talk-about-it-ed-ness is something we can design towards. Sure, we can throw in an achievements sheet, but at the end of the day it’s a symptom of a complex system.

The fact that we want to talk about great games just means that those games are great, but doesn’t really tell us much at all about what makes them memorable, fun, and awesome.

What’s a small truth or observation about design and publishing that’s been on your mind?