A strong theme is a boon for a board game. It drives engagement, helps players connect, and can spark our imaginations. But some themes come with risk. Religious, social issues, or political games can scare potential publishers and players away. We talk to Andrew Lowen about his Deliverance board game and the risks and rewards of staying true to a theme.

Pine Island Games Mission. We strive to create memorable, fun, and beautiful games. We aim to create value for our customers, fans, and the broader board gaming and game design communities. We value personally connecting with, and being helpful to our fans and supporters. We believe that games are meant to bring people together, and that the board gaming hobby and industry will be healthier and more fun through increased equity and inclusivity.

A walk down memory lane as we explore some of the inspiration behind Nut Hunt. The Crag is deep in Estabrook woods where the trees lean in like a cathedral and seem to whisper. Concept art by Gregory Burch.

A closer look at gamer demographics and psychographics. How can we use psychographics to make better board games, and what responsibility do we have as designers to increase equity and create a welcoming community for a broader demographic?

We explore what making a games means for Pine Island Games. There are thousands of games published every year, ranging from high energy party games, to nuts and bolts strategy, to epic role play experiences. We define our niche in this sea of opportunity.

We welcome Stephen Nickel to the Pine Island team on our project Nut Hunt. We explore our philosophy in hiring illustrators and take a deeper look into what is in an artist contract, and what rights are important to us as a publisher.

What's in a box? We take a closer look at board game box sizes and the trade off between optimizing for freight and fulfilment versus retail.

How to find, query, hire, and budget for board game illustration and graphic design. Where to find illustrators. Hourly rates. Estimating project costs & budget.

The first chapter in our journey of taking a game from prototype to publication. We lay the groundwork in how we approach games publication.