Just today, Kobold Quarterly released The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design. Legendary designer and puzzle master Mike Selinker edited the book, and he assembled a killer lineup of designers and essays for the book. Besides himself, the writers include Rob Daviau, James Ernest, Richard Garfield, Dave Howell, Steve Jackson, Richard C. Levy, Andrew Looney, Michelle Nephew, Paul Peterson, Lisa Steenson, Jeff Tidball, Teeuwynn Woodruff, Dale Yu, and me.
Honestly, it’s an honor just to be included on such a list. The fact that it’s all wrapped inside a cover by John Kovalic makes for sweet icing on an already delicious cake.
My essay is called “Metaphor vs. Mechanics,” and it addresses the natural tension between how a game works and what it’s about. Other pieces cover the gamut from pacing gameplay and writing rules to building prototypes and getting published. If you have any interest at all in game design, grab this book. It’s out in both print and PDF.
