Erik AS - Game Designer

Illustration of four witches in black pointed hats in a grassy field, raising their wands toward each other and the wands are shooting out colorful sparkles and streamers. Four cats dance at their feet. In the background is a castle, party tent, and balloons.

It's my birthday today! Woohoo! I'm 42 (but mentally still in 2006, hah!)

I'd be so grateful if you shared my art today!

Original art shop: www.albaillustration.com

Signed decks, art prints, stickers, etc at: albaillustration.etsy.com

(Image: 4 of Wands from the Everyday Witch Tarot)

A great ensemble of games!

BG Stats feb. 2026 Omgångar: 21 H-index: 2 Spel: 11 Nya: 2 Spelare: 20 Platser: 2 Timmar: 15 Dagar: 13 Castle Combo: 5 1ers Contacts: 3 Ark Nova: 2 Dewan: 2 The Resistance: Avalon: 2 Twister: 2 Barrage: 1 Vast: The Mysterious Manor: 1 Heat: Pedal to the Metal: 1 19 skapare: Asger Aleksandrov Granerud: 9% Christian Kudahl: 9% Chuck Foley: 9% Daniel Skjold Pedersen: 9% Don Eskridge: 9%.

Designer Diary: Sanibel | BoardGameGeek News

I aim to be more like her!

Read about her latest game, Sanibel, here:
boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogp...

Designer Diary: Sanibel | BoardGameGeek News

Elizabeth Hargrave is probably my leading star in game design. Not only has she created beautiful and fantastic games (Wingspan is her number one hit!), she is also always advocating for diversity in the design sphere with a clear and steady voice.

🎲✂️

(1/2)

Stages of boardgame design:

Idea

Prototype

Wonky

Stable

Finished

🎲✂️

We have a long-standing math norm in our school district that applies to board game design—and to life: “Errors are gifts that promote discussion.”

Go forth and make your misplays! We are all now wiser. 🎲✂️

An encounter card with too much text on it for me to copy here, sorry

Yesterday was the strongest test of The Dumpster Heist yet. I am so excited to play at @unpub.org with @stickydoodler.bsky.social in person.

90 wood cubes and the tools to paint them: 4 acrylic paints (black, red, green, blue), paintbrushes. There's also a packet of much smaller wooden cubes.

Let's paint some cubes!
🎲✂️

Indeed.

The "no's" come in a lot styles too. "No" to this opportunity, "no" to this decision, "no" to this idea. It makes every "yes" more valuable than gold.

Celebrate the no too! It's a step towards the eventual yes.

They are harder to celebrate. But you are right!

And thank you. 🙏

I lol forward to hearing what you think about it once you try it!

To be a game designer is to receive a lot of ”no”. Make sure to celebrate your ”yes”!

Just had a bunch of no sent my way. I try to remember the positive outcomes and just rework the rejected games that I still like! ❤️

🎲✂️

#24 - Where is the glorious guild of witchcraft - Intervju med designern Erik Andersson Sunden | Brädspelsbröderna Brädspelsbröderna podcast - Tärningar, kort och kaos.

Do you want to hear me talk about game design in Swedish? 🎲✂️

shows.acast.com/bradspelsbro...

First one is not a bad take. Probably a better title that we are suggesting! :D

My current 🎲✂️:
🤖💾🙋‍♂️
⭕️🌙
🐺 💨

a little girl is holding a lollipop in her hand and says i know right . ALT: a little girl is holding a lollipop in her hand and says i know right .

I was invited to give a talk at a game design convention.
Then kindly told what a game design convention is.
Tables, playtests, designers.

Always nice to learn new things about your own field.

Mansplaining, anyone?

#GameDesign #WomenInGames

Tabletop game setup for OBOLUS. Two illustrated cards are shown: one with a boat on a misty river and another representing a river modifier. Several black meeples representing Souls are arranged around the cards, with a single white meeple representing Charon the Ferryman.

First BGG Contest! ⛴️💀

I’ve entered OBOLUS, a 9-card game of brutal bidding, for 1-2 players

The Dilemma: Win boats for points or lose to recover the Souls you need to stay in the game. If you run out, the river swallows you

Seeking playtest feedback
#BoardGames #BGG #PnP #GameDesign #Playtesting

In the Sudamerica version of Where is that? Brazil is a large part of the continent. For a Swede, it is a little out of knowledge zone. How many cities do you know in Brazil?
There are 18 included in our game.
#whereisthateuropa
#whereisthatsudamerica
@eanderssonsunden.bsky.social

Geography question: we know London is east from Berlin. But is London north or south?

A dilemma taken from me and @eanderssonsunden.bsky.social new game Where is That?: Europa

#whereisthateuropa

Old card: - Felt like it was sucking up your wildcards with no benefit. - Joker effect kind of broke the game. - Bit of a downer. New card: - Implies that you can dump lots of cards here. - Wildcard bonus lets you move cards to other places, spreading the party vibes. - Groovy.

Revisiting a past design means looking at cards with names like "The Party" and thinking:

"Does this *feel* like a party...?"
🎲✂️

In me and @eanderssonsunden.bsky.social latest game you will position cities and monuments relative to each other. One way is often obvious, but the other?

Is Stonehenge north or south from London?

#whereisthat

🎲✂️

A screenshot from the three first pages of the rulebook of DystopAI. Our Fastaval 2026 design.

The rulebook for DystopAI is almost done. @danielolai.bsky.social and I have worked hard the past week to be here. Thisnis our contribution to @fastaval.bsky.social 2026. Deadline 23:59 CET. :D

It has been great fun, Daniel. But let’s take a day off after this. 😅

🎲✂️ When I initially designed Pact, it was 6 hours long and completely impenetrable, so of course I needed to start simplifying. I cut potential endgames, cards, rounds, even ahh abilities, until the game played in an hour and a half and was easily teachable.

It was also really forgettable.

The BGG pages for my games are filled with rules questions. John Company is rated at a 4.4 in weight (higher than many complex wargames!) When I go to game design events, professional designers are constantly telling folks to clean things up and simplify their games.

Så säg till hos din favoritbutik att ni vill ha Where is That?/Hvor er det?/Var är det? så hoppas vi på fler utgåvor i många olika språk och landsändar!