Colin Brandt

I just played w the Allies expansion for the first time last night - I definitely recommend it once you’ve played the base game a few times.

Ahh your iconography and graphic design skills are so good! Yeah it seems like there’s a good distinction between up/down in this version

These components look so nice already

I had a great time at PAX Unplugged (my very first board game convention)! Looking forward to the next one—considering PAX West next year since I’m on the west coast.

Ah I didn’t try that one but it sounds amazing

What’s the “PGMG” table? Is that in the Expo Hall?

Wow the artwork is beautiful!

I’m aware of PlaytestPDX but haven’t made it yet, since I’m out in the gorge. Hoping to go someday though!

Yeah, I'm pretty far from Seattle (east of Portland, OR) but I'll definitely keep that in mind next time I'm up there. I'll definitely stop by and try your game if you're demoing it!

So cool! As a first-timer, how exactly does Indie Games Night Market work? Do the designers demo their games with attendees in addition to selling them?

The components look so good!

🎲✂️ I’ll be handing out some business cards at PAX Unplugged, featuring a roll-and-write game where you’re a game designer racing against the clock. Let me know if you want one (or just want to meet up and play games)! #PAXU

How the art is created for 52 Duels. Follow the game now on Kickstarter www.kickstarter.com/projects/pos...

Yeah it’s just called “Tabletop” - it’s far from perfect but might be handy for some things :)

Agreed, Adobe products feel so clunky after switching to Figma. Also I made a plugin called Tabletop for digital playtesting in Figma if you want to try it out! It’s not perfect but has helped me w some designs.

Love the old-school line/vector art, reminds me of both classic arcades and Star Wars UI

Got my badge as well!

That seems like a sign of an experienced designer—you're able to reach a point where you feel like the game is the best version of itself.

So if you’re at a point where you’re making multiple copies of a prototype, do you consider the design locked (apart from any changes a publisher might want to make after signing it)?

😮 You’re a machine!

Wow that’s a ton of work represented in one photo. Good luck!

The meeples are the best! On the first playthrough, the rules seem very intimidating because each faction/player has unique abilities. But fortunately you can mostly ignore the other factions' rules and just focus on your own.

First time playing the physical version of Root last night! I was the Keepers in Iron (badgers). I found the relic retrieval mechanism pretty fun, although I struggled to expand too much beyond my initial starting area. The crows had a runaway victory as their plot tokens were unchecked for too long

Yeah I hear you, seems like good guidance. I have a prototype where there’s 6 total possible actions, which are all fairly simple in terms of complexity, but it still feels like a lot to explain. Now I’m considering ways to simplify and streamline, which is always a good design exercise.

Thank you @colewehrle.bsky.social for your talk about the game design process on the Zenobia YouTube channel!

I was wondering, when you mention allowing for around 4 actions in a mid-weight game, are you referring to total actions in a turn or action types to choose from?

Thanks for the detailed reply! Yeah I was curious if playtesting should be deprioritized in favor of pitching finished prototypes to publishers, since you probably want to take full advantage of that face time with people in the industry.

Q for published tabletop game designers—how do you spend your time at game conventions? I've never been to one and I'm curious how much time you spend:

a. Meeting with publishers (pre-planned)
b. Ad-hoc pitching to publishers
c. Playtesting
d. Playing games / meeting other gamers

🎲✂️

Pretty excited about these 3D-printed pika pawns for my prototype! 🎲✂️

Looks like great table presence! I’m curious—what are some of the misgivings you’ve come to terms with? I’m still learning when to be okay with certain aspects of a game that aren’t as elegant as I’d like.

Haha nice, let me know if you have any AE questions—I’ve spent way too much of my career in that app.