and now I’m freaking out so hard I’m writing about it.

Im not sure the world needs yet another website about board games. But I have a feeling there are several people, like myself, who have the same dream as I do:

Become a published board game designer.

This website is dedicated to them.

In many ways, this is an easy task. Self-publishing is a very legitimate way of becoming a published designer. With Kickstarter and Gamefound being prominent in the world of board games, it’s never been easier to make a game and put it out there for the world to fund you. In 2017, I successfully led a Kickstarter for a video game, so I know mostly what going to a crowdfunding site entails…but I’m not sure that’s what I want for myself.

And while the prospect of being full-on publisher and taking all the responsibilty that comes with that (manufacturing, distribution, game design/development, etc) actually does excite me somewhat, there is another route:

Get signed by an established publisher.

This is almost like getting a record deal as a musician, or getting a role in a movie or broadway show as an actor. A company who’s job is develop and distribute games found your design so fun and intriguing that they purchase the development and distribution rights to it and make it a complete product. Personally, that’s the big leagues. And I want to get there.

Theres only one problem: I’ve never designed a game! *to be read in the tone of Ewan McGregor in the opening scene of Moulin Rouge*

Okay, I totally have designed games – I just said that so I can plug one of my favorite movies in there. I’ve designed several in fact. But none of which I consider “good enough to be published.” Publishers look for very tight, clean, and highly-developed gameplay, and I tend to bounce from project to project. So much so, that my games never get playtested enough to be at the level of cleanliness and fun that a publisher would consider publishing. So:

I signed up for the Stonemaier Design Day.

For those who don’t know, Design Day is hosted by Stonemaier Games (publisher of Wingspan, Scythe, Viticulture, and many other incredible games). They invite designers and developers to spend a day playtesting each others games. Not everyone brings a game to playtest, but most do. Last year I went without a game and vowed next year I would. And here we are.

I will be bringing a game that I have been working on since 2018 off and on. It is currently in it’s 3rd iteration. It’s the kind of game I wish already existed so I didn’t have to design it, but every year at Gen Con, including this year, I can never find one that fits this bill.

Design Day is September 22, 2024, which means there are 47 days left at the time of writing this to work on this game before it is seen and played by several people whom I’ve never met before. It’s time to kick it into overdrive.

Which is what brings me to writing this blog. Most people who know me would predict that once Design Day is over, I would have had yet another game idea that I start working on and I, yet again, would shelve this project. The objective of starting this site is to make sure I do not do that. This website is designed to keep me accountable by keeping keeping the passion and goal of the game alive and written right in front of me.

Thank you for reading. Stay along for the ride.

Game on.