design philosophy

KPIs

Grant Rodiek | May 06, 2018

I just returned from two weeks in Stockholm and Copenhagen. Most of the first week was spent at a leadership conference for my company. As you might expect, I cannot really discuss the specifics of the conference as it went deeply into secret projects, corporate strategy, and so forth.

Why I think Rising Sun really matters.

Grant Rodiek | February 25, 2018

I played my copy of Rising Sun for the first time this weekend and I was very pleasantly surprised. Last year I played the much lauded Blood Rage at long last and hated it. I hated it almost immediately and spent my entire play of it wanting to leave the table.

The Cards of Five Ravens

Grant Rodiek | September 21, 2017

This is the fourth part of a designer diary series on Five Ravens. You can read the rules here. You can download the Print and Play here. The soul of a card game is in its cards, the combinations they create, the grins they provide players when they figure out something devious, and the secrets held in your hand.

The Origin of Five Ravens

Grant Rodiek | September 18, 2017

This is the first part of a designer diary series on Five Ravens. You can read the rules here. You can download the Print and Play here. At the conclusion of Solstice I knew I wanted to create a new card game that sidestepped some of the issues that made Solstice such a difficult game to design.

The Good Score

Grant Rodiek | June 24, 2017

My development focus the last few weeks has been examining and minutely tweaking the score tuning for Five Ravens. When designing, you should always make changes with purpose, and my purpose here is threefold:Reduce the number of ties.

The 54 Card Guild: #8

Grant Rodiek | November 27, 2015

If this is the first time you're seeing The 54 Card Guild, I recommend you begin with Guide #1. It will explain everything. All of the posts are tagged with 54 Card Guild. There is an active Slack group, which exists to brainstorm, pitch, and discuss games.

CCG Diagnosis

Grant Rodiek | November 25, 2014

Daniel Solis has been Tweeting about researching and designing a CCG lately. CCG stands for Collectible Card Game, which is similar to Trading Card Game, and somewhat similar to Living Card Game. No game better embodies this moniker than Magic: The Gathering, the gorilla of the table top industry.

The Blockade of GenCon

Grant Rodiek | August 10, 2013

Scene from 'The Return of the Jedi' I've been steadily testing Blockade for months now. It's also taken a quick loop through the PPP with a visit to Madison, WI and was PNP'd by some kind folks in Arkansas.