theme

Themes vs. Mechanisms

Grant Rodiek | July 08, 2018

I've been interviewed by numerous people about design, and my least favorite recurring question is "How do you design: theme versus mechanism?" Frankly, I think it's a silly question, one that completely sidesteps the nuance of design, but is also misleading that those are the choices for designers to pursue.

Inspiration for Inspiration's Sake

Grant Rodiek | March 04, 2016

I've had a very interesting experience lately designing a new game and I thought it was worth sharing, as it may be a tool I use in the future, and may be something that could aid you in your efforts.

The 54 Card Guild: #9

Grant Rodiek | January 28, 2016

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.

An Interview on Salvation Road

Grant Rodiek | May 12, 2015

Editor's Note: I recently watched both Mad Max and the sequel, The Road Warrior, for a few reasons. For one, my favorite comedian, Patton Oswalt, references it all the time. Secondly, I saw the trailer for Fury Road.

On Deck! For Story Time

Grant Rodiek | January 19, 2015

I have three games deep in the furnace of development right now: Hocus Poker, Dawn Sector, and Sol Rising. Hocus is thankfully mostly finished -- we're balance testing now. Dawn Sector is with Portal Games, so they're taking the lead on it.

Researching Theme

Grant Rodiek | October 03, 2014

A few days ago I asked the excellent Cardboard Edison for blog ideas. They quickly came up with two, one of which is the topic of this post. It was a great idea, but also especially exciting as it's something they are apparently working on right now.

Encounters with Genius

Grant Rodiek | April 06, 2014

Lately I have been truly blessed to encounter a few new games that have just blown my mind. Each of them has contributed something to my enjoyment of games, but also, my thoughts as a designer. It's not uncommon if you play games frequently to come across great ideas.

An Interview with Colby Dauch

Grant Rodiek | January 15, 2014

Colby Dauch is the owner and chief game designer of Plaid Hat Games, one of my favorite companies that has created two of my favorite games: Summoner Wars and Mice and Mystics. In just a few years, Plaid Hat has grown from a single game company to one with a huge booth at GenCon, two games in Barnes and Nobles, and a legion of fans, err, Dougs.

Find your Smeech

Grant Rodiek | January 06, 2014

I've had a very creative few months and in them, I think I've done some of my best creative work. By creative, I specifically mean idea generation and the more conceptual side of design. This is the aspect of design with which I struggle the most, as I'm a stronger developer by nature.

Make the Experience, Scrap the Rest

Grant Rodiek | October 01, 2013

Although not conceived as such, I realized this blog post is more or less a continuation of a previous post, Foundationing. By that, I mean being able to do the thing I state at the end is much simpler if the core of your experience is solid.