MakeThemPlay

I love all board games, but coops have a special place in my heart. Games are for getting together and working together just makes that easier. So, time to delve into what makes cooperatives work! makethemplay.com/index.php/2021…

Latest blog post: Fun, new, crazy ideas for boardgames: Some brainstorming on ideas for mechanics that I haven't seen before, that I'd love to see and that I might even create myself at some point ;-) makethemplay.com/index.php/2020…

@BAGamesCo Thanks for the shoutout! :-)

'Engine Builder' is an interesting term. It teaches us that a sense of player progression can be important. Shout out to @B_Reinink. During research, we read an awesome article by them. bit.ly/bg-enginebuild… #boardgame #boardgamegeek #boardgamedesign #tabletopgames

The game I've been working on simply -wasn't fun-. And that made working on it -not fun-. So I'm abandoning the design. Using this as an example I try to answer the general question: When should you abandon a design: makethemplay.com/index.php/2020…

I've been working on a new design for a bit and I found a problem that's tougher than usual: Too much pushing cubes around. In this post I share my thoughts on the problem and possible solutions. makethemplay.com/index.php/2020…

Starting a new boardgame design. And instead of building something huge in my head I decided to try to create the "minimal viable game", the smallest prototype that would let me do playtesting. Read more here: makethemplay.com/index.php/2020…

Inspiration can come from many sources, but other board games are of course a prime source. In this article I look at some new-to-me games and the interesting mechanics they contain: makethemplay.com/index.php/2020…

Have you ever tried to solve a problem in one part of your game that also made things better in other parts? I've been experimenting with hidden information to improve the 2-player experience, but this made things better elsewhere as well. Read more here: makethemplay.com/index.php/2020…

The blank play-test – Make Them Play makethemplay.com/index.php/2016… @B_Reinink

Part of the fun of playing board games is learning how to play them well. In my latest blog post I go into creating the learning curve you want for your game: makethemplay.com/index.php/2019…

@University_XP Awesome!

@B_Reinink I cited your work again in this blog post: universityxp.com/blog/2019/12/1…

Board games are about interactions: Between players, between players and the game, but even about the game interacting with itself. Read more in my latest blog post: makethemplay.com/index.php/2019…

@University_XP No worries, these things happen :-)

@B_Reinink Apologies! It’s on the fix list for today!

@B_Reinink I appreciate your writing and cited your work here: universityxp.com/blog/2019/11/1… Thanks for help!

Thinking about a new game design. I know I should start playtesting asap, but it feels so much saver to write down all of the awesome (of course ;-) ) ideas I have...

@University_XP If you're going to give me an official citation, can I ask you write my name correctly? Reinink, not Rennick ;-)

@University_XP Wow, that's really cool, thanks! Looking forward to reading your article :-)

Things board game designers can learn from Root makethemplay.com/index.php/2019… via @B_Reinink

@elizhargrave For me it's actually the other way around. I found out that I'm highly sensitive to light when I sleep and that the long nights improve my rest and thus my entire life. Good luck with your move a better clime though! ;-)

I start to struggle in early November. At some point in my 30s I realized it's not me, it's the dark. Because seriously, every November, like clockwork. I need to live closer to the equator.

Latest blog post: Analyzing the great game Root for lessons for other board game designers: makethemplay.com/index.php/2019…