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Board Game Design Contests in February 2026
I love board game design contests as they’re a fun way to learn faster, because the constraints and deadlines force new ideas to happen. In this video, I open the contest calendar on my website and go through what’s available for February 2026: what kinds of contests are running right now, which ones look especially…
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Life after the contest
Design Diary – December 07, 2025 Unusually written by the designer himself, spellchecked by AI. The design contest ended a week ago and I have had some time to think about the next steps. Unfortunately, I have no idea how the game was received, as only the top games in each contest category were named.…
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Final Tweaks Before the Contest Deadline
Design Diary – October 13, 2025 Transcribed by AI, dictated by the designer while driving. As the contest deadline approaches, I’ve been making the final tweaks to Hack-a-Pad. The game is almost ready, and I’m feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. I’ve been refining the rules and making sure everything is as polished as…
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Howto play video for Hack-a-Pad
Howto play video is now online for Hack-a-Pad card game. This 12 minute video highlights the key rules of the game. The more detailed instructions, links to digital versions and PnP-files can be found from the game page.
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Fine-tuning and positive surprises
Design Diary – September 24, 2025 (Note: This entry was dictated by the designer while driving a car to work and transcribed by AI.) Version Update It’s been a while since my last entry—two hectic weeks, but I’ve made progress on Hack-a-Pad. I’m currently on version 1b.1a, which means just minor tweaks—spelling fixes and a…
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Hack-a-Pad now playable in Tabletop Simulator
Hack-a-Pad version 1b.1 is now available as Tabletop Simulator mod. The mod is currently unlisted but you can access it via direct link https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3573534913
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New Hack-a-Pad PnP files available
As of right now new PnP files are downloadable for Hack-a-Pad. This version contains minor text fixes in cards and a new Hacking action “Crash an app”. Download links for files and list of changes available at Hack-a-Pad Proto 1b.1 PnP-files.
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New Hack-a-Pad PnP files available
As of right now new PnP files are downloadable for Hack-a-Pad. This is the version of the game that is playable at Lautapelaamaan event in Helsinki 14.9.2025. Download links for files and list of changes available at Hack-a-Pad Proto 1a.1 PnP-files.
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Some progress and PnP files done
Design Diary – September 1, 2025 (Note: This entry was dictated by the designer while driving a car and transcribed by AI.) I made unexpected progress today on the rulebook for Prototype 1.1. Writing rules always gives me a much clearer picture of how the game is actually supposed to work — and what’s still…
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First playtest done
Design Diary Entry – 24th August 2025 (Note: This entry was dictated by the designer while driving a car and transcribed by AI.) Last week was a pretty busy one, but I finally had a chance to start playtesting Hack-a-Pad. The good news: the core idea is working quite nicely. I ran numerous tests by…
Wannabe Board Game Designer
Design – Test – Fail – Learn – Repeat