You don’t need a published game to call yourself a designer. If you want to be one, just start designing and you already are one.
WannabeBoardGameDesigner.com is a learning journal. An ongoing project to collect resources and share stories and information about the board game design for anyone interested in board games.
I share what I’m learning as I go, from first prototypes to playtests gone wrong, so you can skip a few mistakes and join the fun.
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Enter the rabbit hole of board game design – from idea to prototype
Diaries of a wannabe board game designer, entry date 16th May 2025
The jorney begins. How did I end up here?
What does it actually take to turn a spark of inspiration into a playable card game? In this first diary entry I walk through the earliest, messiest part of the design journey and share the concrete lessons I’ve learned so far:
Why “a good game” is more than a clever idea
Building the very first paper-prototype – and why your kid’s teddy bear makes a perfectly ruthless play-tester
Iterating with family feedback: tracking play-times, win ratios, and “this-is-boring” moments
Killing the fear of idea-theft – ideas are cheap, finished games aren’t
Essential resources
BoardGameGeek: cataloguing, research, and the best reality check on earth
Board Game Design Lab podcast: a goldmine of design wisdom (I binged 50 episodes in two weeks!)
Next hurdles:
finding a theme that truly fits, deciding between self-publishing and pitching, and lining up broader blind-playtests.
If you’re sketching your own game—or just curious about how much work hides behind that neat little box on the shelf—this episode will give you a candid look at the very beginning of the process and the mindset shifts that keep it moving.
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Exploring Game Design Tools: Dextrous vs Tabletop Creator Pro
Diaries of a wannabe board game designer, entry date 20th June 2025
In this episode of “Diaries of a Wannabe Board Game Designer,” I share my experiences exploring and testing two innovative board game design tools: Dextrous and Tabletop Creator Pro.
Previously, I relied on basic graphic design software like Inkscape, GIMP, and Google Slides, but found them limiting for efficient game design.
In this video, I dive into the features, strengths, and limitations of both Dextrous and Tabletop Creator Pro.
I also demonstrate a practical use-case by creating simple dice simulation cards for d4 and d6 dice with each tool.
Watch to learn which might suit your game design needs and streamline your creative process.