Design Diary – August 14th 2025

(Note: This entry was dictated by the designer and transcribed by ChatGPT while the designer was fixing a wall in an outbuilding.)

Today, I left my day job a bit earlier than usual—just about 45 minutes early—because I know I’ll be working late tomorrow and over the weekend. I’m a bit worried that I won’t have much time for game design during the next couple of days, since family time is my priority when I’m off work and this is just a hobby. But I still wanted to squeeze in a bit of progress today.

I’m not an artist so I use stock images

With that extra time, I managed to create the rest of the card drafts for the game. I used some stock images from Freepik with the right licenses so I could make the cards look at least decent, even though I’m no artist. I worked on the hacking cards, improved the app cards, and designed the card backs. I also did some first tests for the action point and privacy tracking cards and even put together a simple logo using those stock images, just so I have something for now.

Next, I’m going to dig up my old notes with card ideas and start adding them into a spreadsheet so I can create the first prototype cards.

Design Diary – August 13th 2025

(Note: This entry was dictated by the designer and transcribed by ChatGPT.)

Last night, I already started feeling a bit of regret about entering the contest. I feel like I might be in over my head because I have so much else going on. I really want to give my full attention to my two main designs, Cats on the Table and Jewel eXchange. I’ve planned to demo both of those in September at the Lautapelaamaan board game event in Helsinki, and I want them to be just right. Plus, I know my day job is going to be really busy this autumn.

But what’s done is done. I noticed my VIP entry for the game got a thumbs-up already, so someone’s seen it, and I’m not going to withdraw. I’m going to make this happen no matter what it takes.

Little progress everyday

This morning, I used my time to write rulebook changes for Cats on the Table, and otherwise, I’ve been busy with life. I know I need to make at least a little progress on this contest entry every day because everything has to be ready by October 1st.

So I opened up Tabletop Creator Pro and started designing the first prototype cards digitally. I know it would probably be faster and better to start designing on paper by hand, but I want to make sure I have a digital print-and-play version ready when the time comes. So this time, I’m starting from the beginning with all drafts done digitally. This might be a mistake, but its my mistake to make.

I designed my first app card—the “Facepalm” app, a parody of a social media app. Uninstalling it will give the player an extra action point for that turn, just for a thematic touch. It’s a simple start, but at least it’s something, and now I have a base to work from.