Hey, I’m Chris Backe (rhymes with hockey). I make tabletop games and help others make games.
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No Black Friday Deals in this post
Welcome to your monthly occasional dose of insights! It’s been a minute… Where the heck you been, Chris?! I’ve been busy! Keeping up an email newsletter (even a monthly one) turned out to be one thing too many. I’m going to try and make more time for it (and writing...
How To Get Organized For A Convention (with free template!)
So I've already talked a lot about researching for a con and how to pitch at a con... but I don't think I've shared how I get organized for a con. Keep reading for what to do and a free template! First, let's start with some goals. What is your goal at a convention?...
What I Look For When Playtesting Other People’s Games
Playtesting your game often means playtesting other people's games. It's the law of reciprocity, after all. When it's time for someone else's game to get to the table, I'll typically use a form I've made to help me remember what things are worth mentioning. Let me see...
Designer Diary: Around the World in 10-15 Minutes: How Much, and How Little, Has Changed From the Very First Version
I love all my babies, naturally, but there's something that genuinely excites me about playing Around the World in 10-15 Minutes. It's our third game from No Box Games, meaning it's a print and play with no assembly required. It's also the first title where I felt...
Destination: Fastaval 2024, the best reason to go to Denmark
For those unfamiliar with Fastaval, consider this post required reading. Written after returning from Fastaval in 2022, it was extensively edited and corrected after the fact thanks to a number of folks I met there to help me ensure the facts correct. (There, as here,...
The Ultimate Guide to Co-Designing a Board Game
Co-designing a board game is a wonderful opportunity to bounce ideas around, work with another designer, and of course make something you can be proud of. I've worked on almost a dozen games with co-designers as of this post, and I've been privileged to tap their...
Occasionally Asked Questions, volume 1: BoardGameGeek, making cards, and end game conditions
Occasionally Asked Questions: valid questions I've heard from game designers more than once that I haven't yet answered with a blog post. Hereinafter, OAQ's. I'll be answering from my own experiences from within the world of board games, naturally. How Do I Make Cards...
Tabletop Simulator 106: optimizing for playing / playtesting
Now that your game is in Tabletop Simulator and you have some experience in the program, let's optimize the player experience. You're probably aware that playing in Tabletop Simulator is very different from playing in the real world. Our goal here in TTS is not to...
How to Write a Rulebook for Your Board Game
Rules can feel hard to write. They have to make a game feel understandable to the reader, clarify your intentions, and make sure players feel like they know what they're doing. It's a weird blend of technical writing that shouldn't sound like technical writing. In...
What I’ll be doing differently in 2024, professionalization of the industry, and more
Welcome to your weekly dose of board game design! This will be my last email post in 2023, so naturally it’s a good time to look forward to what I'll be doing differently in 2024. But first, two things: Announcing our next game at No Box Games: Around the World in...
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