Hey, I’m Chris Backe (rhymes with hockey). I make tabletop games and help others make games.
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How To Organize Your Board Game Design Stuff Without Spending A Dime
Whether you're an experienced designer or just getting started with your first game, organizing your board game design stuff will save you a bunch of time and effort. For obvious reasons, 'getting organized' is going to look different to everyone, based on the room...
Is My Game Ready To Pitch? A checklist
To quote that famous philosopher Eminem, you only get one shot, so don't miss your chance. So it's clear, you don't have to say 'yes' to each and every one of these things... but be honest with yourself. If it's not ready, don't pitch it or get it ready. So... how...
8 Things Designers Should Be Doing – But Probably Aren’t
Let's just jump right in, shall we? Observe how a publisher sells themselves to the public. As just one example, Thinkfun (a puzzle brand of Ravensburger) has recently launched meshhelps.org. MESH stands for Mental, Emotional, and Social Health - three things that all...
When Should You Shelve a game? 8 Questions To Ask Yourself
Whether the last few playtests have been discouraging or it just feels like the game's not working the way you want it to, you're probably wondering if it's time to shelve a game. Take heart - almost anyone that's been designing games for a little while has a shelved...
New Board Game Terms To Add To Your Vocabulary
I learn new board game terms all the time, usually from other game designers. Here are some of the terms I've heard recently. ...
![[#026] UKGE, making a great game, and more](https://entrogamescomc28ec.zapwp.com/q:i/r:0/wp:1/w:1/u:https://entrogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_4650-1000x675.jpg "Home 7")
[#026] UKGE, making a great game, and more
Welcome to your weekly dose of board game design!Yep, this one’s one day late. Let’s call this one the UK Games Expo edition - held last Friday to Sunday. This post will be short and sweet, but I’ll be writing a longer blog post about it later this week.Something I...
[#025] adding theme to mechanics, shelving a game, and more
Welcome to your weekly dose of board game design!UKGE is right around the corner, the sun is finally shining more consistently, I went on my first Parkrun (for the non-Brits, volunteer-organized 5K runs at local parks near you)… Life is good.A quick shoutout /...
![[#024] A look at Boston FIG, a new way to make mechanics, and more](https://entrogamescomc28ec.zapwp.com/q:i/r:0/wp:1/w:1/u:https://entrogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-05-22_10_39_17-UKGE_2023_Annotated_Map.jpg "Home 8")
[#024] A look at Boston FIG, a new way to make mechanics, and more
Welcome to your weekly dose of board game design!Had a fun time at the Boston FIG last weekend, both talking about one of my games (Kill Your Darlings) and chatting with other game designers / developers. I also gave a talk about some of the insights I’ve had into...
![[#023] Confidence, pitching, and more](https://entrogamescomc28ec.zapwp.com/q:i/r:0/wp:1/w:1/u:https://entrogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_4339-750x675.jpg "Home 9")
[#023] Confidence, pitching, and more
Welcome to your weekly dose of board game design!My Eurovision favorite (Finland) came 2nd place behind a dominant performance of Sweden, the ‘bookies favorite’ and a previous winner of the contest. Celebrate some weirdness below:I could do without the hour-long...
![[#022] Why people don’t like board games, knowing your market, and more](https://entrogamescomc28ec.zapwp.com/q:i/r:0/wp:1/w:1/u:https://entrogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_4342-1000x675.jpg "Home 10")
[#022] Why people don’t like board games, knowing your market, and more
Welcome to your weekly dose of board game design!Here in the UK, this is the first month with three bank holidays (read: extra days off from work) for most people in recent memory. Just another day at the office for me, but hopefully everyone’s enjoying the rainy day...
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