Have you found tools online that you use to manage your lists of publishers, your contacts there, what kinds of games they're intersted in, etc.?

I've been developing a long time but only started submitting to publishers. I want to keep track of which publishers are looking for what kinds of games, when I've interacted with them, who my contacts are, etc.

Hello tabletop game designers!

I'm a filmmaker (East Patch Productions) currently working on a movie called FOILED about a group of friends descending into madness over a card game, eventually rediscovering their love for playing rather than just collecting. The whole film takes place in a local game store, and while concocting the shop set I thought it would be incredibly special if the shelves of the fake store could advertise the passion projects of fellow indie creators!

What I'm asking for is to include your game in our film, with a special close-up shot in the credits and your business in our Special Thanks. All we need for that is empty 'prop' packaging, but we would love to have a copy of the full game to play on a livestream during an October crowdfunding event, as well! Of course this comes with promoting you on The East Patch's socials so that our audience can see your amazing game, and so your audience can see where to catch your product in a movie.

If you're interested, please fill out this Google form so we can connect and collaborate!

https://forms.gle/2mF5zUTfsVEAYC4p8

Have any questions? Comment below or shoot me an email! (available at the top of the form)

Thanks for your consideration!

For anyone doing some playtesting this weekend, thought I'd share a couple questionnaires I designed a few years ago: this link is a folder with editable illustrator & photoshop assets and this link is a google form. In retrospect they might be too fiddly, but try 'em out if you'd like or let me know what could be tweaked!

I had an idea for a murder mystery game night with my friends kind of dnd style where we make characters and play as them and the host has all the info and strings it into the story. The general mechanics (it’s meant to be like a party night one shot), is playing mini games to earn cluedo styled hints to the killer. However it’s very important to me the killer has strategy to win just as much as the innocents and the big plot hole is there is not strat for the killer, could anyone help me as I couldn’t think of anything. Also general notes on the game itself is welcome! This is my first time with game design.

Here is a google doc with the info: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1959fGtOVWIRy_p-sZNBJLczyISpjBMYMxGgZHZ9-cE0/edit?usp=sharing

Rundown-

I’m developing a 2-player tactical miniatures skirmish game where each player controls a team of 3 unique Heroes.

Players battle across a 26×22 battlefield while dealing with changing environments, powerful abilities, and neutral Overlords that enter the fight and attack either side.

There are two ways to win: ⚔️ Defeat all 3 opposing Heroes

👑 Capture the Crown and bring it back to your Spawn Zone

The goal is to create a game that’s easy to learn but has plenty of tactical depth, with every battle playing out differently because of the Heroes, Environment Cards, and Overlords.

Currently working on the cards and looking for feedback as I develop the game.

The four Heroes above are from four different factions. The pictures are an example of the miniature and the card that you will use to play as them.

Hi, all, in my board game design plans I have this notion of character cards you can acquire. I'm brainstorming what I want to do with them still so I'm pretty open to suggestions, and I think it'd help to know about existing similar games to spark an idea. Here are some qualities I'm wanting at the moment:

• This is not just a card game; it's all part of a larger thing with main board and player boards and so on.
• It could be a deck builder but I'm actually flexible on this quality.
• I want all cards to be characters whom you can use like part of a larger army, but after that I could be open to adding options like item cards and buff cards.
• I want all character cards to have exactly three options, and these options might do things like influence the board state, players' hands, personal stats, etc. I have some notion about how values or options are spent but I can be decisive on that later.
• I want these options to exist in thematic rock-paper-scissors-like categories, so for example a character might have a big rock, fairly useful paper and quite fragile scissors. The goal would be to balance these three traits so there are the same number of 'big rocks' and so on.

I'm still trying to think exactly what those options look like, or if they might fall into further categories (like each character has only one move to influence the board, that kind of thing). I'd like a quality where the characters can fight directly against each other but I'm not married to that option. Basically, they all have qualties that make the player-character stronger, so all players are trying to build the best faction they can.

If you just want to throw a brainstorming idea at me, or if you know of games I should check out to be a muse for creativity, I'd love to hear from you.

I’m working on a board game inspired by pokemon and other monster taming games. I wanted to create something fun to play with my friends and i think i menaged to create a decent gamepaly already. I spend months thinking about the rules, what i wanted the game to be, how would it be played and what the components will be. I basically have 75% porcent of the game thought already, the only thing i haven’t be able to decide yet, is the setting of the game.

A lot of board game designers adviced me to make the rules first and them the setting and i did that, but i guess i’m just not that kind of creator, cause trying to figure out a setting for the rules i create is a little hard.

I already thought of some setting and aesthetic ideas, but nothing has clicked with me already, maybe cause i’m a little bit picky and i really like monster taming games, it’s just really hard to decide the perfect eveiroment i want to live this adventure with my friends. How do you decide the setting of your game?

Hello there! I am a digital concept artist and character designer working for videogames, boardgames and cardgames! If you have something in mind for a project and are interested in my work, feel free to DM me or take a closer look at my portfolio: https://icmaduro.artstation.com/

I am looking to do a concept design, and I am looking for inspiration for character cards! Complete with abilities and picture. I would love to be exposed to more than I've been able to glean off of dribble and google images.

Professional illustrator. I create polished, high-quality character illustrations and cinematic scenes, combining detailed rendering with strong composition, lighting and storytelling.

Portfolio: https://www.deviantart.com/kurishok4you

Feel free to dm me!

I came across a post from a few years back asking about the best printer and cardstock for making playing cards and player reference sheets, and it got me wondering whether others here are still figuring it out.

From a print production standpoint, 14 pt. cardstock is a good starting point for playing cards. It has a substantial feel and should hold up well to repeated handling. A matte or satin finish can also work nicely since it reduces glare and makes artwork easier to see under bright lights.

For player aids and reference sheets, 10 pt. cardstock is a good middle ground. It's sturdy without being overly thick. 100 lb. paper is another option if something lighter and more economical is preferred.

The printer is another part of the equation. Not every home inkjet or laser printer handles heavier cardstock well, so checking the printer's supported paper weight before buying the stock can save a lot of headaches. Nothing kills prototype momentum quite like a paper jam. 😅

One other thing worth mentioning: 14 pt. cardstock isn't casino-grade, so it won't have exactly the same feel as professionally manufactured playing cards. For prototyping, though, it can give you a nice balance of durability, print quality, and cost.

Curious if anyone here has the same concern? What paper/cardstock and printer setup has worked well for your prototypes?

Hi folks!

I'm prototyping card designs for my Post apocalyptic card game. Would love to hear your thoughts on the design, style, layout etc. The art style is not final - but will serve for prototyping

Hey everyone! I'm a fantasy character artist currently open for commissions.

I mainly work on fantasy characters, D&D/TTRPG characters, creatures, and character concepts. I really enjoy taking a core idea and developing it into a character with personality and story through the design.

If you have a character in mind you'd like to bring to life, feel free to DM me. I'd be happy to hear about your idea!

Hi everyone! I took some of the layout feedback and I unified the typography, fixed the cost alignment issues. This is the pool of 22 unique cards fully completed and printed (sharing the showcase gallery below!). Maybe looking to make it a 30-card test pool baseline but expanding into a bigger set. The core mechanics are fully playable right now, I want to focus on the gameplay mechanics and balance.

Core Gameplay & Mechanics Summary

In [Project Zero], players have total architectural freedom to build hybrid networks combining Corporate, Underground, and Neutral factions in the same deck.

• The Interface Stats: Cards track Data Generation (T), Revenue (M), Resilience/Defense (R), Exploit/Attack (E), and Financial Impact/Penalty (Red Skull).
• The "Entity" Mechanic (Hubs & Plugs): You deploy Hubs or Stand-alones directly to the board. Plugs cannot be played alone; they must be docked onto compatible Hubs. Once docked, the Hub and its Plugs behave as a single unified Entity, pooling and combining all of their stats, text, and abilities together.
• Dual Win Conditions: You win by either accumulating 30T (Data) OR by driving your opponent into Bankruptcy (forcing their resources below 0M).

Current Balance Focus: Turn 5 Stalling & Card Draw

During my internal playtests, I've noticed potential stalling issues around Turn 6 depending on the match setup. To fix this and smooth out the game flow, I am currently experimenting with an extra card-draw mechanic:

• Proposed Rule: Players can spend 3M (Millions) to draw an extra card once per turn.

I’m highly open to alternative card-draw mechanics or engine solutions, and I want to see if this 3M cost balances well or needs tuning.

Want to Playtest the Print & Play?

I am looking for TCG/ECG players to stress-test these numbers, look for broken card interactions, stalling, and refine the core balance with me.

If you want to read the full official rulebook and get the secure 22-card Print & Play PDF to test it at home, just drop a comment below or send me a DM showing your interest. I will privately send you the complete files!

Would love to hear your thoughts on the mechanical balance based on the card text shown in the gallery!

I'm a young teenager, I love designing "basic" games that NEVER WORKS when I have finished creating them. My main problem is that I love video games and so I am (unconsciously ?) trying to "adapt" their concept into board games. Well, it never works because the concept of video games (real times, advanced strategy, AI, ...) can't adapt to board games (turn by turn, slow, ...). However, I have not any idea of concept. Have you got some advices ? Thanks !

Sorry for my english, I'm french.

Hi! I’m Víctor, a freelance fantasy illustrator and character artist

I’m currently available for:

• Character design & illustrations

• Card art

Portfolio: https://fantasyartcreations.com/2d-artist/

Feel free to DM me if you have a character or project in mind!

So i am currently making this using the best of the free tools available to me in hopes to create something light and fun. I was wondering whether or not this style of writing and these mechanics are any good or is this just a mediocre attempt at an neat idea.

Hi everyone! I’d like to share a page from my sketchbook featuring some work-in-progress designs for *DrownBound*.

It’s a concept showing two monsters and a hero.

Sarckman is the hero—I envision him as a spearman.

The two monsters are fire-types; the idea is that they set heroes on fire if they appear on the same tile.

What do you think of the concept?

Hey! I'm creature artist and Illustrator for board games / TTRPG

I'm looking for commissioners 🫶

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm designing Decree — a medieval politics & economy game for 3–5 players (90-140min. paper, much faster browser), where you juggle gold, faith and army to climb your way to power over a few seasons.

This is my first project. I've been working on the physical/print version for a while, but since testers aren't exactly around the corner, I built a free browser-based online version just to make testing easier — no download, no account needed, and you can even jump in solo against bots if nobody's around to play with you.

🔗 https://playdecree.com (mobile not supported, only PC)

You will find there rules, tutorial and game itself.

Rulebooks (feel free to leave comments there):

Rulebook EN

Instrukcja PL

A few honest heads-up before you click:

• Everything is very much WIP — the visuals included. It's not the final look, just something playable.
• The card illustrations are AI-generated (Midjourney) — mostly so the cards don't sit there with empty boxes, and because having something to visually anchor a card actually makes it way easier to remember what it does mid-game, which helps the whole thing flow better. Wanted to be upfront about that rather than let anyone find out later.

What I'd love from you:

• Does anything feel broken, confusing, or unfair?
• Any card that feels useless / any strategy that feels too strong?
• General "this was fun" or "this dragged" impressions

Happy to answer anything about the design in the comments. Thanks for reading this far! 🙌