Board game designer and educator/coach Joe Slack has worked with more than 4,000 game designers to take the ideas in their heads and turn them into reality. Whether helping games by others off the ground or launching his own titles under the Crazy Like A Box brand, Joe is keen to help game designers hone their vision and game play through a variety of course offerings. His book “The Board Game Designer’s Guide” is a No. 1 best-seller, and he’s got plenty of new work on the immediate horizon:  

• In September, he is relaunching his Creation Publication Program to mentor game designers through all phases from concept to market.  

• He has a Kickstarter coming in October called 14 Frantic Minutes, which in his words “is a tension-filled puzzle-y co-operative game. You all win … or lose … together. Escape this evil genius and his high-tech lab by working together, using your wits and circuit pieces, making your way through a series of rooms, each more challenging than the last."  

• He’ll cohost Protospiel North, an in-person game design weekend, in November.   

• His Board Game Design Virtual Summit returns for a third year, engaging game designers, publishers, rule book creators and others in the gaming industry in in-depth discussions of their craft.  

Joe shares some of his key tips for getting a game off the ground, as well as some of his favorite game mechanics like action selection — and even lists his five “desert island games.”  

Joe’s board game design course: https://boardgamedesigncourse.com
Joe’s board game design brand: https://www.crazylikeabox.com
Sign up for Joe’s Creation to Publication program: https://jslack.lpages.co/creation-to-publication-program-waitlist/

Video version: https://youtu.be/4gglNZgWy38