Guild Update

Guild Playtest Meetings

Discord and the Guild

The BGDG of Utah’s Discord is a great way to get to know those in the guild and discuss all things game design! If you’ve not joined yet, we’d love to have you come and participate with us!

BGDG of Utah Social Media

We have an active Twitter and Instagram account now! Please follow and start using #bgdgofutah in your game design related posts and they will be liked, retweeted etc!

Upcoming/Current Events

ProtoCON Online will take place on Saturday, January 21st, 2023! We have several games ready to go and would love to have any playtesters who would like to spend time with us! We can also accept some additional games if designers are still interested in joining. Please be aware that if you participate as a designer then you are expected to also playtest other people’s games as a playtester. More information can be found at the link above or by clicking the ProtoCON image. Below are images of some of the participating games!

SaltCON is taking place March 2-5 2023! The pre-registration prices have been extended through Feb 1st! If you don’t have your badges then take advantage of the prices now! Events are open so take time to look through those, that includes Prototype Alley, which has limited space available. Guild members often get together to play games and hang out so don’t be shy!

Current Design Contests

Board Game “Book Club”

If you enjoy talking about games on every level? Jon Walton has started a Board Game “Book Club” where those who want to participate in delving deeper into game design choices in published games can do so! Collectively a game is selected and time allotted for participants to play the game as many times as they like (including 0 times) then come together for a discussion! Feel free to participate with each game chosen or just participate with the games you most enjoy when they are selected. The discussion takes place on the BGDG of Utah’s Discord.

We will be discussing Spirit Island in the coming weeks. We’d love to have some additional voices to the discussion if you are interested in participating! We will post more information on these events in our Discord channel.

Guild Related Videos, Games and Podcasts

Oros

Podcasts

Guild member, Abe, has created a game that is available as a free Print and Play. Abe’s Pond Game PnP

Guild member Skye wrote up a designer diary that was featured on the front page of BGG: Here’s Skye’s designer diary

Faction Fighters is now on Amazon

Guild member Brian just completed a successful Kickstarter for his game Lobster Pot! Congrats!

Game Design Highlights

For this month I wanted to share a video of Reiner Knizia who talks briefly about his game design process. Though he doesn’t mention it here, Reiner in another interview talks about not really playing other designer’s games because he’s very involved in his own game design process. We have been discussing this idea on the BGDG of Utah’s Discord (Question of the Week thread) and if you’d like to join that discussion we’d love to hear from you!

Art of Game Design

These lenses from Jesse Schell’s book The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, is a great way to view game design with new and varied perspectives. Each newsletter will feature a lens from the book and you are welcome to join in a discussion on the topic in the BGDG of Utah’s Discord!