Daniel Solis

One of the best lessons from UnPub 5 is how difficult it is to make negative point scoring feel right. Negative Point Scoring is pretty much what it sounds like: A mechanism in which players can lose points and possibly end up in negative range at the end of the game. Let me back up a bit to give you some background on A La Kart: Hazards in A La Kart Each turn, players make a blind bid of one card. The player who bids the highest "speed" number on their card (after various modifiers based on player-powers) wins the first available prize from the track. Bear in mind that the prize cards are set in the track randomly, so the first available prizes might actually be detrimental hazards. Originally, my system for scoring hazards was that the first didn't cost anything, but the second cost one point, and the third cost two. The fourth hazard began a new set, so it didn't cost you anything, but the fifth would cost another point and the sixth would cost another two...

Well, I'm back on Earth after attending UnPub 5. With record attendance and a huge new location, it's clearly a new era for the convention as a whole. I found it a rewarding, invigorating, and exhausting experience as always. There is no better place to be if you're a board game designer looking to put your game through the crucible of rapid-fire playtesting. Every single table was occupied throughout the weekend from what I could see. Many with lines of people waiting to playtest . If you've ever lamented the task of finding willing playtesters, UnPub is pretty much heaven. Of course, playtests are very much work for the designer. I've described the UnPub weekend as a rock tumbler, where rough games eventually get smoothed out, but not without some hard hits along the way. I had done some intensive development work with the local Game Designers of Carolina before UnPub so I felt more prepared, but there was still plenty of work to do. There is a lot to ...

Check out these cards and promo art for Nick Ferris' HEIR TO EUROPA, which will be up for playtesting at UnPub 5 this weekend in Baltimore. This is the first licensed game for Smart Play Games and a really exciting start to the year. I hope to see you at UnPub! Here's more about the game. In a distant future, psychic powers make warfare obsolete across Europa... Until the ruler of disappears, plunging the entire moon into a succession crisis. Psychic scheming meets courtly intrigue in this exciting new card game of prediction and influence. Players vie to become the power behind the throne, predicting who is next in line to become ruler of Europa and manipulating the court to make those predictions come true. At the start of the game, players predict how many coteries they'll win to their side. Each turn, you play one card from your hand, representing your soliciting help from a political ally. If that ally has a special ability and their faction is still loyal...

Next month in Baltimore, I'll be attending UnPub 5 and running a short seminar covering the basics of graphic design in tabletop games. Thing is, I always find it more productive if I can actually know what it is that attendees want to know. So, if you are attending UnPub 5, please share your questions! Here's my general outline: Introduction Experience in Advertising/Marketing Experience in the Tabletop Industry Typical process for a graphic designer for tabletop games I. Graphic Design for Players Typography Hierarchy: How to organize sections of text. Legibility: Making sure text is readable. Iconography What is an icon vs. a diagram? When is it best to use either? Color What are the "safe" colors for color-blind players? Common Resources Fonts: Blambot, Lost Type Icons: Noun Project, Game-Icons.net, my Patreon Inspiration: Lovely Package, Web Design Ledger Stock: Shutterstock, Creative Commons Misc: InDesign Secrets, PSDCover ...