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Joseph Z Chen
Joseph Z Chen

231 Followers

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Mar 31, 2021

How I designed the solo rules for Fantastic Factories

I have a confession to make. Before I designed Fantastic Factories, I had never played a single hobby board game solo. So I hesitate a bit to write about this topic because I’m far from an expert or even experienced in playing solo games — much less designing them! However…

Board Games

4 min read

How I designed the solo rules for Fantastic Factories
How I designed the solo rules for Fantastic Factories
Board Games

4 min read


Nov 20, 2020

Setting the MSRP of your board game and why you shouldn’t use the 5x landed cost rule

You’ve finished designing your tabletop game. You’ve acquired art assets, hired a graphic designer, and you’re now ready to take your game to Kickstarter! One of the most important questions you need to answer is how much should you charge for each pledge? …

Kickstarter

5 min read

Setting the MSRP of your board game and why you shouldn’t use the 5x landed cost rule
Setting the MSRP of your board game and why you shouldn’t use the 5x landed cost rule
Kickstarter

5 min read


Sep 29, 2020

Fantastic Factories: Manufactions is here!

Just a quick post! The Kickstarter campaign for TWO Fantastic Factories Expansions (Manufactions and Subterfuge) is now LIVE. Here’s a little bit of information on each expansion. Manufactions With the ever-growing manufacturing industry comes the consolidation of power and expertise in the form of corporate factions! Each faction brings a unique…

Board Games

1 min read

Fantastic Factories: Manufactions is here!
Fantastic Factories: Manufactions is here!
Board Games

1 min read


Feb 18, 2020

What should be on your Kickstarter launch day checklist and why you should have one

Launching your crowdfunding campaign is a big deal. It’s often a culmination of years of hard work, and in spite of all that hard work Kickstarter can be a fickle beast. It’s important that your launch day goes as smoothly as possible and reaches your audience and hopefully beyond. To…

Kickstarter

4 min read

What should be on your Kickstarter launch day checklist and why you should have one
What should be on your Kickstarter launch day checklist and why you should have one
Kickstarter

4 min read


Nov 18, 2019

Fantastic Factories Design Diary

Fantastic Factories has been fulfilled to backers, and players around the world have been enjoying it! We are celebrating our 4th year anniversary of when Fantastic Factories was first conceived back in November 18th, 2015, and I thought it might be of interest to people to write about how Fantastic…

Board Games

5 min read

Fantastic Factories Design Diary
Fantastic Factories Design Diary
Board Games

5 min read


Jun 5, 2019

How large of a mailing list do I need before launching my Kickstarter?

Detailed analysis of converting a mailing list into Kickstarter backers for a tabletop game A year ago I did a breakdown of my mailing list of roughly 1,000 emails I collected of people interested in my board game, Fantastic Factories. If you’re interested in how I got those emails, feel free to check out my article about building an audience. …

Crowdfunding

5 min read

How large of a mailing list do I need before launching my Kickstarter?
How large of a mailing list do I need before launching my Kickstarter?
Crowdfunding

5 min read


May 9, 2018

Detailed breakdown of crowdfunding premarketing mailing list

I often hear people ask what is the best way to build an audience for your board game Kickstarter. I’ve detailed my methods in this earlier post. …

Marketing

5 min read

Detailed breakdown of crowdfunding premarketing mailing list
Detailed breakdown of crowdfunding premarketing mailing list
Marketing

5 min read


Apr 30, 2018

Designer Diary: Rolling Random

May you always roll sixes… or should you? In many board games, the higher you roll, the better the result. I wanted to challenge that assumption. People love rolling dice but hate the results. In Fantastic Factories, it’s less about what you roll and more about how you utilize the…

Board Games

4 min read

Designer Diary: Rolling Random
Designer Diary: Rolling Random
Board Games

4 min read


Feb 26, 2018

Perception vs Reality in Game Design

In a board game, is it worse to have a card that is perceived as overpowered but actually isn’t or to have a card that looks balanced but is in actuality too strong? …

Board Games

5 min read

Perception vs Reality in Game Design
Perception vs Reality in Game Design
Board Games

5 min read


Published in

ART + marketing

·Dec 18, 2017

Aislyn Hall: How to hire artists and provide art direction

In my blog posts, I like to tackle the topics and questions that come up time and time again. I often see first time Kickstarter creators asking questions about art — who to hire, where to find artists, and how much to pay them. …

Board Games

11 min read

Aislyn Hall: How to hire artists and provide art direction
Aislyn Hall: How to hire artists and provide art direction
Board Games

11 min read

Joseph Z Chen

Joseph Z Chen

231 Followers

Designer and artist for Fantastic Factories, a dice placement, engine building tabletop game. Preorder now: http://www.fantasticfactories.com

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    Cody Thompson (Jellyfish Game Studios)

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