Dorka Peter
2025. February 27.
A Decade in the Board Game Industry - Sharing What We’ve Learned
Over the past 10 years, we at Mindclash Games have built a deep understanding of the board game industry - from game development and production to crowdfunding and marketing. We've learned a lot (sometimes the hard way), and now, we want to give back to the community by sharing that knowledge with you.
This blog series is about real industry insights, practical knowledge, and behind-the-scenes stories from our journey as board game publishers. Whether you're a game designer, a publisher, a crowdfunding creator, or simply someone fascinated by how board games come to life, this series is for you. :)
What You Can Expect
We’ll be covering everything from game design and development to manufacturing, fulfillment, and marketing. Our goal is to break down complex topics, provide real examples, and offer insights you won’t find in a generic “How to Make a Board Game” guide. Our aim is to publish a blog post every 2-3 weeks. Expect deep dives into:
- Game design and development process and the role of playtesting
- Crowdfunding strategies (Kickstarter, Gamefound, and beyond)
- Production challenges, from component selection to working with factories
- Retail and distribution - what it takes to get your game into stores
- Theming and world creation - what makes a game memorable
- Marketing and community-building, including influencer outreach and social media tactics
- Logistics and fulfillment, so your game actually reaches backers on time
- Industry trends and major shifts, analyzing what’s affecting the board game world today
- Exclusive interviews with designers and artists, bringing you firsthand insights from industry experts
Each post is based on our own experience, and we’ll share our experience from our own campaigns, highlight industry trends, and offer practical, no-nonsense advice that you can apply to your own projects if you’d like.
The Team Behind Mindclash
Each post in this series will be written by a different member of our 11-member team, each an expert in their own domain. From game designers to marketers, logistics specialists to crowdfunding strategists, we hope this series not only provides valuable insights but also gives you the opportunity to get to know us better. :)
Why Are We Doing This?
The board game industry is growing, and more people than ever are looking to create and publish their own games. But it’s not easy, there’s no single handbook that tells you exactly how to do it right. We’ve made mistakes, learned from them, and refined our approach over the years. By sharing our experiences, we hope to:
- Help aspiring creators avoid common pitfalls
- Foster a more knowledgeable and supportive community
- Demystify aspects of the board game industry that are often unclear
We also want to take a moment to acknowledge Jamie Stegmaier, owner of Stonemaier Games, who has been writing a fantastic blog for years. His accumulated knowledge is an invaluable resource for anyone trying to enter the industry - we are readers of his articles and learned a lot from him, so if you haven't yet, check out his blog here.
We’re excited to open up conversations about the realities of board game publishing. If there’s a topic you’re particularly interested in, let us know - we want this series to be as useful and relevant as possible.
See you next time!