This site contains board and card games of my own design.  I designed them because I wanted to make games that I like to play.  In fact, these are often the games we play in my family.

I self-published one of the games (Decatur).  It's currently got a rating of 7.5 on Board Game Geek, which I figure is pretty good.

Sometimes I wistfully daydream that some game company will pick one up and publish it.  A man can dream.

Below is a discussion of board and card game design. The philosophy described is baked into every game on this site.

Principle #1: Games should be fun, not work.

Simple Rules

Consider the classic games of Chess and Poker.  What do they have in common?  The rules are fairly simple.  And yet, the situations created by the rules are complex and engaging, such that these games enjoy incredible popularity.

Many games today have lengthy rule books rivaling the U.S. tax code.  If you're spending more time in the rule book than playing the game, you're working too hard.

Intense Planning Ahead is for Real Life

Some games are structured such that a decision made in turn one has an outsized influence on the situation in turn ten.  So what's a poor player to do?  Calculate?  Plan?  Use a spreadsheet?  Sounds like work.

An obvious remedy is to not structure a game that way.

Another remedy is to use judicious elements of luck to obscure the future, making precise calculation impossible.  Then players just have to wing it.  And winging it is fun.

Principle #2: Engage with other players.

Modern games can be arranged on a scale based on how much a player interacts with his opponents:

Now, this is clearly a matter of taste.  Some people prefer less interaction.  Some prefer more.  But I contend there's a space between Eurogames and brutal games that is not well served.

This space looks like the following: your opponent has some cards.  You would like to take some profitable action in the game, but if he has certain cards, it will not go well for you.  He seems like he has the cards.  Is he bluffing?  Is he thinking about something else?  Is he even paying attention?

Remember the battle of wits between Vizzini and the masked man in the movie "Princess Bride?"  Remember how fun it was to watch?  That's what we're going for.  (Without the deadly iocaine powder.)

Principle #3: Games should be replayable.

After all, you paid for the game.  And you went to the trouble of learning it.  With judicious application of some luck elements, the game should shake out differently each time you play, so that your investment bears repeated enjoyment.

Principle #4: Games should play fast.

I still have a soft spot for Avalon Hill's Civilization.  But time is precious.

Beyond Principles: Odds & Ends

What about story?

Due to the influence of role playing games, story is a more sought after element in games these days.  (We joined together in a merry band, defeated the cardboard monster, and absconded with the treasure.)  All I can say is if you play a game in which you interact with human opponents, there will be stories to tell.  And the characters in your story (the other players), will have more character than anything cooked up by a game master.

Yeah, you're probably not buying what I'm selling here, but I had to try.

What about theme?

I pick themes that interest me.  If I were smarter, I would have included zombies and werewolves.

Copyright 2026 Jim Swift