Launchpad Games

09/15/2023

I've put my hat into this year's competition of CUDO Plays for their 10th anniversary.

Last year I tried to submit a game design for a game I'm working on called "Samsara," but health issues kept me back. Last year at the board game design bootcamp I was integral in designing a prototype for a fast-paced fashion-themed game involving fashion scouting, secret agency objectives, and costume malfunctions called "Fashion Fiasco." This year I am going to develop that fun fast fashion game for the competition.

Stay tuned for local playtests of the game in Springfield and Champaign as CUDO Plays Season 10 kicks into full gear!

It's time to roll out some fun, folks!

We keep saying that we want Season 10 of CUDO Plays to be the BIGGEST and BEST Season yet. As part of that, we're bringing back CUDO Plays t-shirts! Last time we got t-shirts made, there was just one design available, however this year we'll have two. Here's the catch though, one of the designs will only be given to competitors who submit their games for Season 10! Check out the graphic below to see a sneak peek what the CUDO Plays Season 10 competitor shirts will look like, and stay tuned for more shirt previews.

07/17/2022

Hey there fun lovers and dice chuckers! I know this is last minute, but I'll be making my way to Buzz Bomb this afternoon from 4pm to 6pm to play test some games I've been working on. If you're looking to press your luck on a local designer with some games in development then cash me upstairs at Buzz Bomb Brewing Company this afternoon!

Come make some magic, and keep the fun rollin'!

Board Game Night at Buzz Bomb Brewing Co tonight at 7pm!

Don't forget we open at 𝟯𝗽𝗺 Tues/Wed/Thu now 𝗔𝗡𝗗 we've got extra 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 all week to celebrate 🍻

06/21/2022

Big thanks to for organizing board game day events and to for providing such a warm and inviting environment complete with refreshments on tap! The BIGGEST thanks to these fantastic five that play-tested Galactic Bounty: Space is Weird!

If you or anyone you know have any interest in play-testing board games in development by Launchpad Games, a local Midwest game designer, watch for board game days at Buzz Bomb or reach out! Keep rollin’ out the fun!

03/23/2022

I had the good fortune over the weekend to test a mechanism for a co-op dice sharing rock band game I've been milling around in my noodle for quite some time now.

What's your favorite music game?

07/17/2020

I'm all for everyone playing games and the Fitches are amazing people, but this article reads like they are reporting on the fact that the industry is missing out on a whole demographic opportunity.

That feels like s**t to me. Stop making people consumers. Play games to learn. Play games to grow. Make games to learn. Make games to grow. Don't make games to take advantage of others.

However, I would love to see more diverse designers. Some of my favorite games come out of countries in which people don't play a lot of games. You get really innovative design using household objects that fundamentally work differently than the norm of games in the industry. Celebration of diversity requires compassion and understanding. Another byproduct of compassion and understanding is collaboration.

What I love about the board game industry is that it is open and trusting and always willing to collaborate because everyone is learning from each other. One play test of someone else's game may strike a chord with you and help you solve a problem in development of one of your own games. That's beautiful because the industry realizes that when one rises we all rise. We're all playing better and more diverse games because of this, unlike Hollywood that keeps trudging out the same s**t over and over again.

Keep playing. Keep growing.

“It would be very hard to overstate how white the market is. The tabletop game industry is just starting to see the possibility of this untapped market—Black people.”

06/09/2020

Three years I had the incredible pleasure and honor to join Royce Anthony Banuelos and Brian Suhre for a night of play testing prototypes. I truly miss game design and development. Things have been rough lately, as we all know. With Covid and the inspirational momentum against global racism building in America; along with my own struggles with finances and depression I have been stowing myself away.

However these times have forced me to ask who am I, and how can I help?

I am a designer by trade and passion, and through it I have found game design to be a delightful and engaging platform that encompasses mechanical design, graphic design, UI design, and layout design in order to create a ridiculously enjoyable bite-sized experience. If all is done right you end up with games like Freshwater Fly by Brian Suhre, Canvas by Road to Infamy Games, or Parks by Keymaster Games.

Thanks for all your support through these years, and I look forward to show more of not only Galactic Bounty, but a couple of other games I’ve been kicking around as well.

Stay safe out there.

05/13/2020

My friends Andrew & Jeff over at Road To Infamy Games have their 6th game out on Kickstarter right now. It's a beautifully layered set collection game with a fantastic creative aesthetic to it called Canvas, in which you're essentially painting a masterpiece! How brilliant is that?

They asked for $14k, and this project has almost broken $1/2 million! Congrats! I met these two cats back when I took Galactic Bounty to Gen Con for the first time. We were both working on our first games. They stayed together and finished their's, and continued to work and make more amazing quirky games that I love! Unfortunately, Galactic Bounty fell apart when my team disbanded, my recent lover was killed by a drunk driver in front of her kid in a parking lot in broad daylight, I got fired from my job, and my roommate kicked me out of the apartment all in the span of a week. Then nothing ever really came of that work because of the depression. Yet they could make $1/2 million selling this ingenious quirky game.

All they had was passion to make games as well. No formal training. Just a go-get'em-ness to do it. They both really loved Galactic Bounty, and told me that after Gen Con they spent the drive home talking about all the things they liked about it, and where they would take it. That’s always meant a lot to me to hear. They've done two space themed games so far, and both have small inspirations from Galactic Bounty in them.

They're awesome dudes, and their work and dedication has always been an inspiration through my depression. I'd be surprised if Canvas doesn't receive some major accolades from the industry.

Check it out! It has about 6 days left. Hurry and slap your paint down before your Canvas gets away!

Layer transparent cards to create unique illustrations. A spatial puzzle game for 1-5 players.

11/08/2019

I had the immense pleasure of playtesting Honey Buzz by Paul Salomon and Elf Creek Games during it's development, and I must say, you'd BEEEEE crazy not to fall into the honey pot for this one. If you like your tableau strategy as rich as your like your organic wildflower honey then strap on your stripes and buzz out to the kickstarter to slap down your money for the honey... buzz that is.

08/08/2019

Great write up about alternatives to Ticketmaster of board games, Kickstarter. How would you or have you funded your game projects and passions in the future or past?

Local board game crowdfunding sites are becoming increasingly popular in many countries. How are they different from Kickstarter? We examine 3 of these.