Intentional Experience - designer intent and player experience (Topic Discussion)

Intentional Experience - designer intent and player experience (Topic Discussion)

From Tabletop Games Blog - board game reviews and discussions with a personal touch by Tabletop Games Blog

May 26, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the tension between designer intent and player experience in board games.

Designers don't like it when players criticise their board game, and the response often is that the game was intentionally designed that way. Players complain that a strategy feels unfair, a mechanism is frustrating, or a game simply isn't very clear. Designers reply that that just misses the point. Similar disagreements exist in films, novels, and art, yet board games seem to have them more often, and they are often more personal. Part of the reason may be that board games are not passive experiences. Players are not simply watching events unfold, but instead are interpreting rules and shaping the experience themselves every time the game hits the table. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/05/26/intentional-experience-designer-intent-and-player-experience-topic-discussion/ Useful Links Dune review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/02/08/dune-saturday-review/ BGG article The Design Process by Gerry Paquette : https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/550/blogpost/2529/the-design-process What is Player Experience? : https://bg-px.com/what-is-player-experience/ UX in board game design by Jason Kogan : https://uxdesign.cc/ux-in-board-game-design-97bfcdb1d581…

People in this episode

Host: Tabletop Games Blog

Topics covered

  • designer intent
  • player experience
  • board game criticism
  • game design
  • interpretation of rules

Keywords

  • board games
  • designer intent
  • player experience
  • game design
  • criticism

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Dune

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