Best Subreddits for Board Game Designers in 2025

Best Subreddits for Board Game Designers

Reddit has become an indispensable platform for board game designers looking to connect with their community, share their work, and learn from experienced professionals. With millions of active users and specialized communities dedicated to tabletop gaming, Reddit offers board game designers direct access to potential players, fellow creators, publishers, and industry veterans who can provide valuable feedback and guidance throughout the design process.

The platform's unique structure allows board game designers to participate in discussions ranging from mechanical theory to production logistics, while also providing opportunities to showcase prototypes, gather playtesting feedback, and discover emerging trends in the industry. Whether you're designing your first game or you're a seasoned professional looking to stay connected with the community, these carefully selected subreddits offer the most value for board game designers at every stage of their career.

Why Join Reddit as a Board Game Designer

The board game design community on Reddit provides immediate access to thousands of passionate gamers and industry professionals who actively engage in meaningful discussions about game mechanics, design philosophy, and market trends. Unlike other social platforms where content quickly disappears, Reddit's upvoting system ensures that the most valuable insights and resources remain visible and accessible to board game designers seeking specific information or advice.

Board game designers can leverage Reddit's diverse user base to conduct informal market research, test game concepts, and receive honest feedback from potential players before investing significant time and resources into development. The platform's anonymity often leads to more candid responses than designers might receive from friends or local gaming groups, providing crucial insights into how games might be received by the broader market.

The networking opportunities on Reddit extend far beyond casual conversations, with many board game designers forming lasting professional relationships that lead to collaboration opportunities, publisher connections, and mentorship arrangements. Publishers and established designers frequently participate in these communities, offering board game designers direct access to industry professionals who might otherwise be difficult to reach through traditional networking channels.

Reddit also serves as a real-time industry news source, where board game designers can stay informed about new releases, successful Kickstarter campaigns, industry events, and emerging design trends. This constant flow of information helps designers make informed decisions about their own projects and understand the competitive landscape in which they're operating.

What to Expect in Board Game Designer Subreddits

The core subreddits for board game designers feature a rich mix of content types, from detailed mechanical discussions to prototype showcases and industry analysis. r/boardgames serves as the central hub for general tabletop gaming discussions, where board game designers can observe player preferences, popular mechanics, and community reactions to new releases. r/boardgamedesign and r/TabletopGameDesign focus specifically on the design process, featuring prototype feedback threads, mechanical theory discussions, and design challenge exercises that help board game designers refine their skills.

Typical discussions in these communities cover everything from balancing worker placement mechanics to choosing appropriate art styles, with board game designers sharing detailed breakdowns of their design processes and the challenges they've encountered. r/printandplay specifically caters to designers interested in accessible game formats, featuring downloadable prototypes and discussions about creating games that players can easily print and assemble at home.

The community culture in these subreddits tends to be supportive and constructive, with experienced board game designers often providing detailed feedback on newcomer projects. However, users expect thorough, well-thought-out posts rather than quick questions that could be answered with basic research. The most successful posts typically include clear explanations of design goals, specific questions for the community, and evidence that the poster has already invested effort into their project.

Resource sharing is common across these communities, with board game designers regularly posting links to useful design tools, recommended reading lists, convention reports, and industry articles. r/Tabletop provides broader industry coverage, including discussions about manufacturing, distribution, and business aspects of game design that are crucial for board game designers planning to publish their work.

How to Get the Most Value

Success on Reddit requires board game designers to contribute meaningfully to discussions before promoting their own work. Start by spending time reading existing threads, understanding each subreddit's specific rules and culture, and providing thoughtful responses to other designers' questions. This approach builds credibility and ensures that when you do share your own projects, the community will be more receptive and engaged with your content.

When seeking feedback on your designs, provide comprehensive context including your target audience, core mechanics, current challenges, and specific areas where you need input. Board game designers who post vague requests for general feedback rarely receive useful responses, while those who ask targeted questions about specific mechanical interactions or balance issues typically generate detailed, actionable advice from the community.

Avoid common mistakes that can damage your reputation in these communities, such as excessive self-promotion, ignoring subreddit rules, or failing to engage with commenters on your posts. Board game designers should follow the general guideline of contributing to ten community discussions for every post about their own work, and always respond thoughtfully to feedback rather than becoming defensive about criticism.

Take advantage of recurring community events and threads, such as weekly feedback sessions, design challenges, and AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions with established designers and publishers. These structured opportunities often provide more focused attention for board game designers looking to showcase their work or learn from industry professionals.

Document and organize the feedback you receive by creating spreadsheets or notes that track common suggestions, mechanical concerns, and positive responses to different aspects of your designs. This systematic approach helps board game designers identify patterns in community feedback and make informed decisions about design iterations, while also demonstrating to the community that their input is valued and implemented.

Building Your Professional Network

Reddit's private messaging system and comment threads provide natural opportunities for board game designers to connect with peers, potential collaborators, and industry mentors. When you encounter designers working on similar projects or facing comparable challenges, reaching out with thoughtful questions or offers to share resources can lead to valuable professional relationships that extend beyond the platform.

Many successful board game designers use Reddit as a starting point for forming design groups, organizing online playtesting sessions, and finding collaborators with complementary skills such as artwork, writing, or mathematical analysis. The platform's global reach means you can connect with talented individuals regardless of geographic location, opening up collaboration possibilities that might not exist in your local gaming community.

Established publishers and experienced board game designers often participate in Reddit discussions, providing opportunities for newer designers to learn from their expertise and potentially catch their attention with innovative ideas or exceptional community contributions. Building these relationships requires patience and genuine engagement rather than direct solicitation, but the connections formed through authentic community participation often prove more valuable than traditional networking approaches.

Conclusion

The board game design communities on Reddit offer unparalleled access to passionate players, experienced designers, and industry professionals who can accelerate your development as a creator. By engaging authentically with these communities, contributing valuable insights, and building genuine relationships, board game designers can access resources, feedback, and opportunities that would be difficult to find elsewhere.

Start by joining these communities as a contributor rather than a promoter, focus on learning from others' experiences, and gradually share your own work as you become more integrated into the community culture. The investment in time and genuine engagement will pay dividends throughout your career as a board game designer, providing you with a supportive network of peers and mentors who understand the unique challenges and rewards of creating tabletop games.