39: Co-Design, Pitching, and Elegant Mechanics with David Gordon

 I chat with designer David Gordon (Floristry, Finspan, Making Monsters) about co-designing, filtering feedback, pitching to publishers, and crafting tense, elegant mechanics like Floristry’s Dutch auction. We also dive into his process, inspiration, and lessons from working with top publishers like Stonemaier Games. 

Chapters

• 1:58 Early game design journey & joining NYC Playtest
• 3:41 First prototypes & learning modern game design vocabulary
• 6:15 What “pitch ready” means & convention pitching strategies
• 11:25 Finding publishers & remote pitching options
• 13:33 Floristry’s Dutch auction origins & refinement
• 21:18 Working with Stonemaier Games on Fin Span
• 26:08 Theme vs mechanics in design inspiration
• 31:25 Co-design
• 41:00 Playtesting habits & finding the right audience
• 47:14 Advice for new designers