Cardboard Edison
@cardboardedison.com
Board game design and tips for board game makers. cardboardedison.com
The upshot of not having all our copies ready beforehand? We'll have at least 20 more copies available soon! Stay tuned for details. Ultimately, #PAXUnplugged #IndieGamesNightMarket was a blast, and hopefully we get a chance to do it again next year!
November 24, 2025 at 2:16 PM
The upshot of not having all our copies ready beforehand? We'll have at least 20 more copies available soon! Stay tuned for details. Ultimately, #PAXUnplugged #IndieGamesNightMarket was a blast, and hopefully we get a chance to do it again next year!
It was non-stop busy for most of the three hours, so we took very few photos! Instead, here's the flier we made for the table. Thank you to everyone who bought the game! We hope it gives you a unique experience!
November 24, 2025 at 2:16 PM
It was non-stop busy for most of the three hours, so we took very few photos! Instead, here's the flier we made for the table. Thank you to everyone who bought the game! We hope it gives you a unique experience!
Back home from #PAXUnplugged after a whirlwind #IndieGamesNightMarket! We sold out of Houdini’s Last Act and will have plenty more to say after getting some rest. Huge kudos to @dnlnwmn.bsky.social & @marcelineleiman.bsky.social for a successful event!
November 23, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Back home from #PAXUnplugged after a whirlwind #IndieGamesNightMarket! We sold out of Houdini’s Last Act and will have plenty more to say after getting some rest. Huge kudos to @dnlnwmn.bsky.social & @marcelineleiman.bsky.social for a successful event!
We’re all set up at the #PAXUnplugged #IndieGamesNightMarket with Houdini’s Last Act! Doors open at 7!
November 22, 2025 at 11:06 PM
We’re all set up at the #PAXUnplugged #IndieGamesNightMarket with Houdini’s Last Act! Doors open at 7!
The rulebooks for Houdini’s Last Act are printed and cut. Final step: stapling! We picked up a special stapler that can reach to adjustable depths, and it works great! #PAXUnplugged #IndieGamesNightMarket
November 21, 2025 at 1:40 PM
The rulebooks for Houdini’s Last Act are printed and cut. Final step: stapling! We picked up a special stapler that can reach to adjustable depths, and it works great! #PAXUnplugged #IndieGamesNightMarket
It officially happened: Our assembly space for Houdini’s Last Act has now expanded to a THIRD table. This is the card-sorting-and-sleeving area…
November 20, 2025 at 1:41 PM
It officially happened: Our assembly space for Houdini’s Last Act has now expanded to a THIRD table. This is the card-sorting-and-sleeving area…
Creating a BGG page for Houdini's Last Act, and... I guess this one? 😆
November 19, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Creating a BGG page for Houdini's Last Act, and... I guess this one? 😆
We did the math and realized it was time to call in the professionals with the big cutting machine to make sure the cards for Houdini’s Last Act are ready in time for #PAXUnplugged #IndieGamesNightMarket
November 18, 2025 at 12:27 PM
We did the math and realized it was time to call in the professionals with the big cutting machine to make sure the cards for Houdini’s Last Act are ready in time for #PAXUnplugged #IndieGamesNightMarket
That about does it for this behind-the-scenes look at the production of Houdini’s Last Act! If you want to know more about the game itself, check out cardboardedison.com/houdini. And if you’ll be at #PAXUnplugged check out the #IndieGamesNightMarket! There will be so many cool games there!
November 16, 2025 at 11:33 PM
That about does it for this behind-the-scenes look at the production of Houdini’s Last Act! If you want to know more about the game itself, check out cardboardedison.com/houdini. And if you’ll be at #PAXUnplugged check out the #IndieGamesNightMarket! There will be so many cool games there!
We’re close to the point of putting all those pieces into the boxes. After a far-reaching search for an appropriate box for the game, we found these pillow boxes whose shape perfectly echoes the card sleeves! They’re narrower when filled than we expected, but everything fits!
November 16, 2025 at 11:30 PM
We’re close to the point of putting all those pieces into the boxes. After a far-reaching search for an appropriate box for the game, we found these pillow boxes whose shape perfectly echoes the card sleeves! They’re narrower when filled than we expected, but everything fits!
Getting the game ready in time for #PAXUnplugged has been a team effort, with both our daughters pitching in! Here’s Hana running the token-stickering-and-baggie-assembling station.
November 16, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Getting the game ready in time for #PAXUnplugged has been a team effort, with both our daughters pitching in! Here’s Hana running the token-stickering-and-baggie-assembling station.
Here’s one of the two tables we’re using to prepare all the game’s materials. It’s taken over our living room!
November 16, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Here’s one of the two tables we’re using to prepare all the game’s materials. It’s taken over our living room!
After the sleeves are cut to the right shape, we stamp them by hand with an ink pad and rubber stamp. Finding ink that wouldn’t smudge on plastic sleeves was a task in itself! The stamp is an ambigram that helps players know which way to hold the cards: Medium one way, Helper the other.
November 16, 2025 at 11:24 PM
After the sleeves are cut to the right shape, we stamp them by hand with an ink pad and rubber stamp. Finding ink that wouldn’t smudge on plastic sleeves was a task in itself! The stamp is an ambigram that helps players know which way to hold the cards: Medium one way, Helper the other.
On to the game’s core component! The medium/helper cards go in these card sleeves, which hide & reveal info during the game. We explored SO MANY ways of cutting them to the needed shape before going with the time-intensive but reliable X-Acto approach.
November 16, 2025 at 11:20 PM
On to the game’s core component! The medium/helper cards go in these card sleeves, which hide & reveal info during the game. We explored SO MANY ways of cutting them to the needed shape before going with the time-intensive but reliable X-Acto approach.
Forgot to mention that the tactic and publicity tokens all go in a handy drawstring bag, along with the most adorable component in the game: the study tokens, which are actual tiny little books that open and everything! It took a lot of searching to find those!
November 16, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Forgot to mention that the tactic and publicity tokens all go in a handy drawstring bag, along with the most adorable component in the game: the study tokens, which are actual tiny little books that open and everything! It took a lot of searching to find those!
Here are some test runs of the various paper elements: board, goal cards, helper cards, mantra card, etc. plus a better shot of the rotary cutter! Printing and cutting a single test copy helped us identify layout issues before it was too late!
November 16, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Here are some test runs of the various paper elements: board, goal cards, helper cards, mantra card, etc. plus a better shot of the rotary cutter! Printing and cutting a single test copy helped us identify layout issues before it was too late!
Here are the helper cards after they’ve been cut with a heavy-duty new rotary paper cutter that we bought just to help make this game. It can handle several sheets of 110-lb cardstock at once, which cuts down on the cutting time by a lot!
November 16, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Here are the helper cards after they’ve been cut with a heavy-duty new rotary paper cutter that we bought just to help make this game. It can handle several sheets of 110-lb cardstock at once, which cuts down on the cutting time by a lot!
To keep costs in check, we’re printing all the paper material in the game ourselves. These cards showing Houdini’s helpers went through 8 graphic-design revisions over the past few months & use elements from real historical public-domain works. The icon layout had to be just right, as we’ll explain…
November 16, 2025 at 11:10 PM
To keep costs in check, we’re printing all the paper material in the game ourselves. These cards showing Houdini’s helpers went through 8 graphic-design revisions over the past few months & use elements from real historical public-domain works. The icon layout had to be just right, as we’ll explain…
These are publicity tokens—what good is it exposing fake spirit mediums if nobody’s there to see it, right? There are 9 different double-sided tokens in the game: posters, newspapers & radio. Keeping these organized during assembly is quite a task!
November 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM
These are publicity tokens—what good is it exposing fake spirit mediums if nobody’s there to see it, right? There are 9 different double-sided tokens in the game: posters, newspapers & radio. Keeping these organized during assembly is quite a task!
Let’s start with the tokens. Each game comes with six different tactics tokens for the fake mediums’ various tricks. The wooden discs were bought in bulk, then we printed up sticker sheets and applied them by hand. (Our daughters took care of most of them!) These are mirrors—as in smoke & mirrors!
November 16, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Let’s start with the tokens. Each game comes with six different tactics tokens for the fake mediums’ various tricks. The wooden discs were bought in bulk, then we printed up sticker sheets and applied them by hand. (Our daughters took care of most of them!) These are mirrors—as in smoke & mirrors!
We’re getting copies of Houdini’s Last Act ready for #IndieGamesNightMarket at #PAXUnplugged next weekend and thought we’d share some insights into what we’re doing to pull off (what turned out to be) a pretty ambitious production! 🧵
November 16, 2025 at 10:59 PM
We’re getting copies of Houdini’s Last Act ready for #IndieGamesNightMarket at #PAXUnplugged next weekend and thought we’d share some insights into what we’re doing to pull off (what turned out to be) a pretty ambitious production! 🧵
Update: The assembly area for Houdini’s Last Act has outgrown its first table and taken over a second one. A third table is on call.
November 11, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Update: The assembly area for Houdini’s Last Act has outgrown its first table and taken over a second one. A third table is on call.
Yesterday was a pretty big day for Houdini’s Last Act. Not only did we get the rulebook tested but also the boxes arrived from the printer and came out great! Indie Games Night Market, here we come!
November 10, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Yesterday was a pretty big day for Houdini’s Last Act. Not only did we get the rulebook tested but also the boxes arrived from the printer and came out great! Indie Games Night Market, here we come!
One starting point for the design of Houdini's Last Act was to integrate a magic trick (which players carry out themselves!) into the game. When we found out about the real history of Houdini's investigators, it was a perfect fit! The design is built on those two things: cardboardedison.com/houdini
November 7, 2025 at 5:24 PM
One starting point for the design of Houdini's Last Act was to integrate a magic trick (which players carry out themselves!) into the game. When we found out about the real history of Houdini's investigators, it was a perfect fit! The design is built on those two things: cardboardedison.com/houdini
We’ve got an assembly area set up for our game Houdini’s Last Act, which we’re bringing to Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged in a couple of weeks!
November 6, 2025 at 11:44 PM
We’ve got an assembly area set up for our game Houdini’s Last Act, which we’re bringing to Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged in a couple of weeks!