Hello BGDF!
My name is Andrew and I've been designing board games since I was 8 or 9 years old. Creating a new game from the ground up has always been a creative release for me. I have always loved creating new rules and systems or even trying to combine concepts from a couple different existing games (which sometimes worked and other times ended in disaster).
It has always been a dream of mine to get something published, but until I started researching the game design and publishing process over the last couple of years did I realize the amount of effort that goes into getting a game from conception to market! I really enjoy bringing initial game ideas to a basic protoype stage, writing rules, designing the game system, and ensuring balance from player to player. Game balance issues have always been a pet peeve of mine so I am very vigilant about this issue when designing my own games. However, I'm not so good at graphic design and getting a game design thoroughly tested out. I'm slowing teaching myself some simple graphic design and finding people to play my games with me.
Some of my favorite games include Dominion, Thunderstone, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Kingdom Builder, and 7 Wonders. These games typically have some influence on games that I design.
BGDF seems like a great resource for me and am looking forward to seeing what it is all about! I am very excited about the Game Design Showdown and am already working on my first entry.
Protospiel sounds like an interesting event... I'll have to check it out this year. Now I just have to decide on one of my early stage prototypes to further develop and bring to get playtested.