My buddy DaveO has been on the podcast before, talking about euro gaming at Essen, or if any games are good for five players. Like most of us, he's played an overwhelming number of strategy boardgames over the years. The didn't include wargames, though he was kind of curious about them. In 2016 he was "tricked" into going to GMT Games' Warehouse at the Weekend, and found himself first horrified by and later part of the wargaming going on there. This makes him a good ambassador to regular boardgamers who don't think in terms of hexagons, Combat Results Tables, and lines of supply. He still remembers watching "pipe-smoking history professors" stick their noses in rulebooks while little happened on their gameboards, an activity that didn't look fun at all. That's not exactly the kind of wargaming he's doing now, but DaveO definitely HAS become a wargamer. Are you wondering what all the fuss is about Falling Sky, Churchill, or W1815?
Whether you are looking to dive into the deep end of wargaming, or just want to see what a smaller/shorter wargame can be like, I hope this conversation between DaveO and I can give you some answers. Definitely also look at Jim Cote's excellent blog post, Wargames: Barriers to Entry. I agree with all but two points of it. Which two points? Let's discuss in the comments. Closer: Heading back to California
Ambie, Cassadi, and Crystal discuss The Pursuit of Happiness, Cottage Garden, and Starving Artists. We talk about board game rules, and Crystal goes over the origins of the word "cheat." We also announce our Patreon!
Edo Baraf, designer of Herbaceous, discusses the many different types of custom components you can add to your games and the challenges and considerations that go with each one. We talk custom dice, boards, boxes, inserts, meeples, sleeves, and more. (Not miniatures. That will be its own episode.)
Edo has experience with lots of custom components and offers a ton of insight on the things to be aware of when adding them to your game.
Today the gang decides to go back into the collection and review a game that flew under the radar that they think needs some love, Onward to Venus by Martin Wallace. Then they take a look back at Broom Service one year later. Then Tony T gets frustrated as the guys keep interupting him during the news segment with nonsense. Finally the Founders discuss board games that tell stories and how a game can be designed to pull the emotions out of players.
We hope you enjoy the brand new segment that is being brought to you from the creative mind of Chaz Marler. In this new segment, we will debate the aspects […]
In this episode, we talk about Gloomhaven, Isle of Monsters, Wind the Film!, Mint Works, answer a few questions, and hear a tale of horror. We end the show with our top ten space games!
Tak comes to us from writer Patrick Rothfuss and designer James Ernest. Tak is universal, simple, elegant and accessible. A game that you can play anywhere, with anyone. A game that is beautiful because HOW you play matters as much as winning or losing.
Shelley and I get a chance to talk about the new Bezier revamp of Jeff Allers called New York Slice, then have a great time playing What's Your Game's fantastic Essen 2016 release Railroad Revolution.
New York Slice by Jeff Allers from Bezier Games
and
Railroad Revolution by Marco Canetta and Stefania Niccolini from What's Your Game
Dan Peterson, chief developer and head of new acquisitions at Mayday Games, discusses why a publisher might reject your game and how to handle it.
Dan looks at close to 200 unpublished games a year and has years of experience in finding new games to publish. This episode is packed with great wisdom for anyone wanting to travel down the traditional publishing path.
In this temporarily-educated instalment of the SU&SD podcast, Matt, Pip and Paul gathered at a hotel during the 2017 Game Developer's Conference. Their mission? To discuss the hot questions of the day.
Should liches be banned? Are humans secretly terrible at games? Why can't I have my raven back? When is an asteroid frustrating? Should SU&SD be on Pinterest? And most importantly, why do the world's best board game designers think the future is great for players?
We also reach into the mailbag to answer a question on trivia games, and discuss some deeply unprofessional games that are played by actors, on stage.
Commenters, what do you think? Should trivia games continue their slow death, or should we be huffing and puffing into their lungs like someone who kind of remembers CPR (but not really)?
Welcome to the Dungeon, Cabalists! In episode #1, the Lords discuss their new Star Wars Saga Edition campaign. The gang has completed character creation and gives you a synopsis of both the characters and the setup for the new campaign. Then they list tips for collaboratively creating characters to build loyalty, bonds and immersion in the adventuring party.
Welcome to the Dungeon, Cabalists! We are so happy to introduce our brand new podcast, Lords of the Dungeon. In this, our first episode, we essentially talk about ourselves so you can get the new the brand new cast of hosts. Along with Jamie, we have people you've heard about since the very beginning, Jesko, AC, Jess and Bender. We also get into out tastes and interests in role playing games and we discuss various editions of Dungeons and Dragons.
Shelley and I check out a game that flew under a lot of people's radar at Essen, then get the card/game version of a fantastic title from a couple of years ago to the table:
Rhodes by Pieter Boots from The Game Master
and
First Class: All Aboard the Orient Express by Helmut Ohley from Hans im Gluck
Ambie, Cassadi, and Crystal discuss Witness, Suburbia, and Santorini. We talk about blitz games and Blitz Con 2017, and Crystal goes over the origins of the word "grok." We also announce a contest!
JT Smith, designer of The Captain Is Dead, talks about how to design a great cooperative game.
We talk creating tension, alpha players, and the math behind a good AI system. Personally, I think The Captain Is Dead is one of the best co-op games on the market today, and it was great to get JT’s insight on its creation.
Hey Now Cabalists! It's time for another hog wild episode of The Secret Cabal! Today we review the new Wiz-Kids games, Assault of the Giants! ,Then we look back at Raiders of the North Sea one year later while Tony takes a nap. ,Then when Tony wakes up he gives you a monstrous news roundup while the rest of us make crude jokes that'll probably get us in trouble. The ,finally we host another Short Topic Extravaganza in which we discuss old games we right like now, a bunch of movies we think are cool and what publishers we think are up and coming.
AnmeldenRolling Dice and Taking Names
The Secret Cabal
