00:00 - Releasing a game at GenCon 04:33 - Did River of Gold start as an L5R Game? 09:25 - Working with an imprint of Asmodee 11:34 - Why no solo mode? 14:55 - Developing the linear aspect of the game 18:32 - Commercial pressures for success 21:24 - Motivation to become a designer 25:13 - What makes a good sell sheet & game pitch? 27:18 - Dream uni…

00:00 - Intro 03:42 - From editing to design 04:42 - What makes a good rule book? 07:53 - Why big floppy rulebooks? 10:15 - Root 4 a New Hope 11:42 - Big box for all your stuff? 14:57 - What's the pitch room like for Root content? 22:21 - What was the starting point? 25:50 - Clockwork & hirelings support 28:26 - Coolest part of the expansion? 31:06…

00:00 - Intro 01:42 - Different approach than with Distilled? 04:21 - Did you always plan on publishing in addition to design work? 07:17 - How do publication concerns impact game design? 09:45 - What sets Luthier apart from other games? 13:19 - Was there hesitation over the complexity level? 17:11 - How much do you design for the catalog? 20:27 - …

The backer kit campaign for Ahoy: New Horizons launches November 14, 2023 here: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/fd610745-96dd-4289-839e-ac0757c468bd/landing 00:00 - Intro & genesis of the expansion 02:04 - What type of expansion is this 04:09 - New factions, same limitations? 04:46 - Solo considered? 06:09 - Approach to figuring out what t…

Earthborne Rangers is the exciting new cooperative, open-world adventure game that I highly recommend. You can find our review here: https://youtu.be/uX91cv5H43M?si=m6WW_zI7V3BLKILx 00:00 - Earthborne Rangers background 05:25 - Inspiration for the setting 12:51 - 15 years with Fantasy Flight Games 21:27 - Creative director and leaving FFG 28:23 - E…

Freelancers is the new crossroads game from Plaid Hat Games. Timestamps are below, pre-order here: https://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/2023/03/30/announcing-freelancers-crossroads-game/ 00:00 - Introduction & feelings leading up to release 04:26 - The Plaid Hat Way 06:10 - Starting Board With Life 11:00 - Freedom & flexibility in the design process …

Prefer audio? Check out this interview on our pod channel. Also, go check out Tim and the rest of the BGHT team at: https://boardgamehottakes.com 00:00 - Intro 03:43 - Getting games played for the podcast 08:21 - Evolution of tastes 14:30 - Vested interest in recruiting gamers 17:58 - Gaming history starting with MTG 24:25 - Converting to board gam…

00:00 - Intro 00:52 - Distribution of Frosthaven vs. Gloomhaven 03:25 - Moving into a managerial role 05:19 - Fatherhood 06:16 - Frosthaven Design & Development 10:54 - Frosthaven a response to Gloomhaven or Jaws? 15:42 - Settling on a hefty MSRP and leftovers on the cutting floor 18:47 - Crimson Scales 21:13 - Gloomhaven RPG 25:45 - Card integrati…

00:00 - Intro 01:10 - Making war games more approachable 03:31 - Origins as a designer 06:01 - First pitch, first publish 08:25 - Mistakes as an early designer 10:55 - Developing a partnership with Trevor 14:08 - Did you know how big Undaunted would be? 18:09 - Fetishizing elegance 20:01 - When to work alone vs. co-design 22:42 - No solo in Staling…

00:00 - Intro 00:48 - Radlands 02:21 - Dice Conquest 04:03 - Voyages 04:52 - Orichalcum 06:15 - Life Siphon 07:53 - Once Upon a Time 08:56 - Star Fighters Rapid Fire 10:47 - Kitchen Rush 12:38 - Twilight Inscription 14:45 - Dinosaur Island Rawr 'N Write 16:57 - Flamecraft Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https:/…

Find out more at PC's site here: https://www.getpostcurious.com or watch our review of Adrift here: https://youtu.be/bNiYeftscXY 00:00 - First time with a booth 00:57 - A more robust lineup 02:21 - Panneling for puzzles at the con 03:04 - Audience awareness 04:21 - Upcoming projects Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channe…

Had to guerrilla shoot this at the airbnb, so please excuse the limited camera angle & dim lighting. The audio version of this interview is up on our pod channel. 00:00 - Intro 06:15 - Defenders of the Wild 16:43 - Design & Development in the KS Cylce 21:32 - Defenders of the wild 31:31 - Frustrations with projects? 35:22 - Pitching at PAX U 2022? …

00:00 - Intro 00:22 - What is this game? 02:10 - Card play & management 03:43 - Combat units 05:06 - Attacking 06:55 - Tactics & Strategy 07:22 - Final Thoughts Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald Our Patreon - https://www.…

Want to just listen to the review? Check it out on the podcast channel. Also you can check out the Jaws of the Lion Review here: https://youtu.be/0jYwmUwZ6uc 00:00 - Intro & Gloomy Review 01:36 - What is this game? 03:34 - Characters 04:30 - Bannerspear 05:51 - Blinkblade 06:46 - Deathwalker 08:18 - Outpost phase & base building 11:07 - Loot & Craf…

00:00 - Response to new releases 02:49 - Development & production of The Fox Experiment 03:49 - Rawr & Write expansion 04:52 - "Family +" and the Pandasaurus Ethos 05:43 - Taking pitches at the con? 06:19 - Brew expansion Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald Our Twitter - h…

00:00 - Response to Onslaught 01:34 - Con hitting different with 2 giant titles? 02:28 - Future of Onslaught 03:16 - Production values 04:11 - What do you want to sneak in? 05:22 - Dream IP to set a game? 06:27 - Godrealm & other projects Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHeral…

00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Pitches & Networking 02:57 - Original spark with Ahoy 06:06 - Status of ARCS development 12:27 - Is approachability over fetishized? 16:40 - Organization structure at Leder Games 19:10 - Can you still enjoy a con as a gamer? 21:23 - PATH & other upcoming projects Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Chan…

00:00 - Intro 00:41 - Game Overview 02:26 - Taking Actions 05:53 - The Calendar & Game End 07:50 - Two Player & Lack of Solo 08:35 - Final Thoughts Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/u…

Coming to Kickstarter November 29th 00:00 - Intro 00:18 - Game overview 02:23 - How you get points 02:23 - what makes it compelling? 03:18 - A gimmick that (kinda) works 05:16 - Final Thoughts Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardH…

00:00 - Intro, concept & scope 02:15 - Research & Teliaxu board 03:10 - Specimens 03:55 - Grafting 04:39 - Family atomics 05:15 - How it effects the game 06:16 - Tactical vs. Strategic 07:40 - Combining it all 08:16 - Final Thoughts Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald Our …

Our kickstarter review of Total Mayhem is here: https://youtu.be/7v2QuHi5JdY 00:00 - Intro 00:48 - Selecting Cards 01:23 - Addressing the stalemate 02:25 - The New Stuff (Table, Ladder & Coffin) 03:52 - Doing what expansions should do 05:00 - Final Thoughts Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.co…

00:00 - The Elephant-sized Canary Comparison 01:42 - Linear set collection 03:59 - Action system 06:19 - Theme 07:33 - Solo Mode 08:03 - Final Thoughts Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.c…

00:00 - Intro 01:06 - What is this game 02:41 - Scope & modernization 03:42 - Things I really like starting with initiative 05:02 - Character management 07:41 - Attacking, AC & modifiers 08:13 - Aesthetic & Presentation 09:04 - What didn't work starting with weird points optimizing 10:34 - A couple mechanical quibbles 11:32 - Final Thoughts & the c…

00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Scope of the game 01:42 - Using cards 04:31 - The greatest joy of the game 05:40 - The crunch 07:06 - Final Thoughts Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=966…

00:00 - So you say you want a revolution 01:03 - Scope of the game 02:54 - Taking your turn 05:59 - What's in a theme? 07:21 - Final thoughts Links: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - https://www.youtube.com/TheCardboardHerald Our Twitter - https://twitter.com/CardboardHerald Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=…

00:00 - Intro & reactions to Ahoy at GenCon 02:14 - Ahoy's origins as Hyperspace Smuggler 06:07 - Pitching the game to publishers 10:53 - Early game inspirations 14:45 - Signing the game with Leder 18:11 - The internal development process 24:37 - Meeting a game on it's own terms 28:02 - Revolutionary approach? 29:40 - Future of Ahoy 33:18 - What's …

Junk Drawer KS here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/junkdrawergame/junk-drawer Our review here: https://youtu.be/IuyMZyWOWt0 00:00 - Intro 02:37 - Demo'ing at GenCon 07:29 - Design & development 10:44 - No player interaction = puzzle not game? 16:05 - Feelings on the campaign 23:37 - How KS has changed since the pandemic 29:40 - What's on the…

Please note that there are prototype game images, gifs, and screenshots from the available rulebook that are all subject to change. Links to all the important stuff below. 00:00 - Intro 01:07 - Entry point into game design 02:36 - FFG / Z-Man vets forming Moon Crab 05:08 - Why not pitch? 07:21 - Leviathan Wilds = Shadow of the Colossus + Gloomhaven…

Recorded this audio interview in anticipation of their Gamefound launch on February 15, 2022, back it here: https://gamefound.com/projects/draft/zxc58ag7firw48g1aggj8ue80qo 00:00 - Intro & Why switching to Gamefound? 04:33 - Risks in leaving Kickstarter? 09:47 - Revamping the game & getting Greg on-board 14:18 - Design ambitions for Uprising 23:06 …

Megapulse just launched, go check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/orion-games/megapulse?ref=discovery&term=megapulse 00:00 - Intro & International Travel in 2021 04:20 - The Megapulse Mega Pitch 07:35 - How to convey momentum in a turn-based board game 10:44 - Rubber banding 14:10 - Scaling player counts 16:21 - Going full-time wi…

Talking with one of my favorite designers of all time. I knew that he couldn't share much on Cyclades so I didn't press the issue but I'm glad we got the info we did! 00:00 - Quarantine impact on game design 05:52 - Prototyping & adapting to TTS 08:56 - Thoughts on Solo Gaming 14:34 - Authorial Intent & Fan Variants 19:30 - When to bring in other d…

Roll Camera's new expansion hits kickstarter this week! Check it out at these links: https://bit.ly/2VAFmNM & Keen Bean Studio: www.keenbean.studio 00:00 - Intro 01:56 - Unique considerations when doing it all yourself 06:40 - Why fly solo 10:30 - Studying games vs film 14:44 - Capturing the actual film industry 21:02 - Compromising theme for game …

The Light in the Mist is an exciting new puzzle game by Post Curious, makers of The Emerald Flame & The Tale of Ord. The kickstarter launches Sept 21 at this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/postcurious/the-light-in-the-mist 00:00 - Intro & scope of the game 06:04 - Why bring in a collaborator? 10:19 - The design process 13:24 - Why make …

You may know Eduardo Baraf as a game designer and owner of Pencil First Games, but may more will know him from his popular review channel Gaming With Edo. 00:00 - Intro 01:10 - Designer; Publisher; Content Creator 03:35 - Emphasizing smaller publishers 06:42 - Perception of reviewers 11:37 - Contacting publishers for reviews 16:46 - Ed & Ed Trash G…

Potent theme delivery systems or sinister cash grabs preying on your nostalgia? Today we talk about licensed games. Defining IP Cynical cash grabs or a source of joy? What makes something look promising or damning? Games where fighting IPs are the platform (unmatched, Funko Battles, VS System) IP Games in our collections Lovecraft vs. the Mythos & …

This was a great chat with Fertessa and a rare opportunity to dive deep with a full-timer at a game company. Wicked & Wise is live on Kickstarter August 10th, here's the link: http://weirdgiraffegames.com/WW17 00:00 - Intro 00:48 - Staffer or Freelancer? 02:19 - Funco, Production & Prospero Hall 07:09 - History with tabletop games 11:44 - Alternate…

We've gotten it to the table, some of us more than once! Gonna talk through our opinions of the new release of this modern classic. SHOW NOTES: Hypecicles -Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition -MTG D&D -Descent: Legends of the Dark History of Kemet Game 2012 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127023/kemet Ta Seti 2015 - https://boardgamegeek.com/b…

Going over the history, the methodology (that we know of) and how much importance we should place on the BGG rankings & top 100. Come talk to us on discord: https://discord.gg/6nGJsA6NNp Our notes for the podcast: What is it? BGG founded in 2000 https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/BoardGameGeek_History# By 2001 they had rankings Uses an undisclosed…

01:46 Childhood expressions 04:36 Cartooning inspirations 08:20 Is being part of a studio restrictive? 12:35 Using art to get people into the game 14:31 Translating the abstract 19:18 Oath's visual identity 23:12 Oath's Worldbuilding 30:56 Fort's visual identity 31:56 How do you organize your day? 37:41 Impact on & advice for the next generation 40…

Talking about the different forms conflict can take in games. Come talk to us on discord: https://discord.gg/6nGJsA6NNpPor The Cardboard Herald

Come talk to us on discord: https://discord.gg/JZYZHUgqGR I can easily answer no to "are expansions bad?", but it's much harder to answer if they are good. So John and I talk it through.Por The Cardboard Herald

00:11 Who are you and what are you doing here? 01:59 - Acceptance of game design theory in academia 05:59 - Getting into board games 08:38 - Did you want to design board games right away? 11:07 - Start with theme or mechanics? 11:37 - When did you know when Distilled was something special? 14:59 - Concerns about an alcohol focussed theme? 16:47 - O…

Tackling the what, when, and how of trimming down the game collection. Also here are the links to the other stuffs: New Gale Force 9 Dune - https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/06/new-dune-board-game-coming-later-this-year.html Terraforming Mars - Ares Expedition kickstarter fire - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/strongholdgames/ares-expeditio…

Jen makes an excellent subject matter expert due to PARKS having the dopest insert ever. Check the vid version here: https://youtu.be/tLnnELnfliAPor The Cardboard Herald

Games to play over a nice warm cup of Joe. (or Tea, I guess. If you must...) 02:31 - Azul: Summer Pavillion 03:37 - Sagrada 05:23 - Splendor 07:33 - Harbour 10:38 - Istanbul 12:49 - Cartographers 15:02 - Crystallo 19:02 - Carcassonne 21:32 - Terraforming Mars 23:27 - Jaipur HOT LINKS: Our Site - https://www.cardboardherald.com Our Video Channel - h…

J. Arthur Ellis is the co/designer of Forgotten Waters, Raxxon and more. It was great to talk to one of the OG Dougs who joined the PHG team, now developing their digital products. 01:14 - Entry into Plaid Hat Games 03:45 - Tackling Summoner Wars 2.0 as a fan 05:49 - PHG's Goals with Summoner Wars 2.0 09:47 - Web based vs. Installed Applications 13…

This is a long one, fam. Mainly because there was some really great conversation about the nature of games, collection, and getting them played. Though spoilers and timestamps below, I'll have this up on the podcast channel soon. 04:44 - Santorini 08:46 - Rise of Tribes 11:45 - Dungeon Mayhem 14:17 - Kingdom Builder 16:59 - Century Golem Edition 21…

Kyle & I recorded this video podcast & originally published on his channel as Episode 1 of "If Shelves Could Talk". Go check out his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDT1qNRYXxeWVsJ4jnF42g?feature=emb_ch_name_ex 03:50 - Marco Polo II 07:00 - Mafia De Cuba 10:50 - Terraforming Mars 12:55 - Dune Imperium 19:15 - Wingspan 23:45 - Ethnos…

Because there are so many games, and we haven't even scratched the surface of playing all of them. Still resetting up the studio post-flood so forgive the weird camera angles. 01:24 - Why this list? 03:49 - Kingdom Death: Monster 06:10 - 1977 SPI War of the Ring 09:29 - Lords of Vegas 11:47 - Cuba Libre 13:15 - Sekigahara 14:30 - Star Wars Rebellio…

Ian has his hand in a lot of pies, but currently it's mostly this oceanic one, Kingdoms of the Deep: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/galacticraptorgames/kingdoms-of-the-deep 02:40 - Vibe Check 04:08 - Pitched as a sequel? 07:31 - 75 minutes to design... how long to develop? 11:29 - Breaking games in the best sort of ways 13:09 - Why not includ…