The Who, What, Why? Game Design podcast

#Games and Gambling #Design #Board #Hobbies #Dice #Meeple #Videogame #Game Development #Tech #Video Games #Lifestyle #Mike Bonet #RPG #Boardgames #Games

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying mathematical concepts that power modern machine learning, to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives–even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

The Who, What, Why? Game Design Podcast explicit

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On Who, What, Why? I discuss game design with those who make games and try to learn more about the game design process. Each episode I interview a designer, publisher, developer, artist, etc. of tabletop games such as card, board, or role playing. Some episodes discuss big ideas in design rather than individual games. I have both mainstream and independent developers as guests.

375 episódios

The Who, What, Why? Game Design Podcast explicit

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375 episódios

#Games and Gambling #Design #Board #Hobbies #Dice #Meeple #Videogame #Game Development #Tech #Video Games #Lifestyle #Mike Bonet #RPG #Boardgames #Games

Semua episod

1
Who, What, Why S36.E01 :: Unique Mechanics with Jonny and Jeff 44:39

há 43 weeks44:39

44:39

Jonny and Jeff joined me on the show to discuss less popular mechanics, at least, according to us. We went through three mechanics: area enclosure like in games Through the Desert, simultaneous action selection like in games Wallenstein, and threat tracks like in games the Battle at Kemble's Cascade. It was a fun discussion to explore mechanics we thought were less popular than the rest of the hobby thinks.…

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Who, What, Why S35.E10 :: Dead Poets Rise with Anna and David 1:04:05

há 1 year1:04:05

1:04:05

I received a very unique text one day from my father-in-law. One of his patients had designed a game, and he shared with her that his son-in-law (yours truly) was a game podcaster. So, we connected, and I invited her and her co-designer onto the show. Here is that show. Anna Purves and David Schwittek joined me to discuss Dead Poets Rise, a unique game about writing poetry. I had the pleasure of watching some games take place at a library near me. Funny enough, David lives close to where I live, and Anna lives close to where I work. The game brings players into a world where they are trying to resurrect a dead poet from obscurity. The game uses a Chinese checkers style board with marbles and two decks--The creation and chaos decks-- to bring the players into a world of poetry writing. The conversation was a really interesting one, especially talking with two designers who exist outside of the normal circles of designers who I tend to engage with. If you are interested in learning more about the game, please visit Dead Poets Rise. Warning: I had a cough during the recording that I couldn't escape. It turned out I had strep throat, which took me out of commission later that week. I did my best to edit the coughing fits out.…

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Who, What, Why S35.E09 :: Kelp with Carl Robinson 45:15

há 1 year45:15

45:15

Kelp me! Kelp me! All joking aside... this is a serious podcast... Carl Robinson, the designer of the 2-player game Kelp, joined me to talk more about his games and expand upon frustrating games in general. We discussed his game in detail, but we also branched off into games that use frustration in good and bad ways. Check out Kelp, live on Kickstarter right now if this sounds like something you are interested in.…

1
Who, What, Why S35.E08 :: A General Chat about Generative AI with Joe Slack 38:13

há 1 year38:13

38:13

Joe Slack, a frequent guest of the show, joined me once again to help me dip our toes into the conversation about AI art in board games. We did our best to explain AI art from our knowledge base and to explore some of the uses of it so far and even what future uses should look like. I have an ongoing cough, so I did my best to remove those loud coughs. I asked ChatGPT to write me a script for a podcast about AI art. I will release that as an episode in December. Also, I asked ChatGPT to create an Arkham Horror trick-taking game. The game is enclosed in quotation marks. "Absolutely! Let's call it "Eldritch Echoes: Arkham Trickery." Here's a basic idea for how the game might work: Number of Players: 3-5 Objective: Players aim to gather Eldritch Echoes, fragments of cosmic knowledge, by winning tricks through strategic card play. Setup: Deck: A custom deck with suits representing different aspects of the Arkham Horror universe (e.g., Mysteries, Artifacts, Creatures, Spells). Eldritch Echoes Cards: Special cards with varying point values representing the cosmic knowledge players seek. Gameplay: Dealing: Deal a set number of cards to each player, creating their starting hand. Trick-Taking: Players take turns playing cards to form a trick, following suit if possible. The highest-value card of the leading suit or the highest trump card wins the trick. Eldritch Echoes: Certain cards hold Eldritch Echoes values; winning a trick earns those points for the player who won it. Special Cards: Include special cards that can alter gameplay (e.g., Ancient Tome that acts as a wild card, Shub-Niggurath as a powerful trump card). Strategic Elements: Introduce elements like sanity cards or mythos cards that add unpredictability or risk, affecting the outcome of tricks or forcing players to discard. Winning: The game can be played over several rounds or until a set score is reached. The player with the highest accumulated Eldritch Echoes at the end wins. Strategy: Players need to gauge when to play their powerful cards strategically to win high-value tricks. Balancing the use of trump cards or Eldritch Echoes cards with keeping useful cards for later rounds becomes crucial. Thematically: Incorporate elements of Arkham Horror lore, where players are investigators seeking cosmic knowledge, encountering mystical artifacts, eldritch creatures, and otherworldly spells. Remember, the fun in trick-taking games often lies in their simplicity and the layers of strategy that develop as players become more familiar with the deck and its nuances. Adjustments and balancing may be needed through playtesting, but this framework could provide a solid foundation for an Arkham Horror trick-taking game!"…

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Who, What, Why S35.E07 :: Expanding RPGs with Jason Peercy 40:13

há 2 years40:13

40:13

Jason Peercy, co-designer of The Real Thing RPG, joined me to talk about the expansions he is crowdfunding titled Angel Dust and King For a Day. You might remember The Real Thing RPG as the Faith No More inspired RPG. Jason and his co-designer Jason took the themes and stories they heard in Faith No More's The Real Thing album and created an RPG system out of it. Well, they are back at it again expanding the world they created through 2 new books. We discussed the reaction to the game, working with a band as an IP holder, and more. If you are interested in the game, please check it out on BackerKit .…

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Who, What, Why? S35.E06 :: Lost Adventures with Jeff, Jonny, and Ben 38:49

há 2 years38:49

38:49

I planned to have on Jeff Warrender to talk about his game Lost Adventures, out on Kickstarter now, but Jonny Pac and the always fun Ben Maddox happened to join the podcast. We had a blast on this one. We mostly stayed on topic focusing on some of the interesting design decisions in Lost Adventures. If you have any interest in this game, check it out on Kickstarter now.…

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Who, What, Why? S35.E05 :: Wreck This Deck with Becky Annison 54:13

há 2 years54:13

54:13

Becky Annison, designer of Wreck This Deck and co-owner of Black Armada Games, joined me to talk about her latest design up on BackerKit right now. Wreck This Deck is a solo-journaling RPG where you trap demons in playing cards and wreck those cards in all sorts of artistic ways, whatever you fancy. You can burn cards, fold them, paint them, cut them, etc. Becky encourages players to go ham on that deck. She sees the game as an opportunity for players to let their creativity fly. We discussed the genesis of the game and how it developed and is still developing. We also talked briefly about Legacy games and how those influenced her design. Check out Wreck This Deck if you have an itch to get destructive to a deck of playing cards.…

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Who, What, Why S35.E04 :: Forges of Ravenshire with Sam and Ed... or is it Ed and Sam? 1:28:40

há 2 years1:28:40

1:28:40

Sam and Ed Stockton... or Ed and Sam Stockton... joined me to talk about their newest game live on Kickstarter right now. Forges of Ravenshire is a unique dice worker placement game where you are crafting items and using dice, but the hitch is that the dice aren't owned by one particular player. We talked about a lot of topics here from the allure of dice to the intricacies of worker placement, a genre rife with games. Check out the Kickstarter if you are interested.…

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Who, What, Why S35.E03 :: The Return of the Super Show with Steve Resk 1:31:21

há 2 years1:31:21

1:31:21

Wrestling fans and gaming fans! I have a guest to unite you both. Steve Resk, designer of The Super Show, joined me to talk about how to keep LCG/CCGs alive and well. We explored how the Super Show grew from just a couple of decks with a small fanbase to a community with its own regional federations and belts. We also talked about some of our favorite wrestling storylines from the past. Check out the Super Show here . And they have a convention coming up this weekend (March 17) in Cleveland .…

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Who, What, Why S35.E02 :: That Competitive Spirit with Jonny and Jeff 1:26:05

há 2 years1:26:05

1:26:05

Jonny Pac and Jeff Warrender return for another episode about a topic in game design. In this episode we discuss competitiveness in games. We focus on games with a lot of direct interaction compared with games with indirect interactions (like Multiplayer Solitaire games). No, we do not come down on "which is better," but we muse on what makes each of these styles interesting. Remember: today is the last day to submit your game to the Cardboard Edison Award . Go do it!…

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Who, What, Why S35.E01 :: The Boys with Nick Accardi 1:03:21

há 2 years1:03:21

1:03:21

Nick Accardi, co-designer and artistic director for The Boys: This Is Going to Hurt, joined me to talk about this game from Dynamite Entertainment. We discussed the intricacies of adapting a licensed property into a board game. Nick talked about how the game doesn't follow the comics exactly, but instead crafts its own plausible story, so players can get immersed in something new. We also discuss set building and prop work because Nick is interested in some of that, and set building was my previous profession. This game follows the comic and not the Amazon TV show. If you are interested in getting your unpublished game judged, check out Cardboard Edison . I am a judge and have been for a few years. I enjoy the process of judging through Cardboard Edison. They're a great pair of people. This is not a paid ad or anything, but they did ask me to mention the award and since I value them as designer friends, I emphatically said yes.…

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Who, What, Why S34.E10 :: Nawalli with Gonzalo and Will 53:26

há 2 years53:26

53:26

Gonzalo and Will joined me to talk about their game called Nawalli. It's a head-to-head card battling game with some incredible artwork inspired by the Aztecs. It's an easy game to learn and play because of its relative language independence (once you know it all). I was drawn to this game because of its artwork and knew I had to find out more. What better way than have the designers on the show. Also, the Cardboard Edison Award is here again. All submissions must be in by Jan. 31. Check out www.cardboardedison.com/award for more information. They did not pay me to say this, but they should since I'm a prestigious podcaster (kidding).…

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Who, What, Why S34.E09 :: PaxU Recap with Mike 1:02:42

há 2 years1:02:42

1:02:42

So, I recently went to PaxU (again) with my wife and baby daughter. I decided to try something new for when I go to cons. I put all of my thoughts together in this episode about the con and what I love about it.

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Who, What, Why S34.E08 :: Thrown Under the Bus with James S Cole 1:07:41

há 2 years1:07:41

1:07:41

James Cole, designer of the upcoming game Thrown Under the Bus, joined me to talk about his game about corporate intrigue and power positioning. The game is a lighthearted look at the kind of stuff that may happen in a corporate office between people who want to be in the best position they can be. We talked about a lot of different things about the game's design and even got into some stories from James' past working in a corporation. The game will be releasing on Kickstarter sometime in January. Check it out if you are interested.…

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Who, What, Why S34.E07 :: Unconscious Mind with Jonny Pac 1:19:58

há 2 years1:19:58