Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication

In episode 116 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with game designer Leonie Grundler about what inspired her nature-themed tableau builder, Biome.  They discuss how inspiration can come from the worst places - like being laid off from a tech startup and catching COVID - how binge-playing Wingspan sparked the idea for the game, and tough design questions like: Should games aim for perfect balance, or can a few spicy, overpowered cards keep things interesting? They also explore the practical side of choosing to self-publish, finding playtesters in your own backyard, launching Lioness Games, sourcing manufacturers, and being your game's greatest advocate.  Featuring: Leonie Grundler - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 115 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with game designer and co-founder of Lost Boy Entertainment, Cameron Ring, covering everything from the value of short form video and social media marketing in the tabletop industry, to the importance of making games you find fun.   Danielle and Cameron talk about Lost Boy Entertainment's roots as a family business, leaning into the inspiration of classic game mechanics to develop something new, having fun with wacky game themes (Piles! makes laundry fun!), teaching playtesters gaming vocabulary, and bribing your friends and family with food and drinks to test your games.   Featuring:  Cameron Ring - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 114 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ace Ellett, half of Bluefish Games - the company he and his wife Anna founded as a result of their love for escape rooms and puzzles.   Danielle and Ace talk about what went into the fictional world of Hincksville and the character Bluefish created as a mechanism to drive their puzzle/mystery series. They discuss how to playtest escape room games, the art of hiding clues in plain sight, the importance of including a balance of different puzzles to keep everyone playing entertained, how to choose materials wisely (and cost effectively), and what makes the perfect “at-home puzzle experience”.   The Case of the Curiously Correct Blueprints is an audiobook mystery, so they also talk about the different challenges to consider that were different when compared to designing a “standard” escape puzzle - although, there are no rules when it comes to escape rooms!   Featuring:  Ace Ellett - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 113 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Nicole Amato about transitioning into tabletop design after starting out as a video game journalist, small local game jams leading to big opportunities and how people choosing to use your innovative game mechanic in their prototype is flattering!   They also chat about the "politics" of popular (and extinct) video game conventions and the industry crossover there as well as their hack of using magic recording pens to help take notes. Listen to the rise of the "2-player renaissance" and the age-old publish vs. crowdfund conundrum on this episode!   Featuring:  Nicole Amato - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host  

In episode 112 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Bug Boll about their first published solo design in the RPG space, Sentai & Sensibility!  A new, niche-themed adventure from 9th Level Games where the unique - but surprisingly similar - worlds of Super Sentai and Jane Austen collide! They talk about the process of writing an RPG, adapting an existing rule system for a new theme, the importance of choosing to be whatever color Power Ranger you want, consulting experts on topics you are not familiar with, and injecting your own interests into game design - RPGs are not always about dragons in space folks!   And of course, Bug provides expert advice to new designers looking to create their own RPGs and stories.   Featuring:  Bug Boll - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 111 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with TAM about his game, Floristry, which is the first release by UP Games - a new publishing company in the tabletop space that he is a co-founder of!   Danielle and TAM talk about how game design has always been a passion (growing up without easy access to games led to inventing games to share with family and friends), the rise of 2-player date/cafe games, important things to consider when incorporating an app into your game, and distributing games in other languages.   Featuring:  TAM - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 110 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication, your friendly neighborhood editor, Amanda Rivera, takes over as host once again as we recap the fifth season and catch up with Danielle! They talk about this season's guests, their games, and reflect on some of the amazing advice they shared for new and aspiring game designers.   Danielle talks about her upcoming games, the many prototypes she is working on, several exciting nominations, awards, and special guest appearances – oh my!   Other interesting highlights from the season five recap: Games as inclusive, accessible, approachable, and engaging experiences! Where IS the best place to display an oversized convention special guest sign with your name on it? Tabletop Gaymers 10 Year Anniversary! Danielle's new blog “Missing Pieces” for the Tabletop Game Designers Association. And, a Greek mythology lesson from Danielle!   Featuring:  Danielle Reynolds - Guest Amanda Rivera - Host

In episode 109 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ian Clayman about collaborating with the game design team at Exploding Kittens - and an awesome surprise guest - to create a new game based on the longest running reality TV show, Survivor. Ian dives into his unique approach for working on this well-known IP, the Exploding Kittens game development process, and how he got his foot in the game industry door by networking and snagging an internship at Exploding Kittens.  Survey says, both show super fans and Exploding Kittens enthusiasts agree that Survivor: The Tribe Has Spoken feels like the real deal - minus the lack of navigating island obstacle courses, weathering storms, and battling bugs!   Featuring:  Ian Clayman - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 108 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication, we chat with Connie Vogelmann about her design Apiary. What started as her journey as a playtester for Stonemaier Games, quickly dominoed into an invitation to a designer day where she showcased Apiary and ultimately led to it being signed. Connie shares the lessons she learned along the way, including the tools she used for prototyping and how tweaking the theme to "bees in space" helped refine the game's mechanics.   Connie and Danielle discuss other topics including the advantages of working with large publishers with access to blind playtest audiences, the importance of filtering playtester feedback, the impact of online feedback (including the good, the bad, and the memes), and the lessons she's learned about rapid prototyping, efficiency, and keeping your sanity through the many iterations of game design.    And if you were wondering, yes, she actually did do beekeeping for a bit!   Featuring:  Connie Vogelmann - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

Episode 107: Monkey Palace   In episode 107 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with David Gordon about his co-design Monkey Palace, the new LEGO game! Learn about how he and TAM took a design brief given to them and designed an engine building game about building temples to upgrade your engine to earn banana points. Also, hear about the constraints that come with designing under NDAs on this and other games.    Featuring:  David Gordon - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 106 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jason Slingerland about his co-design Tír na nÓg. When Jason started designing in 2012 there weren't many resources for designers so he started the Building the Game podcast with a friend. He used the podcast to help himself and other designers learn more about games, the industry and design. Through the years Jason gained experience and had his 9th game Tír na nÓg released with Grand Gamers Guild. The game used a straddle draft mechanic mixed with different scoring mechanics to form a great entry-level game. It was used by the publisher to test Gamefound's crowdfunding platform and had a decent first print run but it sold out quickly thanks to reviewers which caused them to quickly put a second print run onto Kickstarter with extra content!    Featuring:  Jason Slingerland - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 104 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Bernie Lin and Brendan Kendrick about their first design Omicron Protocol, a skirmish miniatures game designed to help bring more people to the love of miniatures. They were inspired by a convention panel to self-publish knowing they wanted to create an “intra-apocalyptic”, cyberpunk-themed world for 1-4 players. Through designing they added a co-operative mode for the game that helped them teach the game to players new to miniatures games at conventions. Some of their favorite moments were hearing how nice it was to see Asian miniatures and females with different body types. They wanted all different kinds of players to be able to see themselves in the game.   Featuring:  Bernie Lin - Guest Brendan Kendrick - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 104 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Mads Fløe about their co-design Shake that City. The draw of the game was a device that randomized how to drop out 9 different cubes in a 3x3 grid. These cubes worked to help you decide what tiles you could draft and place into your city. Figuring out how to make the machine out of cardboard and rubber bands made manufacturing so much easier to get the game signed and made. We talk about how he worked in co-designing the game and how you can promote yourself as a freelance designer.    Featuring:  Mads Fløe - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 103 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Nick Bentley on how he redesigned Underdog Game's Trekking the World and why they decided to call it a second edition versus a new name. Learn what changes were made to make the game both more streamlined and more gamery. How they chose to keep some graphic design choices while changing others. See what your thoughts are on if they decided correctly on the naming choice!   Featuring:  Nick Bentley - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 102 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Mike Danovich about his RPG system created to partner with different events and businesses in the Chicago area including Revolution Brewery. In that partnership he got to design character sheets for the different hops that are featured on their Hero IPA variety packs as well as an RPG that was given out at the ComicCon known as C2E2. Learn how Mike dealt with these quick timelines and designing with these partners in mind!   Featuring:  Mike Danovich - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 101 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Kirsten Lunde about Ovation, a game-school inspired design that originated from her wanting to teach her son about classical music but wasn't able to find a game themed that way at the time. Since then, she worked to be as inclusive in the creation of the game as she could be as both the designer and publisher. From making sure to include ethnic and gender diversity in the composers you were playing as to hiring the team of artists and graphic designers that worked on the project. She even has a story of playtesting with a color blind playtester in the hope of helping make the game as inclusive as it could be! Listen to all the people that helped her along the way. A rising tide lifts all boats!   Featuring:  Kirsten Lunde - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 100 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we celebrate the 100th episode with Phil Walker-Harding talking about 10 years of Sushi Go! From his initial self-imposed design challenge of making a simple set collection game to the concept of “panning for gold” when trying to create a simplistic game. We discuss what we as designers can do to make games more accessible. Also, learning and accepting what kind of designer you are is a great thing. To be a “good designer” doesn't mean being able to design a 90 minute Euro game. You can create a silly small game and be equally as talented.   Featuring: Phil Walker-Harding - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 99 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Dan Cassar about his design Arboretum. Dan talks about how you're building paths of trees while balancing the colors remaining in your hand in order to score. Using the layout of the final path of cards gave the feeling of an arboretum. We talk about themes and how they can add to a design. Plus, the comparisons between his first and second editions of the game.    Featuring:  Dan Cassar - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 98 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jacob Jaskov about his design Fog of Love. In the game you play as a fictional couple meeting, falling in love and trying to make the relationship work with each player having their own objectives they want to satisfy while playing the game. Jacob designed the game for his partner at the time hoping to get them into games and to create a unique experience for the players. The gameplay in many ways mirrors the ups and downs of his personal life at the time of designing and producing the game.    Featuring:  Jacob Jaskov - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 97 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jason Lautenschleger and Barry McLaughlin about their design Game Night in a Can. Jason and Barry discuss what it means to be an “inventortainer”. How their in-person game shows turned into their Game Night in a Can product that has now had multiple versions both self published and licensed by Goliath. We also get to hear how well they do at their game Frumpy Bumpers! Experience their game by listening to this episode!   Featuring:  Jason Lautenschleger - Guest  Barry McLaughlin - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 96 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ellie Dix about her design, A Midsummer Night's Fayre, published by Gamewright. The mechanics were inspired by fairground games. As a kid into adulthood she would gameafy trips and average activities. In her game you play ten mini games. You roll and choose dice while using fairy mischief cards to manipulate the dice to win the game. Her biggest challenge was accepting the loss of the Helter skelter dice tower. They adapted it through development into what you now see on the inside of the box lid.   Featuring:  Ellie Dix - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 95 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Carol Mertz about multi-disciplinary designing. She starts with the concept before deciding on the form (tabletop, video game, robotic couch, etc.). The focus is on the experience then she builds the medium around it. In the case of Exploding Kittens: Good Vs. Evil she took the tension from the famous wine/poison scene in Princess Bride and injected it into the Exploding Kittens card game as well as taking pieces from the television show to make the gameplay more thematic. Learn the differences between a designer and a developer and how working at Exploding Kittens was a great game development exercise in this episode! Featuring: Carol Mertz - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 94 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Phil Gross about his design ContraBanter, a Word-Smuggling game where you'll work as a team to sneak secret words into a conversation! Phil talks about his design breakthroughs in the game like making the players work on teams versus fully competitive. And how there seems to be something in the Syracuse water as he's worked to design around some impressive designers such as Alan Moon.    Featuring:  Phil Gross - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 93 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Julie Chen about her personality type social deduction game inspired by the Myers Briggs test and CLUE. We focus on how learning more about ourselves helped us both in life and in our designing process. She aimed to find a way to help players learn more about the assumptions we make in different situations like "would an introvert or extrovert be more likely to go to a coffee shop?" by building a social deduction game around these choices we'd make depending on the personality types we were given. Learn more about the different types of personalities by playing Emotional Intelligence!   Featuring:  Julie Chen - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 92 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Joseph Brower, one of the designers of Mondrian: Color in Motion. This Ion Award winning design brought manufacturing challenges when they had to figure out what materials made the cards stop sliding during gameplay. Learn how they created an abstract game inspired by the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian's art.   Featuring:  Joseph Brower - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 91 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Alex Flagg about Crafty Games' latest release Buru. Learn how a publisher was able to inject more of the theme into a midweight euro-style game using a TTRPG background and cultural consultants.    Featuring:  Alex Flagg - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 90 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication Danielle talks with Joel Sparks about his cat based RPG titled Catthulhu. Joel moved away from a D20 system to try and create a more accessible game for players who haven't played many RPGs by leaning into the story telling more than the math. Players take on the roles of cats in this one shot RPG. Listen to him discuss designing/publishing a book for the first printing of the game then the struggles he went through when he added extra things like dice into the manufacturing of the game in future printings.   Featuring:  Joel Sparks - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 89 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Seppy Yoon about his design Conquest Princess: Fashion is Power. This crisis management game was inspired by Sailor Moon and Star Trek. Seppy took his love for strong women like Wonder Woman and created a game that included characters that were trans, non-binary and female. As a queer/minority/vet owned company he found it very important to feature these playable characters but had to deal with hate groups during his Kickstarter campaign. Learn how he brought this game to life after 9 years of working on it and how he dealt with online trolls in this first episode of the fifth season!   Featuring:  Seppy Yoon - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 88 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication Amanda Rivera takes over as the host as she helps recap the fourth season with Danielle. They talk about past guests and their games. Speaking about matching mechanics with IPs and how brands can be split between many different publishers. Danielle talks about her upcoming games Caution Signs and Secret Clue: Cuisines as well as her new job title of Project Director of Wacky Wizard Games and how she's grown as a designer by starting to do inventor relations. Learning to kill off her designs faster by looking at them from that perspective has helped her grow over the past few months. Not to mention she was nominated for the Play Creators Rising Star Award this year!    Featuring:  Danielle Reynolds - Guest  Amanda Rivera - Host

In episode 87 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Sen-Foong Lim on his comic book IP game Mind MGMT. A game that grows with the players in strategy as well as difficulty. One player controls Mind MGMT and must scour the city for new recruits. They move around on a secret map, trying to visit locations that match one of their three randomly drawn feature cards. They can also use their four Immortals to protect locations from being exposed. Listen to Sen compare working with a creator's IP versus a company like Viacom or Warner Brothers. He unboxes how they worked with the comic creator to expand the Mind MGMT world versus slapping the IP on a pre-existing design.   Featuring:  Sen-Foong Lim - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 86 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with David Abelson about his Mensa award winning game Gartenbau published by 25th Century Games. Initially the game started as a color theory tile placement game but grew into a three-layer tile stacking game of beautifully arranged flowers that gain prestige using a rondel drafting mechanism. Learn how this design grew in development!   Featuring:  David Abelson - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 85 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jim Fitzpatrick about his game Mission to Planet Hexx. Inspired by a love of SyFy he designed a hex tile game about exploring space with different abilities triggered by moving your ship around the tiles. He learned through playtesting how to create thematic ties between the flavor text and mechanics of the tiles as well as how to refine his design.   Featuring:  Jim Fitzpatrick - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 84 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Glenn Cotter about his design Mischief, formerly Fickle. Learn how he got the game signed and printed first with Bard Games. Then what happened when he received the rights back and got the game re-signed with Smirk & Dagger as Mischief. Listen as he talks through the design changes made in between printings. How the initial bones of the game stayed the same while player count, fairy cards, illustrations and other pieces were tweaked through development.    Featuring:  Glenn Cotter - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 83 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Doug Levandowski and Yeonsoo Julian Kim about their co-design Home. Home is an RPG that focuses more on storytelling than dice rolling thanks to Tarot cards that help every player take turns as the “Director” of their scary story. With different modules in the RPG no game will be the same. The game started as Doug's attempt to make a game about his childhood home but with Julie's help the game grew into what it is today.    Featuring:  Doug Levandowski - Guest  Yeonsoo Julian Kim - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 82 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Fertessa Allyse and Mondo Davis about their party game Mansplaining. Learn not only what the term “mansplaining” means but also, learn how they designed a game made not to offend but allow players to feel what it is to have someone over-explain a subject in a humorous way. Learn how they dealt with assumptions made due to the title of the game and how they marketed to help with that problem.   Featuring:  Fertessa Allyse - Guest  Mondo Davis - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 81 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Whitney Loraine the designer of Skybound's Pirate Tails game. Her inspiration came from the push-you-luck set collection mechanics of Biblios. She took what she liked most from that game and created her own game. Listen to her start as a new designer. How going to a convention allowed her to network and meet publishers nice enough to introduce her to Skybound where she now has two signed games!   Featuring:  Whitney Loraine - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host  

In episode 80 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with George Li about his game Misconceptions. His publishing company Rabble was approached by Bud Light Seltzer to create Misconceptions, a game based on debunking other common, but wrong, beliefs. Learn how they worked with Bud Light's marketing team to design and publish a game in record time using a non-gaming manufacturer in the United States in order to meet the deadlines set by Bud Light.   Featuring:  George Li - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 79 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jeremy Posner and Ken Gruhl about their co-design Mantis published by Exploding Kittens. They talk about how they found each other as co-designers and the many games that have spawned from the partnership. How a failed design of Ken's inspired Jeremy to adapt the idea into what became Mantis. Listen to how this design team took an old idea and gave it life in a new form! Plus, how they adapted the game into a kid's version called Best Worst Ice Cream for Exploding Kittens' new line of Kitten Games.   Featuring:  Jeremy Posner - Guest  Ken Gruhl - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 78 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Josh, Jory and Rowan Cappel about their co-design Diced Veggies published by KTBG. This design started as a father/son activity that quickly added a niece/cousin to the mix. Starting from a catchy name they quickly created a dice drafting cooking game with a fun chopping component and thematically linked recipe cards. Thought was put into what veggies the dice would represent as well as finding recipes that had those vegetables diced in order to make it! If you're looking to work with kids on a design then check out this episode!   Featuring:  Josh Cappe - Guest  Jory Cappel - Guest  Rowan Cappel - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 77 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jonathan Chaffer, the mastermind behind the 18-card escape room game line Holiday Hijinks published by Grand Gamers Guild. Jonathan discusses how his holiday gift idea has now turned into a line of creatively crafted escape room games that only requires internet and 18 cards. Listen to how he crafts an answer list of words then works backwards to create the puzzles in each of his games. He even illustrates the cards and codes for the electronic parts of this escape room! Learn how to build an escape room game with tight restraints thanks to Jonathan! Featuring: Jonathan Chaffer - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 76 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Jeff Horger about the second edition of Dark Domains! Learn what changes to the rulebook, components and gameplay occurred in the second printing. Listen to where the proposed initial design to make a game that included “skulls and tarot cards” came from. And how a multiple year RPG campaign helped build the lore of the game and characters.    Featuring:  Jeff Horger - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 76 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Elizabeth Hargrave about all things birds with her game Wingspan! What started as a game suggestion from her husband turned into a game that has inspired so many women and nature enthusiasts to enter the industry! Hear about how her game evolved through signing it with Stonemaier Games and their development process. Listen as she talks through the different expansions and what issues came up when translating the game over to different languages. Also, get advice on how to design a nature themed game! Featuring: Elizabeth Hargrave - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host   Launch Tabletop is offering 20% off your first order by going to launchtabletop.com and using the promo code GDU20 when checking out. This special discount is valid through 2023.

In episode 74 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Grant Lyon  about his party game co-design Curmudgeon. The game lets players come up with their own witty disses and comebacks to hilarious prompts. Grant talks about how his background in comedy and writing has helped him not only design party games but get hired to write card prompts for games like Verses, Would You Rather and Ghosted.   Featuring:  Grant Lyon - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host   And please vote Danielle Reynolds for the TAGIE Rising Star Innovator award at https://peopleofplay.com/toy-game-innovation-awards/2023. Voting is open until October 20th! Launch Tabletop is offering 20% off your first order by going to launchtabletop.com and using the promo code GDU20 when checking out. This special discount is valid through 2023.

In episode 73 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with M & Corinne Yeager on their 18-card game Exploring Galapagos published by Button Shy. Listen to them discuss their initial inspiration from the game SET and how issues came up in the initial printing of the game and how they were able to fix it with only the use of the rulebook! Enjoy this episode all about designing with constraints.    And please vote Danielle Reynolds for the TAGIE Rising Star Innovator award at https://peopleofplay.com/toy-game-innovation-awards/2023. Voting is open until October 20th!   Launch Tabletop is offering 20% off your first order by going to launchtabletop.com and using the promo code GDU20 when checking out. This special discount is valid through 2023.   Featuring:  M Yeager - Guest  Corinne Yeager - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 72 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Sean Fletcher the designer behind Disney Sorcerer's Arena: Epic Alliances as well as so many other IP based games. He talks about how he took his love of Magic the Gathering and applied it to creating this Disney Battle game. From turning classic Disney characters into different archetypes to balancing their deck abilities and powers while keeping them thematic. Hear about how he turned one of the world's favorite IPs into a board game. Featuring: Sean Fletcher - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 71 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with sisters Alice and Jessica Hong of FamBam Games about their co-design Not So Neighborly. A light-weight card game of building and destroying a neighborhood. This project started with a need to have another game while stuck in their Covid bubble that turned into a family run company. Learn about things like UNPUB, the Horizon Fellowship and other things that helped them jump head first into this industry!    Featuring:  Alice Hong - Guest  Jessica Hong - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 70 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with David Diaz about his game Fossilis published by KTBG (Kids Table Board Games). The game was initially designed with his son in mind mixed with a personal love of dinosaurs. It quickly developed into a 3-D tile pushing archeology game with set-collecting different dinos and bones. The game started as a lighter kids game then once signed, it was developed into the game you see today at conventions!   Featuring:  David Diaz - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 69 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Mike Belsole and Grace Kendall about their co-design Smug Owls published by Runaway Games. What started as a game made for a convention Christmas gift exchange turned into an owl themed game about generating riddles for players to solve. The last player to think of an answer will become the smug owl and judge the round's answers. Listen to us play a round of the game! Also, hear about what you can add to your contract to make sure you get paid if a publisher gives you the rights to your game back!   Featuring:  Mike Belsole - Guest  Grace Kendall - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 68 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Corey Andalora and Donnie Coleman about their asymmetric space themed co-op game Mission Control: Critical Orbit. What started as a game design challenge inspired by the initial parts of COVID grew into this unique real-time puzzle game you can play with your friends. Listen to how they decided what puzzles to make and how the publishers have marketed the game at Cons.    Featuring:  Corey Andalora - Guest  Donnie Coleman - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 67 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we kick off season 4 with Julie Ahern the designer of BarBEARian Battlegrounds: Tales of BarBEARia. The reason she chose this design in particular is because it was a sequel to a game designed by Walter Barber and Ian VanNest. These designers were tasked with creating a sequel to the game but weren't able to make it happen so Julie had to approach the sensitive subject of her working on the game and receiving design credits for it. Learn from her how to approach subjects like credits in a game and working off another designer's original IP in this episode.    Featuring:  Julie Ahern - Guest  Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 66 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we recap the third season with guest host Beneeta Kaur. We talk about some fun games from the past season, heartfelt inspirations, interesting systems designed for RPGs and catch up on what's been going on with Danielle's career in the gaming industry outside the podcast. We also discuss what's coming up for season 4 airing on Tuesday, July 11th!    Featuring:  Danielle Reynolds - Guest  Beneeta Kaur - Host