Indie Board Game Designers

Reed Mascola jumps on to talk about his game Vigilante, how he designed individual goals for each character in a social deduction game, and why fog is the best super power.

I get to chat with Chris Anderson from The Board Game Workshop. He tells us about the 2021 contest (and how you can get feedback on top of feedback on top of feedback), as well as how he got into board games, and why he loves Buttonshy games.

I get Joe Slack back on the show to: Give us an update on Relics of Rajavijara on manufacturing and fulfillment Tell us about his new book The Board Game Designer’s Guide to Working in the Industry and his thoughts on when we can get back to board game events

I get to chat with Andrew Kuplic from Flame Point Games about launching the 2nd edition of #MagicalUnicornQuest on Kickstarter.

Darren Terpestra comes back onto the podcast to give us an update on his game Ignite as well as a Game Design Mastery Course.

I chat with Harrison Brooks who designed EleavtorUp. He's 17 years old so we talk about the challenges and benefits of designing games while you're 17 He believes in screen-free time And we get into Lego

Today we try something new. Matthew Stockton interviews Josh Bakken. We get into ZU Tiles: Hime, trading card games like Magic the Gathering, and the top 5 anime & manga recommendations.

John D'Angelo designed Runelords based on the book series by David Farland. We get into intellectual property, royalties, and of course espresso. ☕

I chat with Arif Nezih Savi about his game #Sinners. A game that you either love or hate. We get into: How do you market a game that's so polarizing? How do you pitch a game where there are no local publishers? And what you should do during a boring movie

I get to chat with Grant Lyon about: His board game reviews His first playtest experience And his game Curmudgeon

I chat with Charlie Labuz who created the game Parched which uses drink coasters as game pieces. I get into all of that and more with Charlie.

Hello loyal listeners! Here's my special Black Friday discount just for you: BF2020 - 50% off when you order 10 copies of Fry Thief (2-player) PodcastLover2020 - Free shipping in the US Eligible November 23rd - 30th 2020 Order at http://laidback.games/ Hope you can spend (social distanced) time with friends & family ♥️

Charlie McCarron and I get into some fun game concepts including: Interning at Fantasy Flight Games Exploring the Building Block of Meaning concept What are the Four Humours? His game Four Humours on Kickstarter.

I chat with Lori Love & Lea Velocci from People4Goldfish about: Their game Word Hustle Their game design intentions & how important they are before you create your first game And pumpkin spice lattes

David Hayes is an avid board game player who helped me design a game for #26 - The Roll and Write Game Jam. I wanted to explore the idea of game designers who do the occasional design. 

I chat with Rob Newton from Coin Flip Games about: Flick-and-write games Game design software And green chili. Om nom nom.

I chat with Joe Slack about: Designing puzzle games (including his own Relics of Rajavihara) How much content to put into puzzle games Replayable puzzles and how to escape a real life puzzle Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/indieboardgamedesigners

I get to check with Aaron Moline & Eric Manahan from @bardsharkgames about: Their game Antematter Basing a game on poker And how to become CEO of a game company when your partner drops their internet connection https://www.patreon.com/indieboardgamedesigners

I get to chat with Ta-Te Wu who's designed a ton of games and launched them on Kickstarter. We also get into licensing a game to a publisher after it's Kickstarter launch. And kittens. You don't want to miss kittens do you? Support the show and help me make more content: https://www.patreon.com/indieboardgamedesigners

I get to chat with Cameron Art who created Vowl. We get into: Creating word games that do more than just play with words & letters Creating a board game magazine And why you don't have to launch on Tuesday Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/indieboardgamedesigners

Today for the show I have a special announcement. I'll go into: The special announcement How it affects the podcast https://www.patreon.com/indieboardgamedesigners

Ben Moy is one of the most optimistic & encouraging voices in the board game community. Learn his: Favorite components Philosophy and break dancing moves

I get to chat with Jon Vallerand about: Dice drafting What you do when a pandemic cancels your Kickstarter campaign and favorite pandemic activities

Malachi Ray Rempen shares his story about launching a game based on his popular comic strip Itchy Feet. We get into: Long term audience building Should you focus on a monthly benefit (Patreon) or a big one time campaign (Kickstarter) and Antarctica.

Learn from Juli Bierwirth & Adrian Kerrihard about how they: Designed a 2 player hidden role game How you can enter a contest for a showcase And why you don't want to own a swimming pool Help me support the show: https://www.patreon.com/indieboardgamedesigners

Jonah Kellman tells us about his game Lucent and: How he created different art styles for his game He shares how important it is to have clear rules and the best way to Drive to Work

In this episode I chat with Arron Pfieil. In it we discuss: Creating a game out of cloth & wood Getting gamers moving around the table And where magic comes from Support the show on Patreon.

Brian Henk from Pull the Pin Games tells us about his Zorro the Dice game and goes into: The challenges of working with an established intellectual property (IP) Why business fundamentals are important for game designers and why his getaway vehicle is an Uber Support the show to get more episodes like this.

Evan Gibbs shares how you can iterate on a game and finally launch on Kickstarter and succeed - also how I'm brilliant for disagreeing with guests.

Jeff Chin shares how you can design a game with important visuals. We get into: Prototyping and manufacturing unique components When you should hire an illustrator How you can constantly improve your Kickstarter campaigns

Dani and Bill from Escape This Podcast tell us about: What it's like to create a game every 2 weeks The benefits of a consistent playtester and what you can learn by creating a lot of games ---- Support the show, support indie game designers, and learn from my mistakes: https://www.patreon.com/indieboardgamedesigners

Kyle Schubert tells us about Mintrospection, his game in the Mint Tin Challenge. As well as How to retheme a game after a contest What to do when you're furloughed and if you should get KALLAX shelving (from IKEA) I'm sharing my latest game Skyhook on Patreon.

Jonathan Weaver is an enthusiastic game designer who is working on many game ideas at the same time and is also pitching games. Learn how to participate in game design contests, succeed in a rural community, and jump into GenCan't

Will Thompson & David Thomas from Absurdist Productions tell us all about the meats and how you can make a food (meat) themed board game. They share the secret to getting a line of people outside your booth If vegetarians would love or hate or a meat themed game How to build a local playtest group

I get to chat with Juliana Moreno-Patel and Ariel Ruben from The Wild Optimists. We talk about puzzle design vs game design Signing with mass market companies and working with complex components in manufacturing

I get to chat with Jason Slingerland from Building The Game podcast. In our chat we go over: Printing games in the US Selling games to friendly local game stores (FLGS) Why a designer might move from solo designs to codesigns Check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/indieboardgamedesigners

I get to chat with Jeremy Lounds about: Winning the Social Deduction Challenge on The Game Crafter What you should do after you win a contest & what game design essays you should read

I get to chat with the incredibly productive Patrick Engro. How & why he enters so many games into the Button Shy contests What you can do after (not winning) a contest And what are some differences between games in Japan vs USA

I get to chat with Brent Critchfield who designed Gruff. We get into: Designing trading card games (TCGs) Going from full time back to part time and what mutant power is best Join me in my #ShrinkWrapChallenge to play all of the unplayed games in our collections.

It's easy to get depressed watching the world turn upside down. I want to share some things you can do to help you with your board game design as well as your mental health.  

I'm able to chat with the amazingly powerful Chris Brooks about: How to create entertaining & educational videos for your board games (especially in contests) What to do after you win a top placement (but not 1st place) in a contest And why 1917 isn't his fav Follow my process of pitching to publishers & support the show.

I get to chat with Kevin Russ who is a traveling game designer. He shares his experience designing games without a playtest group What conventions are the most useful & what cat breed is best

I get to chat with the very enthusiastic Zach Given the designer of Dragoon and talk about Lay Waste Games and designing games as part of a company portfolio. We get into: Designing multiple expansions for a game Working as part of a company to create a portfolio of games and whether dragons have separate wings or if they're a part of their arms. The real tough questions. Follow my game Mintsugi

I get to chat with Thomas Shepherd who runs Toresh Games. We chat about: How he made over 6 games in 2 years Selling through Amazon instead of Kickstarter And the best places to visit in Colorado

In this bonus episode I talk about the results of the Mint Tin Challenge with my game Mintsugi (soon to be called Kintsugi!). Follow along with Kintsugi (and you'll know about a Kickstarter) 

Ken Franklin joins us and shares how he worked his way into the industry just from walking around the halls at Gen Con 2011 and being incredibly kind, friendly, and hard working. You can learn more about my game Mintsugi.

I chat to the incredibly thoughtful & talented Tim Fowers about all of his games. We go into: Why he prefers to sell on his own site instead of distribution Why he started Tabletop Network Who your audience really is (it's more than "people who like fantasy and games") And what crime he'd definitely be arrested for

I met Fertessa Allyse at Tabletop Network and got her to share some of her thoughts on a game she just signed. We chat about: Designing one game for a long time Tabletop Network Emulating (and not stealing) other game ideas And most importantly: why Scar is the best Disney villain

The amazing Alisha Volkmann tells us all about: Winning game design contests Designing games for companies Illustrating games and of course cheese curds

I was able to chat with Eric Alvarado who is a game designer who created Vinyl. And he now works for Talon Strikes Studios. We chat about: Designing theme first Creating mathematical models for your games Creating a streamlined process to generate your cards and import them into a testing program and record crates

John Lash joins me and shares: His game Cage Match His direct to Amazon strategy And his favorite martial arts movie