The Great Game

Patrick and Jack (Click and Clack?) sat down with Trenton Greyoak for a long overdue look at Deephaven - a megagame legally distinct to Dwarf Fortress! The conversation took us to a lot of nitty gritty about this story-driven, roleplay-heavy game - from maps to random tables to wooden block towers (entirely not Jenga). This is our last formal episode for this crazy 2020 seasion of The Great Game. We're hopeful to return in 2021 with more megagame goodness. EPISODE LINKS: - Trenton can be found at the Megagame Coalition (and on their discord) The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Our third and final conversation from OMG Con, we spoke with Patrick Rose and Glenn about their experiences (as designer and player, respectively) of the online version of Running Hot. At the time of publishing this episode, Running Hot has been run twice - it's a politico-corporation adventure game of the pre-cyberpunk future. EPISODE LINKS: - Climate Crisis on 1 November - Red Planet Rising, coming in December - The Megagame Makers 2021 schedule - Paddy is from Pennine Megagames - Glenn is from Megagame Texas - You can read more about Running Hot here The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Our second 'studio' recording from OMG-Con 2020, we sat down with Peter Nixon and Becky Ladley to talk about As Thou Commands, a new design from Peter that looks at medieval worldbuilding and politcs. The game was playtested at the con and our conversations delves into it from a designer perspective, to the player experience, and far beyond. EPISODE LINKS: - Peter Nixon is from The Megagame Coalition - Becky can be found at BeckyBecky's blog and Facebook page - The Megagame Assembly podcast and recent blog on traitor roles The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

The first of three interviews from our coverage of the 2020 Online Megagame Conference (OMG Con), we sat down LIVE with Mark and Merle (from the National Security Decision Making game) and Cody (Megagame Coalition) to discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis! EPISODE LINKS: - NSDM on Facebook - NSDM OMG Con Panel - NSDM Youtube Channel - The Megagame Coalition The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

A whopping double-episode for our ten-episode anniversary, we sat down with Zac (returning, Brisbane Megagames), Stefan (Magic Coffeehouse, Megagame Coalition, OWL League creator) and Ed (Reading Megagames) to talk about the epic 2-week megagame that was The OWL League. The group talks about the design and admin of the game, the different player perspectives, and what a 'legacy' megagame might look like for future seasons of the OWL League. EPISODE LINKS: - Patreon page for Project Nexus - OMG Con 2020 - Megagame Assembly survey on megagames and ticket pricing - Stefan over at Magic Coffee House - The OWL League online presence - The OWL League 2020 opening ceremony video - Dave Harmon's Black Rock Outpost online mafia game The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Patrick takes to interviewing Jack, Zac (returning to the podcast) and new guest Jason, delving into a post-mortem of the recent playtest of Dark and Stormy Night, our home grown online megagame. The discussion veers around the technical and design obstacles we faced and the team discusses what we've most learned about the online space for megagames. Episode Links: GenCon Online (where you can find Den of Wolves, Draft Night, Lucidian Online, talks on the State of Megagames, and so much more!) Czar of the South - upcoming megagame playtest in Brisbane The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Jack and Patrick are joined by John (KiwiGameDesign and Reading Megagames) to discuss the world of online megagames, the challenges and opportunities ahead, and the design process for John's new online game – the Anubis Heresy. Episode Links: Online Megagames of GenCon 2020 by the Megagame Coaltion The Art of Not Being Governed (inspiration for Relics of the Fall) Reading Megagames Kiwi Game Design The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Jack and Patrick are joined by Stefan (Megagame Coalition and Magic CoffeeHouse) to talk about all-things online megagames. Discussion focussed on the potential of online megagames and delves into Stefan's upcoming online game, OWL League. Episode Links: The Megagame Coalition and their Online Megagame Convention Magic CoffeeHouse The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Patrick turns the table on Jack, interviewing him (and his co-designer, Zac) about the 2019 megagame - We Are Not Alone. The lads discuss the game's design process and the departure from its inspiration, the classic Watch the Skies. Episode Links: International Women&NB Megagame Network - Discord The OWL League - online megagame coming this June The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Jack and Patrick explore the megagame design process from their perspectives and delve into inspiration, organisation and the importance of knowing when and how to bring in collaborators. Episode Links: Megagames in the Future - an online symposium by True North Megagames A Dark and Stormy Night - Second Playtest The OWL League - online megagame coming this June The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Patrick interviews Justin and James from the Sydney Megagamers about their experience in designing their first megagame, a sci-fi game of political intrigue based on Battlestar Galactica - So Say We All. Episode Links: A Dark and Stormy Night - Second Playtest Megagames in the Future - an online symposium by True North Megagames The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Jack and Patrick talk about their experiences in getting started running games - how to find a game to run, how to put a team together, and how to deal with venue crises. A few tech issues this episode, so some sections needed to be re-recorded. Episode Links: Free megagames from the Megagame Assembly and Megagame Makers Purchase Watch the Skies from Jim Wallman, Stone Paper Scissors Purchase Den of Wolves from John Mizon, Horizon Megagames God Emperor, which is FREE until 30 June 2020! The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Jack and Patrick chat with Nellie (Melbourne Megagames) about the inaugural run of Watch the Skies, the challenges and successes of setting up megagames in a new city, the lessons learned along the way, an alien baby fiasco, and the future of Melbourne Megagames. Episode Links: Purchase Watch the Skies from Jim Wallman, Stone Paper Scissors Melbourne Megagames on Facebook The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy

Jack and Patrick talk about Megagames in the Australian environment - how it all started, how we do things down under, and how our players and designers find the world of megagaming. The Great Game Theme: Balrog Boogie, Diablo Swing Orchestra The Great Game logo by Jack McNamee using Logo designed by Jack McNamee using Earth Vectors by Vecteezy