The Game Design Round Table

Latest Episodes:

#279 Dominique Dickey Talks Plant Girl Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

Dominique joins Dirk and David to talk about TTRPG design. Topics covered include Dominique's pathway into the field through a student internship with Monte Cook Games, the challenges of approaching theme-first design with different RPG rulesets, and how Dominique's personal connection with many of their games' themes stems from a desire to create specific experiences that aren't common in other TTRPGs.

#278 Listener Questions June 2022 Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Kathryn teams up with Dirk and David to tackle another round of listener questions. Topics include microtransactions, free-to-play games, early game design steps, data in game design, and how designers can learn from other mediums.

#277 Diving into Cards as a Crossroads May 25, 2022

Show notes

Isaac Vega joins Dirk and David to talk about his experiences in the board game industry and how he has used cards in his games. First the trio discuss City of Remnants and how different components fulfill different roles in game design. Next, Dirk and David ask Isaac about his work on Ashes Reborn and some of its more unique systems. Finally, the group continues the discussion of Isaac's games with some questions about Dead of Winter and its crossroads cards.

#276 Round Table on Market Considerations for Game Themes May 12, 2022

Show notes

Kathryn rejoins Dirk and David for another Round Table discussion of past episodes. First, in reference to the recent episode with Sydney Engelstein, the group talks about card-based expansions. Then the discussion turns to the various Zenobia award finalist guests who have been on the show—topics include unique themes, alternative funding for games, and how to utilize popular IPs while maintaining your own vision for the game. Finally, the group has a conversation about the Dave Scott episode and discusses how they've used customizable experiences in their own games.

#275 Diving Into Card-focused Adaptations and Expansions Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

Sydney Engelstein joins Dirk and David to talk about her history in game design and her work on multiple card-centric games. After discussing some of her earlier games such as the Space Cadet games, Sydney talks at length about her experience working on some of the popular game series in the Stronghold Games lineup: Aeon's End and Terraforming Mars. The discussion covers what it's like making expansions for the deckbuilder Aeon's End, how the design for Ares Expedition streamlined aspects of Terraforming Mars by focusing in on the card play, and some advice on the more business–oriented side of game acquisitions.

#274 Damon Stone Talks Liberation Haiti Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

Damon Stone joins Dirk and David to discuss his game Liberation Haiti, a historical-themed deckbuilder and a Zenobia Award finalist. First, Damon talks about his experience in game design and development, including how he got started working with Fantasy Flight. Next, Damon talks at length about the historical setting for Liberation Haiti and explains how he mapped different mechanics to that theme. Other topics include how undefined time to prepare for a final confrontation can sometimes sink a game and how Damon chose to handle the random elements of a game that uses both cards and dice.

#273 Dave Scott Talks Everyday Heroes Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

Dave Scott joins Dirk and David to discuss the upcoming tabletop roleplaying system Everyday Heroes, a revived and updated version of the old D20 Modern system. Dave discusses how he worked with a team of game designers to create rulesets for a system and roleplaying space that has fascinated Dave for years. One topic is a deep dive into the problems with chase mechanics in RPGs and how those mechanics are handled in Everyday Heroes. Another big discussion point is how Dave and the team decided to give the game a more cinematic feel and capture the action hero stereotypes without straying into superhero status. Finally, Dave talks about what the design process for his team looks like right now and how they utilize a group of hundreds of playtesters effectively.

#272 Charlie Cleveland Talks Subnautica Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

Charlie Cleveland joins Dirk and David to discuss his work on the underwater survival game Subnautica–an indie hit and a standout in the genre. The trio talk about the game's somewhat unusual theme and the difficulties of making a game set underwater. They also talk about how that theme helped influence the game's mechanics and continually reinforced the core design pillar for the game: thrill of the unknown. Finally, Charlie takes some time to talk about the early access process, aspects of the game that got cut, and a little discussion on the game's frosty followup title, Subnautica: Below Zero.

#271 Lauren Ino Talks The Season Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

Lauren talks to Dirk about her Regency era game, The Season. She gives a lot of background on the Regency romance setting and the Georgian Era in general. She explains how elements of her game reflect its historical setting. Lauren also talks about her experience with the Zenobia Awards competition and how it helped inspire her to finally follow through on a design she'd been thinking about for a long time.

#270 Listener Questions January 2022 Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

Once again, Kathryn Hymes joins Dirk and David for another round of listener questions. The discussion starts with a thorough examination of how to best grow an audience for a game when starting at zero. Other conversations cover the new hot genres in games, consent and session zero conversations for board games, and what the cohosts look for with their personal gaming choices. Finally, the talk wraps up with a discussion on purposefully or accidentally toxic players in all gaming mediums and different solutions for those issues.

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