The Game Design Round Table

Latest Episodes:

#18: Spelunky. With Derek Yu Mar 15, 2013

Show notes

This week Jon and Dirk are joined by Derek Yu, designer of Spelunky. He shares his design approach, the importance of challenge and permadeath. Derek also describes what it's like to be a designer/artist hybrid, as opposed to the designer/programmers that this show has tended to focus on more in the past. He also touches on his unique development cycle where he oscillates between PC freeware and professional, for-purchase titles.There are a few small spoilers, so beware, should you have any interest in exploring the game's nuances for yourself!

#17: Kickstarter & Fate Core. With Fred Hicks Mar 07, 2013

Show notes

With the At the Gates funding campaign coming to a close, Jon and Dirk are joined by the timely Fred Hicks of Evil Hat to talk about launching and running a Kickstarter drive. They delve into the demands and challenges of Kickstarter, and Fred shares the success story and design behind his latest project, Fate Core.

#16: War Stories. With Michael Tan Feb 28, 2013

Show notes

Jon and Dirk are joined by Michael Tan, lead designer of War Stories, a new tabletop wargaming franchise that just launched on Kickstarter. Michael and Dirk talk about the experience of remotely designing a game together, and share many of the exciting and innovative features that help it stand out from other wargames.

#15: Tactics, Company of Heroes & XCOM Feb 21, 2013

Show notes

In this week's episode Jon and Dirk discuss two of their favorite tactical combat games: Relic's Company of Heroes, and Firaxis' XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Our hosts discuss what these games did well, poorly and what changes they would make to them.

#14: 4X Games & Civilization. With Soren Johnson Feb 14, 2013

Show notes

This week Jon and Dirk are joined by Soren Johnson, best known as the designer of Civilization IV. The gang discusses the 4X genre with a particular focus on the Civilization series. They dig into what makes this category of games special, what problems they have yet to solve and what opportunities exist with multiplayer and on mobile platforms.

#13: Jon's New Game - At the Gates Feb 06, 2013

Show notes

Lucky #13! In this week's episode, our hosts discuss Jon's new game: 'At the Gates,' a 4X strategy game where you play as a barbarian tribe during the fall of Rome. They discuss the background for the game's development, as well as the design thinking that went into many of its features. 'At the Gates' will be available on Kickstarter from February 6th until March 8th, so please check it out!

#12: CCGs & Dominion. With David Heron Jan 30, 2013

Show notes

Jon and Dirk are joined by designer David Heron to discuss his work on the Legend of the Five Rings CCG (Collectible Card Game). Along the way, they examine the business side of building a CCG. The discussion then shifts to deckbuilding and drafting games, with a particular focus on Dominion and 7 Wonders and the design flaws that prevent Dirk and David from enjoying them. At the end of the episode Jon teases a big announcement that will be made next week.

#11: Storytelling & The Walking Dead. With Telltale Jan 23, 2013

Show notes

A "high-energy" episode this week as Jon and Dirk are joined by Telltale Games designers (and Idle Thumbs hosts) Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin. The guests share their experiences developing story-based games, with a particular focus on The Walking Dead. Many of the design challenges they face contrast heavily with what Jon and Dirk are used to with more abstract, non-story titles. And yet, the crew also discovers that many of the nuts and bolts that go into game development are the same regardless of what type of project you're working on.Oh, and a spoiler warning for those of you who haven't yet finished Season 1 of The Walking Dead. Jake and Sean discuss important plot points a couple times, so listener beware!

#10: Battle of the Bulge, Updates, and More Jan 15, 2013

Show notes

An intimate show this week where Jon and Dirk cover a variety of topics ranging from the new Battle of the Bulge iOS game to Jon's recent article contrasting turn-based and real-time games. Dirk also provides an update on the progress of his current game, 'Tomorrow', and our hosts even spend a few minute discussing another project on Kickstarter that they're not exactly enamored with.

#9: Journey of a Part-Time Indie. With Jesse Howard Jan 08, 2013

Show notes

This week Jon and Dirk are joined by Jesse Howard, an academic turned part-time tabletop designer - at age 40. They delve into Jesse's ongoing journey to develop 'Ploy', a promising and innovative abstract card game. The design of Ploy is a very interesting case, as Jesse began with mechanics and only later added theming, which is the opposite approach of our hosts. Along the way, the group explores what they believe to be THE key to game development success.

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