The Game Design Round Table

Latest Episodes:

BtC - Naming Games with Peter Hayward Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

Ellie is joined by Peter Hayward, designer of games such as Robotopia, Fiction, and That Time You Killed Me. Ellie and Peter discuss not only the process for naming a game, but also how names affect pitching and publishing, naming your prototypes, and how the process works for indie and mass market titles.

Civ Series 10 - Listener Questions Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

Civilization 7 approaches! As we prepare to share our thoughts on Civ 7, we answer another round of listener questions. Topics include Dirk and David's ideal Civ game, how to approach kingmaking in multiplayer games, and why diplomacy in Civilization is often so underwhelming.

BtC - Sen-Foong Lim on Motivation Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

This week on Behind the Cardboard, Ellie is joined by Sen-Foong Lim, ENNIE winner and designer of Mind: MGMT, Corpse of Discovery, and The Revenant Society.

Civ Series 9 - Where are we now with Soren Johnson Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

The Civilization Series returns with Soren Johnson, lead designer of Civilization IV, Offworld Trading Company, and Old World. They discuss the teasers for Civilization VII, what they're excited for, what they're worried about, and what they hope will change about the series. They also discuss the 4X releases since their last meeting, including Humankind.

BtC - Daryl Andrews on Generating Ideas Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

Ellie Dix is joined for the inaugural episode of Behind the Cardboard by Daryl Andrews, designer of Sagrada, The Real Truth, and Kodama 3D among many others. Together, they discuss Daryl's career, how he comes up with new games, and how he pitches to publishers. How long to stick with an idea, where to put them, and how should you keep track of them? All this and more in Behind the Cardboard.

#334 New Year, New Format, New Us Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

2024 was an excellent year for game design, and 2025 is looking to be even better. As time moves forward, TGDRT must evolve just as our favorite games do. Dirk and David discuss the state of the show; what worked, what didn't, and what the future holds for the show. They also announce TGDRT's brand new programming, Roundtable Retrospective and Behind the Cardboard with Ellie Dix, discussing the exciting new content focused on the behind the scenes of making games.

#333 App-Integration with Andrew Fischer Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

Dirk and David are joined by Andrew Fischer, lead designer of the Cosmere RPG. In this first of two interviews, the crew discusses Andrew's career, from working at Fantasy Flight Games to being the lead designer of the world's biggest Kickstarter game. Topics include the pros and cons of app-integration for games, surprise elements in RPGs, and the GM-less nature of games like Gloomwood.

#332 Listener Questions with Ellie Dix Show Dec 24, 2024

Show notes

The Game Design Round Table rounds out its best year yet with another set of Listener Questions! Dirk and David are joined by Ellie Dix once more to answer your questions about hidden information, designing for different group sizes, and exploring a world in which you only played board games once.

#331 Solforge Fusion with Justin Gary Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

Dirk and David are joined this week by Justin Gary, founder of Stone Blade Entertainment and co-designer of Solforge Fusion. They discuss the life, death, and rebirth of Solforge, as well as its unique approach to content generation. Topics include the history of Solforge, how the usage of the Blockchain affects monetization, the community of Solforge, and how the game successfully incorporates procedural generation into its card design.

#330 Xenolanguage with Kathryn Hymes Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

This week, Dirk and David are joined by Kathryn Hymes, co-owner of Thorny Games and former co-host of the show. Together, they discuss Kathryn's new game Xenolanguage, a roleplaying game where players take the role of humans tasked with deciphering an alien language. They give their thoughts on designing GMless games, especially focusing on how to facilitate interesting experiences within the rules. Topics include an in-depth look at Xenolanguage's design, the breadth in experience of GMless games, approaching the business side of GMless games, and what future games may look like in the field of language.

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