The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast
Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, Trevor Muller-Hegel
119 episodes
1 week ago
Join game designers Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, and Trevor Muller-Hegel as they analyze published games from a game developer's perspective. Each month, they pick a new game mechanic and three games to play in that genre. Each episode is 20 minutes of pure game design nerdiness!
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Join game designers Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, and Trevor Muller-Hegel as they analyze published games from a game developer's perspective. Each month, they pick a new game mechanic and three games to play in that genre. Each episode is 20 minutes of pure game design nerdiness!
How do you design zero level heuristics for abstract strategy games? What are the benefits of limiting how many actions a player can perform? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda break the ice in Hey, That's My Fish!
How do you encourage players to lead with their best bid? Why are catchup mechanics so important in auction games? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda petition the gods in Cyclades.
How do you make a game fun when players lose most of the hands they play? Should cards have effects when played? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie talk about trick takers.
Should players be encouraged to exploit catch-up mechanics? What are the benefits of stacking decks? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor trawl the depths in Fishing.
What should happen when two locations are joined by a route? Which mechanics work well with route-building? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda talk about Route-Building games.
Do routes need to branch? How do you get players to care about action resolution order? Ananda, Charlie, and Trevor build a public transit network in Bus.
When players share control of assets, how do you give them unique advantages? What should happen to the money spent in an auction game? Trevor, Ananda, and Charlie listen to the jingle, the rumble, and the roar in Wabash Cannonball.
Can victory points and progression go together without snowballing? How can you draw a map to something when even the game doesn't know where it is? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda discover temples in Akrotiri.
How does the illusion of control affect players' perception of conflict resolution mechanics? Can players be made to look forward to their elimination? Charlie, Trevor, and Ananda face their fears in Dread.
The Tabletop Takeaway: A Board Game Design Podcast
Join game designers Ananda Guneratne, Charlie McCarron, and Trevor Muller-Hegel as they analyze published games from a game developer's perspective. Each month, they pick a new game mechanic and three games to play in that genre. Each episode is 20 minutes of pure game design nerdiness!
